News

St. Maarten’s Government is terminating the service level agreement with St. Maarten Student Support Services S4 in the Netherlands effective July 1, 2015. Two student counsellors will be guiding the new students instead. St. Maarten’s Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Affairs Rita Bourne-Gumbs informed study-financing recipients in the …

Almost one in every four children born in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in 2012 ended up in a single-parent family, mostly a single mother, writes The Daily Herald. This was recently concluded by Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics CBS. Thirty-eight per cent of the babies in 2012 in the …

On average, women in the Caribbean Netherlands get their first child at the age of 25.2 years. This is much earlier than women in the European Netherlands, where the average age for the first child is 29.4 years. Women of Antillean background in the European Netherlands are the first time …

May 4th, government officials on Saba gathered at the monument in The Bottom dedicated to World War II to honor those whose lives were lost during that war. This year marks 70 years since the war ended and the liberation of The Netherlands. Members of the Island and Executive Councils …

Blog Bonaire.nu announced that, during the visit of King Willem-Alexander to Bonaire on April 30, Flamingo Express Dutch Caribbean (FXDC), the Post Office of the Caribbean Netherlands has, presented something unique. The first King-stamps Caribbean Netherlands that were offered to the king are not only unique because of the “double …

Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will each get their own Electoral College with its own candidate members, who will be elected by island residents with the Dutch nationality. That is stated in the Explanatory Note accompanying the draft law (“novelle”) which proposes to stipulate in the Dutch Constitution that the …

On Tuesday, April 28th, around 8.15 PM a suspect was arrested in a matter of public drunkenness, breach of the peace and rebellion in his arrest. The incident took place in a bar in Windward Side. The 27 year old suspect C.J.N.I., from English Quarter, has been held in custody …

According the US National Weather Service San Juan, there will be Saharan dust in the region until tomorrow. Saharan Dust: How Does it Impact Atlantic Storms? The Saharan Air Layer, or known more commonly as Saharan Dust, is a layer of tiny aerosols like sand, dirt, and dust that occasionally …

Clients of Honourable Henry Every Old Age Home in The Bottom were the centre of attention when two youths visited on Tuesday, for a colouring and reading event organised by Sounding Board Committee (SBC), writes The Daily Herald. The event marked the official start of a project to organise more …

The adapted law proposal to introduce Electoral Colleges (Kiescolleges) for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has been prepared. It was sent to the three islands for consultation on Tuesday. Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk on Tuesday, informed the First and Second Chambers of the Dutch …

King’s Day 2015 was celebrated on Saba with an ecumenical service in honour of King Willem-Alexander at Sacred Heart Church in The Bottom. During the service, long-time organists and youth leaders Patricia Johnson and Carmen Simmons received royal decorations. After the opening prayer by Pastor Mervin Alexander, several readings were …

The U.S. Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft touched down on F.D. Roosevelt Airport in St. Eustatius on Friday afternoon as part of a preparedness mission in the Caribbean. School children from Statia’s five primary schools and Gwendoline van Putten secondary school visited the reconnaissance aircraft and met with crewmembers. …

The investigation with the codename Hector into the death on April 15th of a young woman found dead in The Bottom, Saba has intensified this week by the Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. At the Dutch Forensic Institute (NFI) in Rijswijk this week an autopsy was carried out on …

At Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, child allowance will be introduced. This income-independent allowance will replace the compensation through taxes, the so-called ‘children’s discount’. Due to the change, which the Council of Ministers agreed upon today, especially parents with the lowest incomes will benefit. This way, State Secretary Klijnsma (Social …

There are nearly 200 nationalities living in the Netherlands. More than 1.8 million people living in the Netherlands were not born in the country. This is according to the Multi-culture map done by Tubantia based on information from Statistics Netherlands. According to the map, the largest groups of people with …

Graduates of Saba University School of Medicine posted a record performance in the 2015 U.S. and Canadian residency matches, earning coveted appointments at top medical centers across both countries. “We saw many outstanding placements in 2015,” said Dr. Joseph Chu, President of Saba University School of Medicine. “How well our …

In their press release of March 16, The Saba Electric Company announced their efforts to go green and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. The Saba Electric Company (SEC) N.V. is endeavoring to make prodigious, and sound, investments in renewable (solar) energy. Such an investment will contribute to the sustainable …

The SHCF announced that last Tuesday afternoon was the final session for I Love My Body 2015. It was a great get together joined by the weekly participants and a special visit from the Commissioner of Health Mr. Bruze Zagers who in his speech congratulated all the participants for successfully …

Quality is the theme of the Joint Court of Justice’s 2014 annual report, writes The Daily Herald. In the report, which was presented to the media in Curaçao on Wednesday, the Court also provided information on the number of court cases handled in the Dutch Caribbean. The Joint Court of …

The Daily Herald writes that six new members were inducted into Saba Lions Club International Tuesday evening at Eugenius Johnson Centre in Windwardside. Prior to Tuesday, there were 34 active Lions and one honorary member on Saba. The newly inducted members are Melisa C.B. Juana, Mary C. Thielman, Glenn Pileo, …

Saba Health Care Foundation (SHCF) announced the birth of the first baby for 2015 on Saba, writes The Daily Herald. Gael Emiliano Simmons was born at A.M. Edwards Medical Centre on Monday, April 13, at 6:12am. His parents are Katherine Casallas Lopez and Shalimar Simmons. Doctor Gina Boorsma assisted in …

Caribisch Netwerk reports that the Kingdom gets little attention in the Dutch media, but also not in the general political scene in The Hague. This is because the administrative relationships are complicated. This can be concluded from a survey of MPs, charged with Kingdom Relations. Roelof van Laar (PvdA): “It …

The Telegraaf writes today, that a Kingdom Boat will participate in the boat parade of Gay Pride Amsterdam on Saturday, August 1st . The Kingdom Boat is an initiative of interest groups from Curacao, Aruba, St. Maarten and the Netherlands. The groups want to use the boat in a positive …

The Sounding Board (SB) committee for the Honourable Henry Every Old Age Home, located in the Bottom, recently gave a personal interview to The Daily Herald. The committee, which was introduced in November 2014, consists of three members, the Reverend Vernon Liburd, Franklin Wilson and Shelly Zagers. Zagers was not …

The Daily Herald writes that Statians of all walks of life gave their opinions on the state of the island five years after it became a public entity of the Netherlands during two round-table discussions organised by The Netherlands Institute for Social Research SCP at Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute. A …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament approved on Tuesday, a change to the Caribbean Netherlands Commodities Law (“Warenwet BES”), which transfers the supervision on the quality of consumer products to the Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The law proposal, which still has to go to the …

The Daily Herald reports that Child Focus Foundation (CFF) has received several donations from many local businesses on Saba last month. CFF offers a full programme of physical, creative and educational activities for all school-going children ages 4-18. These activities are run by youth leaders, who offer their time and …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will shortly be handling a change to the Caribbean Netherlands Electricity and Drinking Water Law, which will regulate, among others, an effective use of subsidies to maintain affordable utility prices and the supervision on the boards of the utility companies in Bonaire, St. …

Dear Editor, Further to my earlier letter on the issues with the generation of electricity from solar power the following. There was a public comment on the content of my article, reading: “Even with clouds (that are mainly hanging quite high around the top) solar panels are producing electricity. That …

On Sunday, April 19th around 23:45 a woman with initials E.B.M. was detained in a house at the Gladiola Street related to an assault with a weapon. Press release KPCN, Monday April 20, 2015

Regional heads of government in the Caribbean have agreed to establish a regional commission on cannabis to conduct an enquiry into the social, economic, health and legal issues surrounding cannabis use in Central America and the Caribbean and to advise on possible changes in the current drug classi­fication of cannabis, …

The Daily Herald reports that the investigation into the death of Saba University School of Medicine’s student K.G., who was found dead in her apartment in The Bottom on Wednesday, April 15, continues under the code name “Hector,” the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force said during the weekend. The police stated …

Chez Bubba bistro in Windwardside officially opened on Saturday, at the location of the former Eden restaurant, writes the Daily Herald. The new French menu is made by Chef Johan de Jager, who was formerly working as sous-chef at Queen’s Gardens Resort. The menu is designed to cater to everyone’s …

Update April 18: 9 pm Press release RCN: In the investigation with the name ‘ Hector ‘ into the cause of the death of the woman found dead Wednesday on Saba a judicial forensic autopsy necessary. Given the circumstances in which the woman was found, as reported, there is no …

The Antilliaans Dagblad reports that, yesterday, Bonaire witnessed a historic moment. What everyone thought for years to be impossible, finally happened anyway. The Partido Demokrátiko Boneriano (PDB) and the Union Patriotico Boneriano (UPB) have jointly signed the coalition agreement. During the years, at times, Red (PDB) and green (UPB), the …

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) of the Netherlands and the Office of the Attorney General for Curaçao, St. Maarten as well as Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba signed a covenant which describes the cooperation between IND and the Public Prosecution on procedures for the adoption of Dutch nationality (Article …

The Daily Herald writes that US Air Force Hurricane Hunter, the WC-130J, is expected to touch down at Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Airport on April 24, and school children as well as the public are invited to come and witness the historic moment, from 1:00 to 4:00pm. Coordinator Edris Bennett-Merkman …

Dutch News reports that youth psychiatrists in the Netherlands have called on the government to stop so many children being prescribed Ritalin and other similar drugs to control their behaviour. The psychiatrists’ association NVvP says the drug is often being prescribed by family doctors and psychiatrists who are not experts …

Dutch News reports that Dutch passport holders can visit 143 countries around the globe without a visa or with easy visa regulations, according to research by Arton Capital. Arton’s passport power index shows that the best passports to travel on are British and American – with no or easy visa …

According to figures released today by Statistics Netherlands, inflation in the Caribbean Netherlands in terms of the consumer price index (CPI) continued to fall in the first quarter of 2015. On Bonaire and St Eustatius inflation was even negative. This was the first time since Statistics Netherlands started measuring inflation …