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Minister Lee Asks Media To Provide Quality, Unbiased Information To Public

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Emil Lee addressed the media in Wednesday’s, April 19, Council of Ministers Press Briefing.

He first reported on his trip to Holland. “The purpose for the visit was to discuss the developments with the hospital. The fact that the hospital project is now back on track, we are again looking at exploring the possibility of financial support from Holland,” Minister Lee informed.

“The reason being, although we’re accessing funds locally to begin the project, fact is that if we can access funds directly via Holland because of the lower interest rate and because of a different payment terms, this would result in a savings operationally for the new hospital of between 3-5 million guilders a year, and I believe that anything we can do to save money operationally is money that can be better spent on health care rather than paying into financing charges,” the Minister informed.

According to the Minister, the “Kingdom Council of Ministers will make a recommendation that the funding for the hospital project be considered outside of the normal lending procedures.”

The other purpose for the Holland trip was to speak about legislative assistance Read more

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‘No Proof Of Nini Planning Murder’

WILLEMSTAD--The Prosecutor’s Office in Curaçao was unable to prove that Burney “Nini” Fonseca (45) had indeed been the intermediary between those who executed the murder of politician Helmin Magno Wiels in 2013 and the intellectual authors, said his lawyer Marije Vaders on Friday, asking for a full acquittal of her client.

She said convicted triggerman Elvis “Monster” Kuwas had lied several times in his testimony and asked the court to hold him in contempt for perjury.

Fonseca, who so far had refused to talk, made use of the last word in the “Maximus” trial by video conference from prison in the Netherlands, where he is serving a drugs-related sentence Read more

Rsa Debt ‘A Damocles’ Sword Over Our Heads,’ Gibbs Cautions

MARIGOT--President of the Territorial Council Daniel Gibbs has given a sobering reminder, that despite a balanced budget, there is still a matter of 48 million euros owed to Caisse Allocation Familiale (CAF) from the social benefit Revenu Solidarité Active (RSA), describing it as “a sword of Damocles dangling above our heads.”

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Wescot-Williams Requests Meeting To Discuss Taxes

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — After several requests for information on taxes and the answers provided by the Minister of Finance, I have now requested the Chairman of the Finance Committee to convene a meeting of this committee with the agenda point: The fiscal and tax systems of St. Maarten.

The request for the meeting was made after receiving upon request, the status of several pending pieces of legislation regarding taxes, etc. such as:

Cancellation of taxes prior to 2006;

Amendments to the national accountability ordinance;

Collection of taxes;

The financial training institution.

The first answers to these questions date back to August 2016, and an update was requested in March 2017.

Furthermore, I apprised the Finance Committee chair of the response by the Minister to the motion adopted by Parliament regarding the “forgiveness” of taxes, allowing taxpayers to file taxes, not filed before.

Then there is the document, provided by the Government, “The Road to a Smart State of the Art Tax Administration” by Mr Read more

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Wescot Requests Discussion Of Taxes In Finance Committee

PHILIPSBURG--After several requests for information on taxes and the answers provided by Minister of Finance Richard Gibson, Chairwoman of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has now requested the Chairman of the Finance Committee to convene a meeting to discuss the fiscal and tax systems of St Read more

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Rotary Sunrise Congratulates Butterfly Story Book Winners

Rotary Sunrise members with Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) pupils who participated in the Butterfly Story Book contest.

PHILIPSBURG--The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, District 7020 Butterfly Story-Writing contest was recently concluded and with much appreciation to young authors on the island, Rotary Sunrise congratulates Khushi Soneji and Nagely Andular Vargas for emerging as the overall winners.

  “The Gift of Listening” by Khushi J. Soneji of Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) and “The Girl with the Well-Worn Uniform” by Nagely Andujar Vargas of Ruby Labega School emerged as the two best stories from the 14 stories submitted from St Read more

Upp Members Of Parliament Boycotted Central Committee Meeting On Thursday.

Minister Boasman says Opposition had no questions since Governing Program well put together.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Members of Parliament representing the opposition in parliament from the United Peoples Party (UPP) boycotted the Central Committee meeting on Thursday. MP Claret Connor showed up, signed in but left before the meeting convened.
Members of Parliament from the coalition spoke out against the absenteeism stating that this is the time the opposition has to use to question government.
However, Minister Rafael Boasman was optimistic in his statements Read more

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Us Dot Penalizes Dynamic International Airways

NORTH CAROLINA – The United States Department of Transportation (DOT), has ordered Dynamic International Airways to pay penalties of US$120,000 following an incident last year in which several passengers were stranded in Guyana and New York.

The DOT says the airline cancelled several flights and failed to notify passengers in a timely manner and refund them.

Demerara Waves Online reports that Dynamic has provided several reasons for each of those problems that plagued passengers during September, October and November 2016.

“Failure to comply with this cease and desist provision may subject Dynamic International Airways, LLC and its successors and assignees to further enforcement action,” said the DOT in a warning to the airline on Friday.

While the destinations were not named by the DOT, the authority said the complaints received were from passengers who used the airline to and from destinations outside the US.

Earlier this year, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) summoned Dynamic Airways to discuss the adverse impact the cancellations had on passengers.

Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings at DOT, Blane A Workie said a probe was triggered after its Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division received a  â€œsignificant increase” in the number of complaints Read more

Parliament, Our Weak Link

Some people wonder why my writings deal mostly with the Parliament of Sint Maarten. This is because our Parliament is a new constitutional institution.

During the last campaign, leading up to the September 26, 2016 elections, the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) observed that the majority of the people knew and understood very little about our Parliament and about the role and function of the parliamentarians they were about to elect.

The people generally equated the role of a parliamentarian with that of a minister Read more

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The Laws Of St. Maarten Books In English Are “Going Like Hot Bread”

 

PHILIPSBURG – The Laws of St. Maarten is a set of five books just published here. And the attractive, reader-friendly design publications are “going like hot bread” at Van Dorp bookstores and from the InfoMedia distributors, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

Each volume of The Laws of St. Maarten describes the book project on its cover as, “a five-volume English ‘Translation of the Official Publication’ of the Constitution and other laws established for governing St Read more

Minister Jacobs Re-Emphasises Safe And Fun Carnival Message

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Silveria Jacobs congratulated Teen Carnival Queen Shakainah Arrindell-Pompier and Senior Carnival Queen Shanice Powell, who she said were front runners for capturing the crown in her mind based on their performance during the Queen Show pre-events.

However, she took note of the fact that the show finished close to 4:30am on a school night Read more

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Government Seeks To Increase Civil Servants’ Pensionable Age

PHILIPSBURG--In his capacity as Minister of General Affairs, Prime Minister William Marlin was the last cabinet member to present his Ministry’s plans to Parliament’s Central Committee on Wednesday.

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Gibbs: Fillon Only Candidate To Meet France’S Challenges

MARIGOT--President of the Territorial Council Daniel Gibbs has expressed his reasons for supporting scandal-hit Presidential candidate François Fillon in the first round of the national election this weekend.

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GREAT BAY:--- The Laws of St. Maarten is a set of five books just published here. And the attractive, reader-friendly-design publications are “going like hot bread” at Van Dorp bookstores and from the InfoMedia distributors, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP). Each volume of The Laws of St. Maarten describes the book project on its cover as, “a five-volume English ‘Translation of the Official Publication’ of the Constitution and other laws established for governing St Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- With the new hospital project back on track, Minister Emil Lee traveled to the Netherlands last week and met with various members of the Dutch government. While there, Minister Lee met with Minister Plasterk, Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations Richard van Zwol, Raymond Gradus (incoming chairman of CFT), Andre Bosman (member of parliament for VVD), and Joba van den Berg-Jansen (member of parliament for CDA) Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library and the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) launched on Saturday, April 8th, 2017 their brand new collection of over 50 health books for a range of ages before invited guests, including Honorable Minister of Education Sylveria Jacobs, Honorable Minister of Health Emile Lee represented by the Collective Prevention Services department head Virginia Asin, Assistant Dean of Service Learning and Community Affairs PhD Golden Jackson and the AUC students along with Aukje de Jong OrganWise Guy library presenter Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Some people wonder why my writings deal mostly with the Parliament of Sint Maarten. This is because our Parliament is a new constitutional institution. During the last campaign, leading up to the September 26th, 2016 elections, the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) observed that the majority of the people knew and understood very little about our Parliament and about the role and function of the parliamentarians they were about to elect Read more

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Minister Jacobs Says ‘Investments In Education, Sport, Arts Lagging Behind’

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sport Silveria Jacobs started the presentation of her Ministry’s year plans to the Central Committee with the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” stating that investments in education, social affairs, sport and the arts are lagging behind.

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Gibson: ‘Country’S Wellbeing Depends On Its Financial Health’

PHILIPSBURG--“A country’s wellbeing depends on its financial health. The one cannot exist without the other,” said Minister of Finance Richard Gibson on Tuesday during the presentation of his Ministry’s year plan.

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Governing Programme 2016-2020 Presented To Central Committee

PHILIPSBURG--The governing coalition of National Alliance (NA), United St. Maarten (US) Party and Democratic Party (DP), on Tuesday, presented its governing programme to the Central Committee of Parliament.

Parliamentarians Pose Questions On Integrity Chamber Instruction

PHILIPSBURG--The decision of the Kingdom Council of Ministers to impose an integrity chamber on St. Maarten via a General Kingdom Measure, or instruction, was the topic of discussion during Tuesday’s meeting of the Parliament’s Central Committee with Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs William Marlin.

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Carnival Village Opens, Big Turnout For Jump-Up

PHILIPSBURG--Carnival Village is now open for business. The Village was officially declared open by Minister of Culture Silveria Jacobs, St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) President Alston Lourens and main sponsor TelEm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Read more

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Rotary Sunrise Congratulates Winners Of Butterfly Story Book Contest: Khushi J. Soneji And Nagely Andular Vargas

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, District 7020 Butterfly Story writing contest was recently concluded and with much appreciation to our young authors, Rotary Sunrise heartily congratulates Khushi Soneji and Nagely Andular Vargas for emerging as the overall winners. The Gift of Listening by Khushi J. Soneji of the Methodist Agogic Center and The Girl with the Well-Worn Uniform by Nagely Andujar Vargas of Ruby Labega school emerged as the two best stories from the 14 stories submitted from St Read more

Exclusive:--- Pearl Of China Project Delayed Due To Clause In Deed. Negotiations Taking Place To Resolve The Issue.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Pearl of China Project which was scheduled to start during the month of March 2017 has been delayed due to a clause that is in the deed for the land the developers purchased. SMN News learned that the original owner of the property Rudy Noos placed a clause (restriction) in the deed for the property where it states that no developer can construct more than a certain amount of units on the property.
According to information SMN News received is that the developer just recently discovered restriction that is in the deed and they are busy trying to work around restriction to see how quickly they could have the setback regulated in order for them to begin construction Read more

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