Europe, Netherlands | featured news

The Hertz Corporation recently expanded its Supercar rental offerings in Europe, increasing the number of cars and models available in Britain and Spain, and adding Italy, France and (beginning in April) the Netherlands, to the countries where the premium cars can be rented. Renters can now choose brands including McLaren, Lamborghini (shown) and Aston Martin. What European financial crisis?

Europe's horsemeat scandal is spreading, as French consumer safety authorities say companies from Romania, Cyprus and the Netherlands were part of a supply chain that resulted in horsemeat being disguised as beef in frozen lasagna sold around the continent.

Beatrix, queen of the Netherlands, addressed the nation on television and radio on Monday afternoon, announcing that she would abdicate the throne in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.

A German court has dismissed Apple Inc.'s claim that Samsung Electronics and Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility infringed patents used in touch-screen devices. The Mannheim state court's ruling Friday follows similar decisions in Britain and the Netherlands.

Holland's Ministry of Defense scrambled two military fighter jets to escort a Spanish passenger plane amid fears that the aircraft might have been hijacked, but the airline involved denied any trouble, saying the incident was the result of failed communications between the crew and the control tower... Part of Schiphol was already evacuated Wednesday after workers unearthed a suspected World War II bomb near the airport's main terminal.

Lizzie Armitstead wins Britain's first medal of the 2012 Olympics as Netherlands' Marianne Vos claims cycling gold.

Britain and the Netherlands shut or planned to close major airports because of volcanic ash from Iceland on Monday, threatening large-scale air traffic disruption in Europe at the start of the working week.

Icelanders are sure to vote against repaying $5 billion in "Icesave" debts if a referendum goes ahead on Saturday, but conditions are good for reaching a revised deal with Britain and the Netherlands, Iceland's Foreign Minister was quoted on Wednesday as saying.

A car plowed into a parade that included Queen Beatrix and the Dutch royal family on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 13, Dutch officials said.