SXMElections.com

Tourism season better, but marketing concerns loom

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten's accommodation sector enjoyed a positive tourism season, which reportedly measured up to slightly better than last year's. Hotel General Managers (GMs) contacted by The Daily Herald were proud to report the good results, some specifically citing the (now halted) Thomas Cook (TC) charter from Sweden as a positive contribution. However, they also expressed some concern over the lack of destination marketing.

According to St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association's (SHTA's) most recent figures, the first quarter of 2015 saw a total occupancy of 82.1 per cent, of a total of 3,375 rooms belonging to SHTA members Read more

Mesmeric Messi nets double as Barca romp past Bayern

BARCELONA--Two late moments of Lionel Messi magic and a goal from Neymar helped Barcelona break the resistance of Bayern Munich in a pulsating 3-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

After Barca had been frustrated by the brilliance of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for most of the match, Messi fired home after 77 minutes and then doubled the lead with a delightful chip from six metres three minutes later Read more

Mesmeric Messi nets double as Barca romp past Bayern

BARCELONA--Two late moments of Lionel Messi magic and a goal from Neymar helped Barcelona break the resistance of Bayern Munich in a pulsating 3-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

After Barca had been frustrated by the brilliance of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for most of the match, Messi fired home after 77 minutes and then doubled the lead with a delightful chip from six metres three minutes later Read more

Gumbs apologises for landfill fire nuisance

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in his capacity as Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI issued an apology to residents of Philipsburg and surrounding areas for the intermittent landfill fires that have blanketed the sky with smoke.

The most recent fire was on Saturday, May 2 Read more

Jamaica policemen in reported murder-suicide were best friends

KINGSTON, Jamaica--The two police constables who died in a murder-suicide in the early hours of yesterday have been identified as best friends Keemo Walsh and Andualy Smith.

Smith, who was with Walsh at the Grass Hoppa Bar and Grill in White River celebrating another friend's birthday, allegedly shot Walsh around 3:00am and then turned the gun on himself. It is unclear whether the shooting was intentional or accidental.

The incident occurred just hours into the day of Smith's own birthday Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs who is also Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), would like to apologize to the residents of Philipsburg and environs with respect to the Landfill fires that take place from time to time.

The most recent fire event was on Saturday evening 2 May Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Apologizes To Residents Of Philipsburg And Environs For Landfill Fire Nuisance

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs who is also Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), would like to apologize to the residents of Philipsburg and environs with respect to the Landfill fires that take place from time to time.

The most recent fire event was on Saturday evening 2 May Read more

Editorial - Win-win after all

Not everyone will be happy, but news that work on Rockland Estate Rain Forest Adventure Park is to start this summer (see Saturday paper) should not surprise anybody. After all, it already was clear that the company had been awarded a long lease for the necessary land at Emilio Wilson Estate (EWE), even though Government at the request of Parliament bought that property from its private owners to preserve it as natural-cultural-historic patrimony.

The thought then obviously had been not to allow any major commercial development there, but the lease agreement at US $1.20 per square metre nonetheless was signed, also to help pay for the purchase Read more

Editorial - Win-win after all

Not everyone will be happy, but news that work on Rockland Estate Rain Forest Adventure Park is to start this summer (see Saturday paper) should not surprise anybody. After all, it already was clear that the company had been awarded a long lease for the necessary land at Emilio Wilson Estate (EWE), even though Government at the request of Parliament bought that property from its private owners to preserve it as natural-cultural-historic patrimony.

The thought then obviously had been not to allow any major commercial development there, but the lease agreement at US $1.20 per square metre nonetheless was signed, also to help pay for the purchase Read more

>CUL DE SAC:----  Seven sixth form students of St. Maarten Academy's CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) programme returned to St. Maarten on Saturday (April 25, 2015) after a week-long field trip to the Commonwealth of Dominica, which culminated with a visit to the Prime Minister, Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit.
The visit to the Nature Isle was aimed at exposing the students and teachers to a myriad of experiences that meet their curriculum goals in Physics and Biology. Led by the school's Vice Principal Mrs Read more

Academy Cape Science Students Visit Dominica

CUL DE SAC, St. Maarten – Seven sixth form students of St. Maarten Academy's CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) programme returned to St. Maarten on Saturday (April 25, 2015) after a week-long field trip to the Commonwealth of Dominica, which culminated with a visit to the Prime Minister, Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit.

The visit to the Nature Isle was aimed at exposing the students and teachers to a myriad of experiences that meet their curriculum goals in Physics and Biology.

Led by the school's Vice Principal Mrs Read more

style="text-align: center;">The governing coalition parties and their independent affiliates have "suddenly" lost interest in our own integrity chamber.

PHILIPSBURG:---  DP Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams said based on the response she got from the Prime Minister of St Read more

Former US President Jimmy Carter to head observer team to Guyana polls

GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Former United States President Jimmy Carter will lead an observer mission to monitor the May 11 regional and national elections in Guyana.

"I look forward to leading our delegation to observe Guyana's elections on May 11," Carter said.

"The Carter Center has a long history in Guyana and great respect for the Guyanese people. These will be the fourth elections we have observed there since 1992, and we trust they will be peaceful and inspire hope for the future."

The Carter Center is joining the Organization of American States (OAS) that have been invited to monitor the polls by the Guyana government.

The Carter Center in a statement said that the core team of experts will be joined this week by six medium-term observers, together representing nine countries.

The Center's observers will meet regularly with representatives of the Guyana Elections Commission, political party candidates, civil society organisations, the international community and citizen election observers to assess electoral preparations and the pre-electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, voter education, and other issues.

They will be joined by a larger delegation of election observers in May, led by Carter, who will assess the voting, counting and tabulation processes.

The election here is seen as a straight fight between the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which is seeking to extend its more-than-two-decades hold on power and the coalition alliance comprising the main opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the small Alliance for Change (AFC) Read more

Editorial - Reckless move?

It's always a bit difficult to judge having heard only one side of the story, but Wednesday's news that the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) terminated its agreement with a local contractor for renovation of the complex in Philipsburg due to "signals" of integrity issues no doubt raises questions. It supposedly regards the construction company's role in a project of St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), where the managing director was dismissed recently based on perceived irregularities.

However, one has to seriously doubt whether such concerns can be a valid reason not only to break a contract for work that seemingly has nothing to do with the SMHDF-case, but also to withhold payment Read more

Editorial - In a bad light

It was interesting to see the picture of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Panama City with St. Maarten's Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs and Telecommunication Claret Connor and Port of St. Maarten CEO Mark Mingo on Monday's front page. The three men attended a round-table meeting about opportunities offered by the expanded Panama Canal, among other things.

This is noteworthy especially because Members of Parliament (MPs) in The Hague, particularly from Rutte's own VVD party, have been very critical about the Harbour Group of Companies on several occasions Read more

Editorial - Preferred option

How much is enough? The Dutch side alone currently has 480 taxis and 263 buses (see Friday paper). This certainly sounds like a lot for such a small territory, but readers should keep in mind that it regards a one-pillar tourism economy and tens of thousands of visitors without their own means of transportation are present at any given time.

Nevertheless, there is a reason moratoriums were placed on these types of licences. This becomes all the more evident when one takes into account that there were 321 taxis and 211 buses prior to 2012, but respectively 69 and 14 were added that year, plus another 87 and 38 in 2013.

That seems questionable at best, as the apparent oversaturation of the market must have been pretty clear by then, certainly to the local associations representing the drivers Read more

Halley land saga heard by Petitions Committee

~ 'Something wrong,' way forward to be determined ~

PHILIPSBURG--Marlon Halley, supported in particular by community spokesperson Yvette Halley, had the transfer of land rights plaguing him heard by Members of Parliament on Thursday during a Petitions Committee meeting at Parliament House.

The meeting was the result of a petition submitted March 4 that called for Parliament to thoroughly investigate "fishy business" surrounding the land deal that entailed government taking ownership of the land where Marlon Halley has operated a business for some 28 years, and long-leasing it to developers without his knowing Read more

Editorial - Not helpful

The postponement of yet another Parliament meeting on Monday (see related story) raises doubts about the seriousness of elected representatives. After all, it concerned the very important issue of an Integrity Chamber over which St. Maarten is currently in a dispute with the Kingdom Council of Ministers.

Granted, it's first and foremost the task of the governing parties to ensure a quorum when these kinds of sessions – rather than on the initiative of legislators – are called at the request of government by the chairperson, who is obviously also part of that coalition Read more

Senior tourism official ‘embarrassed’ over long delay in airport opening

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent--Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer Glen Beache says changing dates for the completion of the EC $700 million (One EC dollar=US $0.37) Argyle International Airport is proving to be a challenge for negotiating with airlines.

"Honestly speaking, it can be embarrassing. [I'm – Ed.] not going to lie about that, because obviously airlines make their itinerary at least a year in advance," Beache said.

The Argyle International Airport, which was initially scheduled to open in 2011, has missed several completion deadlines and Beache, a former tourism minister, told a news conference that the latest operational date given to him by the state-owned International Airport Development Company (IADC), which is building the airport, is October this year.

Beache said that over the past three years British Airways has sent at least two teams for first-hand visits regarding the completion of the airport.

"We've been on their radar for a while," he said, adding that Virgin, which also services the United Kingdom market, "has sought us out on a few issues that they would like to see taken care of and see how we can help them and so on."

He said Virgin has changed its marketing strategy, trying to fill the front, rather than the rear of their aircraft and that the airline is more interested in attracting high-end passengers, which suits the Vincentian destination.

"Since they have done that, they have shown a lot more interest in St Read more

Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings airplane

PARIS/SEYNE-LES-ALPES--A young German co-pilot barricaded himself alone in the cockpit of Germanwings flight 9525 and apparently set it on course to crash into an Alpine mountain, killing all 150 people on board including himself, French prosecutors said on Thursday.

They offered no motive for why Andreas Lubitz, 27, would take the controls of the Airbus A320, lock the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately set it veering down from cruising altitude at 3,000 feet per minute. German police searched his home for evidence that might offer some explanation for what was behind Tuesday's crash in the French Alps.

The scenario stunned the aviation world Read more

England's warrior king is finally reburied

LEICESTER, England--Richard III, the last English king to die in battle whose remains were found under a car park three years ago, was reburied on Thursday in a ceremony the current queen said was of "great international significance".

Depicted by Shakespeare as a sadistic, crafty hunchback, Richard was re-interred at Leicester Cathedral in central England some 530 years after he was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field on Aug. 22, 1485. Following the battle, his naked body was thrown on the back of a horse, taken to nearby Leicester and buried in a humble grave.

At a sombre ceremony on Thursday, he was reburied with the honour his modern-day supporters say his conqueror in battle Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, denied him.

"The reinterment of King Richard III is an event of great national and international significance," Queen Elizabeth said in a message Read more

Editorial - Essential step

Today's news that government finally has approved the so-called "function book" for the police and prison (see related story) is most welcome. It took 4½ years since achieving country status on 10-10-10, but soon the officers and guards should have clarity on their legal position and the organisational structure in which they must work.

The local board of police union NAPB that was installed in June last year had been worried the issue might suffer more delay due to the looming elections and talk of a change in the Police Force command Read more

Neighbours alarmed over health of elderly man, state of his house

MARIGOT--Neighbours and concerned citizens have raised the alarm over what they believe is a failure of social services to address adequately the situation of a family living in deplorable conditions at 43 Rue de Pic Paradis.

The primary concern is over the health of the senior member of the household, Placido Vrolijk (83), born in Aruba on September 25, 1932. He is currently bedridden and in poor health, and the family is trying to have him moved into a senior citizens home on either the French or Dutch side of the island.

"I've seen how his health is deteriorating on a daily basis," worries neighbour Alan Conner Read more

Editorial - Stability is the key

If all goes according to plan, a new PLP/UPC government for St. Eustatius will be sworn in on Thursday (see related story). Leaders of the incoming coalition have stated already that it can't be "business as usual."

They want to make a fist against what is considered commanding the island from The Hague. The feeling is that Statia does not receive the same treatment as the European Netherlands and the goal is to put an end to this situation, because colonialism is a thing of the past.

The two parties have emphasised on numerous occasions that St Read more