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Three New Labor Mediators

Harbour View – On Wednesday January 25th, 2017, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs. E.B. Holiday, administered the oath to the three new Labor Mediators for country Sint Maarten, Mr. Amador Muller, Mr. Leroy Brooks and Mrs. Marcellina Loblack.

During the ceremony Governor Holiday remarked upon the importance of their function and mediation in labor conflicts. He congratulated Read more

El Primer Ministro William Marlin Pronunció Un Discurso En La Apertura De La Acu

Traducido por Máximo Castro

PHILIPSBURG.- El primer ministro William Marlin, pronunció el sábado día 28 un discurso durante la ceremonia de apertura de la ACU Credit Union, en su local de Bush Road.

Marlin, dio la bienvenida a laACU a St. Maarten, y señaló que “la Cooperativa de Crédito celebrará el 55 aniversario de su fundación Read more

Prime Minister William Marlin Addresses Acu At Opening

PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister William Marlin addressed the ACU Credit Union at its opening ceremony at its Bush Road location on Saturday, January 28.

Marlin welcomed ACU to St. Maarten, and noted that, “the Credit Union will be celebrating the 55th anniversary of its founding. From the 35 public servants that began the Ambtenaren Credit Union in 1962, the ACU has grown into a cooperative with a membership of over 17,000, making it the largest credit union in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Marlin stated: “I particularly like your motto: ‘Not for Profit; Not for charity, but for service.” That service is based on two pillars: encouraging your members to save at the highest interest rates on the market and offering them financial support through loans at the most favorable rates available.”

“Allow me here to say a few words about saving Read more

Police Release Amount Collected In Outstanding Fines

PHILIPSBURG – In a press release issued on Sunday, January 29, by the police force, it was mentioned that police had collected over NAf. 123,000 in traffic fines and conditional dismissals.

However, it was not mentioned what is still outstanding in traffic fines and conditional dismissals.

A recent suggestion was when 721news informs the public that the Prosecutor’s Office is collecting outstanding fines, that the Prosecutor’s Office publish the name of the offenders in the last 5 years, who still have an outstanding bill to pay.

This can take the form of a list of names and the amount owed Read more

St. Maarten Delegation Attending Caribbean Marketplace This Week

SINT MAARTEN – A delegation from St. Maarten will be attending Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s largest and most significant marketing forum, in the Bahamas, from January 31 – February 2, at Atlantis, Paradise Island. The event is being hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

Caribbean Travel Marketplace affords tourism suppliers the vital opportunity to meet face-to-face with wholesalers from around the world selling Caribbean vacation packages over the course of two days of business meetings.

CHTA will offer a full day of professional development opportunities for attendees on January 31, followed by the Opening Ceremonies in the evening Read more

Sxm In The Whirlwind Of Dutch Politics

A lot of indignation reigned during the discussions on the appointment of a quartermaster by the Dutch government and rightfully so. The Dutch minister (Plasterk) has, however, remained undeterred and firm: “The quarter master will come, it was an agreement and SXM procrastinated.”

Did we?

The govt. of SXM learned of the appointment via the press, evoking a caution from the Finance Minister Gibson that newspapers can be wrong. True, in this world of “false news,” even newspapers can be tricked.

However, in the Netherlands, this news was an orchestrated part of simultaneous and official publications Read more

Summit Resort Hotel Wins 2017 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award

Ms. Edna “Pat” Evans General Manager of The Summit Resort

CUPECOY, St. Maarten – The Summit Resort Hotel today announced it has been recognized as a winner in the Top Bargain Hotels – Caribbean category of the 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers’ ChoiceR awards for Hotels, ranking 24th out of 25 total winners.

In the 15th year of the awards, TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travelers around the globe Read more

Up Party Submits Register Of Donations To Electoral Council

 

PHILIPSBURG – The United People’s (UP) Party on Wednesday submitted its Register of Donations to the Electoral Council.

Treasurer of the UP Party Board Earl Wyatt and Secr Read more

Prime Minister: Relationship Within The Kingdom Is Not What It’S Supposed To Be

PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister and Minister responsible for General affairs William Marlin, in Wednesday’s, January 25, Council of Minister press briefing updated on several matters pertaining to his Ministry.

He briefly mentioned the survivors of the fire that destroyed their home completely in the Cul-de-Sac area, who are staying temporarily at Paradise inn, and stated that the Department of Social Welfare along with the St Read more

Minister Jacobs: Ministry Is Occupied With Synchronization Of This Govt’S Vision

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs gave an update in Wednesday’s, January 25, Council of Ministers press briefing, on a few matters pertaining to her Ministry.

Last Wednesday, a meeting was held with management and staff of the Leonald Conner School in order to update them. Staff and management were also given the opportunity to voice their concerns Read more

Minister Gibson: My Aim Is To Improve Financial Basis Of Govt. Of St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG – In Wednesday’s, January 25, Council of Ministers press briefing Minister of Finance Richard Gibson Sr. shared provisional numbers for 2016.

“The provisional numbers that we have for 2016 is that we’ve managed the budget in such a manner notwithstanding all of the difficulties. We were confronted with, in 2016 and ended up with a provisional surplus of 1.1 million guilders for 2016,” Minister Gibson stated.

“Bear in mind at the budget 2016, we started with reserving 20 million guilders from revenues to be able to pay the debts off the past Read more

Big Things Happening At A Small School In Anguilla    

ANGUILLA – The Omololu International School, a private primary school located in Anguilla, is prepped for big changes over the coming months.

The changes really began back in July of 2016, when the school received official authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization, certifying it as a Primary Years Programme World School.

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a world-wide educational group headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The three programmes that run under the IBO are the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP) Read more

Let Us Not Blame The Dutch

The appointment of Quartermaster Hans Leijtens, last week, came as a shock to our politicians. The Honorable Prime Minister said he was flabbergasted. The Honorable President of Parliament called the appointment provocative and Member of Parliament, Theo Heyliger, described it as vindictive.

And of course, the Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk, gets the blame Read more

It Is A Discussion We Must Have, Sooner Rather Than Later

Not totally unexpected, my recent comments on the relationships in the Dutch Kingdom have evoked quite some reactions. I welcome these reactions, because I believe it is a discussion we must have, sooner rather than later.

My comments, however, had to do with the following: Theoretically, the competencies and authorities between the Dutch countries and the Kingdom level of Government are quite clear in the Charter of the Dutch Kingdom. The main areas of Kingdom responsibilities are Defense, Nationality and Defense.

No one would argue though, that the so-called equality of all 4 Dutch countries in reality is far from such Read more

Noticia De Ultima Hora: Asesinan A Tiros A Franky Brunache Frente A Su Residencia

Traducido por Máximo Castro

HOPE ESTATE, Sint Maarten.- Franklin “Franky” Brunache, fue asesinado a sangre fría el martes en la noche frente a su residencia en Hope Estate por un asaltante  aún desconocido.

La policía arribó a la escena después de las 11:00 pm y encontraron al joven en la entrada cerca del lado del conductor de su vehículo un todoterreno negro.

El jefe de la policía, Carl John, y un fiscal estuvieron en la escena del crimen el martes en la noche, mientras los investigadores procuraban hablar con cualquier posible testigo que les ayudara a reconstruir lo ocurrido Read more

Breaking News: Franky Brunache Shot In Cold Blood On Tuesday Night

721news Video

Franklin Franky Brunache

HOPE ESTATE, Sint Maarten — Franklin “Franky” Brunache was shot in cold blood late Tuesday evening by unknown assailant (s) in front of his home located in Hope Estate.

Police arrived on the scene after 11:00pm when they found the young man on the driveway near the driver’s side in a black SUV.

Police Chief Carl John and a Prosecutor were on scene late on Tuesday as investigators were speaking to any possible witnesses trying to piece together what took place Read more

Minister Of Justice Meets With Heads Of Justice Depts.

PHILIPSBURG – On Thursday, January 19, Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman met with the heads of the various departments that fall under the Justice ministry.

Present at the meeting representing their departments were: Rueben Thompson, Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice; Lucy Gachette of the National Detectives (Landsrecherche);  Robert Barbij of the Immigration Department; Carl John from the St Read more

Reporting Human Rights And Civil Rights In St. Martin And The Caribbean

by Fabian A. Badejo

(Panel discussion organized by the Conscious Lyrics Foundation, on occasion of the 30th anniversary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture, Jubilee Library, St. Maarten, Friday, January 13, 2017.)

I wish to start by thanking Conscious Lyrics Foundation for the honor to participate in this panel discussion 30 years after I gave the first MLK Jr. lecture at the Mairie under the auspices of SMECO.

At the time, the evil regime of apartheid was still in full force and Mandela was still behind bars and considered a terrorist by the US and other western powers Read more

Enhanced Customer Care Training High On Telem List

POND ISLAND – TelEm Group management say high-level training for customer care and other frontline personnel are high on the company’s list of priorities for this year, when many exciting new products and services will be rolling out for voice and data customers.

In order to prepare staff to better handle calls and visits from customers in the coming months, management sponsored a two-week training program that was specially customized for individual personnel needs by Training Professionals International Firm (TPI).

President and CEO of TPI, Dr Read more

Minister Of Justice Extends Deepest Sympathies To Buncamper Family

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman extend condolences to the family and friends of Jane Buncamper-Harms, who passed away on Monday, January 16.

Buncamper-Harms was the mother of Claudius “Toontje” Buncamper and mother-in-law to Maria “Marietje” Buncamper-Molanus, who are close friends of the minister Read more

We Have A Long Way To Go In 2017

Mr. Editor,

I foresee 2017 as a very challenging year for St. Maarten in which it is going to define the future of our beautiful island and our leaders. We are right now in the eye of the storm, which is January where there is calm before the storm.

Mr. Editor, this letter is not to scare our people, but to prepare them for the hard and uncertain times we’re living in. These are times where we have to stay strong for the tough times that lie ahead of us. The good thing about going through the eye of the storm is that the tough times don’t last forever because we are resilient people that rise above these times.  But as good leaders we have to prepare our people and trust God during these difficult times Read more

Minister Lee Commends Szv For Increased Collections

PHILIPSBURG – Minister responsible for Public Health Emil Lee took a moment to commend SZV on their improved performance regarding collection.

They have collected NAf. 28 million more than the amount that they had initially projected for collections in 2016 Read more

Curaçao & St. Maarten Health Ministers Committed

PHILIPSBURG РMinister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor Emil Lee recently returned from a work visit to Cura̤ao, where he met with new incoming Minister of Health, Environment and Nature, Zita Jesus-Leito.

“Since taking office in 2015, the Minister of Health from Aruba, Curaçao, and myself have developed a good working relationship Read more

Prime Minister: Council Of Ministers Is Working Across The Board

PHILIPSBURG – In Wednesday’s, January 18, weekly Press Briefing, Prime Minister William Marlin provided clarity on several issues.

He said that at a general shareholders meeting of TelEm, several agenda points, had to put off due to some information being received the day before, and the Council of Ministers having to attend a swearing-in.

However, the new CEO for TelEm is Kendall Dupersoy, who previously worked for TelEm, then went to work at the airport Read more