Hanneke Sanou

First there was the invasion of the American crayfish, and now the American bullfrog may be providing a new threat to Dutch native species. Traces of the bullfrog, an invasive species, have been found in a Brabant nature reserve, Jeroen Delft of herpetology research institute RAVON told broadcaster NOS. Delft and his fellow researchers are keeping a close eye on developments both in the Netherlands and nearby Flanders, which is currently combating a bullfrog invasion of its own. The American...

A court in Zwolle has sentenced a court employee to four years, one suspended, for selling confidential information to criminals and for extortion. Sana C (35) worked at the information desk at Amsterdam district court, where she had access to several systems containing personal information. She also extorted money from a man over a period of two years to an amount of almost €100,000 by threatening him and his family with violence. Police came across the woman in 2024 during...

The provincial authorities in Zeeland are warning holidaymakers about the presence of Japanese clinging jellyfish in the Veerse Meer and the Grevelingenmeer lakes. The tiny invasive species was spotted almost a month before it usually puts in an appearance, the province said. When it comes in contact with the skin, the jellyfish can cause itching and a rash. People who are allergic can present more severe symptoms. The Veerse Meer has been home to the jellyfish for over 10 years...

As football fans enjoy their fun this month, either from the cheapest seat (the sofa), a stadium or ICE headquarters, the rest of us will stay on the ball by taking in a bit of culture. Sing along with Spinoza The Bostheater open-air theatre in Amsterdam is back with a great summer programme, including Spinoza, a musical about Baruch Spinoza, whose development into a fiercely independent thinker and philosopher alienated him from his siblings and the Jewish community but laid...

Dutch salt mining company Frisia has been granted a provisional licence to expand its salt extraction operation in the Wadden Sea despite opposition from the Frisian provincial and local authorities, and environmental groups. The Wadden Sea is a protected natural area, and in 2024, an agreement was reached to stop new mining activity after 2035. Frisia had requested the expansion shortly before 2024. Environmental organisations fear that extracting even more salt at the shallow site could cause subsidence of up...

The economic impact of the return of the wolf to the Netherlands is “limited” but may increase as the population grows, according to research by Wageningen University & Research on behalf of the economic affairs ministry. The number of wolves in the Netherlands has been growing since 2018. There are currently 11 wolf packs, consisting of up to 124 wolves, according to figures from wolf monitoring body BIJ12. Most live in de Veluwe area in Gelderland, Friesland, Drenthe and Utrecht....

Living conditions in 20 of the Netherlands’ most deprived neighbourhoods are posing a significant risk to the health of babies in utero, a landmark study by Erasmus MC teaching hospital shows. The study, based on over 1.1 million pregnancies in the Netherlands, showed that more babies were stillborn, died shortly after being born, or were premature, when the mother had been exposed to stress factors. These included money worries, mold and excessive heat at home, and the level of criminality...

Poet and philosopher Lieke Marsman died on Wednesday, aged 35, from cancer, her publisher Pluim announced on Thursday. Marsman, who was Dutch national poet from 2021 to 2023, was diagnosed with cartilage cancer in 2018. In 2025, she told the Volkskrant she would not let the disease stop her from writing. “I am not resigned to my imminent death. I still have things to say. I want them said,” she said. Marsman’s poetry debut Wat ik mijzelf graag voorhoudt (2010)...

Dutch sand sculptor and illustrator Jeroen Advocaat has won this year’s European Sand Sculpture Championship in Garderen (Gelderland), pipping four international contenders to the post. The theme of the competition was “The Roman Empire” exemplified by Advocaat as a Roman soldier threatening a citizen against the background of a crumbling wall. His work, entitled Roma Eternae (eternal Rome) had the “WOW factor” for its “ originality, technical perfection and strong storytelling”, the jury said. It took Advocaat 6 and a...

The supervisory board of environmental campaign group Milieudefensie has stepped down over its failure to inform staff about ex-director Donald Pols’ extreme-right-wing activities in South Africa. In a statement, chairman Marty Smits said the resignation was intended “to restore calm.” Acting Milieudefensie director Jaqueline Smit said that staff had been shocked both by the revelations about Pols and the fact that the board had been aware of them for years. “The resulting situation justifies the decision made by the board...