News

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk (59) will be undergoing heart surgery next week. He immediately stopped working yesterday, Wednesday. The Dutch Government announced this in a short press release on Wednesday. The Minister’s heart problems were recently detected. According to his spokesperson, the Minister will …

“The Unspoiled Queen,” a documentary showcasing Saba and its people’s efforts to conserve the island’s natural treasures will feature four Saba residents, who will show the incredible beauty the island has to offer both above and below the waves, writes The Daily Herald. Filmmaker and multimedia producer Nick Zachar is …

Saba’s newly appointed Commissioner Rolando Wilson wants to enhance the agriculture on the island, writes The Daily Herald. Saba, with its good quality soil, is very suitable for agriculture. In the past the population relied much more on local products which were even exported, such as sweet potatoes, tanya and …

Eleven of the twelve parties represented in the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, on Tuesday, voted in favour of a motion to set a social minimum in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, that is based on the amount that a person needs to live a decent life. The motion, …

Stakeholders in the educational sector and the governments of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will be actively involved in the drafting of the new Caribbean Netherlands Education Agenda 2016-2020, which will be established later this year. Dutch Minister Jet Bussemaker and State Secretary Sander Dekker, both of Education, Culture and …

Saba’s Executive Council has determined the new portfolio division following the departure of former Commissioner Chris Johnson who has been appointed the new Dutch Government Representative in St. Maarten, and the appointment of the new Commissioner Rolando Wilson, formerly a Member of the Island Council. The new portfolio division puts …

Tourism Commissioner Bruce Zagers will be in St. Maarten today, Tuesday to meet with several key stakeholders on the sister island, including St. Maarten Tourism Minister Irania Arrindell, writes The Daily Herald. Zagers, who has been put in charge of tourism under the new portfolio division, will be travelling to …

Belastingdienst (Tax Department) Caribisch Nederland has recently made considerable progress in its service provisions to companies by engaging the users (employers) in the development of the new version of the online Collective Wage Sheet (Verzamelloonstaat, VZLS). Their wishes and recommendations resulted in an application which is more user-friendly. The online …

Policy consultancy firm Ecorys submitted the evaluation report on the first Education Agenda for the Caribbean Netherlands. This Education Agenda dates from 2011 and is the guiding principle for the educational improvements between 2011 and 2016 on the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands (CN). The evaluation was performed by Ecorys …

In the course of last week the department of OCW within the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (RCN) offered a luxury tumbler to all personnel from the elementary schools, the Saba Comprehensive School (secondary education), Foundation FORMA and Saba Reach Foundation (Social Opportunity Programs for youth on resp. Bonaire and Saba), and …

A new report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning that climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of droughts in the Caribbean. And it’s therefore urging countries of the region to enhance their capabilities to deal with this and other extreme weather- …

The Dutch Government is willing to supplement the possible losses in pension years of (former) civil servants and teaching personnel who worked in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba before October 10, 2010. Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated this during a debate with the First …

The Public Entity of Saba Summer interns- Elsa Peterson and Berline Germain held a “Teaser” to start the “Anti-Bullying Campaign” at the Saba Comprehensive School. Wednesday June 22nd, 2016, during the break , Peterson and Germain got fully engaged with the Students of the Saba Comprehensive School, and the 6th …

The Saba Government has initiated a recycling campaign to promote the recycling of waste materials among private households and businesses on the island. Saba has a state-of-the-art recycling facility, and the Saba Government wants to further encourage the Saba people to separate and recycle their waste. A better separation of …

Health Minister Emil Lee says he is trying to resolve some issues hampering the emergency evacuation of patients from Saba and St. Eustatius to St. Maarten. He said the logistical issues are mostly centred on the inconvenient location where helicopters that evacuate patients are required to land in Sint Maarten, …

The First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament during a debate on Tuesday tried to commit Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk to a promise to set a social minimum that covered the basic needs of the people of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba so that they …

The government-backed food advisory centre Voedingscentrum has welcomed the decision by dozens of primary schools to ban sugary drinks on their premises, saying the measure will help cut obesity among children. The organisation says pupils in primary schools should be restricted to water and milk with their packed lunches in …

Today, the Saba Health Care Foundation announced the arrival of our new Supervisory Board member Mrs. Elisabeth Levestone-Timmerman, known on Saba as Mrs. Lies. After working in the field of healthcare in The Netherlands, Mrs. Lies came to Saba where she worked as a nurse in the A.M. Edwards Medical from …

The first case of Zika was confirmed on Saba last week, writes The Daily Herald. The patient has a travel history to an island where Zika is present in the days before her symptoms started, so she was most likely infected there, said authorities. To prevent further transmission of the …

The Pension Fund Caribbean Netherlands PCN denied allegations made by the Dutch 50PLUS party about possible embezzlement reported on in Monday’s paper. Member of the First Chamber of Parliament in The Hague Jan Nagel had stated that hundreds of public employees in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES Islands) lost …

In connection with the start of hurricane season, this weekend a military exercise took place on Saba. Our disaster management team, consisting of members of the public entity, fire department, police department, hospital, Satel, SEC, Red Cross, harbor and airport, participated and trained for a scenario of an approaching hurricane. …

The Tax Service recently sent out invitations for submission of the 2015 financial annual statements. All entities established in the Caribbean Netherlands are obliged to submit their financial annual statements within nine months after the closure of the financial year, in accordance with the BES (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba) …

The Dutch naval vessel Zr.Ms. Groningen recently intercepted a shipment of 400kg of cocaine in the waters near the Windward Islands (St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba), writes The Daily Herald. The ship stationed in the Dutch Caribbean conducts operations there for the Caribbean Coast Guard. The Coast Guard patrol …

Several hundred, possibly more than 2,000 civil servants and teachers in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have lost up to fifteen pension years because the premiums they paid up to October 10, 2010, have disappeared. The Dutch senior citizens party 50PLUS is upset and has sought clarity from the Dutch …

Hundreds of civil servants on Bonaire , St. Eustatius and Saba lost up to fifteen years of pension. This was reported by 50PLUS on Saturday. The leader of that party in the Senate , Jan Nagel , encountered the problem during a working visit to the Caribbean part of the …

During Dutch Caribbean Shark Week, scheduled for June 18th thru 26th, the entire Dutch Kingdom is celebrating sharks! Throughout this week, various educational and interactive activities for young and old are organized in the Netherlands, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten to increase awareness about the importance of …

Update: Nick Zachar has placed a report on his kickstarter page on the progress. The page shows a beautiful video explaining his work and the progress he and his team have made. ——————- “Saba: The Unspoiled Queen” is a documentary showcasing Saba, a Dutch-Caribbean island, and its people’s efforts to …

On Tuesday June 14 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines introduced a unique orange-coloured Boeing 777-300. The well-known KLM Blue is being combined with orange highlights. The transition between the two colours features aspects of the Dutch flag. The combination emphasises KLM’s Dutch roots and pride in the national colour of the …

A police officer in St. Eustatius went on trial on Tuesday on charges of ill-treatment. One of the two incidents for which he is on trial is said to have occurred on the neighbouring island of Saba. The Prosecutor has demanded a suspended sentence of six months conditional and 240 …

On Monday June 13th the Public Entity of Saba’s summer internship program began with the 6 week placement of 11 students and recent graduates. Some of the interns will be working in various departments within the Public Entity, while others will be working in different organizations. These organizations include the …

The Dutch Government will have to look into a way to significantly increase the family allowance (“kinderbijslag”) in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. A majority of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday supported a motion by Members of Parliament (MPs) Roelof van Laar of the Labour Party …

To improve the standard of living of vulnerable groups each year there is the possibility, for parents who have children that follow the secondary education, to get a contribution towards the costs for school supplies. The Unit Social Affairs and Labor allows parents or guardians who are entitled to assistance …

Below you will find  the fifth progress report of the Kingdom Representative for the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This report discusses the developments and investments that were made on the three islands in 2015 by the Ministries involved. Again, steps were set out for improving the service of …

News channel RTLZ reports that the biggest obstacle international workers in the Netherlands find to making friends with the Dutch is breaking into their social circles, according to an online survey of over 1,200 people carried out by DutchNews.nl and broadcaster RTLZ. Almost seven out of 10 people said Dutch …

On Sunday members of the “U2 Can Move Fitness group spearheaded by Mrs. Sarah Wescott-Williams traveled to Saba on board of the ferry Edge after being invited and challenged by Mr. Dave Levenstone to come over and climb a big mountain and take bragging rights as been able to climb …

Authors Theodore “Teddy” Johnson and Caroline Myrick presented their book “A Lee Chip: A Dictionary and Study of Saban English” in the Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute on St. Eustatius Thursday. A “lee chip” means a little bit in Saban English. The book was published via “Language and Life Project” of …

Statia News reports that Democratic Party (DP) Island Council Members Adelka Spanner and Koos Sneek, during their visit to the Netherlands, stated: “Members of the St. Eustatius Government should not complain about unfair treatment by the Dutch Government, but instead should first do their homework and get the island’s financial management …

The President of the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/PSU Ms. Julia Solognier and the Vice President Ms. Deborah Rombley paid a working visit to the island of Saba from Tuesday afternoon until Friday. The visit to the island was to bring them up to speed on the developments regarding their …

Recently the Vector Control Department placed a first batch of 10 In2care traps in areas with many mosquitoes. The In2care traps attract female mosquitoes with attractive odours to the water. It then infects the mosquito with a fungus that weakens the mosquito, prevents virus development, and kills the mosquito before …

The Second Chamber has received today the 5th report of the Kingdom Representative Isabella. The report is in Dutch. At this moment there is no translation into English available.