Joram van Klaveren played a key role in Geert Wilders’ Freedom party but is now actively working to counteract its message

He was once Geert Wilders’ right-hand man, crafting Freedom party (PVV) messaging that described Islam as a “lie” and pushed for the Qur’an and mosques to be banned in the Netherlands.

One decade on, Joram van Klaveren is a Muslim convert – the second politician from the far-right PVV to convert – and actively working to dismantle the myths he once peddled.

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First bikes will be collected in the Netherlands and Germany in mid-April, with other countries following afterwards

Dutch cargo bike firm Babboe is recalling 22,000 of its popular cycles over safety fears, around one-third of its bikes on the road.

Babboe had already announced a recall of two models in February but said five more models were now a concern.

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All-female lineup of presenters hope to break harmful Islamic stereotypes after Geert Wilders’ election victory

An hour before dawn in a nondescript building in Hilversum, a sleepy town half an hour south of Amsterdam, Nora Akachar grabs the microphone. There is nothing unique about a radio host summoning the nation out of its slumber. But this is, in her own words, “a big deal”.

The Dutch Moroccan actor turned radio host is live on air presenting Suhoor Stories, a talk radio show presented by seven Dutch Muslim women, inviting Muslim guests to demystify Ramadan for the wider public. The programme is believed to be Europe’s only daily Ramadan radio and television show aired by a national public broadcaster.

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The Dutch legalisation spared her further misery. We don’t take euthanasia lightly; we’re just grateful to have the option

My mother, Jannèt, was 90 years old when she ended her life by means of euthanasia. For years she had been suffering from numerous serious and painful conditions that, although not fatal, did make her life miserable. She always worried about her health and was terrified of what the future undeniably held in store for her: more pain, more dependence on others, more suffering, more desperation.

On 20 June 2022 at 2pm she was visited by a doctor and a nurse. They had a last conversation with her, during which the doctor asked her if euthanasia was still what she wanted. My mother said yes. She had already decided that she would take the drink herself instead of being injected. She didn’t want to mentally burden the doctor more than necessary.

Renate van der Zee is a Dutch writer and journalist

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Suspect known to authorities and no indication of terrorist motive, police say after nine-hour incident in Ede

A nine-hour hostage incident at a nightclub in the eastern Netherlands has ended after police arrested a man wearing a balaclava when he left the premises.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person has been arrested,” a police statement said. “We cannot share more information at this time.”

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Operators hope Dutch test track will help prove feasibility of high-speed tube transport system

The longest hyperloop test track in Europe has opened, raising faint hopes once more that the maglev meets vacuum tube transport technology could be the future.

Operators said the facility would help prove the hyperloop’s feasibility, saying it could allow a 10,000km (6,200-mile) network of high-speed tubes to be in place around the continent by 2050.

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The far-right leader will cheerlead for Putin and relaunch his culture war with the EU. But his incendiary narrative about it is also his weakness

Despite winning the Dutch elections last year, the far-right leader Geert Wilders has reluctantly given up on the prospect of becoming prime minister after his prospective coalition partners blocked his path. This may seem like a victory against the far right, but think again: as leader of the biggest party in the upcoming coalition, Wilders will be conducting from the wings. And free of day to day prime-ministerial responsibilities, he is likely to ramp up his decades-long culture war against the European Union.

Forming a coalition government in the Netherlands has always been a rocky road, but this time it has taken an unexpected turn. Since Wilders’ PVV won a shocking quarter of the popular vote in November he had looked set to become prime minister. The populist Farmer-Citizen Movement and centre-right New Social Contract – as well as the downsized ruling liberal-conservative VVD – could have gone into a government with Wilders as its head.

Ties Dams is an essayist and political theorist at the Clingendael Institute and Leiden University’s Europa Institute

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• Midfielder wants response against Northern Ireland
• ‘You want to go out there and put things right’

Lewis Ferguson is clear Scotland will be fuelled by anger against Northern Ireland on Tuesday after being embarrassed by the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

The 4-0 defeat at the Johan Cruyff Arena came after Scotland dominated until conceding against the run of play five minutes from the break. The visitors lost their shape and rhythm allowing the Dutch to exploit their laxity and score three goals in the last 18 minutes via Georginio Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen.

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At the Johan Cruyff Arena Steve Clarke would not demand pretty ­football, only a Scotland victory after five games without enjoying one. Instead, the run is now six as the manager oversaw an embarrassing fourth loss of this run and must now target Tuesday’s visit of Northern Ireland to Hampden Park to stop the slump.

His side were profligate and Netherlands clinical, Georginio Wijnaldum’s 72nd-minute header joining Tijjani Reijnders’s first-half opener and emulated by finishes from Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen, as Scotland’s European Championship preparations suffered a body blow.

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