Netherlands - Belgium EU Cocaine Hubs: Dutch customs officers discover four tons of cocaine in Rotterdam

Customs officers seized more than four tons of cocaine in two containers at the port of Rotterdam, Dutch prosecutors said on Sunday.

The illegal drugs, which have an estimated street value of €313 million ($362 million), were found hidden in soy bags destined for Portugal from Paraguay via Uruguay.

"It has been the largest haul discovered so far this year" in the Netherlands, a public prosecution official told the ANP news agency. The cocaine has since been destroyed. Why are smugglers using Rotterdam port?

Europol warned that Rotterdam port is a major entry point for drugs, with the Netherlands and Belgium becoming central hubs for cocaine.

Read more at: Dutch customs officers discover four tons of cocaine in Rotterdam | News | DW | 31.10.2021

The Netherlands: Coronavirus: Netherlands entirely red on European Covid map

Noord-Holland, Noord-Brabant, Groningen and Drenthe turned red on the map of coronavirus cases in Europe. This means that the whole of the Netherlands is now at the second-highest warning level. The four provinces were still orange last week but moved up due to the rapid increase in positive tests.

The ECDC, the European counterpart of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), publishes its coronavirus map every Thursday. The service looks at the number and percentage of positive tests in the two previous calendar weeks. The European coronavirus map has four colors. From low to high, these are green, orange, red, and dark red. Countries use the map to decide to tighten rules for travelers from other countries.

Read more at: Netherlands entirely red on European Covid map | NL Times

The Netherlands: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape

With more than 10 years of Rutte at the helm of Dutch government, he is very close to breaking Ruud Lubbers record of 11 years and 291 days to become the longest-serving PM of the Netherlands; a record that is bound to be broken if Rutte IV materialises. By presenting himself as the country’s national crisis manager, Rutte has held onto his popularity by pragmatically steering the Netherlands through the pandemic, thus strengthening his mandate to form a fourth cabinet under his leadership. However, soon after ‘scouts’ started their exploratory post-election research into cabinet formations, what appeared to become an easy path to Rutte IV took an unexpected turn. Research notes were accidentally leaked revealing Rutte’s now infamous statement: “positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (Omtzigt’s position, function elsewhere), a statement interpreted as exploring means to silence critical members of parliament. The PM’s initial denial of mentioning Omtzigt as part of the talks, followed by his claims of forgetting it, triggered an eruption of political and public outrage, threatening the future of a fourth Rutte cabinet

Read more at: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape | Global Risk Insights

The Netherlands: 9 Reasons Retirees Love The Netherlands

According to Global Finance Magazine, the Netherlands is number 5 on the list of the happiest countries in Europe to live in. That is a pretty good ranking, and you will see why retirees, locals, and foreigners, love to spend their later life in this beautiful European country. The Netherlands is a small country: It’s a little less than twice the size of New Jersey, and the United Kingdom is six times bigger. It is bordered in the east by Germany, in the south by Belgium, and in the north and west by the North Sea. The location is responsible for the moderate maritime climate which generally means mild winters and cool summers.

That doesn’t mean that there can’t be snowfall, hot days in summer, and rain showers year round. The Netherlands is a kingdom and its current king, Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima (who was born in Argentina) are very popular with their people. So if retirees love a bit of pomp and circumstance and a few colorful festivals, they will love the Netherlands.

Read more at: 9 Reasons Retirees Love The Netherlands - TravelAwaits

Netherlands: Global Rankings: Best Countries Rankings - Canada Ranks No. 1 in 2021 - by Elliott Davis

Ranked first in both the Quality of Life and Social Purpose subrankings, meaning that it is seen as a stable and safe society in which individuals can develop and prosper, and is open, fair and equitable. Most of the countries that ranked highest for 2021 come from Western Europe. But Australia, New Zealand and Japan – which is ranked No. 2 overall – also appeared in the top 10.

The Top 10 Countries in the World include:

1. Canada 2. Japan 3. Germany 4. Switzerland 5. Australia 6. United States 7. New Zealand 8. United Kingdom 9. Sweden 10. Netherlands

Read more at: U.S. News Releases 2021 Best Countries Rankings | Best Countries | US News

The Netherlands: Turkey moves to expel Dutch ambassador and nine others, over Kavala detention

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the Dutch ambassador and the ambassadors of nine other countries to leave after they urged Turkey to release jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala. Erdogan said in a speech that he had told the country’s foreign minister to ensure the 10 ambassadors are declared persona non grata.

Read more at: Turkey moves to expel Dutch ambassador and nine others, over Kavala detention - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: New Covid sub variant is in the Netherlands, but remains minor: RIVM

A new sub variant of the Delta coronavirus strain, currently being monitored in the UK, has been in the Netherlands for the past 10 weeks, public health institute RIVM has confirmed. The AY.4.2 sub strain accounts for 0.1% to 0.2% of cases, and the fact it has not increased since it was first identified is an indication that it is not a highly infectious variant, a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.

Read more at: New Covid sub variant is in the Netherlands, but remains minor: RIVM - DutchNews.nl