GREAT BAY--As has been allowed on in previous years, only shops located in Philipsburg will be granted a special exemption to open on St. Maarten's Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, as government seeks to accommodate cruise ship passengers scheduled to visit the island during the holiday season.

GREAT BAY--The Anglican Church is extending a special invitation to Anglicans across St. Maarten, particularly young people and adults who have drifted away from regular church attendance, to reconnect with their faith and church community during a homecoming initiative on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Ardwell Irion has issued a pointed warning to Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs, urging him to take decisive action on St. Maarten's garbage collection problems rather than allow the issue to define his time in office.

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Patrice Gumbs, has announced that St. Maarten's budget allocation for road infrastructure is set to increase substantially in 2027, rising from just 650,000 guilders in 2026 to five million guilders under the proposed national budget.

THE HAGUE--From strengthening public accountability and economic resilience to addressing infrastructure challenges, environmental sustainability and Kingdom relations, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina continues an intensive official working visit to the Netherlands, bringing Sint Maarten’s national priorities into discussions with senior government officials, institutional leaders and strategic partners.

GREAT BAY--Government websites across Europe were temporarily shut down on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, following the discovery of two critical security vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language used by a large portion of the world's websites. Authorities in several countries urged organizations to install emergency security updates immediately or consider taking their websites offline until the weaknesses could be addressed.