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Nassau grouper goes for the kill with invasive lionfish

NASSAU, Bahamas--A recent Lionfish University video documenting a Nassau grouper stalking and ultimately devouring a lionfish in the Caribbean is thought to be the first-ever footage showing this type of event without the assistance of humans, and may indicate that divers’ attempts to “teach” groupers to eat the invasive species is finally bearing fruit.

In the video, the grouper appears to herd the lionfish away from the safety of the reef into open water, where it can investigate and prod from various angles, being careful to avoid the armour of poisonous spines, before lunging for the kill.

The resulting meal for the grouper represents a big step forward for biologists and conservationists, given that lionfish, which are native to the Indo-Pacific, have the potential to disrupt ecosystems in the Caribbean and Atlantic.

The continuing infestation of these prickly pests throughout the region is cause for alarm, because the venomous lionfish have no known natural predators in this part of the world and their rapid proliferation is going largely unchecked.

While it remains unclear exactly how devastating their presence – believed to be the result of people dumping their unwanted aquarium pets into the sea – may turn out to be, the outlook is bleak.

The concern is so genuine that fishery agencies and scuba divers the likes of the Lionfish University group – who are dedicated to the preservation of coral reefs and native fish populations – have, for the past several years, conducted large-scale culling events in the hope of minimising the threat.

Researchers have discovered that a single lionfish residing on a coral reef can reduce recruitment of native reef fishes by 79 per cent, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Because lionfish feed on prey normally consumed by snapper, grouper and other commercially important native species, their presence could negatively affect the well-being of valuable commercial and recreational fisheries.

Moreover, as lionfish populations grow they put additional stress on coral reefs already struggling from the effects of climate change, pollution, disease, overfishing, sedimentation and other stressors.

For example, lionfish eat herbivores and herbivores eat algae from coral reefs Read more

New African Development Bank chief to focus on powering Africa

ABIDJAN--The African Development Bank (AfDB) will focus in coming years on tackling Africa's chronic power shortages to try to unlock its economic potential and end its vulnerability to fluctuations in commodity prices, its new president said.
  Though it boasts nearly a billion people, sub-Saharan Africa consumes about as much power as Spain, with less than five percent that number, due to poor generating capacity and limited transmission networks. Two-thirds of Africans have no access to electricity.
  The lack of reliable power grids is a major obstacle to industrialising the continent's economies at a time when Africa hopes to make a transition from commodities producer to a manufacturing hub and challenge Asia where labour costs are rising Read more

Where is the Timeshare legislation that would have helped prevent this disaster?

Dear Editor,

We celebrate the legal victory of the handful of timeshare tourists who were willing to organise against a well-funded and larger opponent, put up their own money, and fight for their rights to keep their timeshare weeks as purchased, but what we don’t see are the thousands of timeshare owners at the former Caravanserai who gave up and as a consequence signed away their rights. Sadly, the collateral damage to our tourism industry translates into a tainted reputation for St Maarten, lost jobs and lost contributions into St Maarten’s economy.

The draft legislation which would regulate the Timeshare industry and has been working its way through our Parliamentary system for many years is still not approved Read more

NAGICO donates EC $75,000 in relief fund to Erika victims

PHILIPSBURG--NAGICO Insurances has donated EC $75,000 in the form of vouchers to the Dominica Social Welfare Committee to assist in the relief efforts following the catastrophic passing of Tropical Storm Erika last week.

The storm left a number of persons dead, several injured and scores of families homeless. In a meeting with the Dominica Social Welfare Committee on Tuesday, NAGICO Junior Marketing Manager Lisa Brown-McKay announced that the company would donate the funds in the form of vouchers that will go directly to the victims Read more

Dominica female football team stranded by Erika received St. Maarten hospitality

PHILIPSBURG- - The Dominica Female Football Team of 25-strong got stranded here on Thursday, the day Tropical Storm Erika passed well south of the country.  The team travelled to the Dominican Republic for an activity and on their way back to Dominica they landed in Sint Maarten the day the storm passed their island.
  The team spent several days here since the passing of Erika because of the devastation caused by the storm back in the Commonwealth of Dominica.  Since last Thursday was very limited air travel to the island, due to damage assessments that needed to be carried out to the different airstrips prior to any resumption of commercial travel to the country.
  The Dominica Female Football Team have been received a good dose of Sint Maarten Hospitality while on the island.
  Loyd Paul and Shanka Serrant, were instrumental in coordinating accommodations, meals and transportation while they were here on the island, and at the same time worked tirelessly to get the team back home to family and friends.
  President of Parliament Hon Read more

Kingdom Committee supportive of law to digitize court process

PHILIPSBURG--The draft Kingdom law to allow the digitization of court processes has the support of the Parliament’s Permanent Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and Kingdom Relations. The draft law was before the committee on Tuesday and after getting the nod of approval was forwarded to the Central Committee of Parliament for further handling.

Committee Chairwoman Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) explained that the law amends several other Kingdom laws to allow for the digitization in the courts across the Kingdom Read more

Venice film fest on a roll with Oscar-lucky openers

VENICE--The Venice Film Festival is having a good run with opening films winning Oscars, including best picture last year for "Birdman", and hopes to stay on a winning streak when the mountain disaster film "Everest" kicks off the 72nd edition on Wednesday.

"Everest" is directed by the relatively unknown Baltasar Kormakur from Iceland but boasts an all-star cast, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley and Josh Brolin re-enacting a real-life disaster that befell several expeditions on the world's highest mountain in 1996 -- filmed in 3D to boot.

It is not competing for the "Lion d'Or" top prize, but it is just the kind of film that Alberto Barbera, the festival's director, is looking for as an opener -- having scored a hit not only with "Birdman" but also with the space thriller "Gravity" the year before.

"The most difficult thing is to identify the film for the opening night because it's a sort of a special category of film," Barbera told Reuters in an interview Read more

Sarah determined to get timeshare law moving

PHILIPSBURG--Too much time has been wasted on moving forward with the draft timeshare legislation while the country’s reputation has sustained damage. For those reasons, Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams is determined to see the draft initiative law to protect timeshare owners and buyers that her party proposed in the last parliamentary terms moving in full swing Read more

Editorial - Hanging in the balance

The motion of no-confidence against Island Governor Gerald Berkel passed by the Island Council (see related story) is not going to solve Statia’s current problems. For starters, it regards an appointee of the crown as proposed by the Kingdom Government and while the wishes of the public entity surely must be taken into account, the local Island Council simply isn’t authorised to send Berkel home.

The motion requests Minister of the Interior and Home Affairs Ronald Plasterk to invoke articles 73 and 74 of the Law Public Entities Bonaire, St Read more

Motion of no-confidence passed against Island Governor Berkel

ST. EUSTATIUS--A majority in the Island Council of St. Eustatius passed a motion of no-confidence against Island Governor Gerald Berkel on Monday.

The motion was filed by Progressive Labour Party (PLP) leader Clyde van Putten, who said the coalition of PLP and United People’s Coalition (UPC) had been faced with many stumbling blocks for the past four months since coming into office.

The motion, which calls on Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk to revoke Governor Berkel’s appointment and to dismiss him with immediate effect, was adopted by a 3-1 vote Read more

Motion of no-confidence passed against Island Governor Berkel

ST. EUSTATIUS--The last agenda point of the Island Council meeting on was a motion of no-confidence against The island Governor Of Statia Gerald Berkel passed by the majority.

  Clyde Van Putten read the text as he spoke of the new government that has been faced with many stumbling blocks for the past four months since coming into office. He reflected on Berkel’s position way back when the DP wanted to fire him as Director of the Telephone company Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Well placed information reaching SMN News states that Minister of Finance Maarten Hassink has sent an email to the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger informing him that he has taken the decision to make his position as Minister of Finance available to the UPP Read more

style="text-align: center;">DP Faction plans to take back draft timeshare legislation and move forward with them in Parliament.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams told reporters on Tuesday that she has several concerns with the current government, one being the status of the Waste to Management Plant Read more

>DOMINICA:--- NAGICO Insurances has donated EC75 000 to the Dominica Social Welfare Committee to assist in the relief efforts following the catastrophic passing of Tropical Storm Erika last week, which left over 30 people dead, several injured and scores of families homeless.
In a meeting with the Dominica Social Welfare Committee yesterday; Lisa Brown-McKay; Jr. Marketing Manager of NAGICO Insurances announced that the company will donate EC$75,000 which will go directly to the victims as they will be in the form of vouchers Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, presented “daughter of the soil” local author Latoya Lake with a token of accomplishment at the official book launch of “It’s like Déjà vu with You,” on Friday last at Holland House Beach Hotel on Front Street.
Surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, Mrs Read more

Neonatal Screening

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten - A meeting is being requested by the Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo to discuss the implementation of a mandatory neonatal screening for all babies born on Sint Maarten.

What is Neonatal Screening?

It is referred to as the Neonatal heel prick screening tests or as the Guthrie tests Read more

Minister Of Tourism Connor Congratulates Daughter Of The Soil Publisher Latoya Lake

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, presented “daughter of the soil” local author Latoya Lake with a token of accomplishment at the official book launch of “It’s like Déjà vu with You,” on Friday last at Holland House Beach Hotel on Front Street.

Surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, Mrs Read more

Statia Island Council Meets, Motion Of No Confidence Passed Against Lt. Governor

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Island Council of St. Eustatius met in a marathon session on Monday.

The meeting which got under way at 9 am and concluded at 7:20 was to debate the financial situation of that island.

It was in June of this year, Minister of Kingdom Relations and Interior Affairs, Roland Plasterk took a decision to place the government of St. Eustatius under administrative supervision, a move that did not sit too well with the government.

Since then, the government has sent a letter of protest to the Council of Ministers in Holland rejecting to acknowledge the decision of Minister Plasterk Read more

St. Maarten Parliament Meets On Ipko

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - St. Maarten will be playing host to the next IPKO slated to be held from January 5th through 8 of next year.

It is for this reason; the Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations have already begun preparation for the meeting.

Whilst speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday morning, chair persons of the committee, Member of Parliament of the Democratic Party, the Honorable Sarah Wescot Williams told MPs that a meeting will be coordinated with the committee of education to discuss matters pertaining to studying financing in the region Read more

President Of Parliament Richardson Offers Condolences On Behalf Of Parliament To The Government And People Of Dominica

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson on Tuesday on behalf of the Parliament of Sint Maarten offered his condolences to the Government led by Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, on the tragic loss of life associated with the passing of Tropical Storm Erika.

Many persons have been injured and there has been significant damage to the infrastructure of Dominica.

Severe flooding from Erika’s torrential rains inundated the landscape of Dominica several days ago as the system passed through the Caribbean.

“We are one Caribbean people who feel each other’s pain when natural tragedy strikes Read more

Dutch boycott Statia, D66 questions move

THE HAGUE/STATIA--The Dutch Government is boycotting working visits to St. Eustatius since final instruction was given to the island’s government. Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Wassila Hachchi of the Democratic Party D66 is questioning the boycott.

Statia Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs Reginald Zaandam is fiercely objecting the stance by The Hague Read more

Ukraine guardsman killed in protest outside parliament

KIEV--A Ukrainian national guardsman was killed and nearly 90 others wounded by grenades hurled from a crowd of nationalist protesters on Monday as they were guarding parliament where lawmakers backed giving more autonomy to rebel-held areas.
  The violence, which the government blamed on the main nationalist party, and division in the pro-Western camp in parliament suggested President Petro Poroshenko will struggle to push through key parts of a faltering peace agreement reached in February for eastern Ukraine.
  Poroshenko sprang to the defence of the constitutional reforms following the clashes outside parliament, where deputies loyal to him managed to push through a first reading of a "decentralisation" draft law - but only in the face of strong criticism from some of his political allies Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake says with the new parliamentary year is about to start next month and he would like to see the country moving forward with the execution of priority projects, adding that this is an opportunity.

“First, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends of one of my childhood friend, the late Robert Boasman of Tangerine Road, St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Dutch National Postcode Finances Lottery One of Largest Global Shark Conservation Projects

Kralendijk/ Cole Bay- All six islands of the Dutch Caribbean are poised to benefit from a new funding initiative provided by the Dutch Postcode Lottery aimed at an essential conservation effort—saving and protecting shark species. The fund will provide €1.6 million to the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) to assist with the effort of shark conservation on all six islands of the Dutch Caribbean; Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire Read more