Willem-Alexander sworn in as Dutch king

The Netherlands' Willem-Alexander has been sworn in as Europe's youngest monarch after his mother, queen Beatrix, abdicated and his country hailed the avowedly 21st-century king with a massive, orange-hued party.

• Beatrix: Queen who retires a princess
• Royal reception ahead of Dutch abdicationview
• Willem-Alexander named Dutch Kingview

DDOS kills millions of Dutch online IDs

More than 10 million Dutch citizens were unable to use their official online signature to pay bills and taxes because of a cyberattack.

• Gmail users hacked by Iran
• Dutch Banks hit by hackers
• Taiwan builds China 'hacking' shield

Dutch beef may contain horse

The Netherlands' food watchdog has asked hundreds of companies across Europe, supplied by a Dutch wholesaler suspected of mixing beef and horse meat, to check 50 000 tons of suspect meat.

• Banned lamb mince at 'horsemeat' factory
• Portugal: Horse drug in burgers, meatballs
• Iceland finds more beefless beef pies

Dutch Banks hit by hackers

Dutch banks say a cyberattack has affected their online services, but did not breach the security of customers' accounts.

• Website helps Dutch Catholics 'de-baptise'
• Dutch MPs won't ban illegal downloads
• Gmail users hacked by Iran

Prosecutors OK Kenya trial delays

Prosecutors are not objecting to the delay of trials for 4 Kenyans charged in post-election violence.

• Odinga taunts Kenyatta over ICC trial
• Kenya ICC-indicted leaders do poll deal
• Kenya president candidates on ICC list

Dutch family sues FB over 'like' button

The heirs of a Dutch internet inventor are suing Facebook for allegedly infringing his patents with the US social networking site's "like" and "share" buttons.

• Yahoo, Facebook 'settle patent fight'
• Facebook pays Microsoft $550m for patents
• Facebook engaging in shady behaviour - Yahoo

Westerners warned to leave Benghazi

London, Germany, Canada and Netherlands have urged their citizens to immediately leave the eastern city of Benghazi, warning of an imminent threat against Westerners.

• Algeria assault: Weapons came from Libya
• 'Africa risky but too crucial to leave'
• Algeria hostage drama 'an inside job'

Anti-whaling nations warn against violence

Anti-whaling nations have urged environmental activists not to take any action endangering human life as Japan’s fleet prepared to set sail for its controversial annual hunt.

• Japan to release anti-whaling activists
• Activists board Japanese harpoon boat
• Anti-whaling leader pins arrest on Japan

Snow delays Dutch flights

Heavy snow and strong winds have caused more than 100 flight cancellations at Amsterdam's international airport.

• Snow and gales hit Europe, 4 dead
• Wintry US storm slows Sandy recovery
• US Northeast buttons up for superstorm Sandy

Two ships collide in North Sea, 1 sinks

Dutch sea rescue services have launched a major rescue operation after two ships collided in a busy North Sea shipping lane off the coast of Rotterdam with one ship sinking.

• Ship and rescue boat sink off Istanbul
• Concordia's captain says: I'm sorry
• Hong Kong ferry collides, sinks

Dutch to force suspects to show passwords

The Dutch government plans to introduce a new law to force suspected terrorists and paedophiles to hand over computer passwords and punish those who refuse to comply.

• Safety fears cause Twitter password reset
• 26% of US hacked, survey finds
• Survey finds easy passwords 'common'

Clear as... paper?

Scientists have developed a method to "see through" layers of thin, solid material in a breakthrough that holds promise for medical imaging, nanotechnology - and the spy trade.

• 1st feathered fossils found in North America
• US digital news venture hits the web
• Eat chocolate, win the Nobel Prize?

Netherlands mulling heated bike paths

Researchers in bicycle-mad Netherlands have come up with a novel way to get more cyclists out during the harsh winter months while also lowering the number of injuries: heated bike paths.

• Naked Bike Ride in Cape Townview
• Argus hit-and-run driver gets off lightly
• Russian winter temp hits -56°C

Dutch Facebook murder: Boy gets 1 year

A 15-year-old Dutch boy has been sentenced to a year in juvenile detention for stabbing to death a girl whose Facebook posts reportedly led to a contract for her killing.

Sandcastles are no child's play - experts

The recipe for the perfect sandcastle? A delicate balance of 99% sand and 1% water, say physicists who have given new meaning to mixing work and play.

• Stem cells blamed for cancer re-growth
• Men more likely to survive in shipwrecks
• Finches choose chicks' gender

Netherlands stops budget aid to Mozambique

The Netherlands is to cease funding to Mozambique because of its poor governance and slow improvement in fighting corruption, says the Dutch Embassy.

• Mozambique records rise in tourism
• Mozambique slams foreign mining firms
• Gas deposit found in Mozambique

Dutch paedophile gets 18 years in jail

Judges have handed down an 18-year sentence to a paedophile who molested dozens of young children in Amsterdam preschools and then shared videos of the acts on the Internet.

• Global online paedophile network bust
• Vatican apologies not enough: Abuse victim
• Greece classes paedophilia as disability

Dutch rail chief: Crash a 'nightmare'

The Dutch rail chief says the head-on train collision that left 42 seriously hurt was a 'nightmare'.

• Dutch train crash injures 125
• Dutch trains collide, many injured
• Train crash in Germany kills 3

Dutch trains collide, many injured

The Dutch rail network operator says two trains have collided in Amsterdam and media have reported that about a dozen passengers have been injured.

• Trains collide in Germany
• Agony for parents after Swiss bus crash
• Brussels public transport halted

Turkish president begins Dutch state visit

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has begun a three-day state visit to the Netherlands by laying a wreath at the Dutch national monument in downtown Amsterdam.

• Turkey launches incursion into Iraq
• Turkish military's chiefs step down
• Turkey expels Israeli envoy

Dutch close Syria embassy

The Netherlands is to close its embassy in Damascus in protest against continued violence committed by the regime of Bashar Assad, says a Dutch news report.

• Syria revolt enters 2nd year
• Russia won't intervene militarily in Syria
• Assad life laid bare in private e-mails

Dutch babysitter child-sex case opens

The trial of an ex-nursery school teacher who has admitted molesting scores of youngsters and making child pornography has opened after an investigation spanning two continents.

• Dutch 'serial child molester' arrested
• Child drug trafficking ring bust
• Thai's keep Dutch sex abuser locked up

Dutch airport re-opens after bomb threat

A major disruption at Amsterdam's busy Schiphol Airport has ended after military police arrested a man who had locked himself in a toilet, claiming to have a bomb, officials say.

• Dutch airport evacuated after bomb threat

Deloitte sued by Dutch shareholder group

A shareholder association is suing Deloitte and 178 partners over its involvement in Dutch retailer Ahold’s multi-billion-euro accounting scandal.

• Ex UBS trader faces trial
• UK cracks down on dividends from 'crime'