As of July 1, The Netherlands becomes the latest European nation to ban smoking in restaurants, cafes and all public places. The difference in Holland, though, is you can still order marijuana and hashish at cafes and coffee shops alongside your coffee, tea or juice. But as Lauren Comiteau reports for VOA from Amsterdam, the new rules for smoking it have left a lot of coffee shop owners and patrons…well, dazed and confused.

Ed Uthman Dutch politicians have reached a compromise on testing embryos for hereditary diseases. Earlier, the issue caused a crisis in the Dutch cabinet. Deputy Health Minister Jet Bussemaker tried to expand the practice, only to be blocked by another coalition party, the Christian Union. The government has now decided to create two separate commissions. One to evaluate each individual case of embryo selection, and one to determine which diseases can be selected for.

The national soccer team of Russia played a wonderful match against the soccer team of Netherlands going to the Euro 2008 Semi-Final game as the winner.

The second Group C game to be played this Friday evening was between the Netherlands and France in Berne's Wankdorf Stadium. The thrilling match ended in a 4-1 win for the Netherlands, taking them through to the championship's quarter finals.

The first large-scale survey of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) begins today in the Netherlands. Approximately 300,000 people between the ages of 16 and 29 will receive an invitation to be tested for chlamydia.

Dutch Integration Minister Ella Vogelaar has praised Dutch Islamic organisations for their response to right-wing MP Geert Wilders' anti-Qur'an film, Fitna, which was released on the internet on Thursday.

The United States internet provider Network Solutions says it first wants to view the anti-Qur'an film Fitna produced by Dutch populist MP Geert Wilders before deciding whether to allow him to post the film.

The use of continuous deep sedation for patients nearing death in the Netherlands is increasing, while cases of euthanasia have declined, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

Dutch Integration Minister Ella Vogelaar has criticised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent speech to Turkish immigrants in Germany.

Justice officials on Aruba are investigating new clues in the case of the missing US teenager Natalee Holloway. The fresh evidence was provided by a Dutch crime reporter. The prosecutor on the Dutch Caribbean island, Mr Hans Mos, has been quoted as describing it as “impressive and convincing” and “an essential part that was lacking in the investigation.”

Today the European Commission examined the updated stability programmes of Finland, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. All four have reached, maintained or exceeded the objective they have set themselves to have sound public finances. Luxembourg and the Netherlands have presented budgetary strategies that are in line with the sound principles established in the Stability and Growth Pact. In both countries, the trajectory seems sufficient to maintain, by a large margin, their medium-term objective (MTO).

Police in the Netherlands have handed out hundreds of fines in recent days for setting off fireworks too early. In metropolitican Amsterdam alone, poice sentenced 160 minors to community service.