Netherlands News in English

Province still denies documents to Tata activist and estate owner Jan de Jong: 'The only thing that matters is they no longer exist'

Activist Jan de Jong appeared in court against the province of North Holland for the third time to demand access to secret documents concerning him. The province claims the files no longer exist, a si...

Charlie sees improvement in Zandvoort-Noord and votes VVD again: 'Drugs gone, atmosphere back'

Residents in Zandvoort-Noord expressed varying opinions on local improvements while casting their votes at a neighborhood polling station. While some voters noted a decrease in drug-related issues and...

Prosecution demands mandatory psychiatric treatment for fatal stabbing of Dragana Duric in Amsterdam-West

Hyperion Lyceum closed Thursday due to last-minute work by Waternet: ‘This takes us by surprise’

Netherlands sends single male asylum seekers back to Belgium

Dutch Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink announced that the Netherlands will resume returning single male asylum seekers to Belgium, effective immediately. This decision reverses a previous ban by the...

Schiphol uses WiFi and AI against intruders and activists: recognizing people through walls

Schiphol Airport is launching a pilot program to detect intruders and activists using WiFi and artificial intelligence technology. Developed by the Amsterdam-based startup Waving, which recently raise...

Legal fees in Marco Borsato sexual offense case reach nearly 400,000 euros

Legal fees in the criminal case against Dutch singer Marco Borsato have reached 391,000 euros, according to his lawyers Geert-Jan Knoops and Carry Knoops-Hamburger. The defense team has confirmed they...

Party leaders head to the polls: "I still have a parent-teacher meeting at my child's school"

Political party leaders in Amsterdam cast their votes in the municipal elections at various locations across the city. By early afternoon, voter turnout was reported at 16.4 percent, with candidates b...

Amsterdam lead candidates head to the polls: "I have a parent-teacher meeting at my child's school in a bit"

Political party leaders in Amsterdam, including Mayor Femke Halsema, cast their ballots at various polling stations across the city during the local elections. By early afternoon, voter turnout was re...

No nail-biting for national politicians tonight, even if they are facing losses

National politicians in the Netherlands no longer view municipal election results as a high-stakes indicator of their party's national performance. While local victories are welcomed, national parties...

Syria returnee arrested at Schiphol

A 31-year-old woman who traveled to Syria in 2014 was arrested at Schiphol Airport immediately upon her return to the Netherlands. The Public Prosecution Service suspects her of participation in a ter...

Turnout hovers around 20 percent in the early afternoon

Turnout for the Dutch municipal elections hovered around 20 percent across many municipalities by early Wednesday afternoon. Specific examples include Assen at 21 percent and Nijmegen at 20.2 percent ...

'Sometimes you think you are breaking your parents' cycle, only to find the same patterns repeating.' Paul Kroes (69) wrote a book on how generations pass on trauma

Haarlem-based author Paul Kroes has released his latest book, "Vader, zoon, engel," which explores the complexities of family ties and intergenerational trauma. The work blends autobiography and ficti...

Prosecutors demand mandatory psychiatric treatment for killing woman in Amsterdam

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has demanded TBS with compulsory psychiatric treatment for 33-year-old Khalid A. for the brutal killing of a woman in Amsterdam-West in February 2023. The suspect ...

Turkish Delight producer Rob Houwer dies at 87

Renowned film producer Rob Houwer, known for iconic Dutch films such as Turks Fruit and Soldaat van Oranje, has passed away at the age of 87. He died in Amsterdam on Friday following a long illness, w...

LIVE 2026 Municipal Elections | Rotterdam reports even lower turnout, more voters head to polls in Utrecht

Rotterdam reports a voter turnout of 13.7% by 1:00 PM during the 2026 local elections, maintaining its position as the city with the lowest participation in the Netherlands. In contrast, Utrecht recor...

Amsterdamned II keeps discrimination icon, but fine is dropped

The appeals board of the Dutch media watchdog NICAM has upheld the decision to include a discrimination icon in the classification for the film Amsterdamned II. While the rating remains, the board ove...

Extra camera surveillance for Telstar-PSV championship match

The municipality of Velsen is installing extra security cameras at the BUKO stadium for the upcoming football match between Telstar and PSV this Sunday. This measure is intended to enhance safety and ...

House prices around Amsterdam catching up with the capital

House prices in the regions surrounding Amsterdam are rising more rapidly than in the capital city itself. According to research from Calcasa, areas such as Alkmaar and the Gooi have seen the stronges...

Dozens of protesters at King Willem-Alexander's visit to Aruba

King Willem-Alexander began his official visit to Aruba on Wednesday, meeting with the Council of Ministers and faction leaders at Fort Zoutman in Oranjestad. During the meetings, approximately fifty ...

Cause of cracks in Nieuw-Vennep’s Cpunt building still unknown: 'Best-case scenario to reopen after weekend'

The Cpunt building in Nieuw-Vennep has been closed until at least March 29 after structural cracks were discovered in the floor. The municipality of Haarlemmermeer is currently conducting investigatio...

Fine dropped after complaint over Amsterdamned II, but discrimination icon remains

Compelling election story: how a homeless man once ended up in the Amsterdam city council

In 1921, a homeless man from Rembrandtplein was unexpectedly elected to the Amsterdam city council. The article highlights this historical event as a unique example of the city's unconventional politi...

Does the arrival of an asylum center at De Elta sports park influence the voting behavior of Santpoort residents? 'We have a responsibility and we must share it'

Residents of Santpoort-Zuid are considering whether the planned establishment of an asylum seeker center at Sportpark De Elta influences their choices in the current elections. Voters at 't Brederode ...

Lars and his group see them flying in IJmuiden aan Zee: ‘Hey, that’s a lifer for me, I can cross it off my list’

Nature guide Lars led a bird-watching excursion in IJmuiden aan Zee, helping participants identify species like the dunnock. The group utilized telescopes and binoculars to spot birds, with some membe...

LIVE 2026 Municipal Elections | Wim's living room is the smallest polling station in the Netherlands, 20 voters have visited so far

Wim Westhoff has turned his living room into the smallest polling station in the Netherlands for the 2026 municipal elections. Twenty voters have already visited the unique site, where they are offere...

Political podcast: JA21 leader assaulted and who won the big AT5 final debate?

This political podcast episode discusses the assault of JA21 faction leader Kevin Kreuger following the final AT5 election debate held at De Meervaart theater. Journalists from AT5, Het Parool, and De...

Armed soldiers and military vehicles in Heemskerk: Exercise in empty buildings at Tolhek

The Infantry Battalion Guarding Security of the National Reserve Corps will conduct a military exercise this Friday and Saturday at Tolhek in Heemskerk. The training focuses on urban area operations a...

Third-division DIOS wingback also flies for Sint Maarten: 'With my club I never go abroad for matches'

Tyrel Gumbs, a 25-year-old wingback for the Dutch club DIOS, has been called up to represent the Sint Maarten national football team. He will travel to the Dominican Republic to compete in matches aga...

Jacob de Greeuw celebrates 25 years of ‘Pergola’ with Johan: ‘Why not also cry to music?’

Jacob de Greeuw is celebrating the 25th anniversary of 'Pergola', a landmark album by his band Johan that was written in Hoorn during a period of personal depression. The record is widely regarded as ...