News

The Pre-Saba Day RCN Public Entity Volleyball Tournament continues this evening at the Peter L. Granger Auditorium, writes The Daily Herald. First serve is at 7:00pm. Current Champions, Saba University School of Medicine are hoping to defend their title against a strong field of six teams. Competing in addition to …

Saba became the proud “co-parent” of 37 baby turtles, Thursday, at approximately 9:00pm. In a very rare occurrence, a large female green sea turtle chose the man-made beach at Cove Bay for her nest site. The beach has recently been damaged by storm waves, but by luck or instinct, the …

The Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations KOREL of the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will pay a working visit to the Dutch Caribbean in April, 2016. The evaluation of the new constitutional relations will be a central theme during the visit. The KOREL Committee visits the islands every four …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday approved the law proposal to introduce the children’s allowance (“kinderbijslag”) in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Depending on how fast the First Chamber passes the law proposal, parents on the islands will be receiving US $38 per month per child per …

In 2016 child benefit provision will start in The Caribbean Netherlands. This is a financial contribution by Central government to the cost for the livelihood of children from 0 to 18 years. . Every parent or guardian of children in the age of 0 till 18 years old is entitled …

Dredging of The Capt. L. A. I. Chance pier in Fort Bay began today as the equipment to carry out the project arrived on the island. Contractor Devcon International is executing the work. When the project is complete the area inside harbor should be increased to a depth of 15 …

Due to the limited availability of airline seats and hotel rooms, ZVK will guarantee only urgent medical referrals around the new year The  BES Health Insurance Office for Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius (ZVK) would like to inform all insured persons and care providers on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba that, …

The Labour Party PvdA and the ChristianUnion (CU) in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament want to tackle poverty on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba by calculating the subsistence minimum on the islands, and to secure this minimum income for all residents. Member of the Second Chamber Roelof van …

Caribbean Netherlands educational professionals from the Expertise Centers for Education Care, the secondary schools and representatives of the Caribbean Netherlands Department of the Ministry of OCW (Education, Culture and Science) and the Dutch Inspectorate of Education recently met on Bonaire for the PrO (Praktijkonderwijs or Practical Education) conference. The purpose …

The extension of maternity leave in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will become a fact in the future, but it can only go into effect per January 1, 2017, for budget-technical reasons, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Jetta Klijnsma informed the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on …

Head Librarian Joanna Simmons and her assistant, Tiffany Zagers, made the public presentation of the website of the Queen Wilhelmina Library. Take a look at qwlsaba.com Queen Wilhelmina library was founded in 1923. The library was named after the late queen Wilhelmina in 1923, when she celebrated her Silver Jubilee. …

Prosecutor for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba Henk Jan Starrenburg was officially installed Friday, during a session of the Joint Court of Justice in Bonaire. Starrenburg arrived in Bonaire in September. He was an Acting Prosecutor in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where he obtained expertise in seizing criminal profits of convicts. …

The election for board members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in St. Eustatius will be taking place at the Chamber’s office in the Norako Building at L.E. Sadlerweg on December 8, 9:00am-12:00pm, writes The Daily Herald. On Statia, there are two vacancies due to the so-called resignation schedule …

The Daily Herald published today the following “Letter to the Editor”: Dear Editor, Here are the points: Hiring nurses without diplomas and those with degrees cannot get an opportunity. Nurses being given positions and don’t know their head from their tail. When you complain about anything that you see or …

The Saba community has opened it hearts and offered assistance and supplies to the Leverock family after their home in St. John’s was destroyed by fire Wednesday, writes The Daily Herald. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the Saba Fire Department said Thursday. Pat Nation at Saba …

Curaçao’s Civil Affairs Department hosted the twice yearly gathering of the Dutch Caribbean Platform for Personal Information Services PIVA November 9-11. Among the participants were representatives from the population registries of Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Saba and the Dutch Government, who discussed a joint strategic vision, their work and …

The home of Lillian Leverock in St. John’s, Saba, was destroyed by fire Wednesday, around 3:00pm, writes The Daily Herald. Although members of the Fire Department were on the scene very quickly, the house was fully engulfed by the time they arrived and there was little they could do other …

“Sharks Demystified; Saba, Statia and St. Maarten,” a film about the conservation of sharks on St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba filmed by Chizzilala, was named the top documentary from a pool of 30 entrants at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting held recently in Panama City, Panama. …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved the Caribbean Netherlands Electricity and Potable Water Law, writes The Daily Herald. This law proposal regulates the production and distribution of electricity and drinking water in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. It aims to achieve dependable, sustainable and affordable …

There are another five elementary schools, one school for secondary education, two expertise centres education care and one institution for social opportunity pathways for the young (SKJ) in the Caribbean Netherlands which achieved basic quality. This was established by the inspectors of the Education Inspectorate’s Caribbean Netherlands team following quality …

Sheritsa Oleana of Saba, Joel Tellez from the United States (US) and Mandy Zamani (US) have emerged as the finalists in the 2015 Saba Idol “Sabaoke” competition after Friday’s semi-final performances held in Scout’s Place. The finale of the competition, which is in its twelfth year, will take place on …

Caribbean Netherlands graduates of the vwo, havo and mbo-4 programmes received a letter last week from Minister Jet Bussemaker of Education, Culture and Science [Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW)]. The letter contained important information about the choice of study, registration at higher education institutions and Studiefinanciering. In the letter the …

The solar panel park in St. Eustatius which will make twenty per cent of the electricity that is produced on the island sustainable should be completed in March 2016. A similar park is planned for Saba. In the meantime, research proceeds in Saba to generate geothermal energy. Dutch Minister of …

A group of approximately 20 persons, including Canadian and American veterans, current serving members, students and Dean Michael B. Laskowski of Saba University School of Medicine (SUSOM) commemorated Remembrance Day/Veterans Day at SUSOM’s gazebo on Wednesday, November 11, writes The Daily Herald. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson had a prior commitment …

The amounts of the water and electricity tariffs in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and the energy subsidy of the Dutch Government dominated the debate in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on the Caribbean Netherlands Electricity and Potable Water Law Thursday evening. This law proposal, which regulates the …

Two new prosecutors have been appointed at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Recently, the work of Prosecutor Marleen Overmeer has been taken over by Antoinette Doedens and Henk Jan Starrenburg. Overmeer has been handling criminal cases on Statia and Saba for the past five years. Since …

Island Governor of Saba Jonathan Johnson has decided to install an Advisory Committee to advise the Island Government on their input for the constitutional evaluation, which was received last month. The Committee, consisting of Chairman Governor Johnson and members Chris Meijvogel, Will Johnson, La-Toya Charles, Alida Heilbron and Franklin Wilson, …

PUBLIC NOTICE The Island Council of the Public Entity Saba hereby cares to inform the general public as follows: In the Public Island Council meeting on Tuesday November 10th, 2015 the following Island Council decisions were made in accordance with the Finance Law Public Entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba …

The objections of the Executive Council against the imposition of administrative and financial supervision have been declared unfounded, Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated in a letter to the Executive Council on Friday. The Minister’s decision was based on the findings of the advisory committee, which …

Saba University School of Medicine’s South Asian Student Society (SASS) celebrated Diwali Saturday evening, at Princess Juliana sports field The Bottom. Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, observed in November. It is particularly associated with goddess of prosperity Lakshmi, and marks the beginning of the fiscal year in India. …

Edith Hassell-Lejunes celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends, writes The Daily Herald. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, members of Saba Health Foundation and Saba Lions Club joined in wishing the new centenarian a happy birthday. Hassell-Lejunes was born on St. Maarten, where she taught kindergarten before moving to Aruba …

Disappointment and shock swept over the seven St. Maarteners who had been nominated for a Dutch Caribbean Pearl Award when at the end of the 4th annual gala and award show in Schiedam Saturday evening it became evident that not one of them had won. All awards went to persons …

A free skin cancer screening clinic, organized by Saba Public Health Department’s Dr. Koen Hulshof and intern Carlos Quijada was deemed “an overwhelming success.”, writes The Daily Herald. The “Iguana be Sun Smart” campaign encouraged as many people as possible to attend, as early detection of skin cancer gives patients …

The Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have been asked to give their view on the recently published Caribbean Netherlands evaluation report. The Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament sent a letter to the Island Governors of the three individual islands …

On November 4th a group of 23 students from the Saba Comprehensive School visited the annual Job Fair at the Bel Air Community Center in St. Maarten. It concerned year 4 and 5 students from the Academic and Vocational stream and the Praktijkonderwijs. Also students who received their SCS diploma …

The examination of arrest, selfdefence and shooting skills of the Police Forces of Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and Curaçao and St. Maarten in light of the use of violence will soon be established in a mutual arrangement. Dutch Minister of Security …

Caribbean Netherlands organisation, the BES Commission for the Protection of Personal Data Privacy, has launched a website, www.cbpbes. com, to help clarify the effect and scope of implementing its statutory duties to the general public. The commission is an independent body that supervises the management of all personal data. The …

Annually, the Saba Fire Department hosts an Open House for awareness of the work they do and to celebrate Fireman’s Day at the Fire Station in The Bottom, Saba, writes The Daily Herald. On Wednesday, November 4, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, members of the Saba Fire Department put on tours …

Monday November 2nd  was the opening night for a new program on Saba that aims at helping children and their family live a healthier life. Saba Fit-The Course is a twelve week program where 12 children aged 9-12 have weekly sessions that focus on fun ways to be active and …

Sound transmitter tags were placed on sharks in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park on Saturday, by researchers from the IMARES Institute of Wageningen University, members of the Dutch Elasmobranch Society and Nature Foundation. The tags will aid research about the migration pattern of sharks in the territorial waters …