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MPs to discuss Harbour security contract May 7

PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) will continue to seek answers about the hefty security contract signed between St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and Checkmate Security in a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament in Parliament House on Thursday, May 7, starting at 2:00pm. Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor is invited for the meeting.

The meeting originally was scheduled for today, Wednesday, but has been postponed due to the minister being ill.

The meeting was requested by opposition National Alliance (NA) MPs William Marlin, Silveria Jacobs, Christophe Emmanuel and George Pantophlet on March 5 Read more

SZV positive agreement will be reached on arrears by deadline

PHILIPSBURG--Social and Health Insurances SZV official Reginald Willemsberg is confident that an agreement will be reached with government on the outstanding arrears owed to the insurance service provider by the May deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

Willemsberg said parties have been meeting on the matter, but declined to go into details on the discussions. A meeting was held last week and another is set for this week.

"We are talking Read more

Permanent Committee on Education and Youth scheduled to meet Thursday

>PHILIPSBURG:---- The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament, will meet in public session on April 23.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Thursday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is the approval of the decision list CECYSA for the parliamentary year 2014-2015; approval of point 1 presented by Member of Parliament Hon. Tamara Leonard, adding GED to VSBO level curriculum; and the third agenda point is an update on the committee's plan of action.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- President of Rotary Club St. Martin Sunrise Virginia Asin, members and visiting Rotarians from Suriname, last Friday, April 17, paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs and Acting Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

The visit took place at the Government Administration Building in the Dr Read more

As Petrobras scandal spreads, economic toll mounts for Brazil

ITABORAÍ, Brazil--For the 20 men hanging on at the Pousada do Trabalhador, a 600-bed boarding house on the dusty outskirts of this boom town northeast of Rio de Janeiro, the dream that Brazil's oil wealth would bring a better life was over. Their jobs at Comperj, a $15-billion oil refinery being built here in Itaboraí by state-run energy giant Petrobras , are gone, and their employer - a mid-sized engineering company - bankrupt.
  The men are the latest victims of Brazil's biggest-ever corruption scandal, a multi-billion dollar graft scheme involving Petrobras, engineering companies and politicians that is battering the world's seventh-largest economy Read more

Norissa Richards is new Mature Carnival Queen

Mature Carnival Queen 2015 Norissa Richards (centre) with runner-up Lisette Carty (right) and second runner-up Micheline Warner. Photos by Fiona Van Kampen.

CARNIVAL VILLAGE--Norissa Richards was crowned the new Mature Carnival Queen in a packed Carnival Village on Monday night. First runner-up was Lisette Carty and Micheline Warner named as second runner-up by judges Grace Bleijden, Ife Badejo, Clara Reyes, Anushka Lopes and head judge Nzinga Lake. Masters of Ceremonies were Chet Euton and Gina Bruni.

The event started with an introductory dance in which the candidates wore red evening wear before stripping off their dresses to reveal tight lycra suits Read more

Sarah opts out of Parlatino meetings

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams has "opted out" of attending meetings of the Latin American Parliament Parlatino slated for May.

Wescot-Williams said at a DP press conference at Parliament House on Monday that she had decided not to attend the meetings.

She called for Parliament "to discuss the effectiveness of the meetings" and the benefit to the country Read more

Finance Foundation investigation led to the end of Taliesin contract

PHILIPSBURG--The Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) has executed an investigation into the operations of St. Maarten Housing Finance Foundation, the financing arm of St. Maarten Housing Foundation, which falls under the Central Bank's supervision. From the undisclosed findings of that investigation the Central Bank has opted to end its contract with Taliesin Construction N.V. for the renovation of its building in St. Maarten as of April 17.

Central Bank President Emsley Tromp made it clear on Monday afternoon in a press conference held in the St Read more

Republican Jeb Bush to visit Germany, Estonia, Poland

WASHINGTON--Republican Jeb Bush will visit three U.S. allies, Germany, Poland and Estonia, in early June to get a first-hand view of European economic and security challenges as he explores a run for his party's presidential nomination in 2016, a Bush aide said on Monday.
  Foreign policy has been growing in importance in the battle to determine President Barack Obama's successor, with Republicans questioning Obama's handling of the threat from Islamic State and Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
  Bush's visit will give him a chance to lay out his differences with Obama, a Democrat, particularly when it comes to NATO as alliance members Poland and Estonia watch events in Ukraine with alarm Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament representing the Democratic Party faction Sarah Wescot Williams and the party's advisor Emil Lee told reporters on Monday that they are not amused by the request sent by the State Council to St Read more

Central Committee Meeting requested by NA Faction about Port St. Maarten and Checkmate Security Contract

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on April 22 at the request of the National Alliance (NA) faction.

The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, has been invited to be present for the House session.

The Central Committee meeting is set for Wednesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda is related to the previous and current contract signed between the Harbour Group of Companies and Checkmate Security, and the sudden hike in the contract sum for outside security services.

This meeting was requested by the NA faction Member of Parliament (MP) Hon Read more

Rotary Club Of St. Martin Sunrise Pays Courtesy Call On Prime Minister And Acting Minister Of Public Health

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - President of Rotary Club St. Martin Sunrise Virginia Asin, members and visiting Rotarians from Suriname, last Friday, April 17, paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs and Acting Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

The visit took place at the Government Administration Building in the Dr Read more

Central Committee Meeting Requested By Na Faction About Port St. Maarten And Checkmate Security Contract

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on April 22 at the request of the National Alliance (NA) faction.

The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, has been invited to be present for the House session.

The Central Committee meeting is set for Wednesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda is related to the previous and current contract signed between the Harbour Group of Companies and Checkmate Security, and the sudden hike in the contract sum for outside security services.

This meeting was requested by the NA faction Member of Parliament (MP) Hon Read more

Benches For De Weever School From Island Gems

HOPE ESTATE, St. Maarten - M. Genevieve de Weever Primary School is now the proud owner of twenty-four locally made, brightly coloured benches thanks to a donation from Island Gems Charity Foundation.

The school approached the all-woman foundation with a request for benches to place outside each classroom for pupils to utilize prior to classes or at recess.

The school sourced a local woodworker to build the benches and paint them in fun bright colours.

Island Gems, which focuses on education and projects with long term impact in the community, was happy to fund the project Read more

Grilled: Lexus seeks design edge over premium rivals

BEIJING--Big may be beautiful, but Toyota Motor Corp's global design chief is betting that edgy is the way to go for the Japanese automaker's premium Lexus brand, specifically its signature 'spindle grille' design.
  Tokuo Fukuichi, who is also Lexus' global chief, says the design shock-therapy gives the brand - and conservative Toyota more broadly - the stand-out face it previously lacked.
  While some industry rivals and design experts say the jagged-edged, trapezoid grille is downright ugly, 63-year-old Fukuichi stands by the drastic makeover, saying it will give Lexus a "unique" edge over German rivals BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz particularly in competitive emerging markets such as China, where buyers will pay more for a car that stands out from the crowd.
  Fukuichi, who was brought back to Toyota from a subsidiary in 2011 and as he was recovering from cancer, says Toyota for too long designed cars by committee - often of several dozen people Read more

St. Martin partners with French channel to promote destination

MARIGOT--St. Martin Tourism Office Director Kate Richardson disclosed at Friday's press conference the tourism office and Collectivité have partnered with the popular French TV channel Trace to promote the destination at the upcoming Foire de Paris (Paris Fair) early May.

Through the initiative of the Collectivité's office in Paris, Maison de St. Martin, the Fair has invited traditional St. Martin ensemble The Jolly Boys and singer Oswald to perform during the event while Trace TV will film promotional spots for the destination.

Trace TV has already been airing an Oswald video clip for the past two months which has increased his fan base significantly.

The channel will be promoting a Zumba event at the fair and at the same time promote a prize package to visit St Read more

Two Cubans lose bids to become first opponents elected to office

HAVANA, Cuba--Two Cuban dissidents on Sunday lost attempts to become the first openly declared political opponents to win election in Cuba since the 1959 revolution, each failing in races for Havana municipal assemblies.

Hildebrando Chaviano, 65, and Yuniel Lopez, 26, both said they had fallen behind by insurmountable margins and had no hope of winning.

The two were among of 27,379 candidates competing in midterm elections for 12,589 nationwide municipal assembly posts, the first rung on Cuba's political ladder.

"The vote was clean Read more

Republican presidential hopefuls target US middle-class insecurity

NASHUA--Facing a recovering economy and a tumbling jobless rate, Republican presidential candidates honing their economic message are trying tap into a lingering sense of insecurity among Americans seven years after the global financial crisis.
  And some are striking a sympathetic tone with lower-income workers in a way that contrasts with four years ago when Mitt Romney struggled to overcome perceptions that he was largely the candidate of the wealthiest Americans Read more

Paul, Graham clash over foreign-policy

NASHUA, New Hampshire--Republican presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham took their debate over America's role in the world from the U.S. Senate floor to the campaign trail on Saturday in an early sign that foreign policy is likely to be a flash point in the 2016 election.
  At a gathering of 18 potential and actual White House contenders, Paul accused fellow Republicans of being too willing to commit U.S Read more

> PHILIPSBURG:--- Democratic Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams has dispatched a letter to the Council of Ministers through the chair of Parliament on the draft integrity law that was discusses last week in a central committee of parliamemt. Below is press release from the DP MP along with the letter sent to the Government of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---– Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Claret Connor, presented a token of appreciation on behalf of the people and Government of Sint Maarten to the Consul General of the Kingdom of Netherlands Consulate in Miami, Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma, who hosted a dinner on Thursday at her residence in Coral Gables, Florida for the Kingdom Maritime and Trade delegation.

The trade mission program started off with a visit to PortMiami where the delegation received a tour Read more

style="text-align: justify;">SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING SINCE THE ELECTION IN 2014 AND THIS UP LED GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT OF ST. MAARTEN HAVE NOT INITIATED ONE PROGRAM THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE ORDINARY PEOPLE IN ST. MAARTEN. IT IS VERY IRONIC THAT EVERY TIME YOU MEET PEOPLE ON THE STREET THEY ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED FOR THEY HAD EXPECTED TO SEE THIS COUNTRY MOVING FORWARD IN PARTICULAR IN THE AREA OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS.

Those who brought us to this point are suffering the most!
PHILIPSBURG:---- Just recently I met a senior citizen at a Supermarket and he was boasting about how he assisted a particular candidate that is now part of the parliament of St Read more

Minister Teatt Connor Presents Kingdom Consul General In Miami With Token Of Appreciation During Trade Mission

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Claret Connor, presented a token of appreciation on behalf of the people and Government of Sint Maarten to the Consul General of the Kingdom of Netherlands Consulate in Miami, Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma, who hosted a dinner on Thursday at her residence in Coral Gables, Florida for the Kingdom Maritime and Trade delegation.

The trade mission program started off with a visit to PortMiami where the delegation received a tour Read more

Kate Richardson named Tourism Office Director

MARIGOT--Kate Richardson was officially named Director of St. Martin Tourism Office as of April 1 at a press conference Friday afternoon. She had assumed the position of Interim Director since the departure of former director Silviane John.

President Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool said she was very proud that an employee of the office has been promoted within.

"Kate has been part of the staff for seven years and has a lot of experience," Rogers-Vanterpool said Read more