Politics

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his British counterpart Theresa May released a joint statement in which they denounced cyber attacks by Russian secret service GRU as unacceptable. They called attacks on international organizations like the United Nations' Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reckless and destructive.

As the Brexit approaches, the Netherlands is expanding the workforce at embassies in European countries in order to remain strongly present in Europe after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, a spokesperson for institute Clingendael confirmed to NU.nl.

Thijs van der Plas, a top official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussed this strategy at a conference on the Brexit at Clingendael on Monday. The Netherlands will strengthen over 10 posts in Europe in preparation for the Brexit. 

Amsterdam finds the national experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation unfeasible and "risky to public order". The municipality would like to participate in the experiment, but only with other rules, mayor Femke Halsema said in a letter to Ministers Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security and Bruno Bruins for Medical Care and Sports, NOS reports.

Heavily armed police officers are stationed in front of the Haarlem city hall. This is for the security of mayor Jos Wienen, who was threatened, the Public Prosecutor said, according to RTL Nieuws.

"There were reports that there was a threat and that is why we took security measures", the Public Prosecutor said. "This has been happening since the start of September." Extra security measures were also taken at Wienen's home some time ago. 

A photo showing former United States President Barrack Obama on an Amsterdam tram with a sleeping student next to him, was massively shared online over the past days. But the photo was faked. The real photo, featuring no sleeping student, was taken in the city of Saint Paul in Minnesota in 2014 by then White House photographer Pete Souza, AT5 reports.

With the month of November, and the arrival of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, approaching, the Zwarte Piet discussion is also starting up again. The first demonstrations at the Sint's arrival in Zaanstad on November 17th were announced, though so far only from activists supporting the blackface figure of Zwarte Piet.

The Peace Palace in The Hague is working on a historic friendship treaty between the largest religions in the world. The intention is to have religious world leaders like the Pope, Grand Mufti and Dalai Lama sign the declaration of friendship in The Hague in June 2020, The Carnegie Foundation and the Elijah Interfaith Institute announced, ANP reports.

The city council of Groningen approved a proposal by the mayor and aldermen to ban smoking in public spaces around institutions that ask for such a ban. The city will be the first to set a public space smoking ban in the Netherlands, RTL Nieuws reports.

The Netherlands was well aware of human rights violations committed by Syrian rebel movement Jabhat al-Shamiya when the country started offering them logistical support, Nieuwsuur and Trouw report based on emails sent between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and human rights organization Amnesty International in the summer of 2016.

Over the next five years the Dutch government will invest 20 million euros per year into improving education in developing countries, Minister Sigrid Kaag of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation announced at the United Nations in New York. "Education is one of the priorities of my policy. It offers women and young people opportunities for better work and a decent income", she said, NOS reports.

A new political proposal could ban bike riders in the Netherlands from using their mobile phones. The law change was prepared by Cora van Nieuwenhuizen-Wijbenga, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, with consultation from the Security and Justice Ministry, according to a letter she sent to the chair of the Dutch lower house of Parliament.