Politics News in English
Latest politics headlines from Dutch news, translated into English.
Netanyahu: Larijani's death a step toward overthrowing the regime
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video message that the death of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani is part of an effort to empower Iranians to overthrow their government. Netany...
Prosecutors seek 15 months in prison for threatening singer Douwe Bob
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has demanded a 15-month prison sentence against a 39-year-old man for threatening singer Douwe Bob. The threats were made after the singer withdrew from a performa...
Local parties and D66 most popular in primary school elections
Primary school students who participated in the Children's Elections ahead of the municipal elections favored local parties, which collectively received 25 percent of the 4,489 votes. Among national p...
Kallas rejects normalizing relations with Moscow
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has rejected a proposal by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to normalize relations with Russia. De Wever suggested the move to restore access to cheap oil, but ...
UK faces ‘unprecedented’ meningitis outbreak
British authorities are managing an "unprecedented" meningitis outbreak linked to a nightclub in Canterbury, Kent. At least two young people have died and several others have been hospitalized as the ...
Highest court rejects Odido appeal against Huawei ban
The Dutch Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal has rejected an appeal by telecom provider Odido against a government ban on using equipment from Chinese suppliers Huawei and ZTE. The court ruled that t...
Over 100 tips on explosions at Zuidas and Jewish school in Amsterdam
Dutch police have received more than 100 tips regarding two explosions in Amsterdam that occurred at the Zuidas district and a Jewish school. A significant number of these tips provide information abo...
Van Weel: Appears suspects in Rotterdam synagogue attack were recruited, possibly by Iran
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel informed the House of Representatives that suspects in a Rotterdam synagogue attack were likely recruited. He suggested that Iran may have been behind the recruit...
UN: Food shortages threaten millions due to Iran war
The UN's World Food Programme warns that tens of millions of people worldwide could face life-threatening hunger if the war involving Iran continues until June. This alert highlights the severe global...
UN calls for investigation into deadly Kabul hospital explosion
The United Nations human rights branch has called for an independent and transparent investigation into a deadly incident at an addiction care hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to local author...
Shelter ships temporarily moved to another location
The reception ships MS Carissima and Rex Rheni in Haarlem will be temporarily relocated from Spaarndamseweg to alternative berths in March 2026 to accommodate incoming cruise ships during the spring t...
Live blog: Municipal, district and administrative committee elections
This liveblog provides updates on the municipal and district committee elections in Amsterdam. It includes data on voter turnout and official election results.
Zelensky to EU: Oil through Druzhba pipeline to resume in 1.5 months
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky informed the European Commission that oil flow through the damaged Druzhba pipeline is expected to resume within one and a half months. He stated in a letter tha...
Removing illegal election posters could cost Velsen municipality up to 20,000 euros
The removal of illegally placed election posters is expected to cost the municipality of Velsen between 10,000 and 20,000 euros. According to the municipality, this total includes the expenses for bot...
Strait of Hormuz cannot be seen in isolation from war, Iran says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi informed UN Secretary-General António Guterres that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is linked to military actions by Israel and the United States. Araqchi...
Klaver briefly in Rotterdam where GL-PvdA aims to defeat Leefbaar
GroenLinks-PvdA leader Jesse Klaver visited Rotterdam on Tuesday, where polls show his party is in a close race with Leefbaar Rotterdam. Klaver noted that a progressive party has a chance to become th...
Schouten will abseil if Rotterdam turnout is higher than in 2022
Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten has pledged to abseil from the Euromast if the voter turnout for the upcoming municipal elections is higher than in 2022. Schouten, who admitted to having a severe fear...
UN begins investigation into deadly attack on girls' school in Iran
The United Nations has launched an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran. The incident reportedly took place on the first day of American and Israeli military strikes in the re...
Voting in an old sawmill or a church: These unique Amsterdam polling stations you don't want to miss
For the municipal elections on March 18, 2026, voters in Amsterdam will have the opportunity to cast their ballots at unique polling stations, including churches, museums, and old sawmills. This initi...
CDA and D66 lose popularity nationwide, D66 Haarlemmermeer: ‘We partly understand the disappointment’
The political parties CDA and D66 are experiencing a decline in national popularity in the Netherlands according to recent polling by Ipsos I&O. While the CDA has not yet felt this impact locally, D66...
Iran continues fight against Israel and US, rejects mediation
Iran has launched further missile attacks against Israel following claims from Defense Minister Israel Katz that official Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike. Iranian officials stated that th...
Netherlands to launch defense credit institution with Finland and UK
The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Finland are planning to establish a new credit institution dedicated to defense projects. This initiative aims to support the defense industry and accelerate r...
EU foreign policy chief: we don't really understand US actions
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the European Union is increasingly grappling with the unpredictability of the United States under President Donald Trump. While reaffirming the alliance...
UK to further tap into Ukrainian drone expertise
The United Kingdom and Ukraine are set to sign a cooperation agreement to share expertise on drone defense. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in London to formaliz...
Haarlem New-East: A new district with 7,500 homes on both sides of the Ringvaart. Frank Visser (CU) strongly believes in it
The city of Haarlem is planning the development of a new district called Haarlem Nieuw-Oost, which will include at least 7,500 new homes on both sides of the Ringvaart. The project also features local...
Unprecedented number of displaced persons in occupied West Bank, UN says
The UN human rights office reports that 36,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the Israeli-occupied West Bank within a single year. This level of displacement is described as unprecedented for the...
AI giant Anthropic backed by Big Tech in clash with Trump: ‘Don’t spy on citizens with technology’
Anthropic is engaged in a legal dispute with the U.S. government, refusing to allow its AI technology to be used for citizen surveillance. Major tech firms like Apple and Amazon are supporting the fir...
Civil servants to strike again in mid-April
Dutch state civil servants are scheduled to hold a nationwide strike on Tuesday, April 14, due to an ongoing dispute regarding their collective labor agreement. The industrial action follows previous ...
Media: Israel targets senior Iranian official Larijani
Israel conducted a nighttime attack targeting Ali Larijani, a high-ranking Iranian security official and key figure in the Iranian regime. Israeli officials confirmed the operation to the Times of Isr...
Trump doesn't think Israel will use nuclear weapons
Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he does not believe Israel would use nuclear weapons against Iran. Trump dismissed the possibility of such an escalation, asserting that Israel would nev...