Albert Heijn's Cyber Outage, the End of the 13-Week Scan, and U.S. Sanctions on the ICC

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• Albert Heijn hit by cybersecurity incident: Ahold Delhaize shut down systems, taking Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall websites, apps and deliveries offline. (NL Times, DutchNews.nl)
• The 13-week pregnancy scan is being scrapped: From 2028 Dutch women won’t get the extra scan, after the Health Council found it missed 1,164 serious abnormalities. (NOS, NU.nl)
• U.S. sanctions on the International Criminal Court: PM Rob Jetten vowed to defend the Hague court ‘brick by brick’ after Washington blacklisted it, with a licence running until April 2027. (NL Times, DutchNews.nl)
• Warehouse fire in Aalsmeer closes a Schiphol runway: Smoke from a burning car storage hall briefly shut the Buitenveldertbaan, and five nearby homes were evacuated; no one was hurt. (NL Times, Het Parool)
• Opposition rejects the ‘freedom contribution’ tax: Left and right call the defence-funding plan a sneaky tax rise, worth about 5 billion euros a year from households and employers. (NU.nl)
• Israel presses Alkmaar to let in fans for the AZ match: Israel’s ambassador urged Mayor Anja Schouten to admit Israeli fans or move the Hapoel Be’er Sheva match, but the ban stands. (NOS)
• The Pieterburen seal centre faces bankruptcy: With a €2.8 million deficit and no help from the municipality or province, the Lauwersoog centre expects bankruptcy within two weeks. (NOS, NU.nl)
• The Poelifinario cabaret awards: Ruud Smulders, Lisa Ostermann and Yentl en de Boer won the top Dutch cabaret prizes at a gala honouring Paulien Cornelisse. (NOS, NU.nl)
• Panda cub Lang Yue is moving to China: Ouwehands Dierenpark’s two-year-old panda leaves at the end of the month to join a Chinese breeding programme. (NOS, NU.nl)

What’s on in Amsterdam (Tuesday 13 October 2026)

• DeVotchKa: A Celebration of the Music of Little Miss Sunshine: The band behind the Grammy-nominated soundtrack tours for the film’s 20th anniversary, playing songs like ‘How It Ends’. (Tuesday 13 October, 19:30, Melkweg, Leidsebuurt (city centre))
• Clue in a new 4K restoration: The 1985 Cluedo-based comedy, with Tim Curry as the butler Wadsworth, returns to cinemas in a sharp new restoration. (Opens Tuesday 13 October, screenings at various times until 26 October, LAB111, Oud-West)
• The Art of Transforming (exhibition opening): Allard Pierson draws on its theatre collection to explore stage crossdressing and revue star Louisette, plus new photos by Diana Blok. (Opens Tuesday 13 October, 10:00–17:00, runs until 11 April, Allard Pierson, city centre)

More on in Amsterdam

• Orgelconcerten in De Nieuwe Kerk: Organists play the Netherlands’ largest historic organ at Tuesday recitals starting at 19:30, with doors opening at 19:00. (19:30 - 20:30, De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam, opening)
• Heartbeats Nastaran Razawi Khorasani / Theater Rotterdam: Nastaran Razawi Khorasani’s show is built on her conversations with Dian Sahertian-Boers, a terminally ill young woman. (20:30, Frascati)

Also in the news

• Lavreysen’s main rival Richardson sent home before the track cycling worlds over alleged racism: British Cycling dropped Matthew Richardson in Shanghai as The Times reports an inquiry into alleged discriminatory remarks. (NU.nl, NOS)
• Grid congestion is holding back factories’ efforts to go green: Glass, cardboard and brick makers can’t switch to electric machines because the grid lacks capacity, a Cluster6 report says. (NL Times, NOS)
• Flu vaccination rate hits a new low: Only just over half of eligible Dutch people get a flu shot, while flu kills about 4,700 a year. (NL Times)
• Rail sector campaign to prevent suicides on the tracks: Train staff share their experiences in a campaign by 113 and rail firms, as about 200 people die on Dutch tracks each year. (NOS, NU.nl)