Politics News in English

FNV also disagrees with 'mitigation' of state pension cuts

The FNV, the largest trade union in the Netherlands, has expressed its disagreement with a proposal by the Dutch House of Representatives to mitigate changes to the state pension (AOW). The union main...

PvdD and DENK accuse D66 of not standing up for Palestinians

Zelensky calls Trump to discuss further negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Donald Trump via telephone to discuss potential negotiations with Russia. Zelensky stated that preparations for a direct meeting involving himself, Tr...

DENK disappointed by cabinet's lack of anti-discrimination policy

DENK leader Stephan van Baarle has criticized the new Dutch cabinet's coalition agreement for its lack of new measures and funding to combat discrimination. He argued that the government is merely rec...

Suriname President requests departure of 3 state company directors

Surinamese President Jennifer Simons has requested the resignation of three board members from state-owned enterprises following a scandal involving lucrative contracts. The controversy centers on the...

Brazilian politicians convicted of murdering city councilor

The Brazilian Supreme Court has sentenced two former members of parliament to 76 years and three months in prison for ordering the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro council member Marielle Franco. The sen...

Elon Musk’s AI app makes Dutch Parliament perform Nazi salute in 10 seconds: ‘Holy crap’

An investigation has revealed that Elon Musk's AI tool, Grok, generates extremist and antisemitic content, including images of the Dutch House of Representatives performing the Nazi salute. Organizati...

Being nice but promising nothing: a tightrope walk for D66, VVD and CDA

The Dutch minority alliance of D66, VVD, and CDA is navigating a delicate balance between cooperating with the opposition and preserving their own policy goals. During their first major debate, the pa...

Barcelona tourist tax doubles to a maximum of 15 euros per night

Starting in April, Barcelona will double its tourist tax to a maximum of 15 euros per night. The local government intends to use the additional revenue to address housing shortages in the city. Simila...

Artwork in Kostverlorenvaart will not return after years of municipal stalling

February Strike commemoration at Willem Kraan monument: "Paver who stood up for others"

The 1941 February Strike was commemorated in Amsterdam at the monument for resistance hero Willem Kraan in the Nieuw-West district. Kraan, a pavior and strike co-initiator, is honored for his role in ...

Emotional man commemorates February Strike every year: Promised to those who lived through it

Hundreds of people gathered in Amsterdam to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the 1941 February Strike, a massive protest against Nazi raids and the arrest of Jewish residents. Attendees, including ...

Quarter of children and young people not attending school have mental health issues

The number of students staying home from school in Amsterdam increased last year, with 821 registered cases often linked to psychological issues like anxiety and depression. Alderman Mbarki highlighte...

Number of Amsterdam children missing school long-term rose again last year

Is the state pension age increase off the table? Here is the situation

A majority in the Dutch House of Representatives supports a plan to soften the proposed accelerated increase of the state pension age (AOW). This development provides significant relief for the new ca...

State pension plan to be 'softened': coalition backs SGP and Markuszower Group proposal

Dutch coalition parties have agreed to soften proposed changes to the AOW state pension after supporting a motion from the SGP and Groep Markuszower. The exact details of how the plan will be modified...

Zelensky expects direct talks with Russia and US in early March

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects direct negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States to resume in early March. While previous rounds of talks were held in Abu Dhabi and Ge...

Why more and more children are not going to school and how we are tackling it

The number of children not attending school rose to 821 during the last academic year. Authorities have investigated the causes for this increase and are now implementing measures to address the issue...

Vondelpark now also a nuisance area after significant increase in incidents

Amsterdam has expanded its designated nuisance and dealer enforcement zone to include Vondelpark and surrounding streets following a rise in incidents involving intimidation and drug trafficking. This...

Russian embassy: Jetten makes misstep with support for Ukraine

The Russian embassy in the Netherlands has criticized the Jetten cabinet for issuing a statement of support for Ukraine instead of resuming dialogue with Russia. In a social media post, the embassy st...

Opposition parties seek room with D66, receive no promises

During a debate on the government's policy statement, opposition parties questioned D66 leader Jan Paternotte about potentially adjusting coalition plans. While Paternotte expressed a willingness to r...

Paternotte on poverty due to coalition plans: We don't want that

D66 leader Jan Paternotte has urged the Dutch cabinet to take action to reduce poverty following reports that the new coalition's plans could increase poverty rates. Projections show the poverty level...

Help for seniors with moving

The City of Haarlem has reintroduced a moving expense allowance of €1,250 for seniors aged 65 and older who transition from multi-story rental homes to more accessible housing. This initiative, part...

Election liveblog: which debates are coming up?

Amsterdam is preparing for municipal elections on March 18 with a series of debates scheduled to address topics such as housing, transportation, and the local economy. Current polling indicates a clos...

Elections: slightly fewer candidates in Haarlem than four years ago

On March 18, 365 candidates will compete for 39 seats in the Haarlem municipal council. This figure represents a slight decrease compared to the previous election four years ago, when 383 candidates w...

President of the Palace of Versailles becomes new director of the Louvre

Christophe Leribault has been appointed by President Emmanuel Macron as the new director of the Louvre in France. Leribault, who currently serves as the chairman of the Palace of Versailles, will tran...

Three parties want to double the number of homes at Bos garden center site

Three political parties, including PvdA, Zelfstandig Bloemendaal, and GroenLinks, are proposing to double the number of planned homes at the former Bos garden center site. They are advocating for the ...

Klaver will not negotiate on accelerating retirement age

Jesse Klaver, leader of the GroenLinks-PvdA opposition, announced that his party will not negotiate on the minority cabinet's proposal to accelerate the increase of the retirement age. During a debate...

Mona Keijzer absent from debate on government statement

Mona Keijzer was absent from the parliamentary debate on the government's policy statement on Wednesday following her departure from the BBB party. Her resignation occurred after Henk Vermeer was appo...

ICL to face significantly higher fines for future violations

Fertilizer factory ICL faces a tenfold increase in potential fines, rising to 1.25 million euros, if it exceeds future emission standards in the Amsterdam area. The environmental agency implemented th...