The last Fokker 50 of the former Insel Air leaves Curaçao WILLEMSTAD - The last Fokker 50 of the former Insel Air will leave Curaçao on Tuesday. The PJ-KVM has now reportedly been sold to an airline in Kenya via America and the Netherlands. The aircraft was at the Hato airport all this time. The PJ-KVM was one of the two Fokker 50 aircraft still flying with the PJ-KVN when Insel Air went bankrupt. The PJ-KVN stood at the airport of Sint Maarten for a long time and was eventually scrapped there. Insel Air was once the market leader in Aruba and Curaçao. With a fleet consisting of Fokker 50 s, Fokker 70 s and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 s, the company flew not only between the ABC islands, but also to several other destinations in North and South America.
Sharks found with dangerously high levels of heavy metals in the Caribbean KRALENDIJK - In a new study, researchers from the non-profit research institute Beneath the Waves (BTW) documented and revealed alarmingly high levels of 12 heavy metals, including mercury, in the muscle tissues of large reef and tiger sharks sampled throughout The Bahamas. Published today in Scientific Reports, the new findings carry important implications for human health in the Greater Caribbean region, where sharks are occasionally consumed by humans, even though strictly prohibited around several island such as in the Yarari Sanctuary (Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius) and around St. Maarten.
Rutte fiercely criticized in debate on allowance scandal; Admits responsibility THE HAGUE - Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte was forced to rectify the idea that he was trying to avoid responsibility in the childcare allowance scandal during a debate on the affair and the Rutte III Cabinet s resignation. Of course I was always directly responsible. I will not run way from that, he said in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, on Tuesday, NU.nl and NOS report. Opposition parties SP, PVV, PvdA, and GroenLinks, and coalition party D66 all wanted Rutte to explain how in his 10 years as Prime Minister, he let things get this far. The Kamer was very critical of its own role in this scandal, but mainly focused on statements Rutte made in a press conference on Friday. While announcing the Rutte III government s resignation, Rutte said that he had no direct involvement in this file . In the debate, Rutte stuck to the line that he only became directly involved in the summer of 2019, when it became clear how serious this affair was.
New Covid measures to be announced in Wednesday press conference THE HAGUE - The government will hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to announce extra measures for curbing the spread of the coronavirus, Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health said on Tuesday, NU.nl reports. The Health Minister did not elaborate on which measures will be implemented, but the government has been discussing the implementation of a curfew. The number of coronavirus infections is falling in the current hard lockdown, but experts are very concerned about the spread of the B117 strain of the virus in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands: Gov t scraps debts of victims in childcare allowance scandal THE HAGUE - The Cabinet is scrapping all the government debts the victims of the childcare allowance scandal have, State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen of Finance announced on Monday evening. I think parents deserve a completely clean slate, so that they can use the amount of compensation to really make a new start, Van Huffelen said, RTL Nieuws reports. This involves all government debts to organizations like DUO and benefits agency UWV. The government is also n talks with private creditors, like energy companies and housing corporations, about scrapping victims debts, Van Huffelen said.