Stories from Heerlen · Netherlands

Meta is spending $145 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026 but has delayed the release of a developer API. This suggests the bottleneck is not hardware, according to a social media post. Meta's spending on AI infrastructure has reached $145 billion, with the company also announcing a delay in its API release.

DSM-Ferminich reported a 4 percent increase in quarterly figures for its beauty and perfume products division. The company cited unfavorable exchange rates and higher freight and energy costs resulting from the war in the Middle East as factors affecting performance.

Twelve people lost their jobs following the closure of the De Spiegel foundation in Heerlen. The foundation provided day care services for people with disabilities. A local warning was issued regarding noise levels at an industrial site in Geleen due to expected storms today and tomorrow.

A grocery store in Heerlen sustained heavy damage during a fire early this morning. Emergency services had to clear the surrounding residential area to ensure safety. No specific casualty counts or causes for the blaze were provided in the report. A fire was discovered early Monday morning at a grocery store on Prinsdorverstraat in Heerlen. Police are investigating the incident and suspect the fire may have been deliberately set. The fire was discovered around 3:45 AM.

The municipality of Heerlen is launching a new initiative called Pulse Twin. This program appears to be rolling out at a neighborhood level rather than targeting specific individuals. Local reports describe the municipality's approach to the initiative as being particularly transparent and secretive. This follows similar AI-driven implementations previously seen in Amsterdam. Similar to a previous situation in Amsterdam where parents were instructed not to name the ProKit Plus algorithm, Heerlen's approach is also described as intransparent and secretive.