Netherlands

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio click: KINGWILLEMVATICAN By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent reporting from Terschelling, Netherlands TERSCHELLING, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- Tens of thousands of people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder outside crammed shoulder-to-shoulder outside the royal palace in Amsterdam where  Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated on Tuesday after a 33-year sometimes turbulent reign, handing over to her eldest son.

By Eric Leijenaar, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians have set up an underground church in Mecca, viewed by Muslims as the "holiest city in Islam", while tens of thousands of other Saudi Christians are worshipping via the Internet, a mission group confirmed Friday, April 24.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report's shorter version via Vatican Radio:   By BosNewsLife News Center THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife) Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands, the younger brother of the new Dutch king, has died, 18 months after a skiing accident left him in a coma from which he never regained consciousness. He was 44

By BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondents Johan Th. Bos and Eric Leijenaar reporting from the Netherlands AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- There is growing opposition towards devoted Christians in the Netherlands, according to a poll published by a leading Dutch evangelical newspaper.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio:  By Stefan J. Bos, Chief Internatonal Correspondent BosNewsLife THE HAGUE/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has marked its 20th anniversary on Monday, amid concern about the future of some cases. Dutch King Willem-Alexander was among those invited to commemorate the occasion at a time when the United Nations court is under pressure to end its operations.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife URK, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- The Dutch town of Urk, known for its many churches and fishing traditions, says it will not dismiss public servants refusing to officiate at gay weddings, despite a draft law adopted by parliament forcing municipalities to fire registrars opposing same-sex marriage.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BELGRADE/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Serbia says the successful detention of the last fugitive war crimes suspect from the Balkan wars involved an operation that was as difficult as finding terrorist Osama bin Laden.  Wednesday's announced arrest of Goran Hadzic in northern Serbia ended a seven-year manhunt.  

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KIEV/AMSTERDAM (BosNewsLife)-- The Netherlands has commemorated the nearly 300 people who died on board a Malaysia Airlines plane which was shot down over eastern Ukraine earlier this year. Flags flew at half-mast at government buildings as the nation united to remember one of the worst disasters in modern Dutch history.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian civil servant has been fired by the Dutch city of The Hague for refusing to oversee same-sex marriages on Biblical grounds.  

By BosNewsLife News Center THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (BosNewsLife)-- Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced Monday she is abdicating in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.