Curaçao Social Insurance Bank projects $28.6M deficit for 2026

A formal closure plan for Selibon's landfill near Lagun on Bonaire is not expected to be completed until the end of this year, according to statements from Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg. The landfill, operated by waste management company Selibon, has long been a source of environmental concern for the island. The delay means residents and environmental advocates will have to wait longer for concrete action on a site that has raised concerns about soil and groundwater contamination. The Dutch government is involved given Bonaire's status as a special municipality of the Netherlands, giving The Hague oversight responsibility over public infrastructure matters. Until a closure plan is finalized, the landfill is expected to continue operating in its current state. The situation underscores the broader challenges facing the ABC islands in managing waste sustainably given their limited land area and resources.

The United States is investigating Iranian reports that a U.S. military strike hit a wedding celebration, killing four people and wounding fifty others, according to the Red Crescent. Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism about the Iranian claim, suggesting the account may not be accurate. The incident has drawn international attention as tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain elevated. Iran has alleged the strike targeted civilians at the event, while U.S. officials have not confirmed the details of the attack. The investigation is ongoing, and no definitive conclusions have been publicly released. The conflicting accounts highlight the broader challenge of verifying information during active military operations involving the two countries.

The body of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić arrived in Serbia on Thursday, according to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), which announced the development on X. Mladić was convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, primarily for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which approximately 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017, with the conviction upheld on appeal in 2021. Mladić died while in detention at the IRMCT facility in The Hague, Netherlands. His death and the return of his remains to Serbia is a significant moment in the long legal and historical reckoning with the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The transfer of his body has drawn renewed attention to ongoing tensions between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina over acknowledgment of wartime atrocities. Mladić had remained a polarizing figure — celebrated by some Serbian nationalists while condemned internationally as one of the worst war criminals since World War II.