Den Haag - The Netherlands banned the wearing of a face-covering veil, such as a burqa or niqab, in public buildings and on transport from Thursday as a contentious law on the garment worn by some Muslim women came into force.

Den Haag - Renowned wind energy campaigner and original crew member of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior ship, Steve Sawyer has died of lung cancer, the environmental group said Wednesday. He was 63.

Amsterdam - Bathed in red neon light, hundreds of prostitutes ply their trade from behind windows in the narrow canalside streets of Amsterdam – and that's how they want it to stay.

Den Haag - International prosecutors questioned Kosovo's ex-prime minister and wartime guerrilla commander Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday in the latest in a series of war crimes proceedings against him.

To develop more efficient computers, along with medical devices, scientists are examining nanomaterials. These are materials manipulated on the scale of atoms and which exhibit unique properties, opening a gateway to advanced technology.

Den Haag - The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday slashed the state's liability for 350 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, saying peacekeepers had only a "slim" chance of preventing their deaths.

Sydney - The Surveillance Society has achieved another biometric milestone as scientists try to debunk unreliable “emotion detection” software which they say is based on old science. This software is used for employment, market research, and other fun things.

Den Haag - The International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan on Wednesday to review the death sentence for an alleged Indian spy, in a ruling hailed by nuclear rival New Delhi as a "complete victory".

Den Haag - Families of the victims of flight MH17 on Wednesday marked five years since the crash, with calls for justice for those killed when the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine.

Den Haag - The International Court of Justice will decide Wednesday on India's bid to remove an alleged spy from death row in Pakistan, in a case that has stoked tensions between the South Asian rivals.

Den Haag - A new team set up by the global toxic arms watchdog to identify the culprits behind attacks in Syria has drawn up a list of its first investigations, the organisation's chief said.

Den Haag - Dutch authorities have ordered a primary school football field to close because children using it were too noisy, in a move that has sparked protests and questions in parliament on Wednesday.

Den Haag - A Malian jihadist accused of demolishing Timbuktu's fabled shrines also imposed a reign of terror on local residents, who were "scared out of their minds," the International Criminal Court heard on Monday.

Amsterdam - Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum on Monday began the biggest ever restoration of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", building a giant glass case around the famed painting so the world can see the work carried out live.

Den Haag - International Criminal Court judges on Monday convicted a Congolese rebel chief nicknamed "Terminator" of war crimes including horrific massacres of civilians, sexual enslavement and recruitment of child soldiers.

Den Haag - The International Criminal Court is on Monday to pass judgement on Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda, dubbed the "Terminator" for allegedly masterminding massacres and using children in his rebel army.

Den Haag - The Netherlands' most notorious gangster was jailed for life on Thursday for ordering the murders of five people, including his best friend who was an accomplice in the famed 1980s kidnapping of a Heineken beer tycoon.

Den Haag - A Dutch court jailed the country's most notorious gangster for life on Thursday for ordering the "liquidation" of five people, including his accomplice in the 1980s kidnapping of a Heineken beer tycoon.

Den Haag - Amsterdam's mayor on Wednesday proposed drawing curtains over the notorious glass-fronted booths where sex workers ply their trade, as part of an overhaul of the city's famed red-light district.

Den Haag - Dutch cyclists will from Monday face a 95-euro ($108) fine for holding a mobile phone while riding their bike, in a bid to cut a growing number of accidents.