An outbreak of a rat-borne virus on a cruise ship triggers mass anxiety as phrases like "self-isolation" and "test and trace" re-enter the lexicon. Local mayors are growing increasingly frustrated with The Hague's reluctance to condemn violent protests outside refugee centres. Environmental campaigners are distraught as the man who led a string of successful court cases against major polluters takes Tata Steel's shilling. And in sport, the passportgate saga is resolved while crisis club Vitesse Arnhem are thrown yet another lifeline in their battle to survive.

The army is feeling the heat after several wildfires break out during training excercises in tinderbox conditions. The king gets his skates on and straddles some Frisian dikes for his birthday bash this year. Protests against refugee centers turn ugly when a former council office is trashed by roving hooligans. The government signs a data security deal with the owners of Lidl as it tries to become less dependent on US tech firms. And owl watchers are stunned by some fly-by-night high jinks in Limburg.

Vaudevillian scenes in the Senate as the PVV block their own asylum bill before blaming D66 for not wanting to soil their hands with it. The cabinet still isn't willing to cut fuel prices but hopes cheap train tickets and extra poverty relief funding will ease the pain. Utrecht is forced to take emergency measures after its electricity grid hits its limit. Artworks looted by the Nazis from Jewish families will go on public display for the first time. And in sport, there's a potential kitchen-sink drama on the last day of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie season.

Those who can, plan; those who can't, plan scenarios. At any rate, that seems to be how the Dutch government is preparing for the impending crisis triggered by the war in Iran and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It wasn't enough to stop the king and queen's visit to the other orange king in the White House going ahead: the royal couple avoided any embarrassing mishaps, unless you count the faux pas of talking about last season's coup. Three men have appeared in court accused of organising the Drents Museum heist, while three major cyberhacks at Dutch companies have exposed the private details of millions of customers across Europe. And we explain why tough new asylum laws could have unexpected and unpleasant consequences for international workers who lose their jobs.

The Netherlands promises to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but only once the hellfire has died down. Continuing the theme of negotiating with scoundrels, curators in Assen and Bucharest breathe a sigh of relief following the safe return of the golden helmet that was stolen from the Drents Museum last year. In a victory for vested interests, the Senate is set to vote down the cabinet's plans to delay the state retirement age. Student finance agency Duo will pay €80 million in compensation for carrying out anti-fraud checks that focused disproportionately on ethnic minorities. And PSV Eindhoven finally stagger over the line to claim their third Eredivisie title in a row.

As political parties around the country come together to form council administrations, the far-right Forum voor Democratie rage against the mainstream by falling apart. The government decides the best way to conserve energy during the escalating fuel crisis is to stand still and do nothing. Motorists are inundated by fake fines in the wake of the Odido hack. Dozens of Eredivisie footballers turn out to have been playing in a legal grey area. And a collapsing floor in Maastricht reveals the remains of a legendary French hero.

All parties claim victory after this week's local elections, but the real winners were the local parties, who took more than one-third of the total vote. The losers were Rob Jetten and Carola Schouten, who recklessly promised to abseil down the Euromast tower if turnout went up. We bring you a run-down of the results and the main talking points, including a huge comeback win for Richard de Mos in The Hague and gains by the far-right Forum voor Democratie. Elsewhere, Jetten performs a dramatic U-turn in the heavily mined Strait of Hormuz to join an international coalition to protect shipping. Amsterdam remains Europe's party drug capital but loses its cocaine crown to Antwerp, according to an analysis of city sewage. And in sport, Dick Advocaat is back in business at Feyenoord and Jetta Leerdam's speed suit is not what it seems.

With a week to go until the local elections, we provide a Dutch News crash course in how to vote and find your way through the jungle of local parties. Rob Jetten's cabinet rules out emergency measures to cut fuel prices, while pressure grows to keep the Groningen gas fields open. Chip manufacturer ASML unveils plans to expand its campus in Eindhoven. The Council of State tells the government to think again on Schiphol flights. And in sport, Max Verstappen hopes to rally in Nuremberg after crashing out in Melbourne.

As local elections approach, we talk to polling expert and political scientist Tom Louwerse about the kaleidoscopic range of candidate and parties on offer and how voters can make sense of it all. Rob Jetten's first week as prime minister proves to be a bumpy ride, and not just because he's travelling by road to Brussels. The cabinet comes under fire from all sides as it tries to support Donald Trump and uphold international law at the same time. Unions threaten strikes after walking out of a meeting on the coalition‘s plans to make everyone retire later and then cut their nursing care. And in sport, Jutta Leerdam‘s speed skating suit leaves the competition for dust in an online fundraising auction.

Rob Jetten starts work as prime minister by shaking hands with Olympic heroes and doing backroom deals with PVV refuseniks. Mona Keijzer creates an unstable situation in farmers' party BBB after being passed over for the leadership. Internet provider Odido is in double trouble after hackers leak its customers' data. And art historians get a surprise when they view a collection of "very nice" etchings.

Rob Jetten starts his term one finance minister short of a full cabinet after Natalie van Berkel is found to have inflated her credentials on LinkedIn. More new homes are being built, but not enough to tackle the housing shortage or cool the property market. The armed forces are struggling to recruit chefs, mechanics and other support staff in the battle to spend the extra Nato billions. A new rail link is planned to connect Eindhoven to Brussels. And the Dutch shorttrack skaters eclipse the stars of the big oval at the Winter Olympics.