Mark Rutte
A tram drives through downtown Lisbon, Friday, June 18, 2021. Travel in and out of the Lisbon metropolitan area is to be banned over coming weekends as Portuguese authorities respond to a spike in new COVID-19 cases in the region around the capital. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
The Latest: Uganda tightening measures due to virus surge

By The Associated Press Jun. 18, 2021 05:32 AM EDT

FILE - In this Friday, July 17, 2020 file photo, Netherlands' Princess Amalia poses in the garden of royal palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, Netherlands. The heir to the Dutch throne, Princess Amalia, has decided not to accept the allowance -- worth some 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) per year -- that she is due to receive annually once she turns 18 in December. The princess sent a hand-written letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte informing him of her decision on Friday, June 11, 2021. (Piroschka van de Wouw, Pool via AP, File)
Dutch princess won't accept payment when she turns 18

Jun. 11, 2021 11:28 AM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, March 17, 2021, Dutch caretaker Prime Minster Mark Rutte answers questions after casting his vote in a general election in The Hague. Dutch zoos and theme parks will be allowed to re-open next week under strict conditions and bars and cafes can extend the opening hours of their outdoor terraces, if coronavirus infections and hospital admissions continue to fall, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, file)
Dutch move toward further easing of coronavirus lockdown

By Mike Corder May. 11, 2021 02:40 PM EDT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and European Council President Charles Michel, left, wait for the start of the opening ceremony at an EU summit at the Alfandega do Porto Congress Center in Porto, Portugal, Friday, May 7, 2021. European Union leaders meet for a summit in Portugal on Friday, sending a signal they see the threat from COVID-19 on their continent as waning amid a quickening vaccine rollout. Their talks hope to repair some of the damage the coronavirus has caused in the bloc, in such areas as welfare and employment. (Tiago Petinga, Pool via AP)
EU leaders attend summit in person for 1st time this year

By Barry Hatton May. 07, 2021 02:21 AM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, April 1, 2021, Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte listens to a debate in parliament in The Hague, Netherlands. Rutte announced a significant easing in his country's months-long coronavirus lockdown Tuesday April 20, 2021, calling it a delicate balancing act as infections remain stubbornly high, and as lockdown fatigue grows.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Dutch coronavirus infections rise ahead of lockdown easing

By Mike Corder Apr. 22, 2021 12:28 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan.18, 2021 file photo a medical staff administers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 at a vaccination center at a gymnasium in Versailles west of Paris. Countries in the European Union have ramped up the vaccination after sluggish start. The uptick comes as countries across Europe also grapple with a rise in infections that has pushed the EU’s overall number of confirmed cases close to 30 million. (AP Photo/Michel Euler,file)
Europe lines up more shots, hoping to beat back virus surge

By Frank Jordans Apr. 21, 2021 12:25 PM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, April 1, 2021, Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte listens to a debate in parliament in The Hague, Netherlands. Rutte announced a significant easing in his country's months-long coronavirus lockdown Tuesday April 20, 2021, calling it a delicate balancing act as infections remain stubbornly high, and as lockdown fatigue grows.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Balancing act: Dutch PM eases lockdown amid infection rise

By Mike Corder Apr. 20, 2021 02:08 PM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, April 2, 2021, caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte leaves after surviving a no-confidence motion in parliament in The Hague, Netherlands. The Dutch government on Tuesday April 13, 2021, presented a roadmap for relaxing coronavirus lockdown measures, but caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it is still too early to relax the country’s months-long lockdown. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, FILE)
Dutch govt says it's too early to start easing the lockdown

By Mike Corder Apr. 13, 2021 02:38 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2021, file image shows the main page of the HealthCare.gov website. More than a half million Americans have taken advantage of the Biden administration's special health insurance sign-up window keyed to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government announced Wednesday in anticipation that even more consumers will gain coverage in the coming months. (HealthCare.gov via AP)
The Latest: Governor bans vaccine passports for Montana

By The Associated Press Apr. 13, 2021 04:48 AM EDT

Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks with the media following exit polls in the general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 17, 2021. Dutch voters pushed Rutte towards a fourth term in office in a general election Wednesday, bolstering his conservative party's position as the biggest in parliament and boosting a key ally into second place, an exit poll suggested. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool via AP)
Dutch coalition talks halted after COVID-19 case, notes slip

By Mike Corder Mar. 25, 2021 07:43 AM EDT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a session of the German parliament Bundestag ahead of an European Union summit at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
EU leaders grapple with surge of infections, vaccine issues

By Samuel Petrequin And Raf Casert Mar. 25, 2021 07:12 AM EDT

Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks with the media following exit polls in the general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 17, 2021. Dutch voters pushed Rutte towards a fourth term in office in a general election Wednesday, bolstering his conservative party's position as the biggest in parliament and boosting a key ally into second place, an exit poll suggested. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool via AP)
Dutch government extends coronavirus lockdown by 3 weeks

By Mike Corder Mar. 23, 2021 02:55 PM EDT

Populist Dutch anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders casts his vote in a general election in The Hague, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Polling stations have opened opened across the Netherlands from Monday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Dutch PM Rutte's conservatives see 4th straight election win

By Mike Corder Mar. 18, 2021 04:45 AM EDT

Dutch caretaker Prime Minster Mark Rutte casts his vote in a general election in The Hague, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Polling stations have opened opened across the Netherlands from Monday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)
Caretaker PM Rutte seen as winning most seats in Dutch vote

By Mike Corder And Raf Casert Mar. 17, 2021 03:11 AM EDT

A ballot box is brought to a polling station inside the Van Gogh museum during a demonstration for the media in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Polling stations opened across the Netherlands early Monday and Tuesday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The Van Gogh museum is closed because of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Dutch parties make last push for votes in general election

By Mike Corder Mar. 16, 2021 05:01 AM EDT

A voter walks towards a volunteer at a polling station wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with a yellow heart and the text "keep your distance" while holding an arrow measuring out the 1.5-meter social distance in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, March 15, 2021. Polling stations opened across the Netherlands early Monday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Voting underway in coronavirus-affected Dutch election

By Mike Corder Mar. 15, 2021 07:06 PM EDT

Two women argue with the police during a demonstration ahead of three days of voting starting Monday in a general election, to protest government policies including the curfew, lockdown and coronavirus related restrictions in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Dutch police break up anti-govt protest on eve of election

By Mike Corder Mar. 14, 2021 10:34 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sunday Feb. 28, 2012 file photo, demonstrators hold a Dutch flag with it's center cut out as another man, rear, holds a banner during a demonstration of several hundreds of people who protested against the coronavirus lockdown and curfew on Museum Square in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch vote next week in a general election. Many voters approve of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s handling of the crisis but his popularity has waned in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
Coronavirus pandemic casts long shadow over Dutch elections

By Mike Corder Mar. 13, 2021 04:43 AM EST

Dutch police officer stabbed in face after curfew check

Mar. 11, 2021 11:04 AM EST
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A police officer in the northern Dutch city of Groningen was stabbed in the face when he attempted to check why two young men...

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels. The Netherlands is holding a general election over three days starting March 15 2021 because of fears that busy polling stations could spike infections, which comes after Prime Minister Mark Rutte has spent more than a decade in power. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, FILE)
Dutch prime minister extends his country's pandemic lockdown

By Mike Corder Mar. 08, 2021 02:21 PM EST