Botica di Servicio is pleased to announce that the 8th Annual Diabetes Run & Walk 2025 is officially SOLD OUT.

Participants who have already completed their online payment are invited to pick up their shirt and BIB this Friday, November 14th, from 5pm to 8pm at Botica Eagle, as indicated in our latest announcement.

The Diabetes Run & Walk—organized in collaboration with Punta Brabo Diagnostics, CMB, and Subway—will take place on Sunday, November 16th, 2025. For the third consecutive year, funds raised will support Jump18’s cohort program, which focuses on empowering children living with obesity or at risk of diabetes. Led by Dr. Busari and his team, the program uses workshops and practical activities to inspire long-term, healthy lifestyle changes for children and their families.

With diabetes affecting nearly twice as many people in Aruba compared to the global average, this event continues to play an essential role in raising awareness, encouraging healthier habits, and strengthening community support.

Botica di Servicio extends a heartfelt thank-you to everyone for the overwhelming response. We look forward to welcoming all participants on November 16th for another impactful and inspiring edition of the Diabetes Run & Walk.

Balanced Use of Beaches

The courts just found the Aruban beach policy reasonable regarding condominium complexes NOT being eligible to their own pida barranca, their own beach.

The judge stated that granting condominiums their own beach is contrary to the law that was enacted in 2014 and went into effect in 2015, designed to maintain public order and safety as well as protect the environment.

The judge explained that condominium owners may move with their own chairs and umbrellas from beach to beach and thus the complex must not be granted privileged access to its own beach portion, unlike hotels and timeshares.

The authorities in Curacao and Bonaire were also called to make policies regarding the balanced use of beaches by locals and visitors.

Kingdom law accepted

Monday night in a marathon parliamentary meeting of 9 hours the Kingdom Law, proposed and promoted by the AVP party, was finally adopted with a majority of 11 votes pro. Mike de Meza, an AVP MP abstained.

Finally, it is done. The opposition wasted much time debating on the subject eager to delay and sabotage. Former minister Ursell Arends was recorded in an excellent clip, defending the Kingdom Law, liking Aruba’s debts to a mortgage that must be paid to the lender. Aruba owes more than 900 million to the Netherlands, for the corona loans alone, and it makes more sense to pay the amount back at a reduced interest rate, under the kingdom law, instead of the customary interest percentage that is much higher.

The MEP party conducted an extensive negative campaign against the Kingdom Law in past weeks, though it was signed originally under their own government, and forgotten due to political amnesia. Finally common sense prevailed, and parliament got it done.

The extensive negative campaign against the Kingdom Law, is going on this week, compliments of MEP.

Stealing the thunder

During his short visit to Aruba, Dutch premier Dick Schoof announced that the Kingdom is granting 53.6 million Euro to Sustainable Energy Production and Climate Transition Incentive Scheme, in Aruba. Curacao is grated 62.9 million Euro and Sint Martin 33.46.

He said the following: We are supporting Aruba in its energy transition and are handing over €53.6 million available to strengthen the Aruban electricity grid. The goal is to enable it to handle more solar and wind energy.

That is great news. Schoof also complimented Aruba’s premier for the decision to dismantle the mothballed refinery.

The following morning, its political amnesia cured, MEP shared a press release attempting to steal the thunder, reiterating that the millions were pledged under the former government, of MEP in 2023, and that it was NOT the current AVP government that managed to secure the endowment but its MEP predecessor.

Whoever did it, thank you!

It is time to wake up, and abandon the illusion

During the last decade, the delusion of reopening the refinery won a few elections on the island of Curacao and in Aruba where the empty promise of more high-paying jobs, blinded voters into believing pipe dreams.

In a joint statement with the Dutch premier, Aruba’s premier was moved to announce that RDA is closed permanently, and the Netherlands then promised to help with dismantling. The old rust bucket will be taken out of its misery, and the location will be repurposed, which is a huge challenge for a small island, according to Aruba’s premier. Schoof praised the decision as a “courageous and visionary.”

Former Minister Arends said: This is a reckoning. A come-to-Jesus moment for our island. The refinery did not just stop working—it died a long time ago. We have simply refused to bury it.

What as former-Minister I am forcing us to confront is the uncomfortable truth: Governments of Aruba have kept feeding a horse that died ten years ago.

The Lago Refinery was once one of the largest in the world, and during World War II one of the main suppliers of fuel to the Allied forces. After owner Exxon withdrew in 1985, the complex was already partly dismantled. Since then, the refinery has had several owners. Despite an overhaul in 1990, the complex became obsolete. A portion of it is used for oil storage.

The Jamaica Relief Aid Committee is pleased to report that Saturday, November 8, 2025 marked the first day of drop-off support at the YMCA Sanicholas, in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, which struck the western parishes of Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The day was a resounding success, with supporters turning out in strong numbers to contribute essential necessities for those impacted by the disaster.

A robust outpouring of donations of basic necessities for hurricane victims.

Community engagement from both Jamaican and Aruban supporters, underscoring the cross-diasporic solidarity in this relief effort.

In addition to community contributions, the initiative is honored to announce, a prominent visit from the Prime Minister of Aruba to the YMCA Sanicholas, recognizing the outpouring of support from both the Aruban and Jamaican communities.

The committee has secured storage facilities to safely store donated items, made possible through the generosity of the Management of Fast Delivery, whose significant assistance ensures smooth and organized relief operations.

The Freewinds has generously offered their support for helping to organize a charity concert to be held in December, with all proceeds directed toward ongoing relief efforts.

A telethon is in the planning to further boost support, with a date to be announced in the near future.

Donations can be dropped off at YMCA Sanicholas this Saturday November 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Red Cross Aruba will also be present.

The committee will continue to provide regular updates as relief operations progress.

Further details and announcements will be communicated as they become available.

The Jamaica Relief Aid Committee extends sincere gratitude to all donors, volunteers, and who have contributed time, resources, and support. Your generosity is making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by Hurricane Melissa.

November 2025. The Alba Quarter, a new landmark in the making, made its first public debut during CUA’s Business Brew 2025, held right across the street from its future home.

Managing Director Xena Profet presented the project for the first time, sharing the story behind the historic building built by Adriaan Lacle around 1898, and the family’s vision to restore it into a space where heritage and modern hospitality meet. The Profet family are the first buyers since the original owners, making a new chapter in the building’s legacy.

The Alba Quarter is expected to open in April 2026, with membership sign-ups launching in December 2025.

The publication of a new study, Mapping Caribbean Researchers, reveals a vibrant yet often overlooked community of researchers and knowledge professionals connected to the six islands of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius.

The study, conducted by local researchers Renske Pin and Steffen van Heijningen with financial support from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), shows that the region represents a true treasure chest of researchers and academic knowledge. This knowledge community is not limited to the islands themselves but extends into a broad and active diaspora.

Nearly 400 researchers participated in the online survey. The topics and content of the questionnaire were co-defined through focus group sessions with more than 70 local academics and knowledge professionals, who jointly identified the main themes relevant for strengthening and making visible the Caribbean research community.

The findings reveal a large, diverse, and highly educated field. No less than 38% of respondents hold a PhD, 13% are currently pursuing one, and another 22% intend to start a PhD trajectory. The community includes not only university-based researchers but also independent scholars, visiting academics, and members of the Caribbean diaspora who remain actively engaged with the islands.

The results highlight a community with high geographical mobility, multilingualism, and cultural diversity. Researchers often work across islands and borders, maintain close ties with both the Netherlands and the Caribbean region, and cover a wide range of disciplines—from social development, culture, and education to health, governance, and the environment. Much of their work is practice-oriented and socially impactful.

At the same time, the study identifies several structural challenges that constrain the continuity and impact of research, such as limited access to funding, data, and institutional support, insecure employment and income conditions (low income levels, with only 50% having a pension plan), high travel and logistics costs, and barriers to building sustainable collaborations.

The researchers therefore advocate for a Caribbean Researchers Portal—a digital platform that improves the visibility and accessibility of researchers and their work, facilitates collaboration, and strengthens the Caribbean knowledge ecosystem.

Pin and Van Heijningen express their sincere gratitude to the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations for the financial support of this special project, which contributes to strengthening knowledge about and within the Kingdom. According to the researchers, such knowledge is not only important for the islands themselves, but also for the quality of policymaking within the Kingdom. “We found an incredible reservoir of expertise—highly educated, internationally oriented researchers deeply rooted in their communities. With modest but targeted investments in coordination, funding, and digital infrastructure, this ecosystem could make an even greater contribution to policy and knowledge development across the Kingdom,” the researchers note.