Politics News in English

Amsterdam glaziers celebrated when the windows were smashed

In 1848, a public gathering organized by Carl Hancke on Dam Square in Amsterdam escalated into a riot after the organizer failed to appear. The resulting unrest led to widespread property damage, whic...

Ukrainians will not be given priority for housing in Velsen; emergency shelter to end next year

The municipality of Velsen will terminate crisis emergency shelter for Ukrainian refugees starting early next year. Refugees will be transitioned into regular housing, but they will not receive priori...

Record new construction for housing associations, but still 10,000 homes a year short

Dutch housing corporations built a record 21,500 new homes last year, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Despite this achievement, the sector still falls 10,000 units short of the...

Housing corporations to build record number of new homes in 2025

Housing associations in the Netherlands added a record 21,500 new rental homes in 2025, an increase of 2,000 compared to the previous year. This marks the highest number of completions since data coll...

CDA, PvdD, Jouw Haarlem and Actiepartij vie for spot at Haarlem coalition table: ‘Choose us. Choose a green, clean Haarlem’

The Haarlem city coalition for the next four years will include GL-PvdA and D66, but the search for a third partner continues. Four parties, including CDA and PvdD, are currently competing for a spot ...

Thousands lose youth disability benefits after five years of work

Thousands of individuals receiving Wajong disability benefits will lose their eligibility after five years of employment if their income exceeds a specific threshold. This policy change is expected to...

Pentagon expels journalists from building after court ruling

The US Department of Defense has announced that journalists will no longer be allowed to work inside the Pentagon building following a court ruling. A separate media workspace will be established on t...

Renewed drone and missile attacks reported in Middle East

Iranian state media reported a new wave of missile attacks launched against Israel on Monday night. Meanwhile, Israeli forces targeted the Lebanese capital of Beirut, where journalists confirmed at le...

Older workers spared while younger ones take on more: ‘Pressure will continue to rise’

As the state pension age rises in the Netherlands, more older employees are opting to reduce their working hours leading up to retirement. Employers express concern that this trend will create an unfa...

Australia and EU sign major free trade agreement after years of negotiations

Australia and the European Union signed a comprehensive free trade agreement in Canberra on Tuesday following years of negotiations. The deal aims to strengthen economic ties and facilitate trade betw...

US government opens new investigations into Harvard

The US Department of Education has launched two new investigations into Harvard University to determine if the institution is practicing affirmative action. This follows a 2023 Supreme Court ruling th...

Bahrain drafts UN resolution against Iranian shipping attacks

Bahrain has drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution seeking authorization for countries to use all necessary means to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal fol...

Zita Pels leader of merged GroenLinks/PvdA party in Amsterdam

Zita Pels has been appointed as the chair of the newly merged GroenLinks and PvdA faction in Amsterdam following the municipal elections. The two parties, which won a combined 17 seats, will negotiate...

Zita Pels group leader of merged GroenLinks/PvdA Amsterdam

Zita Pels has been appointed as the group leader for the newly merged GroenLinks and PvdA faction in Amsterdam following recent municipal elections. The two parties, which secured a combined 17 seats,...

GroenLinks and PvdA now also called GroenLinks-PvdA in Amsterdam

Netanyahu: Trump sees possibilities for deal with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that U.S. President Donald Trump believes strategic goals regarding Iran can be achieved through a negotiated agreement. This update follows recent dis...

D66 strong in northern Heemstede neighborhoods, VVD gains ground around SEIN

Detailed election results for Heemstede reveal that D66 performed strongly in northern neighborhoods, while the VVD gained support near the SEIN facility. The release of data from individual polling s...

UK summons Iranian ambassador over London spying

The British Foreign Ministry has summoned the Iranian ambassador following allegations of espionage in London. UK officials characterized the Iranian regime's activities as reckless and disruptive act...

Epe imposes penalty on Fletcher over asylum shelter, chain refuses to pay

The municipality of Epe has imposed a daily fine of 17,250 euros on Fletcher Hotels for continuing to house asylum seekers past a set deadline. The hotel chain faces a maximum penalty of 3.1 million e...

Minister: Other municipalities needed for Hardenberg solution

Dutch Minister of Asylum and Migration Bart van den Brink has called for other municipalities to assist in solving reception capacity issues in Hardenberg. The asylum agency COA will begin paying dail...

US Vice President calls Netanyahu about negotiations

U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss potential negotiations with Iran. This report of the diplomatic call was provided by an insider t...

Justice plays high-stakes game in tackling F-Game

Dutch police have released surveillance photos of 79 suspects linked to scamming tricks and other fraudulent activities to the general public. The images are being displayed on billboards along major ...

Stock markets end higher despite Iranian denial of talks

European stock markets closed higher on Monday following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a five-day pause in attacks on Iranian energy facilities to facilitate talks. Market gains were lat...

Are we in the worst energy crisis ever? ‘US is an unpredictable factor’

The head of the International Energy Agency warns that the current energy crisis is as severe as three previous major crises combined. Expert Aad Correljé from TU Delft emphasizes that while the situ...

COA misses Hardenberg deadline, will pay penalty Tuesday

The Dutch asylum reception agency (COA) failed to meet a deadline set by the municipality of Hardenberg to reduce the number of occupants at local facilities. As a result, the agency must begin paying...

Boys arrested in Heemstede suspected of preparing explosion

Two boys, aged 14 and 17, were arrested in Heemstede on suspicion of preparing an explosion or arson with terrorist intent. The Public Prosecution Service of North Holland confirmed that the arrests t...

Dozens feared dead in Colombia military plane crash

A military aircraft crashed in Colombia shortly after takeoff, with reports suggesting that dozens of soldiers on board may have been killed. While the Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident, loca...

D66 only beats GL-PvdA in Haarlem-Southwest; FVD wins in Waarderpolder

GroenLinks-PvdA emerged as the winner in the recent elections in Haarlem, securing the most votes in 77 out of 89 polling stations. D66 finished in second place overall, managing to outperform the pro...

Pro-Palestinian activists acquitted of antisemitism after defacing CIDI office

Ministry of Finance shuts down computer systems after cyberattack

The Dutch Ministry of Finance discovered a digital intrusion in several of its primary computer systems last week. Access to these systems was blocked on Monday as a security measure, preventing some ...