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North Korea: our supporters may be behind Sony attack

SEOUL/BOSTON--The Pyongyang government's state-run media said the cyber attack on Sony's Hollywood studio may have been the work of pro-North Korean supporters in a report on Sunday that dismissed charges that the country itself was to blame as "wild rumour."
  "The hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal," the article by the KCNA news agency said, using the official DPRK acronym for North Korea.
  The article, which represents the nation's most detailed response about the attack to date, denounced South Korea, accusing Seoul of "floating the false rumour that the North was involved in the hacking."
  It also warned the United States that "there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK all over the world."
  It said 'Guardians of Peace,' the hacking gang that has taken responsibility for the attack at the Sony Corp unit, was one such group Read more

Maccow’s St. Maarten debut lasts 59 seconds

PHILIPSBURG--The hammer hit the old metal brake drum with a loud thud. The referee signalled for the boxers to fight. It was the second bout on This is War card promoted by Bobby Ottley and B.O.S.E. Promotions at L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium Saturday night. The stands were half full.

Local fighter Sidney Maccow was to face Justin Gogulski from Curaçao Read more

Wrecks removed in lagoon cleanup

SIMPSON BAY--Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage from Simpson Bay lagoon during Saturday’s lagoon cleanup organised by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI together with St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA).

With the assistance of the Maritime Affairs Department many wrecks were removed within the lagoon, including those which were damaged by Hurricane Gonzalo and were wrecked to the side of t Read more

More surveillance cameras to be installed on French side

MARIGOT--The Executive Council voted at its most recent meeting last week for sixteen more surveillance cameras to be installed on the French side, as well as four cameras that can read number plates on cars.

The total cost of the cameras, installation and the necessary infrastructure work amounts to 4,281,357 euros. The project has been awarded to the company GETELEC.

The Executive Council also authorised the President to sign off on two lots of office and school furniture to be provided by Cariburo.

In addition, the President signed and confirmed the engagement for the rainwater management study in Belle Plaine that will be undertaken by the companies SAFEGE and Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE) N.V., financing for which has been provided by Interreg Caraïbes Read more

Colombia’s Maria Lopes-Perez is Miss Caraïbes Hibiscus 2015

MAHO--Maria Alejandra Lopez-Perez from Colombia was selected Miss Caraïbes Hibiscus 2015 on Saturday evening at Casino Royale in Maho. The beautiful Colombian, who was also Miss Pan-America in 2013, beat eight other contestants for the crown.

Originally there had been 13 contestants, however, Miss St. Martin/St. Maarten Lisandre Nicoise had withdrawn from the competition, and contestants from Curaçao, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela's flights were cancelled as the result of a bomb scare at SXM Princess Juliana International Airport Read more

Mexico says evidence now proves missing students were burned up

MEXICO CITY--Mexican authorities on Sunday said that mounting evidence and initial DNA tests confirmed that 43 trainee teachers who were abducted by corrupt police 10 weeks ago were incinerated at a garbage dump by drug gang members.
  Attorney General Jesus Murillo told reporters that one of the students had been identified by experts in Austria from a bone fragment in a bag of ash and bits of burned tire found in a river where drug gang members said they tossed the students remains.
  "This scientific proof confirms that the remains found at the scene coincide with the evidence of the investigation," Murillo said Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that Finance Minister Martin Hassink will be the scapegoat that will be used by the UP/De Weever/LRMarlin coalition. Sources close to the formation of the government labeled the Marcel Gumbs cabinet said that the incoming Prime Minister intends to ask Finance Minister Martin Hassink to stay on board until they find a suitable candidate to take up the post.
The source said that Hassink will agree to stay for a period of three months since he cannot abandon the ship now, Hassink even told members of the media when he was asked two weeks ago if he will stay on for the full term and he made it clear that he will for three months and after that serve as an advisor to government if they so desire Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, December 6, 2014 the Latin American Parliament, Parlatino, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in a Commemorative General Assembly in Panama. A delegation comprising of Members of Parliament of Sint Maarten headed by the President of Parliament, Hon. Lloyd Richardson, MD attended this gathering.

The gathering started with the raising of the Parlatino flag, singing of the Parlatino anthem, paying homage to the founders and former Presidents of Parlatino, speeches from dignitaries followed by the presentation of gifts from the member countries to Parlatino amongst others.

The Hon Read more

style="text-align: center;">Nature Foundation Hopes Cleanup Will be a Yearly Event

SIMPSON BAY:--- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation took part in the wide-scale cleanup of the Simpson Bay Lagoon which took place on Saturday. The Minister of VROMI the Honorable Maurice Lake spearheaded the cleanup and the Ministry, the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association and the Nature Foundation jointly organized the logistics.

  During the cleanup the Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage on the lagoon Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prosecution Purposely delayed Investigations to Taint St. Maarten as a Country, were they instructed to destroy St. Maarten or are they incompetent?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The screening process that was conducted these past weeks by a team of persons including the prosecution can only be described as a one eye giant and the Prosecutors Office is failing to execute their duties or they are simply incompetent. At least two of the persons that failed the screening raised eyebrows Read more

Plans Little Bay Include Open Beach-Access

St. Maarten – Karis Development NV obtained a building permit for the construction of seven apartment buildings in Little Bay, between Little Bay Pond and the beach. The permit department at the Vromi-Ministry approved the permit on October 20. The building site became the center of a controversy earlier this week, after the landowner closed off public access to the beach. The gate has since then been reopened, but public concerns about free access to the beach persisted.

Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake showed the building plans yesterday to reporters Read more

Cps Appeals To Garages And Tire Shops To Help Stop Mosquitoes

St. Maarten – The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), is appealing to garage owners and tire repair shops to take measures to remove mosquito breeding sites from their establishments and to maintain on a daily basis control measures to eliminate any standing water on their premises.

Accumulation of rainwater in tires provides breeding space for mosquitoes that carry the dengue/chikungunya-causing virus. According to the CPS, Minister of Public Health Cornelius de Weever, ‘Get Checked” campaign, is in line with the appeal for residents, and business owners, to check-in and around their homes, and businesses in order to reduce breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and make them mosquito-free zones.

“The design of tires makes them ideal breeding sites for several species of mosquitoes, some of which are very important vectors of disease.  Since they are easily filled by rain and collect leaf litter, they provide an ideal incubator for mosquito larvae Read more

Sint Maarten Represented At Parlatino 50Th Anniversary Celebration

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Saturday, December 6, 2014 the Latin American Parliament, Parlatino, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in a Commemorative General Assembly in Panama.

A delegation comprising of Members of Parliament of Sint Maarten headed by the President of Parliament, Hon. Lloyd Richardson, MD attended this gathering.

The gathering started with the raising of the Parlatino flag, singing of the Parlatino anthem, paying homage to the founders and former Presidents of Parlatino, speeches from dignitaries followed by the presentation of gifts from the member countries to Parlatino amongst others.

The Hon Read more

SXM Autism Association

~ Training to better understand autism ~

SXM Autism Association is continuing to work to fill a need in our community. They have organized training on autism designed for the general public, in partnership with National Education, General Social Security Fund (SSTC) in Guadeloupe and SESSAD (Service d'Education Spéciale et de Soins à Domicile) in France. The training was held in late November and early December.

Understanding autistic people is the focus of the training, and it is based on applied analysis of their behavioural cues Read more

Editorial - Improved compliance

Today's news that the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT has given St. Maarten until January 31 to establish the 2015 budget is most welcome. The original December 15 deadline had clearly gotten out of reach, in part due to the recent political developments and issues with the screening of candidate ministers.

Affording the incoming UP-led coalition more time to present amendments bringing the draft in line with CFT's advice and the Kingdom Consensus Law on Financial Supervision shows the necessary respect for the Gumbs Cabinet that – after all – will have to work with it Read more

Four minister candidates reportedly fail screening

PHILIPSBURG--It appears that efforts to put together a new cabinet have come up a few ministers short. Four of the minister candidates reportedly have failed the extensive screening to take up a post in what has been billed as the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet.

Those said to have failed the security and integrity screenings are finance minister candidate Richard Gibson Sr., health minister candidate Leroy de Weever, infrastructure minister candidate Peggy-Ann Brandon and deputy minister plenipotentiary candidate Lucas Berman.

According to people close to the issue, attorney and former minister in the Netherlands Antilles Gibson Sr Read more

Govt has until January 31 to establish 2015 budget

PHILIPSBURG--Government has been granted, in principle, until January 31, 2015, to establish the 2015 budget. This is an additional six weeks past the legal deadline of December 15. Should the new deadline not be met, the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT will revert to procedures in the Kingdom Law on Temporary Financial Supervision for Curaçao and St. Maarten.

CFT Chairman Age Bakker said at a press conference at CFT's office Friday it had been agreed that government would formally request a postponement until January 31, and CFT would honour this request, which would enable the incoming government to present an amended budget in accordance with the CFT advice.

The extension of the deadline should give the incoming Marcel Gumbs Cabinet "time to come up with amendments" to the budget to bring it in line with the norms of the Kingdom law.

Government presented the draft 2015 budget for advice in October Read more

Harbour fails to halt construction of Dock Maarten ultra-yacht pier

~ Files for appeal against permit ~

POINTE BLANCHE--St. Maarten Harbour Holding Company (SHHC) NV has failed in its efforts to put a halt to plans of Dock Maarten NV to construct a marina with a pier to accommodate ultra- and giga-yachts with lengths of more than 100 metres.

SHHC had filed an injunction with the Court of First Instance on November 17 in its efforts to halt construction of the pier at the marina at Battery Point in Pointe Blanche.

The Dock Maarten extension started in October with the initial phase of expanding a breakwater originally built in 1984 Read more

Political parties in war of words regarding Dominica airport fire

ROSEAU, Dominica--A war of words has erupted between the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) and the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) over who caused the multi-million-dollar fire that destroyed communications equipment at the Douglas Charles Airport, north of here, on Wednesday.

Prime Minister and DLP leader Roosevelt Skerrit addressing a political rally here on Wednesday night, told supporters that they are fully aware of who should take the blame for the fire that the Dominica Fire and Ambulance Services said had been a suspected case of arson.

"I want Dominicans to answer: Who do you think burn down the tower at Captain Bruce, ladies and gentleman? Who do you think burn down the two million [EC dollars – EC $1=US $0.37 – Ed.] communication tower at the airport?" Skerrit asked supporters, saying he now has to go and source the money required to replace the burnt equipment.

"As prime minister I have to find EC $2 million to replace the communication tower, EC $2 million that could rebuild roads, that could buy fertiliser for farmers, that could build homes for the poor people of Dominica," he said.

Skerrit said that he now had to find the money, "because some people burnt down the communications tower and you like me know who the people are and that is why we shall go out on the polls on Election Day and ensure that the Labour Party wins a landslide victory."

UWP leader Lennox Linton had, at a rally of his party over the last weekend, urged supporters to travel to the airport to meet with the returning nationals in a bid to get them to stay away from the polls.

"We have a democracy to protect; we have a vote to protect from criminal behaviour Read more

ICC prosecutor withdraws charges against Kenyan president

AMSTERDAM/NAIROBI--Prosecutors dropped charges of crimes against humanity against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, marking a failure for the International Criminal Court in the highest-profile case in its 11-year history.

Judges in The Hague had on Wednesday given prosecutors a week to decide whether to proceed against Kenyatta, who was accused of fomenting ethnic violence after the 2007 election, or withdraw the charges.

Prosecutors have said Kenyatta, the first sitting president to have attended a session of the court, used his powers to obstruct the investigation, especially since becoming head of state last year Read more

SJIB celebrates 10th anniversary

~ To merge with Court of Guardianship ~

BELAIR--Foundation Judiciary Institutes Windward Islands SJIB celebrated its tenth anniversary at the Belair Community Centre on Friday, December 5.

The organisation is now known as Foundation Judiciary Institutes St. Maarten SJIS. The name change had been in the cards for some time, as the organisation no longer had been responsible for Saba and St. Eustatius since the constitutional change on 10-10-10.

How long this name will remain is uncertain, as Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson announced during the celebration that the Council of Ministers had approved a merger of SJIS and the Court of Guardianship

The organisation also introduced a new jingle advocating employers making positions available for people who have been in trouble with the law, and an infomercial to highlight the need for foster parents on the island.

SJIS also announced that its new Website

www.sjis-sxm.com would be available soon Read more

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Council of Ministers received the College financieel toezicht (Cft) delegation on Thursday morning, December 4, 2014, to discuss the finances of country Sint Maarten, in particular the status of affairs of the budget 2014 and the draft budget of 2015. Cft was represented by Chairman Mr. Age Bakker, Member upon proposal of Curaçao Mr. Alberto Romero, Member upon proposal of the Netherlands Mrs. Sybilla Dekker, new Member upon proposal of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba Mr Read more

Minister of Culture Lourens-Philip Invites Public to Annual Thanksgiving and Lighting Ceremony on Sunday.

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Hon. Patricia Lourens-Philip is inviting the general public to the Annual Thanksgiving and Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, December 7 in front of the Government Administration Building at 4:30pm.
The theme for 2014 is: "Be Thankful and Bless His Name."
The event is being organized in collaboration with Caribbean PITCH IT Foundation, St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Maarten Sunrise was pleased to welcome Attorney Jason Rogers, Central Voting Bureau Chairman to their recent morning meeting. In the aftermath of the recent elections Rogers in his presentation gave a recap of the recent elections and elucidated on the role of the voting bureau during and after the elections. Pictured from left to right, Rotarian Cookie Bijlani, Rotarian Marcellia Henry, Rotary Sunrise President Virginia Asin, Rogers, Rotarian Meredith Boekhou Read more