Politics News in English

Israel: Hezbollah fighters killed in strike on southern Lebanon

The Israeli military reported killing six Hezbollah fighters during continued operations in southern Lebanon. These actions come despite a three-week extension of the ceasefire agreement between Israe...

Judge: Minister was not allowed to stop basic shelter for 16 people

A Rotterdam court ruled that former Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber wrongly attempted to terminate the basic shelter, known as the "bed-bath-bread" scheme, for 16 foreigners. While the court upheld th...

CCTV surveillance at Breedveld after arson, vandalism, and attacks on emergency workers

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has ordered the installation of camera surveillance at Breedveld in Amsterdam Noord following persistent nuisance and violence from local youths. Since late March, the ar...

Antique market organizer gloomy after court hearing: ’I don’t think I’m going to win this’

Alice de Nijs, organizer of the Haarlem antique markets, expressed pessimism following a legal hearing at the Raad van State regarding a dispute with the municipality. After the session, she stated he...

Merz proposes ‘light’ EU membership for Ukraine

German politician Friedrich Merz proposed an intermediate 'light' EU membership for Ukraine during an informal summit in Cyprus. This arrangement would allow Ukraine to participate in EU institution m...

Brussels to further develop EU version of NATO Article 5

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will further define Article 42.7, the bloc's mutual defense clause similar to NATO's Article 5. The decision follows an informa...

Jetten: Spain is and remains a full member of NATO

Prime Minister Rob Jetten affirmed that Spain remains a full member of NATO following an EU summit in Cyprus. His remarks respond to leaked U.S. plans suggesting potential suspensions for certain alli...

Mayor Halsema on King's Day: Record number of enforcement officers in the city

Amsterdam Mayor Halsema has announced a record deployment of 250 enforcement officers for King's Day to manage overcrowding and curb illegal alcohol and drug use. The city will enforce stricter regula...

D66 must change course in our ‘city-state’, says Jan-Kees Emmer: ‘More room for people’

Jan-Kees Emmer argues that the D66 party must lead a policy shift in the Netherlands to prioritize human needs over political deadlock. He highlights the contrast between the ongoing political theater...

Lokaal Vitaal and VVD in Castricum continue with D66, but without alderman candidate Erik Hordijk

Lokaal Vitaal and VVD have invited D66 to enter coalition formation talks to govern the municipality of Castricum. As a concession to secure the partnership, D66 candidate Erik Hordijk has withdrawn h...

‘That an old communist should live to see this,’ I whispered to Halsema: 38 Amsterdammers receive royal honors

Number of asylum seeker places in Loosdrecht scaled back

The municipality of Wijdemeren has reduced the planned number of temporary emergency reception places for asylum seekers in Loosdrecht from 110 to 70. The facility is now scheduled to open no earlier ...

This is why you shouldn't play Risk with Wilders

The Jetten cabinet is facing early setbacks and criticism after asylum laws were rejected in the Dutch Senate. Additionally, opposition members have condemned the government's proposed plan for tackli...

US Justice Department drops probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell

The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell regarding the renovation of the central bank's Washington headquarters. This development removes...

Residents fear parking chaos: ‘Parking around Bolstoren will be a total mess’

Residents of Nieuw-Vennep took legal action in a Haarlem court against the Haarlemmermeer municipality over plans to build 110 apartments and a care center near the Bolstoren. They fear the new develo...

Belgian shops no longer face mandatory rest day and can stay open longer

The Belgian government has approved extended opening hours for shops, allowing them to remain open until 9:00 PM daily. Additionally, the mandatory weekly closing day will be abolished, with the new r...

Minister announces fatbike crackdown: minimum age, exclusion zones and mandatory helmets

Dutch Infrastructure Minister Vincent Karremans has announced national measures to regulate fatbikes, including a minimum age requirement, a mandatory helmet rule for those under 18, and legal grounds...

Netherlands will take in refugees in case of real emergency, says Jetten

Deputy Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated that the Netherlands will provide shelter to refugees fleeing the Middle East conflict in cases of genuine emergency. He also noted that the European Union is c...

Prison and community service for violence at Loosdrecht emergency shelter protest

A 30-year-old man from Hilversum has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and 100 hours of community service for attempted arson during a protest in Loosdrecht. The incident occurred during a demonstrati...

Cabinet sees no options for export ban on fighting dogs to Israel

The Dutch cabinet has decided not to implement an export ban on fighting dogs to Israel, despite concerns over their use against Palestinians. Ministers cited a lack of EU-wide support and stated that...

Russia to attend G20 summit in Miami, 'possibly' Putin himself

Russian President Vladimir Putin may attend the G20 summit in Miami this December following an invitation from the United States. While the invitation has been confirmed by a Russian deputy minister, ...

Rutte: If anyone deserves a royal honor, it is MH17 chairman Ploeg

Former Prime Minister Mark Rutte has expressed his support for Piet Ploeg, chairman of the MH17 Disaster Foundation, receiving a royal decoration. Rutte praised Ploeg's long-term commitment and empath...

Royal honor for director is recognition of tireless dedication, says Pride

Lucien Spee-Castillo Ruiz, the director of Pride Amsterdam, received a royal decoration on Friday in recognition of his dedicated efforts for the organization. The event's founders, who nominated him,...

Rotterdam once again has the most royal honors, decrease in Amsterdam

Rotterdam recorded the highest number of royal decorations in the Netherlands this year, with sixty residents receiving honors during the annual 'lintjesregen'. While Rotterdam's numbers increased com...

More honors for men, gap narrowing very slowly

Men continue to receive over 60% of Dutch royal honors, while women receive less than 40%. Although the gender gap is narrowing, the progress remains very slow.

Hegseth on blockade: dozens of ships stopped

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the US Navy has intercepted 34 ships as part of an intensifying blockade on Iranian ports. Hegseth emphasized that no vessels may travel from the Strai...

Jetten witnessed heated debate among leaders over EU long-term budget

Prime Minister Rob Jetten reported that EU leaders held extensive and sometimes heated discussions regarding the 2028-2034 multi-annual budget during an informal summit in Cyprus. Jetten noted that th...

Welfare cuts reversed, funded by child benefit reductions

The Dutch cabinet has reversed a planned 30-million-euro annual cut to social assistance benefits. To fund this change, Minister Thierry Aartsen announced that child-related benefit schemes will be sc...

Entrepreneur Melis loses case: Judge rules Juliet Broersen (Volt) was allowed to make statements

A court ruled that Amsterdam Volt leader Juliet Broersen was within her rights to compare real estate entrepreneur Marcel Melis to Andrew Tate during a council debate. The judge emphasized the importa...

Entrepreneur Melis loses case: Juliet Broersen (Volt) was allowed to make statements, judge rules

A court ruled that Amsterdam Volt leader Juliet Broersen was within her rights to compare real estate entrepreneur Marcel Melis to Andrew Tate during a council debate. The judge found the remarks prot...