The Netherlands <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/eu-politicians-demand-safe-passage-for-asia-bibi-176542">government announced today </a>that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website.

The embassy won't be issuing any visa applications nor offer consular services, it said.

A Pakistan interior ministry letter revealed that&nbsp;Tehreek-e-Labaik(TLP) planned to target Dutch ambassador Ardi Stoios-Bracken to "seek revenge for uploading blasphemous caricatures by great Wilders, Dutch Parliamentarian, on his personal account."

The letter ordered a security survey of the area around the embassy and sought to reinforce fencing in the diplomatic enclave.

<img alt="Letter by Pak interior ministry" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fcb4b4cc-9e90-4102-a882-3cecd0b04526" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Letter.jpg" />

The embassy move comes after&nbsp;Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook fled to the Netherlands last week seeking temporary asylum after his client's conviction was overturned by the Pakistan Supreme Court. 
&nbsp; 
Asia was lodged in jail since 2010 after being convicted by a Pakistan court under blasphemy law but was set free by the country's top court leading to large-scale&nbsp;protests by the Islamists.

Thousands of Islamists protested in Karachi last Thursday after Asia Bibi was released from prison.

Security officials quickly took her to a secret location amid rumours that she had fled the country. Pakistani officials dismissed reports of Asia fleeing the country.

The Italian government had said last week that Asia should leave her country because her life was in danger.

"I want women and children whose lives are at risk to be able to have a secure future, in our country or in other Western countries, so I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee that (for Bibi)," deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini had said.

"It is not permissible that in 2018 someone can risk losing their life for a&nbsp;hypothesis of blasphemy," Salvini added while asserting that it had nothing against the Pakistan government.

&nbsp;"The enemy is violence, extremism and fanaticism," he said.

(TLP) had called off the protests on November 3rd after striking a deal with the government to put Bibi on 'exit control list' barring her from leaving the country.

"There will be a war if they send Asia out of the country," TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi said after the deal was reached with the government.

The Netherlands government announced today that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website.

The Netherlands government announced today that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website. The embassy won't be issuing any visa applications nor offer consular services, it said. A Pakistan interior ministry letter revealed that Tehreek-e-Labaik(TLP) planned to target Dutch ambassador Ardi Stoios-Bracken to "seek revenge for uploading blasphemous caricatures by great Wilders, Dutch Parliamentarian, on his personal account." The letter ordered a security survey of the area around the embassy and sought to reinforce fencing in the diplomatic enclave. The embassy move comes after Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook fled to the Netherlands last week seeking temporary asylum after his client's conviction was overturned by the Pakistan Supreme Court. Asia was lodged in jail since 2010 after being convicted by a Pakistan court under blasphemy law but was set free by the country's top court leading to large-scale protests by the Islamists. Thousands of Islamists protested in Karachi last Thursday after Asia Bibi was released from prison. Security officials quickly took her to a secret location amid rumours that she had fled the country. Pakistani officials dismissed reports of Asia fleeing the country. The Italian government had said last week that Asia should leave her country because her life was in danger. "I want women and children whose lives are at risk to be able to have a secure future, in our country or in other Western countries, so I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee that (for Bibi)," deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini had said. "It is not permissible that in 2018 someone can risk losing their life for a hypothesis of blasphemy," Salvini added while asserting that it had nothing against the Pakistan government. "The enemy is violence, extremism and fanaticism," he said. (TLP) had called off the protests on November 3rd after striking a deal with the government to put Bibi on 'exit control list' barring her from leaving the country. "There will be a war if they send Asia out of the country," TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi said after the deal was reached with the government.

The Netherlands shuts embassy in Pakistan over threat to Dutch ambassador

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters.&nbsp;

Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

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Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia was acquitted last month by the Pakistan Supreme Court in a blasphemy case. <a href="https://t.co/QBdIAqkYyx">pic.twitter.com/QBdIAqkYyx</a>
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Asia spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday.

Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum.&nbsp;

The order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told.

"Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said. Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia was acquitted last month by the Pakistan Supreme Court in a blasphemy case. pic.twitter.com/QBdIAqkYyx — ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2018 × Asia spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday. Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum. The order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told. "Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament. (With inputs from agencies)

Dutch government offers temporary asylum to Asia Bibi's lawyer in the Netherlands

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country.

Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row.

"The UN in Pakistan extended its assistance to Mr. Malook at his request and did not force him to leave the country against his wishes, nor can the UN force someone to leave Pakistan against his or her will," said UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko.

At a news conference in The Hague on Monday, the lawyer said he was "put on a plane against my wishes" even though he had refused to leave the country without ensuring that his client was out of prison.

Malook said he contacted a UN official in Islamabad after the outbreak of clashes.

"And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," he said.

Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy following a dispute with fellow villagers over drinking from the same bowl of water. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests to bar her from leaving until a final court appeal is heard.

The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan".&nbsp;

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country. Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row.

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country. Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row. "The UN in Pakistan extended its assistance to Mr. Malook at his request and did not force him to leave the country against his wishes, nor can the UN force someone to leave Pakistan against his or her will," said UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko. At a news conference in The Hague on Monday, the lawyer said he was "put on a plane against my wishes" even though he had refused to leave the country without ensuring that his client was out of prison. Malook said he contacted a UN official in Islamabad after the outbreak of clashes. "And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," he said. Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy following a dispute with fellow villagers over drinking from the same bowl of water. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan. But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests to bar her from leaving until a final court appeal is heard. The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan".

UN denies forcing Asia Bibi's lawyer to leave for Netherlands

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday.

Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam, and had been sentenced to death. Mulook helped overturn the decision and has been threatened by angry mobs calling for the judges in the case to be killed.

Two Pakistani politicians who tried to help Bibi have been assassinated. Several parties in Dutch parliament have said they support providing temporary shelter to Bibi if she flees there.

Islamists have shut down major cities in Pakistan through days of demonstrations against Bibi's. They have said they would escalate their protests if she were permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.&nbsp;

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday.

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said. Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam, and had been sentenced to death. Mulook helped overturn the decision and has been threatened by angry mobs calling for the judges in the case to be killed. Two Pakistani politicians who tried to help Bibi have been assassinated. Several parties in Dutch parliament have said they support providing temporary shelter to Bibi if she flees there. Islamists have shut down major cities in Pakistan through days of demonstrations against Bibi's. They have said they would escalate their protests if she were permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.

Asia Bibi's lawyer flees to the Netherlands facing threat to life in Pakistan

A baggage handlers strike at Brussels international airport forced the cancellation of 130 out of 630 flights scheduled for Monday, the fifth day of the dispute, an official said.

Handlers at Belgian firm Aviapartner went on strike last Thursday over demands for better working conditions at Brussels-Zaventem airport, with 100 flights cancelled on Friday and still more over the weekend.

An official at Brussels airport told AFP 130 out of the 630 flights scheduled for Monday had been cancelled.

The Belga news agency said talks over the weekend failed to resolve the dispute and new discussions were scheduled for Monday.

The first day of the strike came at the end of a school holiday in the neighbouring Netherlands and the start of one in Belgium that coincides with All Saints Day on November 1.

Brussels airport is the largest in Belgium, with nearly 25 million passengers passing through last year, compared to seven million at Charleroi airport in the south, the country's second biggest.

A baggage handlers strike at Brussels international airport forced the cancellation of 130 out of 630 flights scheduled for Monday, the fifth day of the dispute, an official said.

A baggage handlers strike at Brussels international airport forced the cancellation of 130 out of 630 flights scheduled for Monday, the fifth day of the dispute, an official said. Handlers at Belgian firm Aviapartner went on strike last Thursday over demands for better working conditions at Brussels-Zaventem airport, with 100 flights cancelled on Friday and still more over the weekend. An official at Brussels airport told AFP 130 out of the 630 flights scheduled for Monday had been cancelled. The Belga news agency said talks over the weekend failed to resolve the dispute and new discussions were scheduled for Monday. The first day of the strike came at the end of a school holiday in the neighbouring Netherlands and the start of one in Belgium that coincides with All Saints Day on November 1. Brussels airport is the largest in Belgium, with nearly 25 million passengers passing through last year, compared to seven million at Charleroi airport in the south, the country's second biggest.

130 flights cancelled on fifth day of Brussels airport strike

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands.&nbsp;

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena.

These are dark days for the Germans in the wake of their dismal World Cup display when they crashed out after finishing bottom of their group.

They are now bottom of Nations League Group One and Loew must avoid defeat against world champions France in Paris on Tuesday, knowing his future will be debated at home.&nbsp;

"Yes, I understand that there is a debate and we have to deal with it," Loew told broadcaster ZDF.

"In the next two days, I will focus entirely on preparing the team before the match in Paris against France, and not on the debates in public, although these debates are normal, very normal."

"We have to show character against France and win the return match against the Dutch or we are going down.

"We had good chances, but couldn't put them away, which would have been good for confidence. It's bad that we fell apart at the end," he added.

After ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack said he was "surprised" Loew kept his job after their woeful World Cup display, the Dutch defeat ramps up the pressure.

Once again, Loew trusted his senior players to deliver a win, but his Bayern Munich axis of Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller failed to deliver.

Both Muller and his second-half replacement, Manchester City starlet Leroy Sane, squandered clear chances either side of he break.&nbsp;

Hummels admitted the team can expect a backlash from the German public after the defeat.

"We'll get it in the neck now, but we have no one to blame but ourselves," said Hummels.

"We lost 3-0, even though we actually had to win the game. "We had a lot of bad luck, but it's not down to any one player."

Germany have now conceded goals in their last 19 internationals.

"We made too little of our chances, although we could have gone ahead early on," said goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer. "At the end, we were too open and made mistakes."

Neuer put the blame firmly on the players: "Before the game, every player signalled to the coach that they were ready to play."

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said the Germans lost their structure after falling behind.

"The structure was missing after the first 30 minutes, but it's hard heading home without having scored," said Kroos.

"You need a reward for the good work you do and that's not happened. "We have to keep going, we have the next chance on Tuesday and concentrate on the good things we did."

The Dutch were delighted with their first win over the Germans for 16 years.

"Sometimes you need a bit of luck, but we deserved the win, fought for every inch and defended well," said Dutch coach Ronaldo Koeman. "It's an unbelievable result, especially as the Germans weren't that bad.

"It's 16 years since we beat Germany and we are on the right way with a talented, young team."

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands. Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena.

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands. Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena. These are dark days for the Germans in the wake of their dismal World Cup display when they crashed out after finishing bottom of their group. They are now bottom of Nations League Group One and Loew must avoid defeat against world champions France in Paris on Tuesday, knowing his future will be debated at home. "Yes, I understand that there is a debate and we have to deal with it," Loew told broadcaster ZDF. "In the next two days, I will focus entirely on preparing the team before the match in Paris against France, and not on the debates in public, although these debates are normal, very normal." "We have to show character against France and win the return match against the Dutch or we are going down. "We had good chances, but couldn't put them away, which would have been good for confidence. It's bad that we fell apart at the end," he added. After ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack said he was "surprised" Loew kept his job after their woeful World Cup display, the Dutch defeat ramps up the pressure. Once again, Loew trusted his senior players to deliver a win, but his Bayern Munich axis of Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller failed to deliver. Both Muller and his second-half replacement, Manchester City starlet Leroy Sane, squandered clear chances either side of he break. Hummels admitted the team can expect a backlash from the German public after the defeat. "We'll get it in the neck now, but we have no one to blame but ourselves," said Hummels. "We lost 3-0, even though we actually had to win the game. "We had a lot of bad luck, but it's not down to any one player." Germany have now conceded goals in their last 19 internationals. "We made too little of our chances, although we could have gone ahead early on," said goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer. "At the end, we were too open and made mistakes." Neuer put the blame firmly on the players: "Before the game, every player signalled to the coach that they were ready to play." Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said the Germans lost their structure after falling behind. "The structure was missing after the first 30 minutes, but it's hard heading home without having scored," said Kroos. "You need a reward for the good work you do and that's not happened. "We have to keep going, we have the next chance on Tuesday and concentrate on the good things we did." The Dutch were delighted with their first win over the Germans for 16 years. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck, but we deserved the win, fought for every inch and defended well," said Dutch coach Ronaldo Koeman. "It's an unbelievable result, especially as the Germans weren't that bad. "It's 16 years since we beat Germany and we are on the right way with a talented, young team."

UEFA Nations League: Netherlands beat Germany for first time in 16 years

Moscow on Monday said that documents presented by the Netherlands last week alleging that Russian agents attempted to hack into the global chemical watchdog organisation were not proof of Moscow's involvement.

Asked by journalists if the Kremlin considers documents released by the Dutch authorities, which include diplomatic passports of four men identifying them as agents of Russian military intelligence, to be proof, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no" adding that Moscow would "no longer discuss these topics through the media."

"From the point of view of the Kremlin, nothing has changed," he said. "We don't see any detailed argument and would prefer not to comment the details."

"There are functioning channels of communication through relevant agencies... documents, evidence and official information can be sent through these official channels," he said.

The comments were the first reaction by the Kremlin to the accusations by several Western governments last Thursday of a string of global cyber attacks, including on the chemical watchdog OPCW.

Dutch security services said they had expelled four Russian agents in April after they attempted a cyber attack on the OPCW, from a car parked in a nearby hotel.&nbsp;

Their passports and other details, including a taxi receipt for a trip to a Moscow airport from a street containing a branch of the military intelligence agency, were shown to the media.

Russia's foreign ministry was set to summon the Dutch ambassador on Monday, according to Russian state news agencies.

Moscow on Monday said that documents presented by the Netherlands last week alleging that Russian agents attempted to hack into the global chemical watchdog organisation were not proof of Moscow's involvement.

Moscow on Monday said that documents presented by the Netherlands last week alleging that Russian agents attempted to hack into the global chemical watchdog organisation were not proof of Moscow's involvement. Asked by journalists if the Kremlin considers documents released by the Dutch authorities, which include diplomatic passports of four men identifying them as agents of Russian military intelligence, to be proof, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no" adding that Moscow would "no longer discuss these topics through the media." "From the point of view of the Kremlin, nothing has changed," he said. "We don't see any detailed argument and would prefer not to comment the details." "There are functioning channels of communication through relevant agencies... documents, evidence and official information can be sent through these official channels," he said. The comments were the first reaction by the Kremlin to the accusations by several Western governments last Thursday of a string of global cyber attacks, including on the chemical watchdog OPCW. Dutch security services said they had expelled four Russian agents in April after they attempted a cyber attack on the OPCW, from a car parked in a nearby hotel. Their passports and other details, including a taxi receipt for a trip to a Moscow airport from a street containing a branch of the military intelligence agency, were shown to the media. Russia's foreign ministry was set to summon the Dutch ambassador on Monday, according to Russian state news agencies.

Netherlands has no proof of alleged Russian hacking plot: Dmitry Peskov

The United States will make its cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Thursday, as allies denounced an alleged Russian bid to hack the international chemical weapons watchdog.

Mattis said the attempted attack on the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) showed how cyber attacks were becoming "more frequent, more complex and... More destructive".

"This is why the United States, like the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia will provide national cyber contributions to help NATO fight in this important domain," Mattis told reporters at a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

The Netherlands revealed extraordinary details of the plot by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency against the OPCW in The Hague, including photos of the alleged agents and their equipment.

Mattis refused to be drawn on what kind of response the OPCW plot should be met with, saying "tit for tat on cyber" was not necessarily appropriate, but he insisted the Kremlin must face consequences.

"Basically the Russians got caught with their equipment, with their people who were doing it and they have got to pay the piper. They are going to have to be held to account," Mattis said.

"We have a wide variety among our nations of responses available to us."&nbsp; 
At the time of the attack, the OPCW was investigating the nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England.&nbsp;

Dutch officials said it was not clear if the cyber operation was linked to that.

Mattis said the US would offer cyber support to NATO allies immediately, but refused to go into detail about the kind of capabilities it would make&nbsp; 
available. &nbsp; &nbsp;

NATO says its forces have successfully used offensive cyber techniques to disrupt Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operations in Iraq.

The alliance has recognised cyber as a full conflict domain alongside air, land, sea and space and said that a cyber attack could trigger its Article 5 mutual defence pact.

NATO's Baltic members -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- say they come under near-daily cyber assault, with government departments, banking systems and the power grid coming in for attack, and point the finger at former Soviet ruler Russia.&nbsp;

The United States will make its cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Thursday, as allies denounced an alleged Russian bid to hack the international chemical weapons watchdog.

The United States will make its cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Thursday, as allies denounced an alleged Russian bid to hack the international chemical weapons watchdog. Mattis said the attempted attack on the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) showed how cyber attacks were becoming "more frequent, more complex and... More destructive". "This is why the United States, like the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia will provide national cyber contributions to help NATO fight in this important domain," Mattis told reporters at a meeting of NATO defence ministers. The Netherlands revealed extraordinary details of the plot by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency against the OPCW in The Hague, including photos of the alleged agents and their equipment. Mattis refused to be drawn on what kind of response the OPCW plot should be met with, saying "tit for tat on cyber" was not necessarily appropriate, but he insisted the Kremlin must face consequences. "Basically the Russians got caught with their equipment, with their people who were doing it and they have got to pay the piper. They are going to have to be held to account," Mattis said. "We have a wide variety among our nations of responses available to us." At the time of the attack, the OPCW was investigating the nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England. Dutch officials said it was not clear if the cyber operation was linked to that. Mattis said the US would offer cyber support to NATO allies immediately, but refused to go into detail about the kind of capabilities it would make available. NATO says its forces have successfully used offensive cyber techniques to disrupt Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. The alliance has recognised cyber as a full conflict domain alongside air, land, sea and space and said that a cyber attack could trigger its Article 5 mutual defence pact. NATO's Baltic members -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- say they come under near-daily cyber assault, with government departments, banking systems and the power grid coming in for attack, and point the finger at former Soviet ruler Russia.

US to make cyber capabilities available to NATO: Defence Secretary Mattis

Dutch intelligence thwarted a Russian cyber attack targeting the global chemical weapons watchdog in April and expelled four Russian agents, the government said Thursday.

The Russians set up a car full of electronic equipment in the car park of a hotel next to the Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons in The Hague in a bid to hack its computer system, it said.

"The Dutch government finds the involvement of these intelligence operatives extremely worrisome," Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld told a news conference.&nbsp;

"Normally we don't reveal this type of counter-intelligence operation."

The Netherlands publicly identified the alleged Russian agents and said the operation was carried out by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, Dutch officials said.

Britain helped the Netherlands with the operation, they added.

A laptop belonging to one of the four was linked to Brazil, Switzerland and Malaysia. The activities in Malaysia were related to the investigation into the 2014 shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Bijleveld added.

Dutch intelligence thwarted a Russian cyber attack targeting the global chemical weapons watchdog in April and expelled four Russian agents, the government said Thursday.

Dutch intelligence thwarted a Russian cyber attack targeting the global chemical weapons watchdog in April and expelled four Russian agents, the government said Thursday. The Russians set up a car full of electronic equipment in the car park of a hotel next to the Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons in The Hague in a bid to hack its computer system, it said. "The Dutch government finds the involvement of these intelligence operatives extremely worrisome," Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld told a news conference. "Normally we don't reveal this type of counter-intelligence operation." The Netherlands publicly identified the alleged Russian agents and said the operation was carried out by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, Dutch officials said. Britain helped the Netherlands with the operation, they added. A laptop belonging to one of the four was linked to Brazil, Switzerland and Malaysia. The activities in Malaysia were related to the investigation into the 2014 shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Bijleveld added.

Four Russians agents expelled for cyber attack: Dutch intelligence

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Netherlands Mark Rutte arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day official visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Rutte and met him at Hyderabad House in Delhi a short while ago.

Rutte is expected to meet a business delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya. He will also attend a CEO roundtable conference at Hyderabad House.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met PM of Netherlands Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>. <a href="https://t.co/177piWyzjm">pic.twitter.com/177piWyzjm</a>
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Rutte will then sign press statements at the venue at about 02:30 pm and address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>: Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives in India. He is on a two-day visit to the nation. <a href="https://t.co/Iu8brTQ10E">pic.twitter.com/Iu8brTQ10E</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/999500643365613568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Lastly, he will participate in an agro event, before proceeding to Bengaluru. Rutte is scheduled to meet Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

He is also scheduled to visit Shell Technology Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru. Around 10 in the night on May 25, he will leave for the Netherlands.&nbsp;

Rutte is expected to meet a business delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Netherlands Mark Rutte arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day official visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Rutte and met him at Hyderabad House in Delhi a short while ago. Rutte is expected to meet a business delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya. He will also attend a CEO roundtable conference at Hyderabad House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met PM of Netherlands Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House in #Delhi. pic.twitter.com/177piWyzjm — ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018 × Rutte will then sign press statements at the venue at about 02:30 pm and address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic. #Delhi: Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives in India. He is on a two-day visit to the nation. pic.twitter.com/Iu8brTQ10E — ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018 × Lastly, he will participate in an agro event, before proceeding to Bengaluru. Rutte is scheduled to meet Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala. He is also scheduled to visit Shell Technology Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru. Around 10 in the night on May 25, he will leave for the Netherlands.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte meets Modi at Hyderabad House

&nbsp;Prosecutors investigating the&nbsp;downing&nbsp;of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 said on Thursday they had identified the missile used to shoot down the plane as coming from a&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;military&nbsp;unit.

The airliner was hit by a&nbsp;Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, with 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch, over territory held by pro-Russian&nbsp;separatists. All aboard died.

Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of the Netherlands' national police, said the missile had been fired from a carrier belonging to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

"All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;armed forces," he told a televised news conference.

Russia has denied involvement in the incident. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the investigative development.

In an interim update on their investigation, prosecutors said they had trimmed their list of possible suspects from more than a hundred to several dozen.

"We have a lot of proof and a lot of evidence, but we are not finished," said chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke. "There is still a lot of work to do."

He said&nbsp;investigators&nbsp;were not yet ready to&nbsp;identify&nbsp;individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments. The question of whether members of the 53rd Brigade were actively involved in the downing&nbsp;of the plane remains under investigation, he said.

Westerbeke called on witnesses, including members of the public, to help&nbsp;identify&nbsp;members of the crew that was operating the missile system. He also asked for tip-offs in determining what their orders were and in&nbsp;identifying the officials in charge of the brigade.

A Joint Investigation Team, drawn from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, is gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in the&nbsp;downing&nbsp;of the plane.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded in an October 2015 report that the Boeing 777 was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile.

Dutch prosecutors said in September 2016 that 100 "persons of interest" had been identified in the investigation, while Australian and Malaysian officials had initially expressed hope that suspects' names would be made public in 2017.

Eventual suspects are likely to be tried in absentia in the Netherlands after Russia used its veto to block a UN Security Council resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to oversee criminal complaints stemming from the incident.

The airliner was hit by a Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, with 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists

Prosecutors investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 said on Thursday they had identified the missile used to shoot down the plane as coming from a Russian military unit. The airliner was hit by a Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, with 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists. All aboard died. Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of the Netherlands' national police, said the missile had been fired from a carrier belonging to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade. "All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces," he told a televised news conference. Russia has denied involvement in the incident. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the investigative development. In an interim update on their investigation, prosecutors said they had trimmed their list of possible suspects from more than a hundred to several dozen. "We have a lot of proof and a lot of evidence, but we are not finished," said chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke. "There is still a lot of work to do." He said investigators were not yet ready to identify individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments. The question of whether members of the 53rd Brigade were actively involved in the downing of the plane remains under investigation, he said. Westerbeke called on witnesses, including members of the public, to help identify members of the crew that was operating the missile system. He also asked for tip-offs in determining what their orders were and in identifying the officials in charge of the brigade. A Joint Investigation Team, drawn from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, is gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in the downing of the plane. The Dutch Safety Board concluded in an October 2015 report that the Boeing 777 was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile. Dutch prosecutors said in September 2016 that 100 "persons of interest" had been identified in the investigation, while Australian and Malaysian officials had initially expressed hope that suspects' names would be made public in 2017. Eventual suspects are likely to be tried in absentia in the Netherlands after Russia used its veto to block a UN Security Council resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to oversee criminal complaints stemming from the incident.

Investigators identify Russian military unit in downing of MH17

PM Modi and Dutch PM Rutte held a joint press conference today and declared that India and Netherlands have several areas of mutual interest.

PM Modi said he held discussions with PM Rutte on a range of issues of mutual interest.

"Dutch companies have been investing in India for sometime now, I want to assure investors on trade,"&nbspPM Modi said, adding,"energy and technology are areas of mutual cooperation."

"India and Netherlands are working closely on urban planning," PM Modi added.

PM Rutte who is on a two-day visit to India said relations between the two countries has grown.

"Fighting climate change is a big challenge," Rutte said with PM Modi on his side.

PM Rutte's visit is aimed at boosting economic cooperation between the two countries. The Dutch prime minister will be visiting&nbspBengaluru after he leaves New Delhi.

PM Rutte's visit is aimed at boosting economic cooperation between the two countries.

PM Modi and Dutch PM Rutte held a joint press conference today and declared that India and Netherlands have several areas of mutual interest. PM Modi said he held discussions with PM Rutte on a range of issues of mutual interest. "Dutch companies have been investing in India for sometime now, I want to assure investors on trade,"&nbspPM Modi said, adding,"energy and technology are areas of mutual cooperation." "India and Netherlands are working closely on urban planning," PM Modi added. PM Rutte who is on a two-day visit to India said relations between the two countries has grown. "Fighting climate change is a big challenge," Rutte said with PM Modi on his side. PM Rutte's visit is aimed at boosting economic cooperation between the two countries. The Dutch prime minister will be visiting&nbspBengaluru after he leaves New Delhi.

'India, Netherlands working closely on urban planning,' says PM Modi in joint press conference with PM Rutte

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced that all its 104 member nations - both men and women's team - will be granted T20I status.

The news was confirmed by ICC CEO David Richardson in a press conference in Kolkata.

He also said that a global ranking system will be launched for the format.

At present, there are 18 members with T20I status - 12 full members plus Scotland, Netherlands, Hong Kong, UAE, Oman and Nepal.

"All Women's team matches will be awarded T20 International status on July 1st 2018. All the men's team matches will be given T20 International status on January 1st 2019," Richardson said.

ICC said the move is a part of the wider strategic aim of using the T20 format to globalise the game.&nbsp;

It said that the new minimum standards will be introduced making it as easy as possible for members to play international cricket in a sustainable and affordable way.

Earlier this year, there were reports doing the rounds that from the year 2020, there won’t be any international cricket played during the IPL – paving the way for a separate window for the T20 league.

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All ICC member nations are to receive T20I status and the 2021 Champions Trophy is to be replaced with a World T20 in the approved 2019-23 Future Tours Programme. 
 
Details ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Z9sOtqEVVA">https://t.co/Z9sOtqEVVA</a> <a href="https://t.co/DUbpqtQ0ds">pic.twitter.com/DUbpqtQ0ds</a>
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Talking about the cricketing ties between India and Pakistan, Richardson said that it will take more than both the boards to agree.

“There is a common desire that it will be great if India and Pakistan can play each other, specifically in bilateral series. The issue is quite complicated I am afraid, it is going to take a lot more than just two boards agreeing,” he added.

The news was confirmed by ICC CEO David Richardson

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced that all its 104 member nations - both men and women's team - will be granted T20I status. The news was confirmed by ICC CEO David Richardson in a press conference in Kolkata. He also said that a global ranking system will be launched for the format. At present, there are 18 members with T20I status - 12 full members plus Scotland, Netherlands, Hong Kong, UAE, Oman and Nepal. "All Women's team matches will be awarded T20 International status on July 1st 2018. All the men's team matches will be given T20 International status on January 1st 2019," Richardson said. ICC said the move is a part of the wider strategic aim of using the T20 format to globalise the game. It said that the new minimum standards will be introduced making it as easy as possible for members to play international cricket in a sustainable and affordable way. Earlier this year, there were reports doing the rounds that from the year 2020, there won’t be any international cricket played during the IPL – paving the way for a separate window for the T20 league. All ICC member nations are to receive T20I status and the 2021 Champions Trophy is to be replaced with a World T20 in the approved 2019-23 Future Tours Programme. Details ➡️ https://t.co/Z9sOtqEVVA pic.twitter.com/DUbpqtQ0ds — ICC (@ICC) April 26, 2018 × Talking about the cricketing ties between India and Pakistan, Richardson said that it will take more than both the boards to agree. “There is a common desire that it will be great if India and Pakistan can play each other, specifically in bilateral series. The issue is quite complicated I am afraid, it is going to take a lot more than just two boards agreeing,” he added.

ICC grants T20 International status to all 104 member countries

In a bid to minimise and eventually phase out the use of plasticware from the planet, Amsterdam today unveiled the world&#39;s first plastic-free supermarket aisle.&nbsp;

The aisle offers nearly 700 plastic-free goods to the customers along with an option to buy groceries in compostable bio-materials.

The aisle has been introduced at one of the branches of a Dutch supermarket chain called Ekoplaza. The brand runs over 70 stores across the country and hopes to roll out plastic aisle across all its branches.&nbsp;

According to a report by the environment watchdog the Worldwatch Institute, &quot;Some 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012&quot;.

&quot;According to the United Nations Environmental Program, between 22 percent and 43 percent of the plastic used worldwide is disposed of in landfills... Approximately 10&ndash;20 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans each year,&quot; reads Worldwatch&#39;s official website.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-to-phase-out-disposable-plastic-items-completely-by-2030-33747">Taiwan has also decided to phase out single-use of plastic items</a>. The blanket ban will encompass commodities like plastic straws, cups and shopping bags. The country plans to phase out single-use of plastic completely by the year 2030 in a bid to cut pollution. Taiwan already has a recycling programme in plastic and charges citizens for plastic bags. 
&nbsp;

The aisle has been introduced at one of the branches of a Dutch supermarket chain called Ekoplaza

In a bid to minimise and eventually phase out the use of plasticware from the planet, Amsterdam today unveiled the world's first plastic-free supermarket aisle. The aisle offers nearly 700 plastic-free goods to the customers along with an option to buy groceries in compostable bio-materials. The aisle has been introduced at one of the branches of a Dutch supermarket chain called Ekoplaza. The brand runs over 70 stores across the country and hopes to roll out plastic aisle across all its branches. According to a report by the environment watchdog the Worldwatch Institute, "Some 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012". "According to the United Nations Environmental Program, between 22 percent and 43 percent of the plastic used worldwide is disposed of in landfills... Approximately 10–20 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans each year," reads Worldwatch's official website. Meanwhile, Taiwan has also decided to phase out single-use of plastic items. The blanket ban will encompass commodities like plastic straws, cups and shopping bags. The country plans to phase out single-use of plastic completely by the year 2030 in a bid to cut pollution. Taiwan already has a recycling programme in plastic and charges citizens for plastic bags.

Amsterdam unveils world's first plastic-free supermarket aisle

Serena Williams, who has not played a competitive match since capturing last year&#39;s Australian Open, will return to the court next month at a Fed Cup tie, the US Tennis Association announced Tuesday.

Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd major crown last January in Melbourne. She gave birth to a girl, Alexis Olympia, last September and married father Alexis Ohanian in November.

The defending Fed Cup champion Americans will play host to the Netherlands in a first-round tie February 10-11 on an indoor hardcourt at Asheville, North Carolina.

Joining 22nd-ranked Williams on the US squad will be her sister seven-time Grand Slam champion, Venus, and ninth-ranked CoCo Vandeweghe, a semi-finalist at last year&#39;s US and Australian Opens in her best major results.

This will be the first time in two years that either Williams sister has been on the US Fed Cup squad. The US women have never lost in eight ties when both Williams sisters have been named to the squad, the most recent of those wins in 2015.

Serena last played Fed Cup in April 2015, when she won two singles matches in a World Group playoff loss to Italy in Brindisi.

Venus, ranked fifth, won two singles matches in her most recent Fed Cup appearance in a 2016 tie against Poland in Hawaii.

Vandeweghe went a combined 8-0 in singles and doubles for the US Fed Cup team last year, the first player with eight wins in the same year in more than 20 seasons.

The final member of the US squad and the Dutch lineup will be announced next week, the USTA announcement said.

The Americans are 6-2 against the Dutch in their all-time rivalry, but the most recent meeting was a 5-0 US home sweep in 1998. The only Dutch wins came in 1968 and 1997.

&nbsp;

Serena last played Fed Cup in April 2015, when she won two singles matches in a World Group playoff loss to Italy in Brindisi

Serena Williams, who has not played a competitive match since capturing last year's Australian Open, will return to the court next month at a Fed Cup tie, the US Tennis Association announced Tuesday. Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd major crown last January in Melbourne. She gave birth to a girl, Alexis Olympia, last September and married father Alexis Ohanian in November. The defending Fed Cup champion Americans will play host to the Netherlands in a first-round tie February 10-11 on an indoor hardcourt at Asheville, North Carolina. Joining 22nd-ranked Williams on the US squad will be her sister seven-time Grand Slam champion, Venus, and ninth-ranked CoCo Vandeweghe, a semi-finalist at last year's US and Australian Opens in her best major results. This will be the first time in two years that either Williams sister has been on the US Fed Cup squad. The US women have never lost in eight ties when both Williams sisters have been named to the squad, the most recent of those wins in 2015. Serena last played Fed Cup in April 2015, when she won two singles matches in a World Group playoff loss to Italy in Brindisi. Venus, ranked fifth, won two singles matches in her most recent Fed Cup appearance in a 2016 tie against Poland in Hawaii. Vandeweghe went a combined 8-0 in singles and doubles for the US Fed Cup team last year, the first player with eight wins in the same year in more than 20 seasons. The final member of the US squad and the Dutch lineup will be announced next week, the USTA announcement said. The Americans are 6-2 against the Dutch in their all-time rivalry, but the most recent meeting was a 5-0 US home sweep in 1998. The only Dutch wins came in 1968 and 1997.

Serena Williams to make comeback at Fed Cup

Dutch police detained a second suspect on Thursday after a Spanish tip-off about a possible attack caused the cancellation of a rock concert in Rotterdam a day earlier.

The 22-year-old man was arrested during police raids in the southern province of Brabant early on Thursday and was being questioned about the Rotterdam attack threat, the police said.

The arrest comes after police detained a Spanish driver on Wednesday night who was found near the concert venue with gas canisters in his van. He turned out to be a mechanic stopped for drunk driving with no apparent connection to the threat, although he was still being questioned on Thursday.

Spanish police had tipped off the Dutch to potential danger at the Maassilo concert venue in Rotterdam where California band Allah-Las was set to play.

A judicial source in Spain said there was, however, no link to the vehicle attacks that killed 15 people in Spain last week where police also discovered a plot to make a powerful bomb out of gas canisters.

The concert was cancelled at around 7 pm, shortly before doors were to be opened for guests.

Police said the man in Brabant was arrested after a search of his home: &quot;He is in custody and being questioned about the threat in Rotterdam.&quot;

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said it was not clear whether the tip-off and the detection of the van were connected. He warned against &quot;swift conclusions&quot; while noting the white van had Spanish licence plates and had been flagged for circling near the concert venue.&nbsp;

&quot;It would be wrong at this moment to pile up these facts and conclude ... there was a plan to attack with gas bottles,&quot; Aboutaleb told a news conference late on Wednesday.

Spanish news agency Europa Press, quoting Spanish counter-terrorism force sources, reported that the Spaniard arrested in Rotterdam had, in principle, no link to jihadist terrorism. The gas canisters in his vehicle were apparently for domestic use, it said.

The Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism`s office said the threat level was unchanged at &quot;substantial&quot;, where it has been since 2013.

The arrest comes after police detained a Spanish driver on Wednesday night who was found near the concert venue

Dutch police detained a second suspect on Thursday after a Spanish tip-off about a possible attack caused the cancellation of a rock concert in Rotterdam a day earlier. The 22-year-old man was arrested during police raids in the southern province of Brabant early on Thursday and was being questioned about the Rotterdam attack threat, the police said. The arrest comes after police detained a Spanish driver on Wednesday night who was found near the concert venue with gas canisters in his van. He turned out to be a mechanic stopped for drunk driving with no apparent connection to the threat, although he was still being questioned on Thursday. Spanish police had tipped off the Dutch to potential danger at the Maassilo concert venue in Rotterdam where California band Allah-Las was set to play. A judicial source in Spain said there was, however, no link to the vehicle attacks that killed 15 people in Spain last week where police also discovered a plot to make a powerful bomb out of gas canisters. The concert was cancelled at around 7 pm, shortly before doors were to be opened for guests. Police said the man in Brabant was arrested after a search of his home: "He is in custody and being questioned about the threat in Rotterdam." Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said it was not clear whether the tip-off and the detection of the van were connected. He warned against "swift conclusions" while noting the white van had Spanish licence plates and had been flagged for circling near the concert venue. "It would be wrong at this moment to pile up these facts and conclude ... there was a plan to attack with gas bottles," Aboutaleb told a news conference late on Wednesday. Spanish news agency Europa Press, quoting Spanish counter-terrorism force sources, reported that the Spaniard arrested in Rotterdam had, in principle, no link to jihadist terrorism. The gas canisters in his vehicle were apparently for domestic use, it said. The Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism`s office said the threat level was unchanged at "substantial", where it has been since 2013.

Dutch police detain second suspect in Rotterdam concert threat

The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the Netherlands spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts, many with no apparent connection to the dispute, were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish.

The attacks, which appeared to be simply a form of political vandalism and used the hashtags #Nazialmanya or #Nazihollanda, took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some regular Twitter users.

The account hijackings took place as the Dutch began voting on Wednesday in national elections seen as a test of anti-establishment and anti-immigrant sentiment held in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Turkey.

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Sooooo <a href="https://twitter.com/Forbes">@Forbes</a> just got hacked... 
What&#39;s up with that?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hacking?src=hash">#Hacking</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Forbes?src=hash">#Forbes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hash">#Turkey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotFakeNews?src=hash">#NotFakeNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/witness?src=hash">#witness</a> <a href="https://t.co/6lY9TlDHCD">pic.twitter.com/6lY9TlDHCD</a>
&mdash; ??Arb (@RESParb) <a href="https://twitter.com/RESParb/status/841904271348097025">March 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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President Tayyip Erdogan has suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands and branded the country&#39;s citizens &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; for preventing his ministers at the weekend from addressing rallies of Turks living there.

Hijacked accounts featured tweets with Nazi symbols, a variety of hashtags and the phrase &quot;See you on April 16&quot;, an apparent reference to the date of Turkey&#39;s planned referendum to grant Erdogan more powers.

The Twitter accounts hijacked included those of the European Parliament and the personal profile of French politician Alain Juppe.

They also included the UK Department of Health and BBC North America, both of which subsequently appear to have recovered, along with the profile of Marcelo Claure, the chief executive of US&nbsp;telecoms operator Sprint Corp, which remains hijacked.

Other accounts included publishing sites for Die Welt and Forbes and several non-profit agencies including Amnesty International and UNICEF USA as well as Duke University.

The Twitter profile of BBC North America noted: &quot;Hi everyone - we temporarily lost control of this account, but normal service has resumed&quot;.

A Twitter spokesman said the company was aware the service was hacked and that it had begun to investigate: &quot;We quickly located the source which was limited to a third party app. We removed its permissions immediately,&quot; the statement said. It added that no additional accounts are affected.

At least some of the hijacked tweets appear to have been hooked up to Twitter Counter, a Netherlands-based Twitter audience statistics company. In a tweet on the company&#39;s own twitter profile, it acknowledged the service had been hacked.

&quot;We&#39;re aware that our service was hacked and have started an investigation into the matter. We&#39;ve already taken measures to contain such abuse,&quot; it said, including the ability to post tweets through the Twitter Connect app.

Twitter Counter also was the target of a hack attack in mid-November that led some of the high-profile Twitter accounts linked to the company&#39;s app to spew out spam tweets, including those of soccer star Lionel Messi and gaming sites Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. At the time, it said it counted two&nbsp;million users.

The latest attacks appeared unrelated to low-level denial of service attacks against the websites of a Dutch web hosting company and the Rotterdam airport by a Turkish hacking group called Aslan Neferler Tim (Lion Soldiers Team).

The same hacking group appears to have been responsible for temporary outages in August and September last year of the sites of Austrian institutions including the Vienna airport, the national parliament and Central Bank last year.

Those attacks occurred in the midst of a diplomatic row that followed Austria&#39;s calls for European Union accession talks with Turkey to be dropped.

(Reuters)

Anti-Nazi messages written in Turkish were plastered on the accounts of Dutch politicians, CEOs, publishers, governments agencies and more

The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the Netherlands spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts, many with no apparent connection to the dispute, were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish. The attacks, which appeared to be simply a form of political vandalism and used the hashtags #Nazialmanya or #Nazihollanda, took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some regular Twitter users. The account hijackings took place as the Dutch began voting on Wednesday in national elections seen as a test of anti-establishment and anti-immigrant sentiment held in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Turkey. Sooooo @Forbes just got hacked... What's up with that?#Hacking #Forbes #Turkey #NotFakeNews #witness pic.twitter.com/6lY9TlDHCD — ??Arb (@RESParb) March 15, 2017 × President Tayyip Erdogan has suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands and branded the country's citizens "Nazi remnants" for preventing his ministers at the weekend from addressing rallies of Turks living there. Hijacked accounts featured tweets with Nazi symbols, a variety of hashtags and the phrase "See you on April 16", an apparent reference to the date of Turkey's planned referendum to grant Erdogan more powers. The Twitter accounts hijacked included those of the European Parliament and the personal profile of French politician Alain Juppe. They also included the UK Department of Health and BBC North America, both of which subsequently appear to have recovered, along with the profile of Marcelo Claure, the chief executive of US telecoms operator Sprint Corp, which remains hijacked. Other accounts included publishing sites for Die Welt and Forbes and several non-profit agencies including Amnesty International and UNICEF USA as well as Duke University. The Twitter profile of BBC North America noted: "Hi everyone - we temporarily lost control of this account, but normal service has resumed". A Twitter spokesman said the company was aware the service was hacked and that it had begun to investigate: "We quickly located the source which was limited to a third party app. We removed its permissions immediately," the statement said. It added that no additional accounts are affected. At least some of the hijacked tweets appear to have been hooked up to Twitter Counter, a Netherlands-based Twitter audience statistics company. In a tweet on the company's own twitter profile, it acknowledged the service had been hacked. "We're aware that our service was hacked and have started an investigation into the matter. We've already taken measures to contain such abuse," it said, including the ability to post tweets through the Twitter Connect app. Twitter Counter also was the target of a hack attack in mid-November that led some of the high-profile Twitter accounts linked to the company's app to spew out spam tweets, including those of soccer star Lionel Messi and gaming sites Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. At the time, it said it counted two million users. The latest attacks appeared unrelated to low-level denial of service attacks against the websites of a Dutch web hosting company and the Rotterdam airport by a Turkish hacking group called Aslan Neferler Tim (Lion Soldiers Team). The same hacking group appears to have been responsible for temporary outages in August and September last year of the sites of Austrian institutions including the Vienna airport, the national parliament and Central Bank last year. Those attacks occurred in the midst of a diplomatic row that followed Austria's calls for European Union accession talks with Turkey to be dropped. (Reuters)

High profile Twitter accounts hijacked in Turkish-Dutch protest

Turkey on Monday said it was suspending top-level ties with The Netherlands and blocking the return of its ambassador in a spiralling crisis over the holding of rallies abroad ahead of a crucial referendum.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of &quot;supporting terrorists,&quot; as acrimony flared between Turkey and EU states -- a standoff that risks affecting Ankara&#39;s entire relationship with Europe.

&quot;Until the Netherlands compensates for what it has done, high-level relations and planned meetings at a ministerial and higher level have been suspended,&quot; said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

Turkey will not allow the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to return until The Netherlands meets Turkey&#39;s conditions over holding rallies, he added. Diplomatic flights would also be suspended.

Ambassador Kees Cornelis van Rij is currently outside of the country, and business is being handled by Dutch &nbsp;charge d&#39;affaires.

Both Germany and The Netherlands have blocked Turkish ministers from staging rallies to court the vote of expatriate Turks in the April 16 referendum on giving Erdogan greater powers.

Ankara was especially angered by the acts of The Netherlands days ahead of general elections in the country. The authorities prevented the foreign minister&#39;s plane from landing and expelled the family minister over the weekend.

&nbsp;Twice over the weekend, Erdogan accused The Netherlands, a NATO ally, of acting like the Nazis.

His comments sparked outrage in a country bombed and occupied by German forces in World War II.

With the exchanges worsening Turkey&#39;s already fraught relations with the European Union, Brussels sternly warned Ankara to avoid intensifying the crisis.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn called on Turkey to &quot;refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation.&quot;

But hours later in an interview with A-Haber television, Erdogan bluntly stated: &quot;Mrs Merkel, you are supporting terrorists.&quot;

He accused Berlin of not responding to 4,500 dossiers sent by Ankara on terror suspects, including those linked to Kurdish militants and the failed coup in Turkey last year.&nbsp;

&quot;Mrs Merkel, why are you hiding terrorists in your country?... Why are you not doing anything?&quot;

Erdogan&#39;s comments against Germany absurd: Angela Merkel

Merkel&#39;s spokesman described the accusations as &quot;absurd&quot;, saying the chancellor had no intention of taking part in a &quot;competition of provocations&quot;.&nbsp;

Turkey&#39;s EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik also said Ankara &quot;should re-evaluate&quot; a key part of a 2016 deal to stem the flow of migrants to the EU.

He said Turkey should look at its policy on preventing migrant flows across land borders, although it would keep halting the illegal and dangerous sea crossings as a matter of human responsibility, state media said.

Dutch authorities at the weekend prevented the plane of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing and blocked Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from holding a rally in Rotterdam.

The ministers had been seeking to harness the support of an estimated 400,000 people of Turkish origin living in the country ahead of the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes.

Bringing out the millions-strong expatriate vote could be key in a referendum that could be a turning point in Turkey&#39;s modern history.

Erdogan said the ministers would make the &quot;necessary applications&quot; to the European Court of Human Rights over their treatment.

Meanwhile Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is under pressure to take a hard line against Erdogan as he faces the far-right populist Geert Wilders in general elections on Wednesday.

Netherlands, Germany issue travel advisories for Turkey

The Netherlands also issued a new travel warning to Dutch citizens, urging them to stay &quot;alert across the whole of Turkey&quot;. And Germany warned its citizens to take note of &quot;increased political tensions and protests that could be directed against Germany&quot;.

Turkey had already responded furiously to fellow NATO ally Germany&#39;s refusal to give permission for ministers to hold rallies there, with Erdogan comparing such action to &quot;Nazi practices&quot;.

After Erdogan used the same language to scold the Netherlands, Merkel said on Monday that the comparison was &quot;completely wrong&quot; and &quot;banalises suffering&quot;.

&#39;Lifeline for Erdogan&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The issue risks spiralling into a crisis with the EU as a whole, which Turkey has sought to join for more than half a century.

Erdogan, who has indicated he may personally travel to EU states to address rallies said Sunday that the West was showing its &quot;true face&quot; in the standoff.

The immediate effect of the row, however, may aid Erdogan, Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Programme at The Washington Institute, told AFP.

&quot;By blocking (the rallies), they may have given Erdogan a lifeline to eke out a victory in the referendum,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Turkey says it will not allow the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to return until The Netherlands meets its conditions over holding rallies

Turkey on Monday said it was suspending top-level ties with The Netherlands and blocking the return of its ambassador in a spiralling crisis over the holding of rallies abroad ahead of a crucial referendum. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of "supporting terrorists," as acrimony flared between Turkey and EU states -- a standoff that risks affecting Ankara's entire relationship with Europe. "Until the Netherlands compensates for what it has done, high-level relations and planned meetings at a ministerial and higher level have been suspended," said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus after a cabinet meeting in Ankara. Turkey will not allow the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to return until The Netherlands meets Turkey's conditions over holding rallies, he added. Diplomatic flights would also be suspended. Ambassador Kees Cornelis van Rij is currently outside of the country, and business is being handled by Dutch charge d'affaires. Both Germany and The Netherlands have blocked Turkish ministers from staging rallies to court the vote of expatriate Turks in the April 16 referendum on giving Erdogan greater powers. Ankara was especially angered by the acts of The Netherlands days ahead of general elections in the country. The authorities prevented the foreign minister's plane from landing and expelled the family minister over the weekend. Twice over the weekend, Erdogan accused The Netherlands, a NATO ally, of acting like the Nazis. His comments sparked outrage in a country bombed and occupied by German forces in World War II. With the exchanges worsening Turkey's already fraught relations with the European Union, Brussels sternly warned Ankara to avoid intensifying the crisis. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn called on Turkey to "refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation." But hours later in an interview with A-Haber television, Erdogan bluntly stated: "Mrs Merkel, you are supporting terrorists." He accused Berlin of not responding to 4,500 dossiers sent by Ankara on terror suspects, including those linked to Kurdish militants and the failed coup in Turkey last year. "Mrs Merkel, why are you hiding terrorists in your country?... Why are you not doing anything?" Erdogan's comments against Germany absurd: Angela Merkel Merkel's spokesman described the accusations as "absurd", saying the chancellor had no intention of taking part in a "competition of provocations". Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik also said Ankara "should re-evaluate" a key part of a 2016 deal to stem the flow of migrants to the EU. He said Turkey should look at its policy on preventing migrant flows across land borders, although it would keep halting the illegal and dangerous sea crossings as a matter of human responsibility, state media said. Dutch authorities at the weekend prevented the plane of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing and blocked Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from holding a rally in Rotterdam. The ministers had been seeking to harness the support of an estimated 400,000 people of Turkish origin living in the country ahead of the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes. Bringing out the millions-strong expatriate vote could be key in a referendum that could be a turning point in Turkey's modern history. Erdogan said the ministers would make the "necessary applications" to the European Court of Human Rights over their treatment. Meanwhile Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is under pressure to take a hard line against Erdogan as he faces the far-right populist Geert Wilders in general elections on Wednesday. Netherlands, Germany issue travel advisories for Turkey The Netherlands also issued a new travel warning to Dutch citizens, urging them to stay "alert across the whole of Turkey". And Germany warned its citizens to take note of "increased political tensions and protests that could be directed against Germany". Turkey had already responded furiously to fellow NATO ally Germany's refusal to give permission for ministers to hold rallies there, with Erdogan comparing such action to "Nazi practices". After Erdogan used the same language to scold the Netherlands, Merkel said on Monday that the comparison was "completely wrong" and "banalises suffering". 'Lifeline for Erdogan' The issue risks spiralling into a crisis with the EU as a whole, which Turkey has sought to join for more than half a century. Erdogan, who has indicated he may personally travel to EU states to address rallies said Sunday that the West was showing its "true face" in the standoff. The immediate effect of the row, however, may aid Erdogan, Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Programme at The Washington Institute, told AFP. "By blocking (the rallies), they may have given Erdogan a lifeline to eke out a victory in the referendum," he said. (AFP)

Turkey suspends top-level ties with Netherlands as row worsens

The Turkish cabinet was on Monday expected to consider imposing sanctions on the Netherlands in a deepening row with its NATO ally over a ban on its ministers speaking at political events in Rotterdam, and one minister said punitive measures were likely.

President Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking support from Turks in a referendum on boosting his powers, has accused the Dutch government of acting like &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; and said it should face sanctions for barring his ministers from addressing expatriate Turks to drum up votes.

The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara&#39;s prospects of joining the bloc. It also comes as Turkey is caught up by security concerns over militant attacks and the war in neighbouring Syria.

A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions were expected to be discussed when ministers meet at 7 pm (1600 GMT). Ankara&#39;s minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, said sanctions were likely.

&quot;We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these,&quot; Celik said.

Apart from any economic measures, a source in Ankara said sanctions could affect cultural activities, and military and technological cooperation. State media later quoted Celik as saying Turkey should reconsider part of its deal to keep migrants out of the EU, comments likely to further anger Brussels.

Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d&#39;affaires on Monday to complain about the ban - imposed due to fears of unrest and distaste at what the Netherlands sees as an increasingly authoritarian tone from Erdogan - and the actions of Rotterdam police against Turkish protesters over the weekend, foreign ministry sources said.

&nbsp;

DOGS, WATER CANNON

On Sunday, Dutch police used dogs and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam. Some protesters threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd.

&quot;The Turkish community and our citizens were subject to bad treatment, with inhumane and humiliating methods used in disproportionate intervention against people exercising their right to peaceful assembly,&quot; a statement attributed to ministry sources said.

The Dutch government barred Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam on Saturday and later stopped Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate there, before escorting her back to Germany.

Protests then erupted in Turkey and the Netherlands. Several European countries, including Holland, have stopped Turkish politicians holding rallies, due to fears that tensions in Turkey might spill over into their expatriate communities.

Some 400,000 Turkish citizens live in the Netherlands and an estimated 1.5 million Turkish voters live in Germany.

The Dutch government said the visits were undesirable and it would not cooperate in their campaigning. According to polls, it is set to lose about half its seats in elections this week as the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders makes strong gains.

Monday was the third time the Dutch envoy had been called in since Saturday over the row. The Dutch ambassador is on leave and the Turkish foreign ministry says it does not want him back &quot;for some time&quot;.

The European Union&#39;s executive arm said on Monday that the bloc would assess Turkey&#39;s planned constitutional changes in light of the country&#39;s status as a candidate EU membership, and called on Ankara to refrain from statements and actions that could further fuel the diplomatic row.

&nbsp;

SANCTIONS

Dutch direct investment in Turkey amounts to $22 billion, making the Netherlands the biggest source of foreign investment with a share of 16 per cent.

Ozgur Altug, chief economist at BGC Partners in Istanbul, said at this stage he did not foresee the row having serious short-term economic consequences.

&quot;However, if the tension escalates and if countries start imposing sanctions against each other, it might have serious implications for the Turkish economy,&quot; he said.

Turkish exports to the Netherlands totalled $3.6 billion in 2016, making it the tenth largest market for Turkish goods, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey imported $3 billion worth of Dutch goods in 2016.

Dutch visitors are important to Turkey&#39;s tourism industry, which was hit hard in 2016 by security fears due to attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants. Some 900,000 Dutch people visited Turkey last year, down from 1.2 million a year earlier.

A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions, if imposed, may go beyond the economy.

&quot;When the sanctions are imposed, what we need to be careful about is being realistic. We are not completely closing the windows,&quot; the source said. &quot;However, we want to show that what has been done to Turkey will have a response.&quot;

He said certain cultural activities may be cancelled and the re-evaluation of military and technological cooperation was also on the table.

Ankara is seeking an official written apology for the treatment of its family minister and diplomats in Rotterdam, the Turkish foreign ministry sources also said.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said it is Erdogan who should apologise for comparing the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, adding that Turkey was acting &quot;in a totally unacceptable, irresponsible manner&quot;.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey and the Netherlands to defuse the row.

At the weekend, Erdogan dubbed the Netherlands &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; and said &quot;Nazism is still widespread in the West&quot;, comments echoed in Turkish media on Monday.

&quot;Nazi Dogs,&quot; said a front-page headline incorporating a swastika in the pro-government Aksam newspaper, above a photo of a police dog biting the thigh of a man during Saturday night&#39;s protest in Rotterdam.

(Reuters)

The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara's prospects of joining the bloc

The Turkish cabinet was on Monday expected to consider imposing sanctions on the Netherlands in a deepening row with its NATO ally over a ban on its ministers speaking at political events in Rotterdam, and one minister said punitive measures were likely. President Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking support from Turks in a referendum on boosting his powers, has accused the Dutch government of acting like "Nazi remnants" and said it should face sanctions for barring his ministers from addressing expatriate Turks to drum up votes. The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara's prospects of joining the bloc. It also comes as Turkey is caught up by security concerns over militant attacks and the war in neighbouring Syria. A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions were expected to be discussed when ministers meet at 7 pm (1600 GMT). Ankara's minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, said sanctions were likely. "We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these," Celik said. Apart from any economic measures, a source in Ankara said sanctions could affect cultural activities, and military and technological cooperation. State media later quoted Celik as saying Turkey should reconsider part of its deal to keep migrants out of the EU, comments likely to further anger Brussels. Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d'affaires on Monday to complain about the ban - imposed due to fears of unrest and distaste at what the Netherlands sees as an increasingly authoritarian tone from Erdogan - and the actions of Rotterdam police against Turkish protesters over the weekend, foreign ministry sources said. DOGS, WATER CANNON On Sunday, Dutch police used dogs and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam. Some protesters threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd. "The Turkish community and our citizens were subject to bad treatment, with inhumane and humiliating methods used in disproportionate intervention against people exercising their right to peaceful assembly," a statement attributed to ministry sources said. The Dutch government barred Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam on Saturday and later stopped Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate there, before escorting her back to Germany. Protests then erupted in Turkey and the Netherlands. Several European countries, including Holland, have stopped Turkish politicians holding rallies, due to fears that tensions in Turkey might spill over into their expatriate communities. Some 400,000 Turkish citizens live in the Netherlands and an estimated 1.5 million Turkish voters live in Germany. The Dutch government said the visits were undesirable and it would not cooperate in their campaigning. According to polls, it is set to lose about half its seats in elections this week as the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders makes strong gains. Monday was the third time the Dutch envoy had been called in since Saturday over the row. The Dutch ambassador is on leave and the Turkish foreign ministry says it does not want him back "for some time". The European Union's executive arm said on Monday that the bloc would assess Turkey's planned constitutional changes in light of the country's status as a candidate EU membership, and called on Ankara to refrain from statements and actions that could further fuel the diplomatic row. SANCTIONS Dutch direct investment in Turkey amounts to $22 billion, making the Netherlands the biggest source of foreign investment with a share of 16 per cent. Ozgur Altug, chief economist at BGC Partners in Istanbul, said at this stage he did not foresee the row having serious short-term economic consequences. "However, if the tension escalates and if countries start imposing sanctions against each other, it might have serious implications for the Turkish economy," he said. Turkish exports to the Netherlands totalled $3.6 billion in 2016, making it the tenth largest market for Turkish goods, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey imported $3 billion worth of Dutch goods in 2016. Dutch visitors are important to Turkey's tourism industry, which was hit hard in 2016 by security fears due to attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants. Some 900,000 Dutch people visited Turkey last year, down from 1.2 million a year earlier. A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions, if imposed, may go beyond the economy. "When the sanctions are imposed, what we need to be careful about is being realistic. We are not completely closing the windows," the source said. "However, we want to show that what has been done to Turkey will have a response." He said certain cultural activities may be cancelled and the re-evaluation of military and technological cooperation was also on the table. Ankara is seeking an official written apology for the treatment of its family minister and diplomats in Rotterdam, the Turkish foreign ministry sources also said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said it is Erdogan who should apologise for comparing the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, adding that Turkey was acting "in a totally unacceptable, irresponsible manner". NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey and the Netherlands to defuse the row. At the weekend, Erdogan dubbed the Netherlands "Nazi remnants" and said "Nazism is still widespread in the West", comments echoed in Turkish media on Monday. "Nazi Dogs," said a front-page headline incorporating a swastika in the pro-government Aksam newspaper, above a photo of a police dog biting the thigh of a man during Saturday night's protest in Rotterdam. (Reuters)

Turkey may hit Netherlands with sanctions as 'Nazi' row escalates

Dutch police is all set to become the world&#39;s first police force to train and employ eagles in order to combat rogue drones.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a low-tech solution to a hi-tech problem,&quot; police spokesman Dennis Janus said referring to the modern-day problem of increasing number of drones in the skies.&nbsp; 
 
After months of practice, on Monday, Hunter, a two-old-female bald eagle&nbsp;was sent out along with her trainer to test her abilities, AFP news agency reported.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Eagles away! Dutch police unveil latest recruits against drones <a href="https://t.co/g9ZaYsKWlO">https://t.co/g9ZaYsKWlO</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zh6O2Gbvxt">pic.twitter.com/Zh6O2Gbvxt</a>
&mdash; AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/775435284032921600">September 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
The police created a fake setting of a visiting State-head, played by a woman officer, who emerges out of the car and is immediately confronted by a drone. 
 
&quot;Attack, attack,&quot; came the cry, while sirens began wailing and Hunter reported for duty. She grabbed the drone with her powerful talons and landed safely a few meters away. 
 
The move comes in after rogue drones started combating sensitive areas, such as airports. The trail was started in 2015.&nbsp; 
 
Police head of operations, Michel Baeten told AFP: &quot;We found out that it is probably one of the most effective counter-measures against hostile drones.&quot; 
 
&ldquo;None of the eagles were hurt, but as for the drones, none of them survived,&rdquo;&nbsp; Janus said insisting that positive reformation was used to train the eagles, pieces of chicken or turkey were attached to the drones, attuning the eagle that catching the prey would lead to a reward. 
 
&quot;However, during Monday&#39;s demo, Hunter missed the drone several times,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
About 100 police officers will be trained in working with the eagles, and the Dutch &quot;flying squad&quot; with its own birds of prey could go into action from next summer.&nbsp;In the meantime, the police will be using birds supplied by a specialist company, Guard From Above. 
 
&quot;It is a bird, it is an animal, it is not a robot. It is not a flawless solution,&quot; Baeten stresses.&nbsp; 
 
The Dutch police are working on developing a protective glove to cover the birds&#39; talons&nbsp;so that their feet do not get cut while hunting larger objects.&nbsp; 
 
They are also continuing to explore other methods to combat drones such as using nets carried by another drone, or deploying electronic counter-measures against the hostile craft. 
 
Amid the publicity, police forces from other countries like Germany and France have also been in contact to find out more about the eagle force. 
 
&quot;A lot of law enforcement agencies are really interested in our programme. I think other countries will follow,&quot; said Baeten. 
 
The plan is now to launch the eagles whenever drones are believed to be posing a danger to the public, such as during sensitive state visits or if the remote-controlled tiny craft are flying too close to airports. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
.

This move came in after drones started invading sensitive areas, like airports. The trail was started in 2015

Dutch police is all set to become the world's first police force to train and employ eagles in order to combat rogue drones. "It's a low-tech solution to a hi-tech problem," police spokesman Dennis Janus said referring to the modern-day problem of increasing number of drones in the skies. After months of practice, on Monday, Hunter, a two-old-female bald eagle was sent out along with her trainer to test her abilities, AFP news agency reported. Eagles away! Dutch police unveil latest recruits against drones https://t.co/g9ZaYsKWlO pic.twitter.com/Zh6O2Gbvxt — AFP news agency (@AFP) September 12, 2016 The police created a fake setting of a visiting State-head, played by a woman officer, who emerges out of the car and is immediately confronted by a drone. "Attack, attack," came the cry, while sirens began wailing and Hunter reported for duty. She grabbed the drone with her powerful talons and landed safely a few meters away. The move comes in after rogue drones started combating sensitive areas, such as airports. The trail was started in 2015. Police head of operations, Michel Baeten told AFP: "We found out that it is probably one of the most effective counter-measures against hostile drones." “None of the eagles were hurt, but as for the drones, none of them survived,” Janus said insisting that positive reformation was used to train the eagles, pieces of chicken or turkey were attached to the drones, attuning the eagle that catching the prey would lead to a reward. "However, during Monday's demo, Hunter missed the drone several times," he added. About 100 police officers will be trained in working with the eagles, and the Dutch "flying squad" with its own birds of prey could go into action from next summer. In the meantime, the police will be using birds supplied by a specialist company, Guard From Above. "It is a bird, it is an animal, it is not a robot. It is not a flawless solution," Baeten stresses. The Dutch police are working on developing a protective glove to cover the birds' talons so that their feet do not get cut while hunting larger objects. They are also continuing to explore other methods to combat drones such as using nets carried by another drone, or deploying electronic counter-measures against the hostile craft. Amid the publicity, police forces from other countries like Germany and France have also been in contact to find out more about the eagle force. "A lot of law enforcement agencies are really interested in our programme. I think other countries will follow," said Baeten. The plan is now to launch the eagles whenever drones are believed to be posing a danger to the public, such as during sensitive state visits or if the remote-controlled tiny craft are flying too close to airports. (WION with inputs from AFP) .

In a first, Dutch police to employ eagles to combat drones

Controversial far-right politician Geert Wilders has vowed to close mosques and ban the Koran to &quot;reverse&quot;&nbsp;Islamisation of&nbsp;The Netherlands. 
 
&quot;All mosques and Islamic schools closed, a ban on the Koran,&quot; said Wilders, who heads the populist Party for Freedom (PVV) in the country.&nbsp; 
 
The promises were outlined by Wilders, a few months ahead of the country&#39;s legislative elections.&nbsp; 
 
In the manifesto posted on Wilders&#39;s Twitter feed, he also promised closing of borders, shutting down asylum seeker centres, barring migrants from Islamic countries and banning wearing of headscarves in the country.&nbsp; 
 
Wilder&#39;s party finds itself ahead of the current coalition parties of the Labour Party and the People&#39;s Party for Freedom and Democracy led by Prime Minister Mark Rutteof. 
 
Late last year, PVV had an&nbsp;edge over their rivals, with opinion polls predicting 38 out of 150 seats for the party. However, a&nbsp;poll conducted by Ipsos this August suggested a slide in that number. It forecasted 28 seats for the party, which is still 16 seats more than they currently have.&nbsp; 
 
The party&#39;s support&nbsp;has gained momentum on the back of strong anti-immigration sentiments in the country.&nbsp; 
 
Wilders&#39;s hawkish stance on immigration has fanned heated debates in the country, leading to attacks on refugee centres.&nbsp; 
 
The controversial leader has also been a strong advocate of splitting from EU.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

Geert Wilders, in his election manifesto, has also promised bar migrants from Islamic countries

Controversial far-right politician Geert Wilders has vowed to close mosques and ban the Koran to "reverse" Islamisation of The Netherlands. "All mosques and Islamic schools closed, a ban on the Koran," said Wilders, who heads the populist Party for Freedom (PVV) in the country. The promises were outlined by Wilders, a few months ahead of the country's legislative elections. In the manifesto posted on Wilders's Twitter feed, he also promised closing of borders, shutting down asylum seeker centres, barring migrants from Islamic countries and banning wearing of headscarves in the country. Wilder's party finds itself ahead of the current coalition parties of the Labour Party and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy led by Prime Minister Mark Rutteof. Late last year, PVV had an edge over their rivals, with opinion polls predicting 38 out of 150 seats for the party. However, a poll conducted by Ipsos this August suggested a slide in that number. It forecasted 28 seats for the party, which is still 16 seats more than they currently have. The party's support has gained momentum on the back of strong anti-immigration sentiments in the country. Wilders's hawkish stance on immigration has fanned heated debates in the country, leading to attacks on refugee centres. The controversial leader has also been a strong advocate of splitting from EU. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Dutch far-right party vows to close mosques and ban Quran

Britain beat defending champions the Netherlands on Friday to take home their first Olympic gold medal in women&#39;s hockey, winning 2-0 in a tense shootout following a hardfought 3-3 draw. 
 
After topping the podium in Beijing and London, the Netherlands were hot favourites going into the Rio Games. 
 
Despite winning every game to finish top of their group, however, the top-ranked Dutch team only scraped into the final after beating ninth-ranked Germany 4-3 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw. 
 
Britain also finished the group stages with a perfect record and were gunning for gold in their first Olympic final having won bronze four years ago in London. Germany beat New Zealand 2-1 to take the bronze medal. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve done it,&quot; British midfielder Nicola White told reporters, brandishing her medal with a grin plastered across her face. &quot;We&#39;ve trained our arses off for so long, this is what we&#39;ve dreamed of and now we&#39;ve got it. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve now gone unbeaten through an Olympic tournament, which is unreal,&quot; she added. &quot;We are just over the moon.&quot; 
 
That the near sell-out crowd at the Olympic Hockey Centre, a venue which has struggled to fill seats during the Rio Games, were in for a show was clear from the pushback. 
 
A boisterous British tackle and ensuing penalty flick gave Dutch captain Maartje Paumen an early chance to score, but her shot was batted aside by British keeper Maddie Hinch. 
 
&#39;SHAME IT&#39;S SILVER&#39; 
 
Britain&#39;s Lily Owsley claimed the first score of the night, emerging victorious from a mad scramble in front of the Dutch goal to put her side 1-0 ahead. 
 
A Dutch equaliser came courtesy of forward Kitty van Male who broke away for a one-on-one with the British keeper, skilfully drawing her aside and putting the ball into the top of the net with an audacious reverse stick sweep. 
 
The Netherlands&#39; second goal promptly followed with Paumen scoring off the last of three penalty corners in the space of four minutes. Seconds later, Britain&#39;s Crista Cullen picked up a cross in the opposition circle to level the scores at 2-2 going into the break. 
 
The goals kept coming in the second half. Both teams netted one each after a series of penalty corners, leaving the score deadlocked at 3-3 on the final whistle and forcing a shootout to decide the match. 
 
Of the 10 goals available, only two were scored. Britain&#39;s Helen Richardson-Walsh and Hollie Webb found the back of net to secure victory and their team&#39;s first Olympic gold medals. 
 
&quot;We played very well during the game. I think we played way better than them,&quot; said the Netherlands&#39; Eva de Goede. &quot;But shootouts are fifty-fifty. They won, we lost, it&#39;s tough.&quot; 
 
&quot;Shame it&#39;s silver,&quot; she added, gesturing to the medal which will join the two gold ones she already has at home. &quot;We were really going for a third gold. But it didn&#39;t work out.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

After topping the podium in Beijing and London, the Netherlands were favourites going into the Rio Games

Britain beat defending champions the Netherlands on Friday to take home their first Olympic gold medal in women's hockey, winning 2-0 in a tense shootout following a hardfought 3-3 draw. After topping the podium in Beijing and London, the Netherlands were hot favourites going into the Rio Games. Despite winning every game to finish top of their group, however, the top-ranked Dutch team only scraped into the final after beating ninth-ranked Germany 4-3 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw. Britain also finished the group stages with a perfect record and were gunning for gold in their first Olympic final having won bronze four years ago in London. Germany beat New Zealand 2-1 to take the bronze medal. "We've done it," British midfielder Nicola White told reporters, brandishing her medal with a grin plastered across her face. "We've trained our arses off for so long, this is what we've dreamed of and now we've got it. "We've now gone unbeaten through an Olympic tournament, which is unreal," she added. "We are just over the moon." That the near sell-out crowd at the Olympic Hockey Centre, a venue which has struggled to fill seats during the Rio Games, were in for a show was clear from the pushback. A boisterous British tackle and ensuing penalty flick gave Dutch captain Maartje Paumen an early chance to score, but her shot was batted aside by British keeper Maddie Hinch. 'SHAME IT'S SILVER' Britain's Lily Owsley claimed the first score of the night, emerging victorious from a mad scramble in front of the Dutch goal to put her side 1-0 ahead. A Dutch equaliser came courtesy of forward Kitty van Male who broke away for a one-on-one with the British keeper, skilfully drawing her aside and putting the ball into the top of the net with an audacious reverse stick sweep. The Netherlands' second goal promptly followed with Paumen scoring off the last of three penalty corners in the space of four minutes. Seconds later, Britain's Crista Cullen picked up a cross in the opposition circle to level the scores at 2-2 going into the break. The goals kept coming in the second half. Both teams netted one each after a series of penalty corners, leaving the score deadlocked at 3-3 on the final whistle and forcing a shootout to decide the match. Of the 10 goals available, only two were scored. Britain's Helen Richardson-Walsh and Hollie Webb found the back of net to secure victory and their team's first Olympic gold medals. "We played very well during the game. I think we played way better than them," said the Netherlands' Eva de Goede. "But shootouts are fifty-fifty. They won, we lost, it's tough." "Shame it's silver," she added, gesturing to the medal which will join the two gold ones she already has at home. "We were really going for a third gold. But it didn't work out." (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Britain wins first gold in women's hockey

Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands won the men&#39;s marathon swimming event in a photo finish off Rio&#39;s Copacabana Beach on Tuesday. 
 
After covering a distance of 10 km, the 24-year-old Weertman touched the electronic pads at the finish line just before Spiros Gianniotis of Greece, giving the Dutchman his first gold medal in his first Olympics. 
 
The official results showed the first two swimmers with the same time. 
 
Marc-Antoine Olivier of France won the bronze medal. 
 
Tuesday&#39;s race is the first of three editions to take place in the ocean. The water temperature was a comfortable 21 C under sunny skies. 
 
(Reuters)

Tuesday's race was the first of three editions to take place in the ocean

Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands won the men's marathon swimming event in a photo finish off Rio's Copacabana Beach on Tuesday. After covering a distance of 10 km, the 24-year-old Weertman touched the electronic pads at the finish line just before Spiros Gianniotis of Greece, giving the Dutchman his first gold medal in his first Olympics. The official results showed the first two swimmers with the same time. Marc-Antoine Olivier of France won the bronze medal. Tuesday's race is the first of three editions to take place in the ocean. The water temperature was a comfortable 21 C under sunny skies. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Dutchman Weertman wins gold at swimming marathon

The UN General Assembly on Thursday elected Italy to the Security Council under a deal that will see the Netherlands take over the seat in a year. 
 
The two countries agreed to split the two-year term on the council after five rounds of voting earlier this week ended with a tie. 
 
Under the deal, Italy will take up the seat on January 1 and then make way for the Netherlands to take over in 2018. 
 
The arrangement is rare but not unprecedented at the United Nations. 
 
The last split term was in 1964-65 between what was then Czechoslovakia and Malaysia. 
 
Italy was elected with 179 votes in the General Assembly, which has 193 member states. 
 
During elections on Tuesday, Kazkahstan was elected to the council for the first time along with Bolivia, Ethiopia and Sweden. 
 
The newly-elected countries will take their place alongside the five permanent council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. 
 
The other five non-permanent members are: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay. 
 
(AFP)

The two countries agreed to split the two-year term after five rounds of voting ended with a tie

The UN General Assembly on Thursday elected Italy to the Security Council under a deal that will see the Netherlands take over the seat in a year. The two countries agreed to split the two-year term on the council after five rounds of voting earlier this week ended with a tie. Under the deal, Italy will take up the seat on January 1 and then make way for the Netherlands to take over in 2018. The arrangement is rare but not unprecedented at the United Nations. The last split term was in 1964-65 between what was then Czechoslovakia and Malaysia. Italy was elected with 179 votes in the General Assembly, which has 193 member states. During elections on Tuesday, Kazkahstan was elected to the council for the first time along with Bolivia, Ethiopia and Sweden. The newly-elected countries will take their place alongside the five permanent council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The other five non-permanent members are: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay. (AFP)

UN elects Italy, Netherlands to share Security Council seat

Romania&#39;s anti-mafia police have seized 2.5 tonnes of cocaine worth at least 600 million Euros ($667.20 million) street value, hidden in banana containers from Colombia in the Black Sea port of Constanta, the country&#39;s biggest ever haul. 
 
The police, which arrested four Lithuanians and one Colombian after a six month-long operation including undercover agents and help from US authorities, said the cocaine was due to be transferred to trucks and sent to the Netherlands. 
 
&quot;The plan was that trucks hired from different companies and bound for the Netherlands were due to transport the drugs among marble (construction) materials,&quot; head of the anti-mafia prosecutor&#39;s office, Daniel Horodniceanu, said. 
 
The drugs belonged to an international crime ring also comprising an ethnic Morocan with Spanish and Dutch citizenship. The man was arrested by Spanish police. 
 
The containers had arrived from Colombia last week. 
 
(Reuters)

The drugs were found hidden in banana containers from Colombia, and were to be shipped via truck concealed amid construction material

Romania's anti-mafia police have seized 2.5 tonnes of cocaine worth at least 600 million Euros ($667.20 million) street value, hidden in banana containers from Colombia in the Black Sea port of Constanta, the country's biggest ever haul. The police, which arrested four Lithuanians and one Colombian after a six month-long operation including undercover agents and help from US authorities, said the cocaine was due to be transferred to trucks and sent to the Netherlands. "The plan was that trucks hired from different companies and bound for the Netherlands were due to transport the drugs among marble (construction) materials," head of the anti-mafia prosecutor's office, Daniel Horodniceanu, said. The drugs belonged to an international crime ring also comprising an ethnic Morocan with Spanish and Dutch citizenship. The man was arrested by Spanish police. The containers had arrived from Colombia last week. (Reuters)

Record 2.5-tonnes of cocaine seized in Romania

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