Coalition parties CDA and D66 are flabbergasted by the fact that the government's China Strategy does not mention anything about the poor human rights situation in China. Opposition parties are also critical. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, will debate the strategy, in which the government explained its policy towards China, with Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs on Monday, NOS reports.
Bram van Oijk
Sep 30 '19 09:54
Jan 21 '19 09:51
On Saturday coalition party CDA announced that the party wants to extend the children's pardon, joining the D66 and ChristenUnie who have been calling for this for some time. The VVD is now the only one of the four coalition parties who wants to stick to the agreement made in the Rutte III coalition agreement, which states that the previous government's children's pardon will remain unchanged, the Volkskrant reports.
Sep 13 '18 13:40
It is "precisely the intention" that not many child asylum seekers qualify for the children's pardon, State Secretary Mark Harbers of Justice and Security said in a debate about Lili and Howick on Wednesday. The two Armenian kids were set to be deported on Saturday, after living in the Netherlands for 10 years, but got an exemption at the last minute, AD reports.
Sep 10 '18 15:40
The government of Curacao is denying fleeing Venezuelans their international right to asylum, according to a report Amnesty International published on Monday. The human rights organization calls on the Netherlands to intervene, ANP reports.
Jun 27 '18 08:47
Dutch police officers, soldiers, prosecutors and diplomats were spied on by Ukrainian and Russian secret services while they were in Ukraine after the MH17 disaster in 2014, RTL Nieuws reports based on well-informed sources.
Jun 1 '18 11:20
Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs does not rule out that in the future the Netherlands will also hold Ukraine accountable for its role in the MH17 disaster. "There is no concrete legal ground for this, but the cabinet does not rule anything out", he said in a parliamentary debate on the government's decision to hold Russia accountable for its role in the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight, NU.nl reports.
Jan 15 '18 12:20
New United States ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra apologized for falsely claiming in 2015 that politicians were set on fire in the Netherlands by Islamic fundamentalists and that there are no-go zones in the country in an interview with the Telegraaf on Saturday. Dutch parliamentarians find it good that he finally retracted these false statements. "Better late than never", PvdA MP Lilianne Ploumen said to the Telegraaf.
Apr 13 '17 09:17
There will be no government formation talks between the VVD, CDA, D66 and GroenLinks on Thursday because GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver's mother was admitted to hospital. Her condition is worrying, Klaver told negotiation leader Edith Schippers on Wednesday. The other parties therefore decided to temporarily suspend the negotiations, NU.nl reports.
Mar 13 '15 13:45
GroenLinks wants the government to make the land along highways available for more windmills. According to the party, highways form logical lines for windmills to be placed and it will be "a big step towards more clean energy".
Jan 30 '14 10:23
Yesterday's decision by State Secretary of Finance, Frans Weekers (PvdA) was well-received by other Members of Parliament, who understand the decision.
