News

Fifty youths have been named as members of the first Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP). They will partake in a number of events taking place between May 19 and May 23, 2014, both as individuals and in teams. During this period, the youths, who have been selected from all corners of …

The Saba United People’s Labour Union Association was officially launched at the Ambulance Department Friday, as writes the Daily Herald. President of the newly established union Ludwina Lucas-Charles welcomed all present and explained that the union was now officially established after being legalised by a notary. The board of the …

Catholic church cardinal Wim Eijk has made a call in the Telegraaf for people to come clean about the sexual abuse of children by church officials. Eijk made the appeal two years after the publication of a major report into abuse in Catholic institutions. The cardinal noted in his appeal …

St Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Ted Richardson proudly witnessed the landing of the Saba, Statia Cable System (SSCS) telecommunications cable at the landing point (beach manhole) operated by St. Maarten International Telecommunications Services SMITCOMS on Great Bay Beach on Friday morning. Richardson said he was …

The Daily Herald writes that transfer of shares, giving St. Maarten 100 per cent ownership of the utilities company, took place at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort last week Friday. Present for the transfer were Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Governor Eugene Holiday, MPs Heyliger and Roy Marlin, former MP from St. …

PvdA Jeroen Dijsselbloem is elected politician of the year by the parliamentary press. It was the eleventh time that the press kept the election. The Minister of Finance won, D66 leader Alexander Pechtold had the second place and Christian Union leader Arie Slob the third. The youth panel of the …

After the letter from minister Plasterk to the parliament and the criticism of the General Audit Chamber on 28 November related to the procedures concerning fiber optic cable in the Caribbean Netherlands, members of the VVD (Liberal Democratic Party) expressed their concerns  about the higher price tag for the construction. …

The Daily Herald writes that the Chamber of Commerce St. Eustatius and Saba thanked the many voters that turned up to cast their vote on Thursday, for a member of the Chamber of Commerce. The results are as follows: Koert Kerkhoff – 23 votes, Koos Sneek – 46 votes and …

The police, KPCN, reports that on Wednesday, December 11th, around 7:38 PM, a one-sided collision took place on the Fort Bay Road where the road had to be shut off. A light blue Toyota pickup with registration V-40 came to lie on its side and was leaking oil / fuel …

DutchNews reports that education minister Jet Bussemaker is to revise her plans to replace student grants with loans and has confirmed the new system will not come into effect in 2014 but in 2015. The cabinet does not have majority support for the plans in the upper house of parliament …

Since September this year is Paula Klomp the new community officer on Saba. She will hold this position for a period of two years. The community officer is the single contact point on Saba between the citizen, entrepreneur and network partners. This means that the community officer forms part of …

According to World Health Organization studies childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century and has increased at an alarming rate. It was estimated in 2010 that the number of overweight children globally under the age of five was 42 million. Considering these …

We often get questions concerning the popularity of our SabaNews site. Today there are many tools that give the Webmaster the possibility to see from which computer someone is reading an article and even which article. Of course, it is not possible to see who is reading SabaNews. The statistics …

The newspaper Today recently published a list of minimum wages around the Caribbean. The numbers apply for persons above 21 years of age. The data have been compiled from Wikipedia and information from the law firm “Van Eps Kunneman vanDoorne”.  The Wikipedia information depicts the global situation, where the law …

An informative letter of Plasterk to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament was released on Monday along with a letter dated November 28, 2013 from the Algemene Rekenkamer, The Dutch General Audit Chamber, which is very critical of the way that the Saba Statia Cable System (SSCS) had been …

  Featuring work of local artists Heleen Cornet and Mary Thielman, Peanut Gallery at Lambee’s Place in Windwardside will be holding its first exhibition of the new season under the title “Saba: Above and Below.” The exhibit will run from Saturday, December 14, until Friday, December 20. The public opening …

The Daily Herald writes that it was announced by Foundation for Rehabilitation Caribbean Netherlands SRCN to reinforce its approach to domestic violence. Thirty per cent of the Probation Office’s clients on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have been involved with domestic violence, SRCN stated. “Every family or relationship experiences quarrels …

  The Daily Herald writes that the new Commander of the Police Corps Caribbean Netherlands Hildegard Buitink has had to adjust her ambitions since she succeeded retired Chief Jan Rooijakker on July 1 of this year. To update the press on her experiences of the past period in her new …

The 38th Saba Day weekend celebrations were drastically dampened by strong winds and pouring rain showers, a blessing in disguise as the downpour was also appreciated by locals dependent on rainwater cisterns. This reports The Daily Herald.  The well-advertised festivities mostly involved outdoorsport competitions, many of which had to be …

The Daily Herald writes that the island is calling all triathletes, fitness buffs and world trotters for the gruelling conquest over the Hell’s Gate Triathlon challenge in this corner of Caribbean paradise. Saba University School of Medicine (SUSOM) students Nicole Falls, Michael Dobson, Michelle Silva and Charlene Pan, faculty Dr. …

“Eye 4 Weather” reports that St. Maarten was hit by a tornado on Saturday. There were reports that a tornado damaged some properties in the Dawn Beach area yesterday afternoon and thankfully, there were no reports of any injuries. Although the local region is being affected with heavy & persistent …

In a press release the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force said Friday that no drugs were found during the preventive controls and no arrests were made. The Customs Department, royal military police Marechaussee and the Coast Guard held a combined preventive control at sea, in the port and the airport of …

Commissioner of Culture Bruce Zagers was the first to officially address the public during Friday’s Saba Day ceremony, writes The Daily Herald. He extended a special thank you to all official guests from abroad to the 38th Saba Day Celebration and the official 50th anniversary of the airport. Zagers emphasized …

The Daily Herald writes that during Friday’s official Saba Day ceremonies, the Island Government honoured icons of Saba aviation. First among them was founder of Windward Islands Airways International N.V. Winair George Greaux Sr. Long-serving pilot and mechanic Dennis Dowling and Captain Age Brouwer were also recognized for their contributions. …

The Daily Herald reports that Sabans awoke to joyous church bells on Friday morning with many rushing early to catch a space at the parking lot before the start of the official Saba Day festivities at Juancho Yrausquin Airport. Style Drum Band of Saba Girls and Boys Sports Society put …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament is in favour of turning the current tax reduction for families with children on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba into a permanent child allowance (kinderbijslag), writes The Daily Herald. A majority of the Second Chamber on Thursday voted in favour of the motion …

The Daily Herald writes that the board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of St. Eustatius and Saba is calling on Chamber members to turn out and vote in the election of one new Saba and one new Statia board member. Eligible voters should have received their voting cards …

Eight Saba Comprehensive School students, wrote the Daily Herald, took part in a poetry contest hosted by the Saba Day Committee as part of the 2013 Saba Day celebrations. A committee comprising Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, RCN Senior Communications Advisor Alida Francis and Commissioner Chris Johnson made the final selection …

On Thursday December 5th at 12 noon the Caribbean Netherlands Island Guide was officially presented to Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and Commissioner Chris Johnson of the Public Entity Saba. The presentation took place at the Saba Government  Administration Building. The Island Guide shows, among other, what the responsibilities are of …

Based on the Wet Openbaar Bestuur WOB,the Law of Open Government, Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences OCW answered a request from mrs Kamer, the director of the NTR “Caribisch Netwerk d.d. August 21st and also decided to publish the travelling expenses made by Dutch officials during business trips to …

Saba University School of Medicine’s “Synoptic Clefts” Choir held a well received Holiday Concert outdoors at Topogigio establishment in The Bottom last Friday evening, reports the Daily Herald. Last year, the fundraising concert was held on SUSOM campus in the large amphitheatre. The students had big hopes that by holding …

The Daily Herald writes that the island is preparing for the 38th anniversary of Saba Day with an array of events plastered on festive boards all over the island. Festivities will start on the Saba Day, Friday, December 6, at 6:00am with joy bells ringing around the island. At 8:30am …

Questions from members Van Raak (SP) and Bishop (SGP) to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations on the resignation of the Governor of Bonaire (submitted December 4, 2013) 1 How do you think that with the resignation of the Governor of Bonaire integrity of the administration on this …

Weblog NU.nl reports that in the future the residents of the BES islands Bonaire , Statia and Saba will have the same access rights to Internet sites as those in the European Netherlands. Last Wednesday a majority in the Second Chamber  passed a motion requesting the government to find a …

The Daily Herald reports that the Court of Guardianship held an open house Friday, in cooperation with Body, Mind and Spirit Foundation (BMSF) and Youth and Family Centre. In her welcoming remarks, Anastasia Simmons reminded her audience about the universal Children’s Rights Day observed November 20, and of Saba’s delegation …

As of December 1st, 2013 a total fishing ban is valid for 3 months of the year on the Moon Fish Bank, a small area on the Saba Bank. During this period, a fish spawning aggregation is taking place. This is a phenomenon in which annually certain fish species from …

In a press release today, the Police Force of the Dutch Caribbean, KPCN, inform the public that on Tuesday, December 3, at approximately 2:15 pm, a collision occurred between two cars on the Ruby Hassell Road in the vicinity of the post office. The collision occurred when one car was …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament adopted a motion of the Democratic Party D66 and ChristianUnion on Tuesday, to create more transparency in the appointment procedure of the National Government Representative for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This is reported by The Daily Herald. The motion of D66 Member …

Queen Máxima is to become Princess Amalia’s regent in case King Willem-Alexander dies prior to 2021. In a joint meeting, the First and Second Chambers of the Dutch Parliament unanimously adopted three draft laws to this effect on Tuesday, writes The Daily Herald. Crown Princess Amalia will be 10 years …

The Daily Herald writes that the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament unanimously adopted on Tuesday a ChristianUnion motion to initiate an independent investigation into human trafficking and prostitution in the Dutch Caribbean. According to Member of Parliament (MP) Gert-Jan Segers of the ChristianUnion and co-signer Roelof van Laar of …