Four men were arrested on Sunday afternoon for trying to break convict Omar L. out of the prison in Zutphen, where he is serving a life sentence. The four suspects all have French nationality and a background in North Africa, the Telegraaf reports based on "well informed" sources around the investigation.
The suspects crashed a delivery van into the Zutphen prison's gate at around 10:50 a.m. on Sunday morning, the police said in a statement. The van caught fire and the suspects fled.
Several parliamentarians are praising Weert mayor Jos Heijmans for his persistence in getting six North-African asylum seekers prosecuted for breaking curfew over New Year's. On Thursday Heijmans announced that he is turning to court after the Public Prosecutor decided not to prosecute these men.
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.
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.
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.
The Netherlands is investing 50 million euros in the development of the African economy. The intention is that this money will improve employment in North African countries and stop local young people from risking their lives by fleeing to Europe by boat.
The Dutch government plans to make additional investments in refugees' home countries to help these countries take back their refugees. This only applies to nations who assist in the sustainable return of their citizens.
A Dutch cutter ship departed from Eemshaven, Groningen on Tuesday to help rescue people in danger of drowning in the Mediterranean sea. The 21-meter "Sea Watch", a privately-owned Dutch boat, has an all-volunteer international crew and working with the financial support of four German families, AD reports
Frontex, the agency that oversees the European Union's border control, asked the Netherlands to deploy a coast guard plane to Italy for surveillance over the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Military Police stated on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Throughout April, the aircraft will be tasked with mapping and reporting on illegal migration flows from North Africa to Europe.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs Lodewijk Asscher was scheduled to visit Morocco on Tuesday to learn about combating radicalization. Morocco plays a central role in fighting North Africa extremism, and Minister Asscher will discuss efforts with his Moroccan counterpart and experts on integration and radicalization.
When Geert Wilders sent his anti-Saudi and anti-Islam bumper sticker to the Saudi Arabian embassy, he did so using official stationary of the Parliament. The use of the government’s logo angered Saudi officials who might have otherwise dismissed Wilders’ personal crusade, revealed Foreign Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans following this week’s cabinet meeting.
Schiphol is putting €90 million into an entirely new airport in Lelystad, which will serve to help lessen the congestion at the main airport.
An Al-Qaeda associated group in North Africa, responsible of kidnapping eight Europeans, says the captives are safe and a video of them will be released in a short time.
