News

In the late afternoon on Thursday, September 10th , a traffic control was held at the JZ Ridge Road on Saba. A total of 18 vehicles were checked, of which 1 driver received a ticket for not paying the road tax. Earlier in the day, vehicles were also checked at …

Employees from Benevolent Foundation Saba and Saba Health Care Foundation dancing the #jerusalemadancechallenge during Covid alert level 1. We do not own the rights to the songs. This is for entertainment purposes only, not for profit. Lots of love to Master KG & Nomcebo for the Beautiful music  Dance Choreography: …

In 2018, 72 percent of the 15 to 74-year-olds in the Caribbean Netherlands were in paid employment. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba had 11.2 thousand, 1.9 thousand and 1.2 thousand people in work respectively. The share of employees with a temporary contract was highest on Saba (22 percent). Nearly all …

The cost of internet on on the public entities of Bonaire, Statia and Saba can only be lowered to an acceptable level with structural subsidies from the government. State Secretary Mona Keijzer links this conclusion to an investigation that she had carried out by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and …

Sint Maarten: — 12 new recoveries recorded — COVID-19 cases continue to rise with three new active cases recorded by the Ministry of Public Health. The total number of active cases is now 178 and the new total positive cases is currently 530. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) is monitoring …

On Friday, August 28th, students of the Saba Comprehensive School and the Sacred Heart School received prizes for participating in an Essay Writing competition. This competition was to celebrate Compulsory Education Day and the child’s right to education; the topic was Compulsory Education and the child’s right to education. Due …

As of October 1st,  Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland will start to visit companies to verify if the data that is registered for the loonheffing (payroll tax), corresponds to the persons ostensibly employed in the company. The employees present will be asked to identify themselves. In this way it can be checked …

State secretary Knops has responded to the Members of the Second Chanber regarding state of affairs third tranche of liquidity support to Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten and draft Kingdom Act Caribbean Reform Entity. Read this letter HERE. RCN

Poor, young people in the Caribbean Netherlands of­ten end up in a vicious cycle of problems. To break this cycle, an urgent and com­prehensive approach to combatting youth poverty is needed. This is what the Na­tional Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children recommend in their joint report on the topic, …

The Ministry of Public Health has con­firmed eleven new active cases of COVID-19 in St. Maarten. The new total of active cases is 187, with the total number of confirmed cases now 527. Of the active cases, Collective Prevention Services (CPS) is monitoring 180 persons in home isolation, six patients …

The Dutch Museum Saba has been closed since March 15. That seemed to coincide with the problems surrounding COVID-19, but there was actually a different reason to close the museum down, explained Rene Ca­derius van Veen (78), owner of the museum collection, which is going up for sale. After a …

The num­ber of COVID-19 cases con­tinues to rise with five new active cases recorded. The total number of active cases is now 176 and the new total of positive cases is cur­rently 516. Collective Prevention Ser­vices (CPS) is monitoring 171 persons in home isolation. There are now 99 persons in …

On Sunday, September 6th , a traffic control was held at the J.Z. Ridge Road on Saba, during which a total of 12 cars were checked. Two drivers were warned, one for driving without valid road tax and the other for driving without valid insurance. KPCN

Senior Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) will not be returning to the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber after the March 2021 elections, he announced last Friday. He has been an MP for thirteen years, featuring prominently in the portfolio Kingdom Relations. “Your hesitation is your …

Senior Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) will not be returning to the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber after the March 2021 elections, he announced last Friday. He has been an MP for thirteen years, featuring prominently in the portfolio Kingdom Relations. “Your hesitation is your …

The Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will have virtual meetings with the Island Councils and Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to discuss current developments on the islands. The suggestion to have separate consultation sessions with the islands’ representatives came …

The Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will have virtual meetings with the Island Councils and Executive Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to discuss current developments on the islands. The suggestion to have separate consultation sessions with the islands’ representatives came …

Regional health agency ARS dis­closed, as of September 2, some 26 new COVID-19 cases have been identified by polymerase chain reac­tion (PCR) test during the past five days, since the last health bulletin of August 28. ARS also regrets to report another death: a 76-year­old man who had been suf­fering …

St. Maarten’s active COVID-19 cases are rising once again after several days of a steady decline. As of Thursday, September 3, nine additional cases have been recorded bringing the total number of active cases to 183. The total number of confirmed cases is now 504. No new recoveries have been …

On Thursday, September 3rd the Executive Council met with roaming goat owners to listen to some of their concerns regarding the challenges that roaming goats present to various stakeholders on the island. The information exchange was in an open and constructive atmosphere. The goat owners shared their ideas on how …

United Nations Chil­dren’s Fund UNICEF launched the project “My New World” in Bonaire, St, Eustatius and Saba under which dozens of adolescents have given thought to the question what their ideal world should look like after the COVID-19 crisis. Their answers to this question have been incorporated in advice given …

A record num­ber of 61 recoveries from corona-virus COVID -19 was confirmed by the Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday. Thirteen new actives were record­ed, but even with this increase the to­tal number of cases dropped to 174. The new total of confirmed cases for St. Maarten is 495. Of …

Civil-law notaries in St. Maarten Marlene F Mingo and Meredith M. Boekhoudt provided notarial services in St. Eustatius and Saba on Tuesday, September 1, under a strict COVID-19 protocol. In total 32 deeds – 29 in Sta­tia and three in Saba – were passed. This was arranged by Government Commissioner …

~~Two more deaths recorded ~~ A record number of 41 persons are confirmed as recovered of COVID-19. As of September 1, St. Maarten has confirmed six new cases of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total active cases to 222 and the total of confirmed cases …

A new study compared the effectiveness of three popular artificial reefs to increase fish densities around Saba and St Eustatius. The researchers found that a complex internal structure, providing more shelter availability, resulted in increased fish abundance, biomass and species richness. The results of this study were used to design …

The Public Entity Saba has initiated a project to improve the infrastructure at the solid waste management facility, locally referred to as the landfill. The project includes the construction of a cistern on the premises to secure water storage, constructing platforms for the burners to make loading easier and erecting …

The Dutch Council of Min­isters last Friday agreed to extend the corona cri­sis package for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The subsidy arrange­ment wage cost and loss of income will continue for another nine months, and the reduction of the tariffs of utilities will last another year. In a letter Minister …

Over the past three years the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) received additional funding from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (SZW) to support students who are living in poverty. The subsidy was called Opportunities for all Children (Kansen voor alle Kinderen). The SCS successfully requested additional funding for 2017-2018 …

St. Maarten continues to see a steady rise in cases with a recorded 267 persons positive for COVID-19 as of August 30. The total number of confirmed cases is now 461 Over the weekend, 19 new cases have been recorded. No new recover­ies have been confirmed. The total number of …

Soon a large number of companies will be subject to an additional tax assessment for not (fully) paying the Loonbelasting (LB) and ABB declarations of the first and second quarter of 2020. This additional after-tax assessment states that the outstanding amount must be paid before the October 16th, 2020. Companies …

REMINDER: Both Saba and St. Eustatius are low-risk areas, with similar epidemiolocal situations (no local transmission of covid-19), this means that travel remains possible between the two islands once travelers meet the requirements of the local governments of both Public Entities. Residents of Saba can always leave the island with …

Saba’s Island Council responded very concerned to the announcement of Finance Commissioner Bruce Zagers during a Central Committee meeting on Tuesday, August 25, that the Public Entity Saba had closed off the 2019 fiscal year with a deficit of just over US $621,000. The Island Council was advised to have …

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe environment with love and structure. Unfortunately, that is not possible for all children. For those children Youth Care Caribbean Netherlands (Jeugdzorg Caribisch Nederland) is looking for foster parents. People who want to take care of someone else’s child temporarily. Parents that …

The Public Entity Saba was again able to achieve an unqualified audit opinion of its 2019 year report, and while the financial statements once more meet the requirements stated in the law, the Saba Government was left no other choice than to present a document with a deficit of just …

Ten new positive COVID-19 cases have been recorded for St. Maarten as of Tuesday, Au­gust 25, bringing the total number of active cases to 253. The total number of positive cases for the country is now 418. Collective Prevention Servic­es (CPS) is currently monitor­ing 244 persons in home iso­lation. Eight …

The Min­istry of Public Health has confirmed twelve new CO­VID-19 active cases on St. Maarten. This brings the total num­ber of active cases to 244. The total confirmed cases are now 408. Of the active cases, the Collective Prevention Ser­vices (CPS) is monitoring 234 persons in home isola­tion. Eight patients …

Together We Can Build Resilience Against Climate Change  The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) released a special edition of their free digital newsletter BioNews highlighting the challenges facing the Dutch Caribbean in the fight against climate change.  Using internationally accepted climate change predictions and (research) reports, impacts both above and …