Amsterdam
latest news & developmentsThe hidden costs of AI’s data-centre boom’
By 2023, the major hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta) operated close to 992 data centres globally, with capacity having doubled in just four years
Flight Centre’s year in travel 2024: where you went and where you’re headed next…
Your ticket to insider travel scoops, data bites, and expert predictions for the year ahead
A return to the literal motherland
This extract from playwright Anthony Akerman’s memoir tells of coming home after 17 years’ exile
Young South African snapper Sibusiso Bheka graces Amsterdam
Bheka, who started his career at the Of Soul and Joy programme in Thokoza, was chosen for a residency at the prestigious NOOR photo agency in the Netherlands
The Portfolio: Neo Matloga
The artist shares how his practice has evolved: initially he was an oil painter, but now he works in mixed media, marrying painting with collage
JM Coetzee: A fine mind, a formidable intellect
Behind JM Coetzee, the writer lauded for his ‘wonderfully brave, bold mind’ , is John Coetzee, the quiet man
Is Heineken brewing a better Africa?
Multinational corporations are considered motors for development in Africa and the Dutch beer giant Heineken is often cited as one of the best examples. The reality is different…
The art of everyday help
If we can relinquish the smallest of responsibilities under the guise of creating employment, what of the bigger responsibilities on a national level?
Legalised pot spots: A rarity around the world
While many countries have decriminalised the use and possession of cannabis, only a handful have gone as far as to make it fully legal
Dutch judges nix bid to take Brexit case to Euro court
The Amsterdam appeals court agreed with the lower court that the position of Britons living in the EU after Brexit was a matter of EU law
Ghosts of the night watch
‘Most puzzlingly, there’s a woman in the middle of the painting — a “mascot”, says Wikipedia demeaningly’
Where street names are double Dutch
To avoid naming streets after rat infestations, the alleys were rather known for the animals that hunted the vermin.
High time to ‘zwijg’ in Amsterdam
A look-out post on the highway going north out of Johannesburg, and named “Shut up, Pretoria” – wouldn’t that be nice?
Dutch cuisine gets a shake-up
Amsterdam is leading the country’s culinary renaissance with the opening of four new exciting restaurants.
Miley, toking in Amsterdam is tired and touristy
Sorry, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga – lighting up a "suspicious cigarette" is not good PR – it marks you out as a daft tourist.