Climate activist detained after Extinction Rebellion protesters tried to block road near Dutch parliament

Greta Thunberg was detained by police at a demonstration in The Hague, in the Netherlands.

The climate activist was put in a bus by local police along with other protesters who tried to block a major highway into the city.

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The national ‘tile whipping’ contest is helping the Netherlands to reach its environmental targets

Tineke Menalda sits in the sun on her front step, nursing a cup of coffee and idly plucking out the odd weed. Three years ago, the front of her terraced house in Amersfoort was completely paved. But now, sitting in a lush garden of trees and green, she’s an official ambassador for the strangest new sport in the Netherlands: tegelwippen , “tile whipping”, or “whipping away” the paving stones.

“A lot of people think that tiles are easier, but actually when you have larger trees, you get very few weeds underneath them and you can make it really easy,” she says. “When I had paving I would never sit here, but now it’s a garden, it’s cooler in summer and in the spring, it’s lovely.”

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The Norwegian theatremaker talks about succeeding Ivo van Hove as artistic director of one of the influential Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and staging classic plays as rock concerts

When Eline Arbo informed her mother at a young age that she wanted to be a theatre director, her mother told her that it would take more than talent and hard work to become a truly great artist – you had to be respectful and caring, too. She remembers her mother telling her that “a lot of great artists are terrible people, and a lot of lovely people are mediocre artists. The hardest thing is to combine the two.”

Today the 38-year-old Norwegian is still striving to meet the high bar set by her mother at no less exposed a workplace than one of the best-known theatres in Europe. Having made a name for herself in her native country and the Netherlands with productions that wedded style and playfulness, Arbo has been the artistic director of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) since last September.

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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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