Leiden University

On a shipyard in Poland, North Korean forced laborers are used to build ships, including many for Dutch companies, according to a study by Leiden University professor Remco Breuker. This involves the Partner Shipyard in Sczecin, Poland. 43 ships were built there in recent years, 38 of which were commissioned by Dutch ship builders, NOS and BNR report.

Over half of outlaw motorcycle gang members in the Netherlands have been convicted of a violent crime and a third have a criminal record with more than 10 convictions behind his name, according to a study Leiden University published on Thursday, ANP reports. 

The Netherlands performed exceptionally well in both the World and Europe University Rankings 2017, according to Times Higher Education. All 13 of the Netherlands' main research intensive universities made the top 100 of the Europe ranking and top 200 in the World ranking. 

The Netherlands outpaced the European average when it came to research reputation, citation impact and research productivity, as well as income measures to academic staff. 

The Netherlands' debate on jihadists is characterized by a simple, sometimes sensational misrepresentation, according to terrorism experts Edwin Bakker and Peter Grol in their new book Nederlandse jihadisten, van naive idealisten tot geharde terroristen. Jihadists can't all be recognized in time, and therefore can't always be stopped. And if you managed to stop them, it is unreasonable to expect that they will suddenly turn into a "model citizen who embraces democracy", they write in the book, AD reports.

In an interview with WNL over the weekend PVV leader Geert Wilders claimed that "we are losing the Netherlands". As examples he said that "schools often only serve halal food. Our holidays, Christmas and Easter, we're not allowed to celebrate anymore, according to some people". A group of Journalism students in Leiden decided to fact check these two statements and concluded that they are nonsense, RTL Nieuws reports.

For the first time ever 13 Dutch universities made it onto the Top 200 of the Times Higher Education World University Ranking, which was published on Wednesday. Though a number of the Netherlands' universities did have to settle for a lower position than they had last year

Underwater noise caused by humans have many negative effects on submarine wildlife, according to a study done by PhD students in Leiden. For example, the detonation of WWII bombs in the North Sea annually leads to between 800 and 8 thousand cases of permanent hearing damages in porpoises and dolphins

Leiden University launched a test wit gender-neutral toilets on campus. The toilets are accessible to everyone, regardless of gender and aimed at removing a difficult choice for transgender people who do not associate specifically as a "man" or "woman"

Four female professors, united under Angels in Action, is calling on the University of Leiden to make more rooms for female scientists on its walls. They did so by replacing the 117 portraits of "dead white men" and one woman hanging on the Senate Chamber of the university's Academy Building with 99 portraits of female professors on Tuesday.

Criticism from the National Ombudsman and Board for the Protection of Human Rights on the conditions in large asylum centers such as the Heumensoord camp in Nijmegen, has many calling for smaller-scale shelters. But according to Marlou Schrover, professor of migration history at Leiden University, small asylum centers come with their own set of problems and are not a realistic option.

An open letter to parliament called on the Netherlands' politicians to close all 11 operating coal plants in the country. According to the 64 professors who wrote the letter, deciding to close the coal plants will send a clear signal in the run-up to the climate summit in Paris next week.