The Dutch government will ban the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a spokesperson for the Justice Ministry said Friday, rolling back one element of the country's permissive drug policy after a series of well-publicised negative incidents. The decision will go into effect within several months, Wim van der Weegen said.

The Dutch voted on Wednesday in their first national referendum, choosing whether to accept a proposed European Union Constitution. Polls indicated The Netherlands could join France in rejecting the historic document, which will leave Europe's leaders without a clear back-up plan for the charter.

The first clothing-free workout session at a Dutch gym went ahead as planned on Sunday -- and participants and observers said it met expectations. Around a dozen middle-aged and elderly men braved the glare of nearly twice that number of journalists at Fitworld gym in the town of Heteren, including reporters, photographers and at least five television crews.

Amsterdam's famed marijuana bars have weathered many challenges over the years, but now they face an unwelcome blast of fresh air.

A SA photographer's portrait of an Afghan woman whose husband sliced off her nose and ears won the World Press Photo award on Friday.

Police are following more than a dozen tips from witnesses to retrieve the paintings that were stolen from the Kunsthal exhibition in Rotterdam.

The Dutch government will ban the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a spokesperson for the Justice Ministry said Friday, rolling back one element of the country's permissive drug policy after a series of well-publicised negative incidents. The decision will go into effect within several months, Wim van der Weegen said.

The Dutch voted on Wednesday in their first national referendum, choosing whether to accept a proposed European Union Constitution. Polls indicated The Netherlands could join France in rejecting the historic document, which will leave Europe's leaders without a clear back-up plan for the charter.