The GroenLinks faction in Amsterdam wants to ban all cars from the city center, according to a draft election program that will be presented to the Amsterdam city council on Thursday, AT5 reports. "We'll make the Mauritskade, Stadhouderskade, and Nassaukade a green cycling- and walking boulevard", the program reads, according to the broadcaster.
Groenlinks
Sep 4 '17 13:30
The police removed two balaclava-wearing men from the roof of the new Islamic high school in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. The two men were protesting against the school by hanging banners from its facade and shouting anti-Islam slogans like "salafism, terrorism". Boh were arrested, NOS reports.
Sep 4 '17 10:50
Two men wearing balaclava masks climbed onto the roof of a new Islamic high school in Amsterdam Nieuw-West and hung an anti-Islam banner from the facade on Monday morning. The police are at the scene and trying to talk the men into getting off the school's roof, AT5 and Het Parool report.
Aug 25 '17 09:40
Broadcasting association BNNVARA announced that it will be showing 'Jesse' - a documentary about GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver - during prime time on September 4th. The fact that the documentary was made by a former GroenLinks employee and friend of Klaver, triggered outrage on social media, where some renounced the documentary as a "propaganda film" and others raised questions about public broadcaster NPO's objectivity, the Volkskrant reports.
Aug 24 '17 15:20
Dutch food safety authority NVWA is facing fierce criticism in the Tweede Kamer on Thursday. The parliamentarians have nothing good to say about the NVWA's actions in dealing with millions of Dutch eggs being contaminated by toxic insecticide fipronil. In summary, the MPs accused the NVWA of not communicating well, not responding adequately to an anonymous tip about the contamination and having an inadequate setup to deal with such a crisis, NU.nl reports.
Aug 17 '17 15:10
The Tweede Kamer is cutting its summer holiday short in order to debate the fipronil contamination of eggs from Dutch poultry farms with Public Health Minister Edith Schippers and State Secretary Martijn van Dam of Economic Affairs, NU.nl reports.
Jul 6 '17 14:15
Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs decided to pull the plug on the modernization of the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP), previously called the population register. According to the Minister, the project turned out to be much more expensive and time-consuming than estimated and is not worth pursuing. He called it a "sad conclusion" on Wednesday night, ANP reports.
Jul 6 '17 08:36
The Dutch middle class face many uncertainties and it is important that the government focuses on reducing it, according to recommendations made by the scientific council for government police WRR on Wednesday. There is no sign that the middle class is falling, but people in this group have to put in extra effort to maintain their social position, the WRR concludes, ANP reports.
Jul 5 '17 11:50
Political parties in Utrecht are fighting over which snacks to serve in the city hall. A proposal was recently accepted to serve at least 50 percent vegetarian or vegan snacks during meetings. The local VVD is now fighting to keep their bitterballen - a deep fried, meat based Dutch snack.
Jun 27 '17 07:40
Primary schools teachers across the Netherlands are striking this morning. Almost all primary schools in the country will open at 9:30 a.m., instead of 8:30 a.m. One positive side effect to this strike, is that traffic information service VID expects less traffic on the road during rush hour this morning.
Jun 22 '17 14:40
Almost half of Amsterdam adults feel lonely to a greater or lesser extent, according to a study by municipal heath service GGD. That comes down to 300 thousand lonely people in the Dutch capital, of which 80 thousand of whom feel "severely lonely". The other 220 thousand say they are "moderately lonely."
Jun 20 '17 17:55
The leaders of the VVD, CDA and D66 want the next cabinet to bind "left and right" together, VVD leader and current Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday afternoon after the three leaders spoke with formation mediator Herman Tjeenk Willink, AD reports.
Jun 16 '17 13:00
While the topic of asylum deals with North African countries was the final straw for GroenLinks, it was not the only reason behind the party's decision to withdraw from the
Jun 15 '17 08:38
VVD leader and current Prime Minister Mark Rutte does not see a breakthrough happening in the government formation talks any time soon. In fact, he worries that new elections may be necessary, he said in a live session the VVD hosted on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, NU.nl reports.
Jun 14 '17 16:15
While GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver's firm stance on not making deals with north African countries on asylum seekers may have annoyed many of the other party leaders, his commitment to his his ideals impressed local GroenLinks factions and gained praise from a number of migration experts, including a professor at Radboud university.
Jun 14 '17 09:12
GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver had to defend himself from all sides in a parliamentary debate about the stalled government formation talks between his party and the VVD, CDA and D66. "We will not send anyone back to countries where it is unsafe", Klaver said in the Tweede Kamer. But the other party leaders did not seem to be buying it, NU.nl reports.
Jun 13 '17 15:55
VVD leader and current Prime Minister Mark Rutte is "extremely disappointed" and "bewildered" that the government formation talks between the VVD, CDA, D66 and GroenLinks collapsed again. A parliamentary debate on the matter is likely to be held before the end of Tuesday, the Telegraaf reports.
Jun 13 '17 07:55
Government formation talks between the VVD, CDA, D66 and GroenLinks again reached a stalemate, the parties announced on Monday.
Jun 12 '17 15:10
Rock bands The Rolling Stones and U2 don't have offices in the Netherlands for tax-evasion purposes, but because of the "specific experience and expertise" the country has to offer, their management said to an investigative committee on Monday, NU.nl reports.
Jun 8 '17 16:15
In what is believed to be the first substantive progress to government formation in the Netherlands since mid-May, Prime MInister Mark Rutte, the head of the conservative VVD party, is meeting Thursday with political leaders Sybrand Buma (CDA), Alexander Pechtold (D66) and Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks). They will be joined by new coalition mediator Tjeenk Willink, sources have told news agency ANP, the first time the four parties have attempted to break their deadlock in over three weeks.
Jun 8 '17 10:18
VVD leader Mark Rutte and GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver met with mediator Herman Tjeenk Willink at his home on Wednesday in another effort to break through a stalemate that formed around the formation of a new Dutch government. Afterwards neither Klaver nor Rutte would comment on what was discussed, but it is believed that the topic was a restart of negotiations between the VVD, CDA, D66 and GroenLinks, NU.nl reports.
Jun 6 '17 15:30
It's been exactly 11 weeks and five days since the Netherlands' parliamentary election and the country still doesn't have a new government. Formation talks continue today with mediator Herman Tjeenk Willink meeting with the leaders of the VVD, CDA and D66 this afternoon, according to various Dutch newspapers.
Jun 6 '17 10:20
There's been seemingly no movement in the Dutch government formation talks over the past weeks. On Tuesday new mediator Herman Tjeenk Willink is meeting with GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver and ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers, ANP reports.
Jun 2 '17 10:18
Conversations with new formation mediator Herman Tjeenk Willink on Thursday seems to have reopened the door for GroenLinks to rejoin negotiations with the VVD, CDA and D66. After speaking with Tjeenk Willink on Thursday, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver emphasized that he will not say no if the mediator wants to explore a restart, the Volkskrant reports.
