Dutch Daily Briefing · Episodes

Dutch Spies, Kushner's Phone and a Second Storm

A new book claims Dutch military intelligence hacked Jared Kushner's iPhone and watched Gulf money move through an account he controlled. Kushner denies it and the MIVD won't comment. Also today: prosecutors' new timeline in the killing of Hajar, Storm Austen and tonight's Storm Boelo, the PHP flaw now being exploited, Amsterdam weighing a ban on takeaway packaging, Michael van Gerwen falling out of the darts top ten, and a €3 million rescue for Sinterklaas's steamboat.

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Saturday, 24 October 2026 · 14 min

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  • Book alleges Dutch spies hacked Jared Kushner’s phone: Matthew Cole’s book ‘Princes and Thieves’ claims the MIVD got into Kushner’s iPhone in 2018 via a turned GRU officer. (DutchNews.nl, NOS)
  • Hajar was killed the day she vanished, prosecutors say: Prosecutors say Hajar was killed in Buitenveldert hours before her family reported her missing; suspect Abdi A., 23, stays detained. (NL Times, NOS)
  • Storm Austen, and Storm Boelo tonight: Gusts up to 90 km/h brought code yellow to seven provinces, with falling trees injuring people in Limburg. (NL Times, DutchNews.nl)
  • PHP flaw: first signs of successful hacks: The NCSC says the PHP flaws are being exploited abroad, though no Dutch sites so far, and things could rapidly worsen. (DutchNews.nl, NOS)
  • Albert Heijn deliveries back as police investigate: Albert Heijn restarted home delivery at a third of capacity after the 11 October cyberattack, and police opened a criminal investigation. (NL Times, NU.nl)
  • Amsterdam weighs a ban on single-use packaging: Single-use packaging makes up 30 percent of Amsterdam’s litter, and a legal study says a local ban is possible only as a last resort. (DutchNews.nl, Het Parool)
  • Van Gerwen falls out of the darts top ten: Debutant Kevin Doets beat Van Gerwen 6-3 at the European Championship, pushing him out of the top ten for the first time since 2012. (NOS)
  • Sinterklaas’s steamboat needs a €3 million rescue: Amsterdam’s maritime museum is crowdfunding €75,000 towards restoring the Christiaan Brunings, a coal-fired icebreaker built in 1900. (Het Parool)

What’s on in Amsterdam (Saturday 24 October 2026)

  • The Gift by Eric Staller: a giant hand sails the canals: American artist Eric Staller’s 5.5-metre sea-green hand floats through Amsterdam’s canals for its European premiere, and you can watch from the banks. (Saturday 24 October, sets sail 13:15; at Café de Jaren 14:00–16:00, From Westerdok Marina via the Prinsengracht and the Amstel to Café de Jaren, city centre)
  • Paul van Dyk open-to-close set at ADE: Trance pioneer Paul van Dyk plays the whole night solo at the Melkweg, his fifth year running there during ADE. (Saturday 24 October, from 18:00, Melkweg, Leidsebuurt (city centre))
  • Adolphe de Meyer: The Substance of a Venetian Dream: Huis Marseille, the photography museum on the canal ring, opens a new exhibition on photographer Adolphe de Meyer today. (Opens Saturday 24 October, on until Sunday 7 February, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Grachtengordel (canal ring))

More on in Amsterdam

Also in the news

  • KLM fined $320,000 by US for flights over Iraq: The US Transport Department says KLM flew hundreds of times through banned Iraqi airspace using Delta flight numbers. (NU.nl, NOS)
  • Dutch turn to electric heaters as gas prices hit multi-year high (NL Times)
  • Rembrandthuis says the cap on tourist overnight stays is hurting museum visitor numbers: The Rembrandthuis says Amsterdam’s ‘unachievable’ maximum of 20 million overnight stays a year is driving cultural visitors away. (Het Parool)
  • Dutch drug criminal John H. and 30 others go free in Belgium because the trial took too long: A Belgian court cleared 31 suspects after the case sat untouched for over five years with no explainable reason. (NOS, NU.nl)