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Aruba

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Aruba. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Oranjestad

Head of Government

Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt

Passengers wait at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Caribbean holidaymakers face ‘painful’ costs after Maduro capture shuts skies

Even though the airspace restrictions will end at midnight on Sunday, airlines have warned that disruptions could continue for days.

4 Jan 2026 - 1:16PM

Get to Know

Meet Fani Willis, the DA who doesn’t fear The Donald and prefers vodka to wine

8 Apr 2024 - 5:55PM

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Explainer | How will Russian and Belarusian athletes be cleared to compete at Paris Olympics?

27 Mar 2024 - 3:00PM

Japan

As ‘sushi terrorism’ grows, more Japanese firms scramble to protect themselves

Such incidents in Japan, ranging from staff wiping fingers in pizza dough to customers licking tea cups, have gone viral in the past year.

29 Feb 2024 - 2:29PMvideocam

People at an outdoor seating area of a restaurant in Tokyo. Photo: AP

Donald Trump

Fani Willis hits back at misconduct claims that threaten future of Trump case

A witness says the DA started dating lawyer Nathan Wade before she hired him for the Georgia election interference case, contradicting their accounts.

16 Feb 2024 - 7:25AMvideocam

Crime

Dutch man confesses to 2005 killing of US teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba

Joran van der Sloot made the admission as he pleaded guilty to charges of extorting the victim’s mother, from whom he alleged demanded US$250,000 for the location of her daughter’s remains.

19 Oct 2023 - 5:08AM

Japan

Japan airline goes back on promise to honour cut-price tickets sold in error

One Hong Kong resident had snagged US$250,000 worth of tickets for only US$17,000, including a first-class round-trip flight from Indonesia to Aruba in the Caribbean for just US$890.

26 Apr 2023 - 9:17AMvideocam

All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) planes are seen at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Photo: Reuters

Women and gender

Women’s fertility autonomy, not birth rates, should be our focus: UN

Nearly half of all global pregnancies are unintended, organisation says, including 500,000 births each year among girls aged 10-14 who are ‘too young to consent to sex, married off, abused’.

19 Apr 2023 - 5:12PMvideocam

Architecture and design

Crafts masters young and old team up in Hong Kong to create beautiful pieces

Five masters of traditional crafts in Hong Kong were matched with 13 younger artisans to create beautiful pieces for a new exhibition hosted by Crafts on Peel – and sustain traditions.

23 Feb 2023 - 4:20PM

Trending in Hong Kong

She designs, he carves: Hong Kong duo keep dying art of mahjong tile making alive

Hong Kong father and daughter, Ricky Cheung Sing-chung and Karen Aruba, are keeping an age-old tradition alive by producing artistically pleasing mahjong tiles using their combined skills.

15 Jan 2023 - 2:00PM

By combining their design and hand-carving skills, a Hong Kong daughter and father duo are working to keep tradition alive by making artistically pleasing mahjong tiles. Photo: Karen Aruba/SCMP Composite

The Netherlands

Dutch prime minister apologises for Netherlands’ role in slave trade

The Dutch leader apologised for the Netherlands’ historical role in the slave trade and said that the government will establish a fund for initiatives to tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies.

20 Dec 2022 - 2:29AM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte reacts while apologising as he responds to recommendations from a panel of experts to accept the role of the Netherlands in the history of slavery and its current consequences. Photo: Reuters

Tourism

How Chinese food in Curacao tells story of immigration to Caribbean island

Many of the 250 Chinese restaurants on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao serve a unique take on Chinese cuisine that reflects the island’s immigration history.

19 Dec 2022 - 4:16AM

Food and Drinks

‘A love letter to Hong Kong’: bars’ new cocktails an ode to city’s culture

Cocktail menus at DarkSide and Argo take inspiration from mahjong, cafe culture and ingredients synonymous with the city.

18 Nov 2022 - 12:45PM

Royalty

Dutch royal in danger? Meet Princess Amalia, Queen Máxima’s daughter

The Netherlands’ teenage heir to the throne was enjoying a normal university life in Amsterdam before those Mocro Mafia abduction rumours …

22 Sep 2022 - 10:30AM

Meet the heir to the Netherlands’ throne and Queen Máxima’s daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalina. Photos: @princess.catharinaamalia/Instagram, DPA

Environment

Letters | Toxic sunscreen chemicals pose dire threat to world’s coral reefs

Readers discuss the damaging effects sunscreen can have on the environment, Tom Daley’s views on the British Empire, and the dividing line between fact and opinion.

21 Aug 2022 - 2:30PMvideocam

A turtle swims past coral in the sea off Thailand’s Andaman coast on November 24, 2021. Thailand is one of several countries that have banned ingredients in sunscreen that are toxic to coral reefs. Photo: AFP