Wednesday opens with a trial in The Hague, a product warning for online shoppers and the results of the American midterm elections. Expect cool, bright autumn weather with a firm northeasterly wind.
Taxi drivers fined in large numbers during ADE
In Amsterdam, police issued hundreds of fines to taxi drivers during the Amsterdam Dance Event, for breaking traffic laws and other rules. The festival draws big crowds to the city every year, and taxis are one of the main ways people get home at night. If you ride with a driver who ignores the rules during a busy event, remember that you can also report them.
Source: NL Times
Do not buy recalled French condoms online
Dutch health authorities are warning people not to buy French condom brands online after those brands were recalled over safety concerns. The recall may not cover the brands sold in Dutch shops, but products ordered from foreign websites can still reach Dutch homes. Check the brand before you order, and think twice before buying from unfamiliar sellers.
Source: DutchNews
Bridal shop attack trial opens as HEMA turns 100
In The Hague, the trial of four suspects in the 2024 attack on a bridal shop begins today. HEMA, the department store chain found on almost every Dutch high street, turns exactly one hundred years old. Temperatures will reach 9 or 10 degrees, and the coming days should bring plenty of sun followed by quite cold nights.
Source: NOS
Democrats win control of the US Senate
The Democrats have won a majority in the US Senate in the midterm elections, and the Republicans have lost even in Texas. Americans living in the Netherlands, and anyone following transatlantic politics, will be watching what the result means in practice.
Source: Het Parool
Car and van damaged in Hellevoetsluis fire
A fire on the Zalm in Hellevoetsluis damaged a car and a van on Tuesday evening. Nobody was hurt, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Source: Rijnmond
A family farm you can only reach by boat
Boerderij de Eenzaamheid sits on the island of Zwanenburgpolder in the middle of the Kagerplassen lakes, with no bridge and no driveway. Father Jan and son Joost van Schie start work early, and their family has farmed there for six generations. Everything has to come across by boat, which says a lot about how closely Dutch life is tied to water.
Source: Omroep West
Netherlands Today is a curated digest: we summarise and link, the reporting belongs to the publications named. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.
Sources
- NL Times: Police issued hundreds of fines to taxi drivers during ADE in Amsterdam, accessed 4 November 2026
- DutchNews: Dutch consumers warned not to buy recalled French condoms, accessed 4 November 2026
- NOS: Wekdienst 4/11: Uitslagen VS komen binnen • Rechtszaak over explosie Tarwekamp, accessed 4 November 2026
- Het Parool: Democraten pakken meerderheid in Senaat, zelfs in Texas verliezen Republikeinen, accessed 4 November 2026
- Rijnmond: Auto en bestelbus beschadigd door brand, accessed 4 November 2026
- Omroep West: Al zes generaties boer op een eiland: 'Je krijgt wel het heen en weer', accessed 4 November 2026
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