News

On Monday, November 17th, 2014. The Evaluation Committee, which was setup to study the effects on the constitutional transition introduced itself to the people of Saba. For those that did not had an opportunity to join the Meet & Greet, you can listen to what they said about their task. …

We have been asked to publish the following open letter to Commissioner Johnson: Dear Commissioner Johnson, On October 9th, 2014 I wrote an article on Saba News, stating that the SCS was in big problems. The facts that I mentioned were based on evidence and no gossip. Now more than …

On the occasion of the budget debate Social Affairs in 2014, the Second Chamber adopted a motion of the member Schouten, which the government is requested to examine in 2014 the possibilities for the child tax credit in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba in order to create a family benefit …

The new cut backs in the health care insurance package for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament worried, and in particular the Socialist Party (SP). This writes The Daily Herald. The Senate will further analyse these adaptations which mainly affect physical therapy and …

Saba is well-known for diving and hiking, but when it comes to nightlife there is another famous attraction which is, of course, “Sabaoke” (Saba and karaoke). Scout’s Place bar and restaurant hosts the annual Saba Idols Finals coming Friday, at 9:00pm. The Daily Herald announced that this is the 11th …

Caribisch Netwerk reports today that many Latin American immigrants in Bonaire fear for their jobs. When they need to renew their work permit, priority will be given to locals. From February 1, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) will strictly apply the law that calls for a labor …

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is now the latest Canadian bank to cut its losses in the Caribbean, following a decision to close its Caribbean wealth management divisions and several international advisory businesses in North America.The move follows RBC’s sale of its Jamaican operations earlier this year and an …

The Daily Herald reports today that the Court of First Instance is to decide next month in a conflict between Lockie Jayne Johnson-McGehee and University of St. Eustatius School of Medicine (USESOM) in Cole Bay, which put a lien on Johnson’s liquid assets. Johnson and her husband, in their turn, …

The Daily Herald reports that the new names of El Momo Folk Art Shop and Peanut Gallery at the centre of Windwardside were unveiled on Saturday at 5:00pm. A good number of attendants were present to hear Gerard “Gersh” Geenty’s speech, after which two new signs were shown carrying the …

Why should workers come up with solutions for workplace stress-related problems? It’s up to the employers to act, and a time management course won’t do the trick, say psychology professors Michiel Kompier and Sabine Geurts. Last week, home affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher proclaimed a workplace stress week, and not for …

To alleviate the acute parking shortage in Windwardside the Island Government has received an interest free loan from the Ministry of Kingdom Relations through the so called BES Funds. This money will go towards the construction of a parking lot in the area adjacent to the former Corner Imports. The …

Commissioner of Finance, Bruce Zagers, recently signed a covenant with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (I&M) that aims to stabilize the supply of drinking water on the island. In the covenant both governments agree that it is necessary to improve the quality and quantity of the drinking water …

In cooperation with UNICEF, the University of Leiden  held a one week conference to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Experts from all over the world came together to discuss different issues that affect today’s children life, such as poverty, child abuse/molestation and …

The National Ombudsman of the Netherlands has investigated a complaint about the way Bonaire island authority (OLB) handled a compensation claim. This is the first report to be published concerning this authority. The complaint was lodged by a man who had claimed compensation for vehicle damage caused by a pothole. …

The Daily Herald writes that Free diving is becoming more popular, and chances are Saba will be- come the new free-diving hotspot in the Caribbean. Luis Fonseca, a licensed scuba and free-diving instructor for thirty years, wants to start a free-diving school on Saba. Fonseca was born in Caracas, Venezuela, …

The Daily herald reports that the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament has suspended the handling of the proposal to adapt the Caribbean Netherlands electoral law, which regulates that only persons of the Dutch nationality have active and passive voting rights for the Island Councils of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and …

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, hereinafter SZW) has decided not to perform the labour market survey yet in case of extension of a work permit on Bonaire but to postpone this until February 1st, 2015. A labour market survey should be performed …

The Daily Herald announced today that the airports on all three BES islands, Bonaire, Statia and Saba, will be the subject of a thorough renovation starting in 2015. Yesterday a team of engineers, specialists and project managers from the Netherlands visited Saba to meet with local contractors and with Island …

On Saturday, November 15th the Lions Club organised the first class for making greeting cards was held at the Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside . Lions Club President Paula Mayers greeted the participants, and volunteers from the Saba Lions Club and the community were there to assist everyone attending the …

The Daily Herald writes that the Kingdom Task Force for Children’s Rights presented its plan of approach to improve children’s rights in the Dutch Caribbean on Thursday. The plan was released at the Children’s Rights Summit in Leiden and has been sent to the Dutch Parliament. Meanwhile, St. Maarten is …

The Labour Party PvdA in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will present an amendment next week to introduce an allowance for families with children (kinderbijslag) on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba of US $38 per month per child. This reports The Daily Herald. The proposal to introduce a …

As of November 1st, households and businesses will be charged a Garbage Collection Fee. The fee is charged to compensate for the collection and processing of all the garbage on the island. It is in line with the Island Ordinance passed by Island Council in the meeting of October 3rd, …

  “I look forward to working with the civil servants to achieve the goals of the organization.” This is the objective of incoming Island Secretary of Saba, Wim van Twuijver. The new head of the civil service takes up his post in the organization on Monday, November 24th and says …

The Saba Electric Company has send an email to its clients informing them about a decision of the Island Council. The letter reads as follows: As of November 1, 2014 the Garbage Fee Saba will go into effect. The Garbage Fee, which was approved by Island Ordinance in the Island …

The Daily Herald reports today that persons of Dutch Caribbean descent, commonly referred to as Antilleans, still lead the crime charts in the Netherlands. Persons of the first generation of this ethnic group are more often a suspect of a crime than persons of the second generation born in the …

The Daily Herald writes today that an increase has been reported in the number of suspected chikungunya cases in Dutch St. Maarten since the recent heavy rains. Section Head of the Health Ministry’s General Health Care department Maria Henry told The Daily Herald on Wednesday, that prior to October the …

In a joint press release, the Benevolent Foundation Saba (BFS) and Saba Health Care Foundation announced that they have signed an intention to merge. There are a lot of developments taking place in health care; developments that have an impact on the way BFS provides care. The Home wants to …

The Daily Herald reports today on the visit of the Evaluation Committee to Saba. The Committee is to prepare the evaluation of the current status of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba as public entities of the Netherlands. The Committee, headed by Liesbeth Spies, arrived in Saba on Sunday. Their first …

The Daily Herald writes that a chronicling the forty years since the establishment of the Caribbean Examinations Council CXC will be launched during a ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday, December 2. Entitled “A History of the Caribbean Examinations Council, 1973-2013” , the book was …

The site Caribisch Netwerk reports that “The fundamental question we want answered in during the evaluation of the political innovations Netherlands is, ‘is Saba really a part of the Netherlands?’ ” said Commissioner Chris Johnson. Last Monday evening, during the ‘Meet & Greet’, he passed the message to the Evaluation …

Opinion: Open letter to Mr. Plasterk: Dear Mr. Plasterk, Maybe you have not yet taken note of the latest move of the Saba Government to favor friends and family. In that case, please take note of the agreement that the government has signed with the goat owners on Saba. You …

The Daily Herald reports that, as of November 1, Nichalin Martina has become the new director of the Tax Department Caribbean Netherlands, which is part of the Tax and Customs Administration of the European Netherlands. Martina succeeds Angel Bermudez, who left the department in June. This is not Martina’s first …

The Daily Herald reports today that entrepreneur Tricia Chammaa, owner of Brigadoon Restaurant in Windwardside, is to publish her new book Bully Billy on Wednesday, November 18, at De la Rosa fashion store in Windwardside. This is the second of a total of seven books to be published over the …

The Daily Herald reports that fire fighter in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Carlos Leverock, who passed away after an illness at the age of 41, was interred in Saba on Saturday. A memorial service was held at Sacred Heart Church in The Bottom. Leverock, also known on Statia as …

As per January,1 2015, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Edith Schippers has implemented several changes regarding the reimbursement for dental care, orthodontics, physiotherapy and exercise therapy, and in the screening programme for newborns. The BES Healthcare Insurance Claims Regulation (Regeling Aanspraken Zorgverzekering BES (RAZ BES)) stipulates which healthcare claims …

Goat owners on Saba were recently informed about the Island Government’s plan to commence with a goat buyback programme, which aims to reduce the number of roaming goats on the island. The programme financially compensates any goat owner in exchange for bringing in the meat of slaughtered goats. The buyback …

The Daily Herald writes that My Store Supermarket in The Bottom is to put up a sign reading: “Cigarettes are not sold here anymore.” The reason behind this remarkable decision is that people need to become more aware of the dangers of smoking, according to the supermarket’s owner. My Store’s …

The Daily Herald writes that a 41-year old resident of Saba was sentenced to two months suspended and forty hours’ community service Thursday for the attempted smuggling of cocaine into Saba. The 115 grams of cocaine were hidden in a shipment of frozen chicken. Elvin De Jesus Rosa Beltre, born …

The Dutch economy grew by 0.2% in the third quarter of the year, the national statistics office said on Friday in a preliminary assessment. The figures show the economic recovery is continuing but remains fragile, economic affairs minister Henk Kamp said in a reaction. The economy grew 0.6% in the …

The Dutch government is not planning to make the Kingdom Charter part of the evaluation of the constitutional status of countries Curaçao and St. Maarten, and of the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This writes The Daily Herald. Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten, also on …