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St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation

The continuation of the plenary session of Parliament on developments at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation will now take place on April 7. After the meeting opened on Tuesday afternoon, National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament William Marlin called for an adjournment to give ad interim housing minister Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs (second left) more time to gather necessary documents from the foundation requested by MPs since December 2014 Read more

Jamaica gay rights activist meets with Dutch Parliament

THE HAGUE--Jamaica-born Maurice Tomlinson, one of the world's most prominent Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights and HIV activists, met with Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.

Tomlinson, along with Kenyan LGBT activists George Gachara, Jim Chuchu and Njoki Ngumi, was invited by Member of Parliament (MP) Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of the Democratic Party D66, on whose request the meeting of the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Foreign Affairs took place.

"All over the world we see growing anti-LGBT sentiments, from Russia to Uganda, and from Saudi-Arabia to Jamaica Read more

Prime Minister given Two Weeks to gather Information on SMHDF.

>PHILIPSBURG: --- The National Alliance Faction in Parliament has given Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs two weeks to gather all information regarding the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation if not actions will be taken against the Prime Minister for failure to provide information to Parliament.
In the continuation meeting held on Tuesday Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs informed Parliament that he did not receive the information they requested from the St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- On Saturday, March 21, the Social Economic Council (SER) bid farewell to union stalwart William Reed. Mr. Reed was a member of the SER from its inception in May 2011. As the SER ordinance stipulates a maximum age of 70, Reed had to step down as a member of the SER upon reaching that age.
In the presence of his family and colleagues William Reed was praised by Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet and former Chairman Arthur Bute for his contribution during the establishment phase of the SER Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week approximately 80 staff members of Seventh Day Adventist, Asha Stevens and Helmich Snijders Christian Schools spent two afternoons on training themselves in the use of ICT and Technology in the classroom. The level of excitement was very high and overall teachers were very happy with the practical approach of the workshops.
A total of 21 workshops were conducted Read more

Ser Bids Farewell To William Reed

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – On Saturday, March 21, the Social Economic Council (SER) bid farewell to union stalwart William Reed. Mr. Reed was a member of the SER from its inception in May 2011.

As the SER ordinance stipulates a maximum age of 70, Reed had to step down as a member of the SER upon reaching that age.

In the presence of his family and colleagues William Reed was praised by Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet and former Chairman Arthur Bute for his contribution during the establishment phase of the SER.

The SER was one of the new institutions established after October 10, 2010 as a result of Sint Maarten attaining country status within the Kingdom Read more

Digikidz Schools' Teachers Having Exciting Ict Training

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Last week approximately 80 staff members of Seventh Day Adventist, Asha Stevens and Helmich Snijders Christian Schools spent two afternoons on training themselves in the use of ICT and Technology in the classroom. T

he level of excitement was very high and overall teachers were very happy with the practical approach of the workshops.

A total of 21 workshops were conducted Read more

Police Cooperation bill adopted in National Assembly session

MARIGOT--The law pertaining to the Police Cooperation Treaty between St. Martin and St. Maarten was finally examined and adopted on Thursday, March 19, in the National Assembly and will come into effect around May this year the Préfecture indicated previously.

MP Daniel Gibbs who was the appointed rapporteur confirmed the treaty has now been ratified by both France and the Netherlands.

Gibbs noted that one of the important benefits of the reinforced police cooperation will be control on immigration Read more

St. Maarten advised to object to Sanction Law

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations has been advised by legal expert Ralph Richardson to object to the draft kingdom law regulating sanctions imposed by the European Union.

Richardson gave his advice in a meeting of the committee in Parliament House on Monday morning. He said if St. Maarten agrees to the kingdom law, the country "will no longer have the possibility to say anything about sanctions imposed."

St. Maarten will just have to take over EU sanctions with "no freedom of choice." He used the example of a sanction being imposed on a country with which St Read more

>GREAT BAY: --- NAGICO Insurances; is extending a big thank you to the community of St. Maarten, especially to the emergency services, which supported the NAGICO to NAGICO (N2N) Cycling race over the weekend.
NAGICO is the title sponsor of the N2N race which kicked off Friday night on the Causeway Bridge Read more

DP Factions wants more info on SHTA and USM Agreement.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Several announcements during the past week have bolstered the confidence of the DP faction in some of our vital organizations to bring about the collaboration that is so necessary to move our country forward.

The agreement between the SHTA and USM and the partnership created, bodes well for the future of our country. This is the only way lasting progress will be achieved where the empowerment of our people is concerned Read more

Plenary Session of Parliament scheduled for Tuesday about the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on March 24. This session is the continuation of the initial session that was held on December 22, 2014. On March 11, the meeting was called, but due to a lack of a quorum,, it could not continue and is now being reconvened.

The plenary session is set for Tuesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the request to the Governments Accountants Bureau SOAB to carry out a forensic investigation into the operations of the St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Saunders Welcome Sign not paid for --- procedures were not followed.

PHILIPSBURG:--- There seems to be more in the mortar than in the pestle when it comes to the construction of the FBO section at the Princess Juliana International Airport. SMN News learnt that the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project that have to be constructed at the Princess Juliana International Airport is creating more problems even though Taliesin Construction legally won the bid. According to information provided to SMN News some five companies were invited by PJIAE to submit their bids for the project Read more

Dp Faction In Parliament Questions Govt Intentions For Institutions

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Several announcements during the past week have bolstered the confidence of the DP faction in some of our vital organizations to bring about the collaboration that is so necessary to move our country forward.

The agreement between the SHTA and USM and the partnership created, bodes well for the future of our country.

This is the only way lasting progress will be achieved where the empowerment of our people is concerned.

If we want to penetrate the labor market with local and homegrown professionals, we need to give them the tools to do and become exactly that.

Businesses that invest in the development and growth of their workers will thrive and when businesses thrive, our economy offers more opportunities for more people.

This is in stark contrast to the heavy-handedness propagated in some circles of our government today.

Every opportunity that provides the potential for increase of our human capital and contributes to our human development should be wholeheartedly embraced.

What is however regretful is that our government itself remains mum on its stance regarding these vital institutions.

We know e.g that a tertiary education draft law is on its way to Parliament.
How does this draft law jive with the ( new) ambitions of the USM?
Does this law offer the flexibility to USM to pursue its objectives?

Similar comments can be made regarding the St Read more

Close matches mark school soccer tourney

BELVEDERE--Xabel Dias scored five times as Combine Silly Shooters faced Sister Regina's New Stars in the "Nine and Under" division of the 23rd edition of the Interscholastic Soccer Tournament at the Cruyff Court in Belvedere, Saturday. Silly Shooters won 7-0 with Quincy Busby good for one goal and three assists.

The tournament is organised by the St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation (SMSEF) and sponsored by the TelEm Group of Companies. The competition features 44 teams representing 10 elementary schools plus five more schools feed into the combined teams.

Fielding players turned out to be a problem for some teams due to road closures for the NAGICO to NAGIO Cycle race.

9+U

Sharky Nowek netted three balls and added an assist to propel Learning Unlimited past Leonald Connor 6-2.

At the half the score was knotted at two all Read more

Editorial - Think twice

The public learned in Saturday's edition that Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever wears a bulletproof vest and was afforded extra police protection late 2014 at his request. The then-still-caretaker minister had filed a complaint of threats when he broke with the DP to help form a new UP-led coalition instead of the NA/DP/US combination for which the three party leaders had signed an accord immediately following the end of August elections.

This was confirmed in a March 18 letter by Justice Minister Dennis Richardson that featured during De Weever's rectification court case in the Netherlands against Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament Member Andre Bosman Read more

Lions’ Health Fair reaches hundreds

PHILIPSBURG--Hundreds turned out for the annual Lion Rudy Hoeve Health and Wellness Fair at Festival Village on Saturday. The free event enabled and encouraged to public to familiarise themselves with different healthcare institutions and illnesses, and have free testing for ailments, including high blood pressure, diabetes, sickle cell disease and HIV/AIDS.

Attendees could see for themselves the newly-launched Collective Prevention Services (CPS) Mobile Health Services bus, which contains two spacious rooms for check-ups Read more

Teen, Senior Queen contestants vie for points in Speech, Cultural Wear

PHILIPSBURG--Twelve Teen and Senior Carnival Queen Pageant contestants modelled impressive custom cultural wear and motivated their opinions on independence and diversity in front of a jam-packed conference room at Sonesta Great Bay Resort on Sunday night.

The annual Speech and Cultural Wear competition proved a hit with the crowd, and was the first segment of the overall pageant. Points gained carry over to the main event at Carnival Village, so no winners were announced. Attendees will have to wait to see who the ultimate winners are, although they hold their opinions on what girls gained a leg-up in the running.

Judging by cheers of the crowd, Jondalin Brown delivered the most impactful speech of the show's first half, which featured the Teen Carnival Queen contestants speaking on "My Village of Diversity." Contestants were asked to described an imaginary village, diverse in terms of colour, religion, culture and sexual orientation, and to motivate their opinions on the pros and cons of this diversity.

"One thing that confuses me is that we do not embrace diversity," Brown said in rhyme at the beginning of her speech, in a more critical take than the other speeches Read more

Lake debunks talk about breaking UP

PHILIPSBURG--"Untrue and baseless" is how United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake described rampant "rumours" in the community about him being "involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs."

Since Friday, there has been persistent talk that spun into blogs about Lake breaking with this party over differences Read more

Tourist dies after falling

DAWN BEACH--A man died after falling and hitting his head on a rock at the entrance of Princess Heights Hotel in Dawn Beach, Saturday night.

A source stated that the victim was a tourist who had been driving his car despite being heavily intoxicated. He did not manage to drive his car up the hill at the junction of Oyster Pond Road and Princess Heights, so he got out of his car and continued on foot. However, shortly after getting out of his car he lost his balance and fell, hitting his head.

Despite paramedics being called to the scene, the man could not be revived.

St Read more

Dumont wins Nagico to Nagico cycle race overall by one second

MARIGOT--VCG's Nicolas Dumont won the Classement General of the 2015 Nagico to Nagico Cycle race by the slimmest of margins, just one second, in 5:34:51, it emerged after the finish of Sunday's last race in Rue de La République, Marigot, in front of the Nagico office.

ASBM's Luis Sablon from Guadeloupe was second overall in the Classement (5:34:52) with USR Vélo's Giovanni Rousseau, also from Guadeloupe, taking third overall (5:35:47).

Sunday's 123K race was won by ASBM's Adam Pierzga in 3:15:7, a clear 41 seconds in front of Luis Sablon, while Miguel Ubeto took third to make it a clean sweep on the podium for ABSM Read more

>Fete to fitness Jump-up a success.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The yearly "Fete to fitness Jump around Town up" which was organized by the Sint Maarten Carnival Development Foundation which was held on Saturday March 21st was well attended by revelers and onlookers was a great success. The jump up started on time at 08.00 p.m. on the Sucker garden in the vicinity of Monchi's Bar and headed towards the Philipsburg area via the Freedom Fighters round about, down the Walter Nisbet road making a left turn via the Long wall road onto Front street and then making a circle around the town and ending in Front of the Festival Center Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:----  United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake says the social media rumours and the story in a daily newspaper over the weekend where it mentions that he is involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as untrue and baseless.

MP Lake who is currently off island says that he was informed about the rumours that started on Facebook and later moved to the blogs.

"There are individuals who sit in front of a computer everyday with nothing to do and try to create news by telling fibs that are untrue Read more

MP Maurice Lake Grievances goes deeper than anyone would imagine – VORST Estate is only a tip of the Iceberg.

style="text-align: center;">Building Permits not Signed by Acting Minister of VROMI --- Reliable Sources

PHILIPSBURG:--- The situation at the Ministry of VROMI is not only disturbing to the former Minister Maurice Lake now Member of Parliament whom it is said tendered his resignation from the United Peoples Party prior to leaving the island Read more