Carbon Capture in Zeeland: Yara’s Sluiskil plant has started operations, aiming to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year and ship it to Norway for storage under the seabed—Europe’s largest CCS facility. EU Funding Check: The European Commission approved the Netherlands’ fourth NextGenerationEU payment request (€661m), citing progress on energy, innovation, education and reforms. Dutch Research Boost: Utrecht University and partners secured 34 European Research Council Starting Grants across the Netherlands, with six UU/UMC researchers receiving a combined €1.5m. Video Tech in Amsterdam: MC-IF and Ittiam launched an open-source VVC (H.266) decoder initiative at IBC 2026 to speed practical adoption for mobile and app developers. AI Governance in the Kingdom: Sint Maarten’s parliament ratified a regional responsible AI statement covering ethics, privacy and data integrity, pushing the island not to fall behind. Health & Food Safety: Europe reports rising Salmonella cases, with the Netherlands among the hardest hit in the latest ECDC figures. Climate Risk Lens: A new analysis warns Europe’s heatwave impacts are accelerating Africa’s need to leap from fossil fuels to renewables. Tech Leadership Change: Kooi Group appointed Dries van Dongen as CEO to drive international expansion. Open Science for Soil: Dutch researchers won an Ig Nobel for using underpants-burying to study soil decomposition and soil health.