GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Technical negotiating teams from the Cayman Islands and the Netherlands have finalised the terms of an agreement and protocol for the exchange of information with respect to tax matters. The proposed Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) was drafted in George Town. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg) -- Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA, Brazil’s second-largest airline, is adding routes to the Caribbean and smaller domestic cities while scaling back flights in the rest of South America as demand slows, Chief Executive Officer Constantino de Oliveira Jr. said. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao -- Ten lucky North Americans will be put to the test when they compete in a real treasure hunt on the island of Curaçao in hopes of winning half a million dollars. The Curaçao Treasure Hunt will take place from August 23-25, 2009.  Stretching from California to New York, and as far north as Canada... read more...

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) -- A Spanish cruise ship hit by an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus among its crew headed for its final stop at the Caribbean island of Aruba on Thursday, the ship operator said. The Ocean Dream, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, was on a week-long cruise due to end on Friday. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao -- By September 2009, the Netherlands Antilles will have signed nine new tax treaties bringing its total to sixteen. Of these treaties, a total of fourteen treaties will have been concluded with OECD countries. Scheduled to be signed are tax information exchange agreements with Canada, Mexico, Denmark... read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Netherlands Antilles (Reuters) -- A refinery on Curacao operated by Venezuela's state oil company is damaging people's health and must cut emissions or face multi-million dollar fines, a court on the Caribbean island ruled on Thursday. Critics also say PDVSA provides few benefits to the island. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao -- Caribbean tourism human resources professionals meeting in Curacao have been challenged to adopt a new approach to human resources that will lead to a more hospitable experience for visitors. The conference is organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao -- Tourism leaders across the region are being encouraged to value the importance of human resources in the sector. The subject of investment in human resources development was a key talking point at the opening of the 5th Annual Caribbean Tourism Human Resources Conference. read more...

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The scriptures teach us that there is safety in the multitude of counselors, and following a recent visit to the Dutch Caribbean territory of St Maarten I got the impression that tourism leaders there - from the director of tourism to the head of a local destination management company - have expelled insularity read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao -- The delegations of the Netherlands Antilles and Jamaica reached an agreement regarding a tax treaty; and a draft for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion was initialed last Thursday in Kingston. It is hoped that this treaty will be signed later this year. read more...

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PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten -- Caribbean leaders who continue to resist the call to market the region as a single destination should be inspired by the nations of St Maarten and St Martin, which share an island and are successfully branding themselves by embracing the concept the sum is greater than the parts. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao -- The second round of negotiations between the Netherlands Antilles and Jamaica on Double Taxation Avoidance starts on Monday in Kingston. During the first round of negotiations which took place on the island of Curacao in January 2009 considerable progress was made. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (Reuters) -- Curacao residents voted in a referendum on Friday that may give them increased autonomy from the Netherlands and allow a restructuring of the Caribbean island's foreign debt. If the referendum is approved they will be allowed more say in their home affairs. read more...

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KRALENDIJK, Bonaire -- The Tourism Corporation Bonaire on Tuesday announced that Insel Air will be commencing a new weekly non-stop flight from Miami, Florida to Bonaire effective July 4, 2009. The flight will operate weekly on Saturdays throughout the year. Insel Air will use either an MD 82 or MD 83 aircraft. read more...

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ROAD TOWN, BVI -- The British Virgin Islands has been chosen to spearhead the development of a regional programme that will benefit the Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) in the British and Dutch territories in the Caribbean. After a series of talks, the British and Dutch territories agreed to move forward. read more...

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CORAL GABLES, USA -- With Earth Day just around the corner, eco-conscious resorts throughout Central America and the Caribbean are offering guests the opportunity to honor Mother Earth. Highlights on April 22 include nature hikes, gardening, beach cleanups and celebratory “Green Mojitos.” read more...

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ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) -- Offshore centres are rushing to sign data exchange tax deals with small Nordic countries such as Greenland to be taken off a "grey" list of tax havens, making a mockery of a G20 bid to clamp down on evasion, campaigners said. The G20 summit named 40 or so countries. read more...

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PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten -- Winair has come in for high praise after playing a key role in rescuing a lost fisherman whose boat had capsized early Sunday. The St Maarten-based airline company was alerted of the disappearance of the fisherman from Statia, who according to reports was fishing when he disappeared. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA: Veteran Washington-based broadcaster Von Martin joined thousands all across the Caribbean, North America, and elsewhere, mourning Eugene Godfried, the champion radio broadcaster, community organizer, music producer and ethno-musicologist, who died this past Sunday. read more...

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The upcoming May 15 referendum in Curaçao is sure to have important repercussions for the political future of the Netherlands Antilles, a group of islands located in the southern Caribbean, which make up part of the Kingdom of Holland, and one of the last remnants of overseas colonial territories in the Caribbean. read more...

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ST MAARTEN, Netherlands Antilles: Managing Director of Winair, Edwin Hodge edged his company another step closer to profitability as he inked a major deal with a leading Caribbean Insurance company. This new agreement is geared towards enhancing the airline’s aircraft fleet and liability coverage. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: The State Secretary of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles, Alex Rosaria, has taken note of the fact that his country has been put on the OECD “gray list” of international financial centers. According to Rosaria any listing should be transparent and not a guessing game. read more...

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Nine Caribbean islands on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a United States law enforcement agency which will greatly enhance their ability to track and fight firearms trafficking and illegal possession in the region through a paperless firearm trace system. read more...

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Ten regional countries will sign an agreement with the United States to make the tracing of illegal weapons easier. The Memorandum of Understanding signed with the regional governments will provide for the electronic tracing of illicit firearms under a system called eTRACE read more...

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: The Net News Group (NNG), a widely-read media publishing and communications company based in the Cayman Islands, has established a contributor partnership with McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), one of the largest media groups in the United States. read more...

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LYON, France: An international alert has been issued by INTERPOL at the request of the Netherlands Antilles for four dangerous criminals who escaped from Curacao’s Bon Futuro prison on 17 March. They are wanted for offences including murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated theft. read more...

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DUBAI, India (Reuters): Abu Dhabi National Energy Co TAQA.AD (Taqa) paid $320 million for a 50 percent stake in Marubeni Corp's Caribbean power portfolio, which it had agreed to purchase in February, Taqa said. The Marubeni portfolio has equity stakes in power generation and transmission facilities. read more...

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KRALENDIJK, Bonaire: Tourism Corporation Bonaire has announced that Jeffrey Levenstone has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Tourism. A Bonairean native, Levenstone has held positons in social affairs and human resources and as Head of the Department of Economic and Labour Affairs.  read more...

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West Indies Power’s geophysical team and their equipment are in Saba to begin exploration work that will assess the size and location of the geothermal reservoir located on Saba. The results of this work will be used to determine the best place to drill geothermal development holes and at what depth. read more...

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As an Island Territory in the Netherlands Antilles and part of the Dutch Kingdom, Sint Maarten took an innovative approach that is different from the conventional way other Countries in the region and throughout the world are taking to face the challenges of the present “Global Financial Meltdown”. read more...

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MIAMI, USA (AFP): Jimmy Rollins and Adam Dunn blasted home runs while Roy Oswalt struck out five in four shutout innings to power United States past Netherlands 9-3 in a World Baseball Classic elimination game. The victory sent the Americans, who lost to Puerto Rico 11-1 Saturday, into a do-or-die matchup. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao: Understanding that travel has become more difficult for US travelers in this tough economy, Curaçao is putting “vacations” back into reach. The island is launching its high profile awareness building campaign on March 16 via a dedicated website. read more...

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: The current global economic crisis and its impact on the workforce will be among several key subjects to be discussed when Caribbean tourism human resources professionals meet for the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Tourism Human Resources Conference  in Curacao. read more...

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LONDON, England (Reuters): An appeal by the Netherlands Antilles to have sprinter Churandy Martina reinstated as silver medallist in last year's Beijing Olympics 200 metres final has been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Martina was disqualified for running out of his lane. read more...

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KRALENDIJK, Bonaire: This year, a very popular Bonaire tradition will return to the island, when the Fifth Annual Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival takes place on June 4 through 7, 2009. A variety of music styles will be heard around the island when internationally famous musicians mingle with the island’s local bands. read more...

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The Copyright Advocacy Group for Music and Arts (CAGMA) has launched a project aimed at edifying Caribbean recording artistes, publishers, writers, performers and music industry stake holders about the administrative aspects of copyright, its advancement and challenges. read more...

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WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: In the global economic crisis, many countries are now more than ever taking action against “tax haven” jurisdictions but, according to State Secretary of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles, Alex Rosaria, unfortunately many countries subjectively blacklist jurisdictions. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): Sidney Ponson will pitch for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, the first Major League player to confirm his participation in the event, officials said Thursday. The 32-year-old right-hander, a native of Aruba, was 8-5 with a 5.04 ERA last season with the New York Yankees. read more...

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: The Nevis Geothermal Project is expected to move to its second phase in the first quarter of 2009. Word of this has come from Minister of Communication, Works, Public Utilities and Posts, Carlisle Powell. Powell was part of a welcoming party that engaged Saba officials in discussions. read more...

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PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten: Leeward Islands captain Runako Morton scored an elegant ton against Barbados at the Caribe Lumber Ballpark in St Maarten on Sunday, but that was not enough to save his team from the embarrassment of an innings defeat. Barbados won the toss and batted first on a hard track. read more...

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