PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto announced over the weekend that the policy description 2013 National Budget was forwarded to all Secretary Generals of the seven ministries on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG - Nurses Edna Scott Benders and Frank Banis, are the first ever Student Registered Nurses to have completed their Psychiatry Job Training on St. Maarten at the Mental Health Foundation.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Economic & Tourism Affairs, Telecommunications & Transport Franklin Meyers stressed that 'a road map has to be drawn up to achieve a fairer and more balanced economy', at the recently concluded Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) 2012-2022 workshop held at Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa.

PHILIPSBURG, Pond Island – TelEm Group is delivering a "Safe Sex" message during carnival 2012 by distributing thousands of FREE condoms to carnival revelers during the next two weeks.

PHILIPSBURG - During Friday's Calypso Eliminations competition, the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) honored seven individuals.

PHILIPSBURG - Before a reasonable crowd at the Carnival Village on Friday night, 17 Calypsonions took part in the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation Nagico Elimination Calypso Competition.

PHILIPSBURG - The Browlia F. Maillard Campus in St. John's will be closed on Monday.

PHILIPSBURG - Sunday mornings heavy rainfall which caught many residents by surprise caused property damage as well as damage to the islands road network.

PHILIPSBURG - A surface trough in the Central Atlantic is the cause of the heavy rain fall during the course of Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

BES ISLANDS - On behalf of the Executive Council of St. Eustatius on Friday April 20th Commissioner Sneek signed an agreement with director-general Roborgh of the Dutch ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap - OCW), for the foundation of a multifunctional knowledge centre ("kenniscentrum") on the windward island.