GREAT BAY--Approximately 2,500 questions from Members of Parliament on the draft 2026 national budget have now been submitted to government for answers, following the ratification of Parliament's 292-page final report on Monday.

GREAT BAY--The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has increased the minimum age for general entry into Carnival Village from 15 to 18 years, bringing the entry requirement in line with the legal age for alcohol consumption.

GREAT BAY--This summer, NAGICO Insurances welcomed summer employees as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, aimed at creating meaningful employment opportunities for young professionals and students across the island.

THE HAGUE--The Dutch Government is making it harder for ministries to leave Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba out of national policy. Under the strengthened “comply or explain” principle, new Dutch policy should, as a starting point, also apply to the three islands. Where a ministry decides that a policy, law, funding arrangement or other measure should not apply in the same way, it must have serious reasons and clearly explain why.

THE HAGUE--The Netherlands wants to further and structurally strengthen cooperation between the police forces of Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, the Caribbean Netherlands and the European Netherlands, with a stronger governance structure, closer information exchange and a future strategy for police cooperation within the Kingdom.

GENEVA--United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a global AI Child Safety Pledge, warning that artificial intelligence has already entered children's education, friendships and private lives before adequate safeguards were established.