PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Library is pleased to announce the addition of Een zwaluw in de kamer: Queer-verhalen die je omarmen (A Swallow in the Room: Queer Stories That Embrace You) by Dutch author Eveline van de Putte to its collection. Danielle Swart generously donated the book on behalf of the author.
Written in Dutch, Een zwaluw in de kamer is a collection of twenty interconnected stories that explore themes of identity, love, family, friendship, inclusion, disability, and self-discovery. Through relatable and compassionate characters, the book highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and respect for diversity, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
Danielle Swart works as a fund manager for the Jo Visser Fonds in the Netherlands. The goal of this fund is to stimulate healthcare education for people who wish to work in elderly care and related fields. By supporting small projects, young people can learn about the importance of their future profession. The publication of Een zwaluw in de kamer was made possible through this support.
“The author tells stories about the queer community in a friendly and accessible way, especially to encourage people to love and respect one another,” said Swart. “This is particularly important in healthcare settings, where many people are still afraid to show their true feelings. We hope that this book demonstrates that we are all human beings and serves as a valuable conversation starter.”
The Sint Maarten Library invites patrons to discover this thoughtful and inspiring Dutch-language title and engage in meaningful conversations about inclusion, acceptance, and our shared humanity.
For more information, please contact the Sint Maarten Library.

PHILIPSBURG — A parliamentary meeting concluded on a conciliatory note after a motion expressing dissatisfaction was formally withdrawn before it could be debated or voted upon.
During the session, the Chair announced that Parliament had reached the third item on its agenda, a motion expressing dissatisfaction. However, the motion's presenter, Member of Parliament Ardwell Irion, requested that it be retracted.
Addressing the Chair, MP Irion explained that developments during the meeting had changed the circumstances surrounding the proposal. He noted that the first motion discussed had addressed concerns about fairness and justice, rendering his own motion no longer relevant.
“Seeing the first motion and seeing that the fairness and justice base of my motion will not make sense anymore, I would like to retract my motion,” MP Irion stated.
Following parliamentary procedure, the request to withdraw the motion was presented to the chamber and received the necessary support from two members. As a result, the motion was officially retracted and was not put to a vote.
With no further items requiring deliberation, the Chair brought the meeting to a close. In her concluding remarks, she thanked the Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), Richinel Brug, and members of his support staff for their participation.
The Chair also expressed regret over the circumstances that had led to the matter being brought up before Parliament, particularly considering its impact on the minister, his ministry, and the individuals working within it.

From May 17 to June 4, 2026, the French Forces in the West Indies (FAA) will organize an exercise in the Antilles region called CARAÏBES-26.
The natural disasters that threaten and regularly strike the West Indies transcend borders and require a rapid response from the affected states, as well as coordinated action from regional actors.
To prepare for these situations, the FAA organizes an inter-service, inter-ministerial, and allied exercise in the West Indies region called CARAÏBES every two years.
CARAÏBES-26 is based on a scenario of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), involving the participation of French armed forces stationed in the West Indies and French Guiana, armed forces from Caribbean countries, as well as regional and non-governmental organizations: prefectures of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint-Martin through their inter-ministerial defense and civil protection service (SIDPC) and the inter-service zone headquarters for the West Indies (EMIZA), departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS) of Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin, National Gendarmerie, Red Cross, and the inter-regional platform for the Americas and the Caribbean (PIRAC).
A real-condition exercise, CARAÏBES-26 simulates the intervention of French sovereignty forces during an emergency operation to respond to the arrival of a major Category 4 cyclone, which strikes the southern and then the northern West Indies in the days following its passage. It also includes a security operation on a foreign territory that was simulated on the island of Marie-Galante from May 17 to 22, with the participation of the embarked tactical group (GTE) and the aeromaritime means of the JEANNE D’ARC mission, which would have arrived as reinforcements from France following the outbreak of the climatic crisis and the resulting insecurity.
Divided into three sequences, each of which allows working on a typical phase of a natural disaster crisis in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint-Martin.
CARAÏBES-26 consolidates inter-administration collaboration between the FAA and state services in the context of crisis management in the region.
It also strengthens cooperation with allied and partner countries of the FAA in population assistance missions through the integration of troops and/or observers from Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026: media sequence in Saint-Martin
• 10:30 AM: sequence at the Belle Créole site: presentation of the exercise and interviews in the presence of Mr. Cyrille Le Vély, Prefect of Saint-Martin, Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Souberie, Commander-in-Chief of the French Forces in the West Indies, Mr. Luc F. E. Mercelina, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, and Mrs. Julia Crouch, Governor of Anguilla;
• 11:00 AM: presentation of the exercise's setup by a military personnel, a member of the Saint-Martin territorial fire and rescue service (STIS), and a member of the Guadeloupe military adapted service regiment (RSMA), along with the intervention actions of civilian and military entities, French and foreign, following the (fictional) passage of the cyclone;
• 11:45 AM: departure from the Belle Créole site to the Happy Bay site by road;
• 12:15 PM: presentation of the military device and military and civilian means of aid to victims deployed on the Happy Bay site: triage area for the wounded, supplies of first necessities...
• 1:00 PM: end of the media sequence.
Special arrangements for the press
Media wishing to cover this exercise are invited to make themselves known by email to:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
before Monday, June 1, 2026.
The following must be specified:
• the number of participating individuals;
• first and last name of each participant;
• the name of the media outlet and its contact details (email + phone);
• attach to the accreditation request a scanned copy of a valid ID (front/back) (national ID or passport) as well as press cards associated with each participant.

St Augustine. The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, on Tuesday, marked the successful harvest of the Black-Eyed Peas Pilot Project in Warrenville, Trinidad, demonstrating the crop’s strong commercial potential and its possible role in strengthening national food security and supporting school feeding programmes.
The pilot initiative, implemented with support from the Ministry of Education, the National School Dietary Services Limited (NSDSL), FAO Caribbean and IICA, showcased the successful adaptation of black-eyed peas under local growing conditions, with CARDI reporting germination rates exceeding 96 percent and harvest achieved within approximately 56 to 60 days.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ravi Ratiram, described the initiative as a practical step toward transforming discussions on food security into measurable action.
“Today is about moving from discussion to action on food security,” the Minister said. “The information gathered from these trial plots allows us to confidently advise farmers on the production potential, suitability, and profitability of crops like black-eyed peas under local conditions.”
Ratiram noted that reducing dependence on imported food and agricultural inputs remains a major national priority and commended the collaboration among CARDI, farmers, technical officers, and institutional stakeholders.
Speaking during the harvest exercise, Executive Director of CARDI, Ansari Hosein, said the initiative demonstrated how local production could help reduce food imports while creating new economic opportunities for farmers.
“We have heard that there is over 300,000 kilograms of black-eyed beans being used in the school feeding programme,” Hosein explained. “This is an opportunity where, once we demonstrate profitability and farmers adopt the technology package, we can satisfy that local requirement instead of importing the product.”
He added that the project could support employment generation, reduce foreign exchange outflows, and promote a more circular local economy.
“Everything is grown locally, produced locally, and used locally. Black-eyed beans are also a healthy commodity to consume, which contributes positively to nutrition and reducing non-communicable diseases,” Hosein said.
CARDI Technical Manager, Fayaz Shah, highlighted several important lessons learned during the pilot phase, including the importance of early soil treatment, irrigation scheduling, preventative pest and disease management, and timely fertilizer application.

According to Shah, approximately two acres of black-eyed peas were cultivated as part of the broader six-acre demonstration area, alongside corn and soybean plots. The pilot also demonstrated that local production timelines could outperform some international benchmarks.
“Based on guidance from our counterparts abroad, we expected harvest around 90 days, but under local conditions we achieved harvest readiness in approximately 56 to 60 days,” Shah said. “That tells us the production potential here in Trinidad and Tobago is extremely promising.”
CARDI representatives also conducted technical presentations and live harvest demonstrations for farmers, ministry officials, educators, and other stakeholders attending the event.
The project forms part of broader regional efforts to improve agricultural resilience, strengthen local food systems, reduce the Caribbean’s high food import bill, and support sustainable nutrition initiatives within schools and communities.
Stakeholders noted that locally produced black-eyed peas could eventually contribute to institutional feeding programmes while creating new market opportunities for farmers and agribusiness operators across Trinidad and Tobago.