News

NTR-Caribisch Netwerk reports that on Sunday, August 3rd nine Bonaire students travelled to the Netherlands to start their studies. Also two students from Saba and nine from Statia leave the BES on another flight from Sint Maarten to the Netherlands. A total of 43 students from the Dutch Caribbean went …

Twenty-year-old Elsa Peterson was crowned Saba’s Carnival Queen for 2014 winning Thursday’s Single Mother’s Pageant at Princess Juliana Sports Field in The Bottom. This reports The Daily Herald. Peterson, a criminal law student attending The Hague University in the Netherlands, won the best talent, business, culture, and evening wear segments …

The Daily Herald writes that just three days after King of Calypso Mighty Sparrow made a triumphant return to Saba, the island’s own royal court of knights and ladies will add their own chapter to the art form’s venerable legacy during Saba Summer Carnival Festival’s Local Calypso Show at Princess …

Internationally renowned calypso and Soca pioneer The Mighty Sparrow performed on Saba for the first time in more than 39 years during Tuesday’s “Back in da Days” night as part of the Summer Carnival festivities at Princess Juliana Sports Field in The Bottom. This writes The Daily Herald. Sparrow (79) …

The Daily Herald reports today that single mothers will take centre stage at the annual Saba Carnival Queen Show at Carnival Village in The Bottom, Thursday at 8:00pm. This year’s show featuring four local working mothers will take the form of a single mother’s pageant with the theme “Taking Care …

UTS has put it’s support behind the 2014 summer festivities on Saba and St. ‎Eustatius. In Saba the company made a donation to the Saba Cultural Foundation, which organizes the yearly festivities on the island. While the company’s support assists the foundation’s activities on a whole, the Tuesday evening show, …

Recently the Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (Tax Office) took a big step forward in its service. Taxpayers who inform the Belastingdienst in time about their bank account number will receive their tax refunds automatically into their bank accounts. The Belastingdienst continually strives to optimize its service. Until recently, it took the …

Caribisch Netwerk announced that the investigation team (RST) in charge of the Maximus case, the murder on late politician Helmin Magnus Wiels, had arrested Robby Dos Santos at 6:40 this morning on Curaçao in his own house. So far three suspects have been arrested including former ministers Carlos Monk and …

The Daily Herald writes that Saba Carnival 2014 began with the Grand Lighting Opening Jump Up on Thursday. Friday night a larger than expected crowd turned out for Compa Flavour Night featuring Carimi from Haiti alongside Saba’s own XP Band. Saturday’s schedule showcased local talent during Saba Starz Night Talent …

SABA Island Properties– What’s the Point of It? By Albert Pensis & Michael Feeley Why here on Saba? Nearly 5 years ago we visited Saba for the first time and fell totally in love with it. We like to be busy and for some time we’ve been thinking about what …

The famous steps leading to the highest point on Saba as well as in the Dutch Kingdom, Mount Scenery, will be renovated in the coming months. Over the years the steps have sustained some damage through hurricanes, regular wear and tear and more recently when the power cables to the …

In 2013, 10,500 people in the Caribbean Netherlands were in a paid job. In total, workers in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba occupied more than 9,000 jobs. The vast majority of these jobs, some 7,500, could be found on Bonaire; it emerged from figures published Thursday by Central Bureau of …

The day of national mourning to honour the victims of Malaysia Airline flight MH17 dominates Thursday’s newspapers, with most carrying a full page photograph of the ceremony. Dutch News gives an overview of  newspapers in the Netherlands. ‘Day of mourning gives the dead their dignity back’, is the Volkskrant’s headline. …

The highlights of the official ceremony on Wednesday’s national day of mourning for the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Diplomatic offensive to secure MH17 site Dutch News reported that The Netherlands has begun a major diplomatic offensive to send possibly hundreds of soldiers and police forensic experts to Ukraine …

Flags on government and private buildings are at half mast in the Netherlands on Wednesday at the start of an official day of mourning to remember those who died on flight MH17. It is the first time the Netherlands has declared a day of public mourning since the death of …

Dutch News announced that Wednesday July 23 has been designated an official day of mourning to remember those who died on flight MH17, says prime minister Mark Rutte. Flags will be at half mast on government buildings and church bells will be rung for five minutes prior to the landing …

In the Daily Herald of today Patrick Geans is looking forward towards 2014 Carnival. Up from The Bottom to Zion’s Hill; down from Hell’s Gate to the slopes of St. Johns; from the quaint shops and homes of Windwardside to the deep blue shores of Cove Bay; from the top …

Dutch News reports that King Willem-Alexander has spoken of his sorrow at the death of so many Dutch nationals in last week’s air disaster in Ukraine. Speaking to the nation after he and queen Maxima met relatives of those who died at a special gathering in Nieuwegein, the king talked …

Caribisch Netwerk reports that the supermarkets on Bonaire are of the opinion that their prices are not at all very high. “The problem is the income of the people”, says Frits van Ham, the president of the Bonaire importers and supermarkets (VBIS). Yet the supermarkets are willing to reach a …

The Daily Herald writes that Child Focus summer activities programme 2014, coordinated and organised by Stacey Simmons and Suzanne Guido, came to a close on Friday, July 11, with a fun-filled barbeque at Cove Bay. Their goal was to create a variety of enjoyable activities giving participants an opportunity to …

Members of the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber of Socialist Party (SP) and Party for Freedom PVV have posed questions to Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk concerning the motion against new Government Representative Gilbert Isabella, which was unanimously adopted by the Island Council of St. Eustatius on …

The Daily Herald writes that a group of concerned parents will be holding a community-wide meeting at Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside at 6:00pm Saturday. The group, informally called Saba Parents Association (SPA), said it is holding the meeting to openly address the concerns of parents and community members alike …

Dutch News reports that at least 154 Dutch nationals were on board the Malaysian Airlines plane thought to have been brought down by a rocket over Ukraine. Note Editor: The nationality of all passengers has been established now. !93 Dutch nationals have died in the incident. The dutch minister of …

On Thursday morning, July 17, 2014 Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland (KPCN) held a traffic surveillance on Saba in the context of the enforcement task. This inspection took place between 6:30 am and 9:00 am at the J. Sawyers Ridge Road in St. John’s. During this inspection, more than 90 vehicles …

The Daily Herald writes about comments on the document presented to officials in the Netherlands last month.“People on the island feel like the Dutch are not paying attention and in the long run it will cost them more to rebuild the economy,” said SBA President Wolfgang Tooten. “On a small …

The Daily Herald reports that Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk received further rejection Tuesday of his appointment of Gilbert Isabella as the new Dutch Government Representative. The Island Council of St. Eustatius unanimously passed a motion expressing discontent with the followed selection procedure and the …

The Daily Herald writes that Board members of Saba Education Foundation (SEF) Board and Saba Parents Association (SPA) met on Monday and agreed to move forward after several contentious weeks following the Board’s April decision not to renew the contracts of Saba Comprehensive School Director Hemmie van Xanten and three …

The following  text depicts the vision of the Chamber of Commerce St. Eustatius and Saba about the economic development, mostly concerning St. Eustatius, but also meant for Saba. It was made available to the executive council for the CN week in The Hague. It was also presented (in Dutch) to …

Hazel Durand reports on the site of Caribisch Netwerk that the Board of the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) has hired five new teachers. It still lacks a new teacher for  Dutch. This says Wingrove Baker, one of the parents who was able to participate last night in a meeting with …

It was agreed that there would be a meeting with the board of the Saba Education Foundation (SEF) yesterday, Monday the 14th of July 4:30 pm at the Sunny Valley Youth Centre. Again a group of parents, teachers and other people who were worried about what had happened at the …

Two young Saban athletes have traveled to the Philadelphia 76ers basketball camp from July 13th to 18th. Shurendy Windfield and Frankelly Wilson are traveling along with their chaperone James Granger to Philadelphia where they will take part in the camp which aims to enhance the skills of young athletes. While …

The Daily Herald writes that a group of about twenty concerned residents, parents and educators are looking forward to a long sought-after meeting with Saba Education Foundation (SEF) board members, purportedly scheduled at Sunny Valley Youth Centre in The Bottom today, Monday, at 4:30pm. The group showed up to a …

More than twenty local residents came out for free medical screenings at the annual Saba University School of Medicine (SUSOM) Health Fair on Saturday in The Bottom. This reports The Daily Herald. Organizers said although attendance was somewhat down this year, they were still pleased to provide the annual public …

The Daily Herald writes that the Dutch Government is looking into the possibility of establishing a safe house in the Caribbean Netherlands for victims of violence. Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten stated this in a recent letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament in which …

Parents of children at the Saba Comprehensive School and others listed many questions about the latest developments at that school – especially regarding the not extending of the contracts with four teachers and with the director – and offered these to the school board. After having refused to participate in a …

Date July 11, 2014 Subject Answers to parliamentary questions I give you the answers to the written questions of the members Fritsma and Wilders (both PVV) on the appointment of the new Government Representative BES. These were sent on July 11, 2014. The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, …

The Council of Ministers has agreed with the proposal of the Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Mr. R.H.A. Plasterk, to appoint Mr. E.E. Rijna as Island Governor of the Public Entity of Bonaire. Mr. Rijna is presently the Acting Island Governor of Bonaire. Until 2011 Mr. Rijna has …

The Daily Herald writes that members of the Central Committee of St. Eustatius’ Island Council have voiced their dissatisfaction with the recent appointment of Gilbert Isabella as the new Dutch Government Representative for Bonaire, Statia and Saba. They also criticised the way in which he was chosen by the Dutch …

Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten stated in a recent letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament that efforts to improve the justice sector on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in recent years have had positive effects. However, cooperation between the justice partners remains essential, also …

The inflation rate in the Caribbean Netherlands increased substantially in the second quarter of 2014, just as in the first quarter. Following a period of extremely high inflation in 2011, the rate began to slow down in 2012, but picked up again during the first six months of this year. …