Lilianne Ploumen

Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs regrets that he offended people with statements he made about multicultural societies and Suriname during a private meeting with Dutch working at international organizations last week. "I did not choose my words well and I regret that", he said in response to the commotion his remarks caused, NOS reports. 

PvdA politicians Lilianne Ploumen and Kati Piri are cutting their working visit to Morocco short because they were denied access to the coastal cities of Al Hoceima and Nador. They wanted their presence there to express solitary with the Rif protest movement, but the local authorities banned them from entering, NOS reports.

"Our visit was announced two months ago with the national authorities and last night we suddenly heard that this part of our program can not go through", the two Dutch politicians said to the broadcaster.

In an effort to close the gender wage gap in the Netherlands, parties SP, GroenLinks, 50Plus and PvdA are preparing a legislative proposal that requires companies to be transparent about the salaries they pay to their employees, RTL Nieuws reports.

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.

There are indications that Dutch technology was used in weapons of mass destruction or missile programs of Iran, Pakistan and Syria, departing Ministers Lilianne Ploumen for Foreign Trade, Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs and Klaas Dijkhoff of Defense wrote to the Tweede Kamer, ANP reports.

The Dutch government made money available to provide emergency relief to the Rohingya population fleeing from Myanmar, Minister Lilianne Ploumen of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade announced at her meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Amsterdam on Thursday.

"The images on TV say enough. Anxious fathers and mothers fleeing with their children in overcrowded boats. With so much human suffering, we can not remain insensitive and ignore the call of aid organizations to do more", Ploumen said.

The Dutch government is contributing another 15 million euros to the She Decides family planning fund, Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen announced at a music festival in Hamburg on Thursday. Ploumen established the fund to counteract Donald Trump and the American government's anti-abortion policies and decision to pull funding for family planning in third world countries, ANP reports.

The municipality of Amsterdam calls on the Dutch government to admonish Russia about camps in Chechnya in which homosexual men are being locked up, alderman Eric van der Burg said at a protest against these camps at the gay monument in the Dutch capital on Wednesday. Amsterdam also wants State Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff of Security and Justice to change the asylum policy for Chechen LGBT men, ANP reports.

Former PvdA parliamentarian Rob Oudkerk thinks the labor party should disband after what he calls a "historic defeat" in this election. The PvdA lost 29 parliamentary seats, compared to what the party had after the 2012 election, NOS reports.

The Netherlands can and should be preventing Dutch companies from exporting polluting fuel to Africa, lawyers of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) conclude in an investigation commissioned by environmental organization Milieudefensie. By not intervening, the Dutch government is violating international treaties and human rights, the researchers conclude, the Telegraaf reports. 

American news agencies are projecting that Donald Trump won the United States election. If correct, he will succeed current President Barack Obama in the White House. The inauguration is scheduled for January 20th, 2017. While PVV leader Geert Wilders is already waving the victory flags, left-wing politicians in The Hague are shocked.

"CONGRATULATIONS Donald Trump!! Your victory is historic and for all of us!" Wilders tweeted. "And we Dutch will also conquer our country back!"