Dutch republicans want new king to take a pay cut

Dutch republicans have a message for the Netherlands' Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, who will become king when his mother Queen Beatrix abdicates at the end of April: you're not worth it.

Hans Maessen of the New Republican Fellowship — which seeks to abolish the monarchy — said Monday his organization is launching a petition to have the new king's annual salary of 825,000 euros ($1.1 million) lowered.

"If you look at the demands of the job, it's totally out of proportion," Maessen said. The Dutch monarch earns more than twice the salary of the president of the United States, four times that of the president of Germany, and five times that of the king of Spain or the Dutch prime minister.

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Dutch Queen to visit sultan of Oman for private dinner

The royal family will pay a short visit to Oman after all next week, foreign affairs minister Uri Rosenthal told MPs on Friday, Nos television reports.

Queen Beatrix, crown prince Willem-Alexander and princess Maxima will attend a private dinner with sultan Qaboos, the minister said. The formal state visit and trade promotion tour was postponed earlier this week because of political unrest in the Gulf state. After the dinner, the royal party will travel on to Qatar for a three day visit

DutchNews.nl - Human rights in Oman

UPDATE:

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has replaced two ministers, after protests erupted demanding reforms and an end to corruption in the Gulf state, state media has reported. Demonstrators have urged the sultan to dismiss all government ministers and have them investigated for any illegal activities.

Meanwhile, protests in the country have spread to a key oil region, Haima, with oil workers staging a sit-in in the area about 500km southwest of the capital Muscat. The oil workers are calling for more government investment in the area, a government official told the Associated Press. Demonstrations flared last week, with protesters seeking jobs and a greater political voice. One demonstrator was killed.

Al Jazeera