Politics News in English

Gaza flotilla activists to file complaint for sexual violence

Seven Dutch participants of the Global Summit Flotilla are filing criminal charges against Israeli soldiers for alleged sexual violence, torture, and abuse. Assisted by an Amsterdam law firm, the acti...

District politicians have little influence: is the system still working?

District committee members in Amsterdam are expressing frustration over their lack of real decision-making power, as their current role is limited to providing non-binding advice to the central city c...

Government allocates 30 million euros for district heating network in Watergraafsmeer

SER advises on new organization to meet nitrogen targets

The Social and Economic Council (SER) has proposed the creation of a new organization involving both public and private parties to help achieve national climate and nitrogen goals. The initiative aims...

Lithuania wants to lift ban on nuclear weapons

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced that the parliament intends to remove a constitutional ban on placing nuclear weapons on its territory. This move follows a similar decision made by NAT...

Commemorations and protests in Israel, 1000 days after October 7, 2023

Israel marks one thousand days since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks with a series of scheduled commemorations and public protests. The demonstrations focus on the government's response and actions...

Kyiv mayor calls Russian attack the largest to date

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, stated that a recent Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital was the largest attack to date. Following this event, July 3rd has been declared a day of mourning to...

Ministry investigates proxy voting system following Gorinchem incident

Dutch Minister of the Interior Pieter Heerma has announced an investigation into the proxy voting system. This decision follows criticism from international observers regarding the process in the Neth...

Opinion from former district chair: Nieuw-West does not need further political division

EU foreign policy chief wants to increase pressure on Russia after attack on Kyiv

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is calling for increased pressure on Russia and sustained military aid to Ukraine following recent attacks on Kyiv. She emphasized that mere condemnatio...

Housing construction remains stalled despite cabinet nitrogen intervention: 'New cities will not be built'

The Economic Institute for Construction (EIB) states that the Dutch government's recent nitrogen intervention will not resolve the ongoing deadlock in residential construction permits. Consequently, e...

Mandatory interim test could make driving lessons even more expensive, industry warns: 'We can charge whatever we want'

Dutch Minister Karremans has proposed making intermediate driving tests mandatory for student drivers. Industry organizations are warning that this change could lead to significantly higher costs for ...

More reports of misconduct at Amsterdam municipality again

Cabinet decides to introduce smaller ballot papers from 2029

The Dutch cabinet has announced that a smaller ballot paper will be introduced starting with the 2029 European Parliament elections. This decision follows successful trials conducted during the previo...

Sjoerd (55) is drone chief in the Navy and trains in the North Sea: 'Human lives are precious'

Sjoerd Feenstra leads the Dutch Navy's drone operations, which are currently being highlighted following the government's new Defense Memorandum. Feenstra is conducting exercises in the North Sea to d...

Death toll from Russian attacks on Ukrainian capital rises

The death toll from large-scale Russian attacks on Kyiv has risen to ten, with at least 56 people injured, including two children. The mayor of the Ukrainian capital confirmed the casualties following...

Former council member Anne Feite Bloem resigns from SP over coalition with PVV in Pekela: 'Hate-mongering party'

Former SP faction leader Anne Feite Bloem has resigned his party membership in protest of a local coalition formed with the PVV in Pekela. He stated that he could no longer support the party because i...

Melania Trump earns millions from her failed documentary

Former US First Lady Melania Trump reportedly earned 10 million dollars from the documentary titled Melania. Despite the film being considered a commercial failure, she received the majority of the pr...

Deaths and injuries reported in major Russian attack on Ukraine

Multiple Ukrainian cities were hit by a series of Russian missile and drone attacks overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. Local officials reported at least two deaths and sixteen injuries resulting fr...

Anti-Israel demonstration continues to haunt Wienen: 'We are shocked by the mayor'

Mayor Jos Wienen of Haarlem is facing continued political scrutiny following his decision to order the police to disperse a pro-Palestinian demonstration on May 15. Local political parties remain diss...

Velsen issues no fireworks permits and cancels central show: 'No resources, no capacity'

Mayor Frank Dales of Velsen has announced that the municipality will not issue permits for local fireworks displays during the upcoming New Year's Eve. The decision is due to a lack of resources and c...

Cabinet introduces smaller ballot, voters to mark only two boxes in 2029 European elections

The Dutch government is officially replacing the large ballot paper with a smaller version starting with the 2029 European elections. Under the new system, voters will be required to mark two boxes in...

Van Essen: agriculture must remain possible around nature reserves

Agriculture minister Jaimi van Essen stated that farming should remain possible in areas surrounding nature reserves, despite the need for stricter nitrogen emission reductions in those zones. During ...

Nitrogen minister still hopes for broad support after heated debate

Nitrogen Minister Jaimi van Essen is seeking broad support from the Tweede Kamer for his new nitrogen policy despite significant political disagreement. Both Van Essen and Prime Minister Rob Jetten re...

Former Minister Rijkaart appointed acting mayor of Teylingen municipality

Former minister Frank Rijkaart has been appointed as the acting mayor of the municipality of Teylingen, effective September 1. He will succeed Carla Breuer, who is stepping down after twelve years to ...

Unannounced XR protest leads to emergency order by mayor at Tata Steel

The mayor of Velsen issued an emergency order to end an unannounced demonstration by Extinction Rebellion at the Tata Steel site. Nineteen activists were removed after demanding the immediate closure ...

Drenthe coalition continues without BBB after nitrogen debate

The BBB party in the province of Drenthe has withdrawn from the governing coalition with the VVD, PvdA, and CDA. This decision follows internal disagreements regarding nitrogen policies, which led the...

Death in attacks on Greek politicians

An attack targeting the homes of three politicians in Thessaloniki, Greece, has resulted in the death of one person. The mother of one of the politicians passed away in the hospital after sustaining i...

JA21 reaches out on nitrogen policy but demands adjustments

JA21 member Maarten Goudzwaard has expressed a willingness to support the government's nitrogen plans to avoid policy stagnation. However, the party insists that the cabinet must demonstrate a genuine...

US think tank: 2 million casualties in Ukraine war

A report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that over 2 million military personnel have been killed, wounded, or gone missing in the ongoing conflict be...