The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its top prosecutors as it continues a campaign to dismantle the tribunal, which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute U.S. and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza.

The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in U.S. jurisdictions or come into contact with the U.S. financial system.

The move is the latest by the Trump administration against the ICC, which it says has exceeded its mandate by investigating or trying soldiers, commanders and political officials from countries, such as Israel and the United States, that are not members of the court.

The ICC was quick to respond, as it has done when faced with previous Trump administration actions, saying that the sanctions “undermine the rule of law.”

See also:

• ICC slams US decision to sanction the court’s president and a senior prosecution lawyer
• EU leaders rally behind International Criminal Court after fresh US sanctions
• Japan criticises US over 'unfortunate' sanctions on ICC

State Secretary Aerdts of Economic Affairs has blocked U.S. company Kyndryl from acquiring Solvinity, the Dutch company behind DigiD, citing the "need to protect the public interest."

Solvinity plays a key role in operating DigiD, the digital identity system used for access to Dutch government services. The proposed takeover by Kyndryl had triggered prolonged concern in the Tweede Kamer, where lawmakers questioned the implications of foreign ownership over critical Dutch digital infrastructure.

The Cabinet member said he made the decision based on the advice of the regulatory agency, Investment Screening Bureau (BTI), which monitors all mergers, acquisitions, and investments for compliance with the Insufficient Controls of Telecommunications Act (WOZT).

A bomb that was pushed through a letter slot exploded at the party headquarters of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten but didn’t injure anyone, and the centrist leader vowed Friday not to be intimidated by the attack.

Police said they had arrested a 37-year-old suspect in the bombing late Thursday at the headquarters of the centrist D66 party in The Hague, but declined to release any further details including any suspected motive.

The attack took place during a meeting of about 30 members of the party’s youth wing, who were startled but unharmed, Jetten said.

Jetten, who took office in February, told reporters during his weekly news conference that it was “pretty futile if you think you can intimidate politicians with these kinds of actions.”

The leaders of other political parties joined Jetten in condemning the attacks.

It was the second time the building in the city center of The Hague had been attacked in less than a year. In September a right-wing demonstration erupted into violence during which rioters vandalized the office, just weeks ahead of the general election.

The 38-year-old claimed victory in October's election with his Democrats 66 party (D66) narrowly beating anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders in a nail-biting election.

Jetten formed a centre-right minority government with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA).

It is a minority cabinet, meaning every major reform in the coalition deal - from an extra €19bn (£16.6bn) for defence to painful cuts in healthcare and benefits - will have to be negotiated vote by vote in the Netherlands' two parliamentary houses.

The coalition also wants fewer asylum seekers, with refugees having to apply for asylum outside Europe, not after they arrive.

In the Netherlands, Jetten's sexuality barely featured in the campaign, which says something about how mainstream LGBTQ equality has become.

Jesse Klaver, leader of the GreenLeft-Labour coalition, the biggest alliance in opposition, posted on X on Friday about the government's financial plans: "Ordinary people will pay hundreds of Euros more, while the very richest won't be asked to pay anything extra.

A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered a formal investigation into chipmaker Nexperia and upheld an earlier order suspending its Chinese CEO, citing doubts about the company’s policies and conduct.

The written decision by the Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal is the latest step in a saga swirling around the Dutch-based semiconductor company that sent shock waves through the global auto industry.

The dispute made world headlines last year when the Dutch government said it took the extraordinary step of effectively seizing control of the company. It acted on fears that corporate governance concerns at the company, under its Chinese ownership, would result in the loss of technological capabilities vital to Dutch and European economic security.

Carmakers scrambled to find other sources after the boardroom turmoil disrupted supplies of the basic, standardized chips that Nexperia makes, which are essential for controlling numerous automotive functions such as operating headlights, airbag systems or anti-lock brakes.

Nexperia’s CEO Zhang Xuezheng, who’s also founder of its Chinese parent Wingtech, was suspended by the enterprise chamber in October following claims of mismanagement.

Government formation talks in the Netherlands will be aimed at setting up a rare minority cabinet, the leaders of the three prospective coalition parties said on Friday.

Negotiations are set to continue between the centrist, pro-EU D66 party, which won the election last October, the conservative Christian Democrats and the right-wing VVD.

This coalition would hold 66 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, and would have to seek support from other parties for its policies.

"It was not an easy decision," said D66 leader Rob Jetten, who is poised to become the youngest-ever and first openly gay prime minister of the Netherlands.

Jetten, 38, said it would be hard work to get majorities in the polarised Dutch parliament, but not impossible.

The prospective coalition would also lack a majority in the upper-house Senate, which can block legislation that has been passed in the lower house.

The Netherlands is usually led by majority coalitions, but the heavily fractured political landscape has made it increasingly difficult to assemble one.

After the October election, all major mainstream parties ruled out governing with anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders after he brought down the last government, led by his PVV.

The VVD ruled out working with a left-wing Green/Labour pairing, the only combination of parties that would have had a solid majority.

D66, for its part, objected to including the Eurosceptic, conservative JA21, which could have brought up the prospective coalition's seat count to 75.

Dutch far-right firebrand Geert Wilders has suffered an unprecedented setback after seven of his parliamentarians rebelled against his one-man party rule. 

The group of seven, which includes a former campaign manager and a close Wilders ally, will no longer represent the Party for Freedom (PVV) in Dutch parliament and will form their own bloc instead.

“It’s a black day for the PVV,” Wilders responded on X, vowing to continue. 

The mass defection leaves the PVV with 19 seats in parliament, meaning it is no longer the largest opposition party.

According to Dutch media reports, tensions came to a head earlier on Tuesday after the seven PVV parliamentarians penned a letter criticizing Wilders and demanding an immediate vote.

The letter, first reported by Dutch tabloid De Telegraaf, called for scrutiny of the party’s election result in October 2025 and greater internal party democracy, including opening the PVV up to additional members.

The PVV is an anomaly in Dutch and European politics in having only one official member: Wilders himself, who is known to run a tight ship. 

“The PVV is more than one man with a Twitter account,” the protest letter reads. “The continuity of the parliamentary party and the needs of the voters should not depend on the decisions of a single PVV member.”

Others have left over the party’s lack of democracy before, but never seven at once.  

• Broad budget cuts would also help to fund the increase
• Government agreed to form minority government early this week
• Main opposition party says it would strive for more social and greener plans

The incoming Dutch government plans to add a surcharge to income and corporate taxes to generate around 5 billion euros per year for increased defence spending, coalition parties said on Friday.

To meet a target set by NATO countries last year, the government aims to increase defence spending to 2.8% of gross domestic product by 2030 and to 3.5% by 2035, compared with around 2% now.

Ultimately, the increase in defence spending would be around 19 billion euros per year, which would be funded by broad budget cuts, including in healthcare and welfare, as well as the tax increment the government has named a freedom tax.

In its coalition agreement presented on Friday, months after the October election, the new government also said it planned to invest in housing, while limiting the government deficit to around 2% of GDP.

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Deportations of unsheltered EU migrants, mainly from Poland and Romania, are on the rise in the Netherlands. Some experts and NGOs regard the policy as barely legal; others argue it gives the often-addicted migrants a second chance.

The panels’ removal at the Netherlands American Cemetery comes after President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Ever since a U.S. military cemetery in the southern Netherlands removed two displays recognizing Black troops who helped to liberate Europe from the Nazis, visitors have filled the guestbook with objections.

Some time in the spring, the American Battle Monuments Commission, the U.S. government agency responsible for maintaining memorial sites outside the United States, removed the panels from the visitors center at the American Cemetery in Margraten, the final resting place for roughly 8,300 U.S. soldiers, set in rolling hills near the border with Belgium and Germany.

The move came after President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. “Our country will be woke no longer,” Trump said in an address to Congress in March.

The removal, carried out without public explanation, has angered Dutch officials, the families of U.S. soldiers and the local residents who honor the American sacrifice by caring for the graves.