SXMElections.com

SER: Only 20 per cent live below poverty line

HARBOUR VIEW--Only 20 to 25 per cent of the country’s population can be tagged as living below the poverty line by using the country’s actual minimum wage, according to the Social Economic Council SER in its recent unsolicited advice to Government on the establishment of “Boost St. Maarten” – a conditional cash transfers programme to reduce poverty.

The preliminary results of the 2011 Census show that some 20 per cent of households live on NAf Read more

Ohio officer charged with murder pleads not guilty, released on bond

CINCINNATI--A former University of Cincinnati police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man he had stopped for a missing license plate was released from jail on bond hours after an initial court appearance on Thursday.
  Ray Tensing, 25, had pleaded not guilty in the death of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose before Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan, who set his bond at $1 million Read more

Religious man attacks Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, wounding six

JERUSALEM--An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stabbed and wounded six participants, two of them seriously, in the annual Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday, with police saying the suspect was jailed for a similar attack 10 years ago.
  About 5,000 people celebrating the event were marching along an avenue when a man jumped into the crowd, apparently from a supermarket, and plunged a knife into some of the participants, witnesses said. "We heard people screaming, everyone ran for cover, and there were bloodied people on the ground," Shai Aviyor, a witness interviewed on Israel's Channel 2, said.
  It was the worst attack in years on the event in Jerusalem, a divided city where the religious population is more prominent than in other parts of Israel and highlighted the tension nationwide among disparate social groups Read more

Christian Fellowship Concert

DADA Concert

Dance and Art Dimensions Academy (DADA) will be hosting a concert at Christian Fellowship Church Hall in Simpson Bay (opposite Domino's Pizza) on Saturday, August 1, from 7:00pm.

Performing at the concert will be DADA students; a group of 11 trained dancers who are visiting from the US for missionary work; persons who took classes from the US-based dancers and Jamaican Gospel singer and songwriter George Gordon. Performances will include the use of flags, tambourines, billows and the piano, as well as praise and worship.

While in St Read more

Editorial - Put up or shut up

Parliamentarian Maurice Lake has a point (see Thursday paper). The persistent rumours that government is about to fall aren’t doing society much good.

As he is one of the persons being mentioned who might make such a political crisis a reality, his opinion definitely counts. After all, the Gumbs cabinet is backed by 10 of 15 seats in Parliament, which means no fewer than three current members of the UP-led coalition would have to withdraw their support.

That’s just not likely to happen, also considering the criticism, especially after the most recent election, on the practice of “jumping ship” for what seem rather opportunistic reasons Read more

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Notices July 31

Spay/Neuter Campaign
St. Maarten Animal Welfare Continuing through August their $25 pet spay or neuter sterilization for Dutch-side pets. Tel: 520-8887 for information and certificates. Young animals may reserve for future use.

First Responder

WIEMS is now registering for the annual First Responder (EMR) course at the Dutch Quarter Community Centre starting Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm. For more information: www.wiems.org . To register: email

This is the crux of the issue, according to the three Supervisory Council members remaining at the STA Foundation, who said they wished to inform the public that "the STA has yet to be activated."

In developments that had not been made public, Supervisory Council member Mark Mingo, the chairman, who represented St Read more

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400,000 euros earmarked for Sandy Ground, French Quarter

MARIGOT--A contract signed recently in the Préfecture between President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson and Préfète Anne Laubies will see the districts of Sandy Ground and French Quarter benefit from 400,000 euros this year under the scope of credits available in the annual programme Politique de la Ville 2015-2020.

The decree of December 30, 2014, redefined geographical areas to focus on poorer districts and established a priority list in the overseas territories, in which Sandy Ground and French Quarter in St Read more

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Lake: Talk of Govt falling ‘distracting,’ non-productive

PHILIPSBURG--Government, its workers and civil society are constantly “distracted” and investors are becoming “weary with the ungrounded rumours about the fall of the current government,” said United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake on Wednesday.

Lake said in a press statement that he “strongly dismissed” talk circulating in the community that he plans to break with the current UP-led coalition and form a new one with MPs from the opposition and others from the current coalition Read more

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Afghanistan says Taliban leader dead, calls for peace negotiations

KABUL--Afghanistan said on Wednesday that Mullah Omar, the elusive leader of the Taliban movement fighting to topple the government, died more than two years ago.
  The announcement came a day or so before a second round of peace talks had been tentatively scheduled, and news of the fate of the one-eyed Omar could deepen Taliban divisions over whether to pursue negotiations with Kabul and who should replace him. Omar had not been seen in public since fleeing when the Taliban was toppled from power by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001, and there has been speculation for years among militant circles that he was either incapacitated or had died.
  "The government .. Read more

Editorial - Loud and clear

The figures presented by Transparency International (TI) regarding poverty in St. Maarten (see related story) are interesting. The 75 per cent making less than NAf. 4,000 (US $2,222) per month are apparently considered below the poverty line, although everyone knows there are many earning far less and, according to the report, 22 per cent with no income at all.

The latter is a bit hard to swallow, as Government does provide some financial aid to citizens in need Read more

Notices July 30

Spay/Neuter Campaign
St. Maarten Animal Welfare Continuing through August their $25 pet spay or neuter sterilization for Dutch-side pets. Tel: 520-8887 for information and certificates. Young animals may reserve for future use.

First Responder

WIEMS is now registering for the annual First Responder (EMR) course at the Dutch Quarter Community Centre starting Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm. For more information: www.wiems.org . To register: email \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Read more

20,000 euros emergency aid dispensed to sustain livestock

MARIGOT--The Executive Council at its most recent meeting voted to release 20,000 euros of emergency aid for farmers and livestock breeders to enable them to purchase much needed water and foodstuffs for their animals.

The subvention has been given to Association de Développement de L’Elevage et la Promotion des Produits Agricoles Locaux (ADEPPAL) to purchase supplies and distribute on a priority basis.

It was noted the current drought has affected the whole of the Caribbean for the last six months, caused US1-million dollars in lost crops and thousands of dollars in value of cattle that have perished Read more

TI study finds gaps between laws and their enforcement

BERLIN/PHILIPSBURG--There is a “general gap” between laws on the books and the practice and enforcement of those laws in St. Maarten’s key institutions, the global anti-corruption organisation Transparency International (TI) said in a report published Tuesday.

The gap is “a major obstacle for consolidating the democratic foundation of this new country and weakens its accountability mechanisms. It will limit the success of any future programme promoting good governance and countering corruption, if not addressed,” the organisation said.

Based on the findings of the St Read more

Caribbean on high alert against bird flu

BRIDGETOWN--Veterinary officers and stakeholders in the poultry sector in the Caribbean are on high alert and stepping up their preparedness to protect the industry as the deadly H5N1 virus – commonly referred to as bird flu – wreaks havoc on farms in North America, the region’s main market for hatching eggs and chicks. Over the past six months, almost 50 million birds have either died or been destroyed in the US, costing the industry billions of dollars.

With more than 90 per cent of the hatching eggs and day-old chicks required in the Caribbean for the production of table eggs and broiler meat being sourced from the US, senior veterinary officer in Barbados’ Ministry of Agriculture and chair of the Caribbean Animal Health Network CaribVET Working Group, Dr Read more

As peace talks advance, Colombia struggles to find its missing

CHAGUANI, Colombia--Swinging a pickaxe high above his head, the sweating former Marxist guerrilla brings it down sharply, breaking up hard-packed earth on a wooded hillside in central Colombia.
  "I know the grave was here," says the ex-combatant, Andres Martinez, wiping his brow as a forensic expert starts in with a shovel near the rural town of Chaguani.
  Though it's only mid-morning, the motley team of forensic staff, prison guards and ex-rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have already dug one trench in heavy rain, hoping to find the bones of a victim of the 50-year conflict Read more

Seek out meaningful cooperation with the Dutch Government

Dear Editor,

I am one proud Democrat. The opportunities for St. Eustatius that are available under the public entity status are far more than was the case under the bankrupt Antillean Constellation. The advancements achieved with improved healthcare and access to healthcare institutions and medical specialists are many times better than the situation before 10-10-10.

We have many living examples of the results. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to hug a grandmother who was flown out to Colombia by means of the emergency response that is in place Read more

Cardinals hailed for hiring NFL's first female coach

ARIZONA-- The Arizona Cardinals were being hailed as groundbreakers on Tuesday after hiring the National Football League's first female coach.
  The Cardinals on Monday hired Jen Welter, a 37-year-old former pro football player, to be a coaching intern during training camp this year, working with inside linebackers.
  Football fans took to Twitter to express their sentiments about Welter's hiring.
  "#NFLTrainingCamp hasn't even started and the @AZCardinals are already winning," The Dude (@Calicardsfan) said.
  Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said the internship would be a great opportunity that could "open some doors" for Welter.
  "Coaching is nothing more than teaching," Arians said in a statement on Monday Read more

Editorial - Single market

That Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake is concerned about the cost of living on the island (see related story) is understandable. Particularly groceries are said to be quite expensive, certainly when compared to the relatively low average salaries.

Of course, there is the so-called basic necessity basket under government price control, but it regards a very limited range of goods that nowadays aren’t exactly, all considered, among the most healthy things to eat either Read more

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Notices July 28

First Responder

WIEMS is now registering for the annual First Responder (EMR) course at the Dutch Quarter Community Centre starting Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm. For more information: www.wiems.org . To register: email