Local News

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY – ECONOMY & PUBLIC SERVICES) – No single issue consumed more parliamentary time in 2025–2026 than NV GEBE. From closed-door billing briefings in October to GEBE-related public meetings still running in June, the state utility dominated Parliament's...

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY - POLITICS & GOVERNANCE) - When Parliament of Sint Maarten published its Annual Report for the 2025–2026 Parliamentary Year, buried inside the statistics section it reported that 93 total meetings were held, compared to 124 the previous year. It rep...

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - On Friday, September 4, SZV Social & Health Insurances hosted a Community Stakeholders Meet & Greet with its Executive Leadership Team. The gathering provided a platform for open dialogue on healthcare, prevention, service accessibility, and...

September 13, 2026

THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE) – Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, on Friday, September 11, 2026, participated in a high-level diplomatic exchange bringing together women ambassadors and of the Netherlands’ leading female President and Chief Executive Officer (C...

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - The naval vessel HNLMS Friesland arrived in the port of Willemstad, Curacao on Sunday, September 13, 2026. After a three-month period in the Netherlands, HNLMS Friesland has returned to the Caribbean to take over the role of station ship from HNLMS Groni...

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Tax Administration joined the Literacy Month celebrations on Thursday, September 10, with visits to a third-grade class at the Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) JAG Campus in Betty’s Estate and a fourth-grade class at Asha Stevens Hillside Christian...

September 13, 2026

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Soualiga Employers Association (SEA) is expressing serious concern regarding the projected deterioration in the financial position of the health and social insurance funds administered by the Social & Health Insurances (SZV). Recent projectio...

September 13, 2026

GREAT BAY--Parliament passed just one national ordinance during the 2025-2026 parliamentary year, while seven new draft national ordinances were submitted for consideration, according to Parliament’s newly released annual report. The sole ordinance recorded as passed was the N...

September 13, 2026

GREAT BAY--Members of Parliament significantly increased their use of written questions during the 2025-2026 parliamentary year, while the latest annual report also reveals substantial differences in attendance among MPs at public and Central Committee meetings. Parliamen...

September 13, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) Member of Parliament (MP) Veronica Jansen-Webster and Democratic Party (DP) MP Dimar Labega recorded the highest attendance in Parliament’s 2025-2026 public-meeting attendance records, with 38 attendance records each,...

September 13, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament had Cg. 13,719,670 at its disposal for 2025 and spent Cg. 13,304,941, with salaries and related costs of Members of Parliament (MPs) and faction staff accounting for the largest share of spending at 47.55%, according to Parliament’s 2025-2026 Annual Rep...

September 13, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--Staff shortages caused by turnover, retirement and maternity leave placed considerable pressure on the day-to-day operations of Parliament’s Secretariat during the 2025-2026 parliamentary year, with staff often “stretching itself thin” to keep the institution func...

September 13, 2026

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament held two fewer public meetings and 23 fewer committee meetings in the 2025-2026 parliamentary year compared with 2024-2025, a combined decline of 25 meetings, according to Parliament’s 2025-2026 Annual Report published on Saturday, September 12, 2026. P...