Trintelhaven, Netherlands | AFP | The Netherlands is deploying an unlikely ally as climate change intensifies the low-lying country’s age-old fight against floods: more than 666,000 truckloads of sand to shore up a crucial dike. While building on sand has traditionally been a byword for wobbly foundations, the Dutch say they …
Read More »Nine-year-old Belgian wonder kid set for university degree
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | Like many other nine-year-olds, Laurent Simons likes TV and his pet dog. But he also wants to make artificial organs, and is about to get the qualifications to set him on his way. The Belgian boy will in December receive a degree in electrical engineering …
Read More »Four years without Sophia
On Monday August 31, 2015, Sophia Koetsier arrives at Entebbe airport in Uganda. She is 21 years old, bright and ambitious, with a great zest for life, about to embark on a new adventure in a faraway country, on a continent she has never been to. That summer she had acquired …
Read More »Tractor protest sparks ‘biggest’ Dutch traffic jam
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Thousands of Dutch farmers drove their tractors on Tuesday to a huge protest against government climate policies, causing the country’ biggest ever traffic jams, officials said. The farmers travelled from all over the country to The Hague for the four-wheeled demonstration, saying they had …
Read More »Dutch say the tax party’s over for multinationals
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Long criticized at home and abroad for being a haven for giant corporations, the Netherlands announced fresh measures Tuesday to crack down on tax breaks for multinationals. Business-minded Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, leading a fragile coalition, is backing a proposal originally tabled by …
Read More »Rapinoe and USA aim to retain World Cup, but Netherlands stand in their way
Lyon, France | AFP | Led by the charismatic Megan Rapinoe, the United States are aiming to retain the women’s World Cup as they face European champions the Netherlands in the final in Lyon on Sunday. A sell-out crowd of close to 60,000 is expected for the showpiece game of the …
Read More »Indebted to American education, Dutch coach Wiegman hopes to topple Ellis and US
Lyon, France | AFP | For just the second time in the history of the women’s World Cup, there will be female coaches on both benches for the final as Sarina Wiegman’s Netherlands take on holders the United States, coached by Jill Ellis, on Sunday. Only nine of the 24 teams …
Read More »Groenen strikes to take Netherlands through to World Cup final against USA
Lyon, France | AFP | The Netherlands’ rise as a force in women’s football continued on Wednesday as Jackie Groenen’s extra-time strike saw them edge out Sweden 1-0 in a gruelling World Cup semi-final in Lyon, taking the European champions through to this weekend’s final against the United States. After a …
Read More »Dutch Arsenal connection gunning for World Cup glory
Paris, France | AFP | The Netherlands stand one step away from their first ever women’s World Cup final thanks to a core of players aiming to conquer the world after taking Arsenal back to the top in England. Vivianne Miedema’s thumping headed opener in their 2-0 quarter-final win over Italy …
Read More »Nations League thrills and spills win over skeptics
Porto, Portugal | AFP | Portugal’s victory in the inaugural Nations League sparked celebrations long into the night in Porto on Sunday, but the hosts were far from the only ones happy at the end of UEFA’s attempt to add more competition to the international calendar. A complex format that saw …
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