BASSETERE, St Kitts (CUOPM): Nationals of St Kitts and Nevis residing on Dutch and French St Martin will get an opportunity to hear about the developments in the twin-island Federation. Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, who will be on the island on official duties, will meet with Kittitians and Nevisians living there. read more...

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HOUSTON, USA (Reuters): The Petrobras board of directors will hear a final report Friday on the possible purchase of Valero's Aruba refinery, and may make a decision at that time, officials said Tuesday. "We are not committed to making a decision," said Jose Sergio Gabrielli, president and CEO of the Brazilian state oil company. read more...

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WILLIAMSTAD Curacao: The State Secretary of Finance, Alex Rosaria, will hold talks with the European Commission regarding the inclusion of the Netherlands Antilles on negative fiscal lists of some European Union member states. Some consider the Netherlands Antilles as a “tax haven”. read more...

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PROVIDENICALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: The Bonaire National Marine Park, known as a “Diver’s Paradise,” is the recipient of the Islands Magazine/ Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Sustainable Tourism Award for 2008. The Marine Park received the award during a special presentation. read more...

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Edwin Carrington has described his visit to St Maarten as a “Caribbean homecoming” given the warmth that he experienced during his first visit to the island, the second in seven months to a Dutch Caribbean territory. read more...

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Again and still the question is asked by thousands: "Why have there been no charges in Aruba over the disappearance of Natalie Holloway?" Why does Joran Van der Sloot continue to walk free and do his partying when he has confessed to failing to render aid to Natalie when she was obviously in acute danger? read more...

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: As part of ongoing development plans within the Caribbean region, Caribbean Net News has now launched several country-specific “Net News” websites, in order to provide more in-depth news, information and commentary in relation to each country and territory. read more...

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: The Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry, in continued efforts to forge stronger relationships with Nevisians living abroad, will be leaving the Federation on Saturday, to meet with nationals and Friends of Nevis in St Maarten and Anguilla this weekend. The delegation will be returning to Nevis on Monday. read more...

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters): Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, will resume talks this month to buy a refinery in Aruba owned by independent US refiner Valero Energy Corp, a Petrobras director said on Tuesday. Valero purchased the refinery from El Paso Corp for $465 million in 2004. read more...

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EL PASO, USA: The Netherlands Antilles sprinter Churandy Martina opened his season with two world-leading performances last weekend at the UTEP Invitational at Kidd Field in El Paso, Texas. Martina blasted to a world-leading equaling time of 10.00-seconds to win the 100m dash in a 0.8 m/s wind speed. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: The negotiating teams of the Netherlands Antilles and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will kick off the negotiation of a double taxation treaty during the second week of May. The negotiating teams have agreed to meet each other half way and will hold their talks in The Hague. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (Reuters): A 320,000 barrels per day oil refinery on Curacao, operated by Venezuela's state oil company, was back online on Thursday after a power outage a day earlier, refinery spokesman Donald Cijntje said. The refinery was without power due to a problem at the supplier utility company. read more...

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HOUSTON, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, plans to sell its Aruba refinery in the second quarter to focus on improvements to plants that can process cheaper oil. The company plans to bankroll improvements at its most complex plants by selling off its least desirable assets. read more...

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters): Three of the lowest ranked international teams will attempt unlikely wins in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Wednesday. Montserrat meet Suriname in a one-off preliminary round encounter that will be played in Trinidad, as neither country has a stadium considered suitable. read more...

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CURACAO, Netherland Antilles: Divers from all over the world are heading to the 2008 Curacao Dive Festival (May 24 – 31) to experience what Scuba Diving Magazine voted “Healthiest Marine Environment in the Caribbean/Atlantic.”  Divers will learn the tricks of underwater photography and get to swap stories. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, said its Aruba refinery will resume full production in the middle of April. Valero Chief Executive Officer William Klesse said repairs and maintenance projects at the plant will be completed in early April. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: Curacao will play host next week to a Surinamese delegation which will be in town for the negotiations of an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion (DTA).  It is expected that a DTA will encourage and help business in both countries. read more...

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Two delegations from the neighbouring US Virgin Islands and the Dutch territory of Saba left Nevis on Friday, following a two day visit for a first hand look at the ongoing geothermal explorations on the island. Both delegations were welcomed by Premier of Nevis Joseph Parry. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: A controlled yet resolute crowd of some one thousand people gathered Saturday afternoon in the old orchard of Biesheuvel, a suburb of Willemstad, to discuss the latest developments regarding the constitutional restructuring process taking place on Curacao. read more...

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Bloomberg): Joran van der Sloot, the Dutchman who said earlier he disposed of the body of Natalee Holloway, denied he has anything to do with the disappearance of the American teenager on the Caribbean island of Aruba, the Aruba Public Prosecutor's Office said. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: The tax treaty policy of the Netherlands Antilles will change this year and will be focused more on treaties to avoid double taxation (Double Taxation Agreement: DTA) and not so much on tax information-exchange treaties (Tax Information Exchange Agreement: TIEA). read more...

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MIAMI, USA (Reuters): Rudis Corrales scored five goals as El Salvador crushed Anguilla 12-0 in their CONCACAF World Cup first round qualifying match on Wednesday, while Belize picked up their first win in the competition, beating St.Kitts and Nevis 3-1 in their first-leg game played in Guatemala City. read more...

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KRALENDIJK, Bonaire: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has designated Bonaire as having “arguably the most pristine coral reef environment in the Caribbean.” Bonaire’s reef will now become the benchmark for which all other coral reefs will be compared. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, said "several units are up and operating," including a crude unit and coker, at its Aruba refinery after a fire shut the plant last month. "We do have operations going at Aruba," Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. read more...

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP): A Dutch television programme broadcast on Sunday says it cracked the mystery of what happend to a US teen who disappeared from the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005. Investigative reporter Peter de Vries dedicated a two hour programme to reconstructing what happened. read more...

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Bloomberg): The public prosecutor on the Caribbean island of Aruba has reopened the investigation into the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway after a Dutch journalist handed over "important" video material.  The journalist claims to have solved the case, according to his website. read more...

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PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Surinamese businessman Bidjai Parmessar, 43, was acquitted of all drug charges by a high court in The Hague, the Netherlands Monday, but he has been sentenced for money laundering. Parmessar was arrested in 2005 in Paramaribo and extradited to the Netherlands for prosecution. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, said it plans to start its Aruba refinery without a vacuum tower damaged in a January 25 fire. The plant will run at reduced rates until the vacuum tower is repaired, Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, said a fire that shut its refinery in Aruba on Friday has been extinguished. The fire occurred at 11:45 a.m. local time in a vacuum tower, Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement. The refinery in the Caribbean is still closed. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Valero Energy Corp., the largest US refiner, said operations have been restored to the "main process units" at its refinery in Aruba. Two crude units and a coker are operating, Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview. A power disruption caused the plant to close. read more...

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