In a secret session, the Amsterdam council chose former housing minister Eberhard van der Laan as the new mayor for the city.

Van der Laan, who is a lawyer and has been leading the Labour Party in the city council for years, announced his candidacy for the Amsterdam top job, after Job Cohen resigned to take over the Labour leadership for the national elections.

Arguably the leading British historian of his generation, Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914–2003) is most celebrated and admired as the author of essays. This volume brings together some of the most original and radical writings of his career—many hitherto inaccessible, one never before published, all demonstrating his piercing intellect, urbane wit, and gift for elegant, vivid narrative.

A warmer Arctic climate is influencing the air pressure at the North Pole and shifting wind patterns on our planet. We can expect more cold and snowy winters in Europe, eastern Asia and eastern North America.

At the request of U.S. authorities, the Dutch Minister of Transport, Camiel Eurlings, has offered three sets of sweeping arms (6 arms in total) and auxiliary equipment to be used to collect oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon incident, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dutch drop objections to starting accession talks with Serbia after presentation by the UN's war-crimes prosecutor.

Cabinet negotiator Uri Rosenthal will on Wednesday hold talks with the VVD, Christian Democrat and Labour leaders to assess the chances of forming a new coalition between the three parties.

Scientists in the Netherlands unveiled the largest radiotelescope in the world on Saturday, saying it was capable of detecting faint signals from almost as far back as the Big Bang.

In the 60s hippies fled to the backwoods of northern California to grow pot. There they have been joined by growers of medical marijuana – available with a doctors recommendation – as well as by Mexican drug cartels. With cannabis now its largest cash crop, the state will soon vote on whether to legalise it fully – and even Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is thinking the enormous tax revenues might just solve his budget deficit…

American exceptionalism, when it runs rampant, is a tsunami to be avoided.

The oil company BP is discovering that right now.The environmental disaster destroying seaside communities around the Gulf of Mexico and killing off marine life is a globally important tragedy.

Report says improving Europe’s energy infrastructure and the removal of fossil fuels from the electricity supply are only ways to meet emissions targets.

ECB president says fiscal sanctions should be applied “much earlier”.

Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) today (21 June) set out the case for stronger economic governance to prevent a repeat of the eurozone debt crisis.

On a visit to Brussels yesterday (6 May), US Vice-President Joe Biden stressed the importance of the EU-US relationship in responding to 21st Century threats such as climate change and the fight against terrorism.

Speaking to the European Parliament, Biden said “much has changed” since late US President Ronald Reagan addressed the EU assembly in 1985.

The massive flight of investors seeking refuge in secure treasury bonds has forced the yield on Dutch treasury bonds to a record low.

The yield on ten-year government bonds has dropped below three percent. According to the Dutch statistics agency CBS, the only time on record this has occurred in the past was in 1946.

Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent’s largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy’s west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano.

There are 40 names on this year’s list of Predators of Press Freedom – 40 politicians, government officials, religious leaders, militias and criminal organisations that cannot stand the press, treat it as an enemy and directly attack journalists. They are powerful, dangerous, violent and above the law.

The new film by Alejandro Amenábar, Agora, is a splendid achievement.

Agora is set in 391 BC, in Alexandria. The Egyptian/ Greek city that was founded by Alexander the Great and concurred by the Romans and that has been the intellectual capital of the Mediterranean ever since.

The Monday Essay: Hillary Clinton may have lost her bid for the US presidency – but even her critics admit she has shone as Secretary of State. Rupert Cornwell on the real comeback kid

The richest, most powerful generation that ever lived is embarking on a comfortable retirement. But why does it feel like they’ve pulled up the ladder with them?

The reaction to the paedophile priest scandal is as guilty of scaremongering, illiberalism and elitism as the Catholic Church has ever been.

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror, according to a new document obtained by The Times.

In their first game of the World tournament in South Africa, the Dutch team won the first game (2-0) against Denmark with a little help from good fortune. The first half of the game the play was not good. The Danish defenders were effective in neutralising the Dutch forwards.  At the start of the second [...]

The days when you could set about livening up the information on Wikipedia without fear of reprisal are over. Yet we still need to take a long and critical look at the popular online encyclopaedia. That the conclusion reached by delegates at an international conference in Amsterdam.

Women who choose to adopt their husbands’ surnames may be penalized in the job market, a new study from the Netherlands suggests.