News

The Curacao Chronicle reports that the Ministry of Sustainable Development in St. Lucia recently completed the first leg of aerial and ground surveys that could lead to the local development of geothermal energy. These are the first in a series of five general surveys to be conducted on under-surface exploratory …

The Daily herald reports that many Dutch secondary school pupils take no pleasure in learning and perceive education as something they have to go through, according to a new report by chief education inspector Annette Roeters. This lack of motivation plays across the entire school spectrum and many teachers admit …

The Daily herald reports that the election for the executive board of the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) could not take place on Wednesday as sufficient members did not show up to vote. WICSU/PSU is one of the larger unions in St. Maarten with 661 members in …

Click here for Updates on this tragic event. The Daily Herald reports that a 23-year-old medical student was found dead in her apartment in The Bottom on Wednesday around 10:00am. The police secured the body and brought it to the police station in The Bottom for further analysis. The police …

“The interest free loans that The Island Government of Saba have received and have applied for thus far fall within the scope of the budget and there are no plans to pursue additional loans at this time or for the foreseeable future. The repayment of these loans have been included …

The Daily Herald writes that the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament deferred on Tuesday the voting on 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 …

The Daily Herald writes that the 24th edition of the information bulletin of the Dutch national government for the Caribbean Netherlands is out; however, the bulletin will no longer be distributed door-to-door in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Government Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN said in a statement. The new edition …

Update: Click here for the link to the film “When We Was We”, the oral history project. Saturday, April 11, marked a varied evening dedicated to keeping Saba’s past and roots alive. This writes The Daily Herald. The Saba Archaeological Centre (SABARC), together with Will Johnson, organised a presentation by …

Colorado State University climatologists are predicting a lower than average Atlantic hurricane season, with three hurricanes and seven named storms in 2015. They predict one of those three will be a major hurricane – a category 3 or higher. In a forecast released Thursday (April 9) Climatologists Philip Klotzbach and …

For unknown reasons, there is still a delay in the execution of the report on the division of the properties and debts of the former Netherlands Antilles, which was pre-sented by the committee headed by Faroe Metry at the end of last year.It is even said in Willemstad that St. …

The Government of Saba doesn’t have more leeway to acquire new interest-free loans after securing a US $2.5 million loan for an infrastructural project because of its deteriorated cash-flow situation. This writes The Daily Herald. The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT stated this in a recent letter to Dutch Minister …

Statistics Netherlands announced today that Saba is the only island within the Caribbean Netherlands to show an increase in the value of imported goods in 2014 compared to 2013. The value of imported goods declined marginally on Bonaire. Imports of mineral fuels, manufactured goods and machinery were below the level …

The St. Maarten Government is still uncooperative in certain areas of the relations with St. Eustatius and Saba. Areas include (double) taxation of goods for the two smaller islands, the medical evacuation of patients and the airport taxes. Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated this …

Instituting an independent Kingdom mechanism to check the compliance with minimum standards and other agreements in the Kingdom, a Kingdom mediator that also could solve disputes between the countries, is one of the suggestions in a recent discussion paper of the Kingdom Relations Committee chaired by Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven, …

The countries in the Dutch Kingdom have to “hold hands” and continue to cooperate in the best interest of their citizens and in the interest of security.This was – writes The Daily Herald – the main message from Dutch Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who wrapped up her visit to …

The organizing committee, for Saba Carnival 2015, officially met on Wednesday, April 8, to discuss the plans for Saba’s 40th Carnival Anniversary Celebration. The official opening of Carnival is scheduled for July 27th and will end on August 2nd. The organizing committee, who is in the process of setting up …

The Island Government of Saba issued an update on Thursday on the recycling program “Recycle for Saba”, which recently began on the island. The recycling facility is fully operational and all machines are being used on a regular basis to separate and process all dry recyclables. Additionally there is significant …

Child Focus Foundation hosted a community Easter Egg Hunt and Family Day on Easter Sunday. Children ages 12 and under were welcomed to take part in the afternoon Easter egg hunt, which was held at Harry L. Johnson Museum grounds. The event was followed by games, crafting activities and pizza, …

“Map Man” Michal Kasprowski has added two more road maps to his collection of maps of Caribbean islands. The newly-published full-colour maps of Saba and of St. Kitts and Nevis follow, for instance, maps of St. Maarten and St. Eustatius that were published previously. Saba’s map is scaled 1:7,000 and …

On Thursday, April 2nd , in the morning hours, the police KPCN on Saba arrested a 29 year old male in The Bottom, by order of the prosecutor, in connection with the creeping in during nightly hours and acts of sexual abuse. The arrested suspect, H.T.I., is a native of …

Amigoe reports that, when on Tuesday, March 31 the ‘Solar Pilot Project’ in Barcadera opened, Bonaire started generating electrical energy with solar panels. Alfredo Koolman, Director of Water and Energy Bonaire, explains what the future of solar energy is on the island. “Yes, it’s a logical question why an island …

The Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament is seeking clarity on the consequences of cutbacks in physical therapy care on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This writes The Daily Herald. The Committee sent a letter to Dutch Minister of Public Health, Welfare and …

The three Island Governors of the Caribbean Netherlands met on St. Eustatius on Wednesday regarding the administrative development of Bonaire, Statia and Saba. The Daily Herald reports about it. Present for the meeting were Governors Gerald Berkel of St. Eustatius, Jonathan Johnson of Saba and Edison Rijna of Bonaire. “It …

The Daily Herald writes that Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert will visit Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba April 6-10. During her visit, the minister will visit the Dutch military forces that carry out defence and police duties in the Caribbean part of the Dutch kingdom and will hold …

Caribisch Netwerk reports that scientists of the The Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV) are going to perform an extensive study of the six former Antillean islands in the areas of the political situation, media, history and culture.  They will receive more than 750,000 euros for this study. Politicians …

The Daily Herald writes that the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament has sought clarity on a recent letter from Saba Merchants Association (SMA), in which the organisation sounded the alarm about the hardship that Saba’s private sector has been facing. The Kingdom …

The number of tourists flying into the Caribbean islands Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba in 2014 was almost the same as in 2013. As they stayed for shorter periods on average on St Eustatius and Saba, the number of overnight stays of tourists arriving by air on these islands decreased …

Bonaire.nu reports that a pilot installation of 792 solar panels on the Barcadera site on Bonaire was commissioned and placed under the auspices of the Dutch company WEB Solar Power Solutions. With this installation WEB researches the efficiency and the impact solar panels on the electricity grid. In addition, the …

As of 10-10-10 the relationship between Saba and St. Eustatius with The Netherlands has changed. In the coming weeks, research teams will investigate the impact on Saba and St. Eustatius of these transitions since 10-10-10. The researchers will interview organizations, island authorities and public services, and speak with the citizens. …

In April 2015, National Autism Awareness Month is being observed in Saba, writes The Daily Herald. The awareness campaign is organised by Helen Hassell, a remedial Special Education teacher at Sacred Heart School in St. John’s since 2010. Hassell got experience with these kinds of campaigns when she was a …

On Wednesday, just after 1:00 pm, the new medevac helicopter arrived at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on Saba. This writes The Daily Herald. The new helicopter is a Bell 430 model and is much larger than the current model, a Bölkow 105, which has been in use until now. The …

The Daily Herald writes that Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk will pitch the proposal of Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Roelof van Laar of the Labour Party PvdA to install a Kingdom Integrity Committee, secured through a Kingdom Law, at the …

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) has been summoned by the lawyer of St. Maarten/Curaçao casino owner Francesco Corallo to refrain from calling the latter a “mafia boss.” Van Raak stated this in his column which was published on …

The new large medevac helicopter made a fly over St. Eustatius before touching down at F.D. Roosevelt Airport on Sunday evening around 7:15. This reports The Daily Herald. Four persons emerged from the craft that will be used for medical and emergency evacuations from Statia and Saba to St. Maarten. …

The Daily Herald writes that students of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, who study in the Netherlands, will continue to build a retirement plan in the future. The Dutch cabinet on Friday agreed with a proposal by State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment Jetta Klijnsma to this effect. Currently, …

The Saily Herald writes that the Saba Volleyball Association (SVA) 2015 volleyball season got off to a great start at the Peter L. Granger Sport Auditorium in St. Johns Saturday. The tournament has seven teams registered to compete for the title in eleven matches from March 27 through May. The …

Bonaire.nu reports that Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba should not only receive a higher Free Allowance, but the amount that the islands receive annually should also consist of new elements, including money for maintenance after investment by the Dutch government. It would also be good idea for the three islands …

In an article of Hazel Durand, Caribisch Netwerk reported that the new Island Council of Saba is sworn on March 26. The government plans until 2019 were presented. “The priority is the evaluation of the political status as special municipality of the Netherlands. The WIPM delegates are of the opinion …

Don’t forget – the clocks go forward one hour at 2am this evening as the Netherlands and the rest of Europe moves into official summer time. The clocks go back again the last weekend in October

The presidents of the general police union NAPB for Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Statia and Bonaire) believe that another format should be considered for the union’s national congress held annually, as holding it on a different island each year is very costly. President of the NAPB for the …