Small and medium-sized business owners in Haarlem are invited to a free "Digital First Responder" training on March 3, 2026, to improve their cybersecurity preparedness. The session at the 3D Makers Zone will teach participants how to recognize digital threats and establish internal procedures for managing cyber incidents. Interested entrepreneurs can register via email for the limited-capacity event, which also includes a lunch.
Several Dutch municipalities, including Haarlem, are urging the national government to strictly enforce the Distribution Law against local authorities that fail to provide asylum seeker housing. They argue that non-compliance by some regions creates unfair tension and undermines public support in municipalities that are meeting their legal obligations.
The city of Amsterdam canceled over 82,900 parking fines last year after more than 65% of filed objections were declared well-founded. While approximately 19% of the waivers were due to municipal errors, the majority resulted from the city forgiving common mistakes made by citizens, such as entering incorrect license plate numbers. In total, more than 10% of the 731,100 parking tickets issued in the city were ultimately waived.
Donald Pols, the former director of Milieudefensie, has been dismissed from his position at Tata Steel after reports surfaced regarding his past. Investigations revealed that Pols served as the chairman of a far-right, pro-apartheid student organization while living in South Africa.
A 44-year-old suspect from Alkmaar has died of natural causes while in detention. The man was being held in connection with two armed shopliftings involving a knife that occurred in Haarlem and Hoofddorp.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense plans to stop using software from the American technology company Palantir within the next two years. State Secretary Derk Boswijk stated that the government aims to transition to a European-developed alternative during this timeframe.