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Carnival aims to start Cuba cruises in May

MIAMI/HAVANA--Carnival Corporation has won United States approval to operate cruises to Cuba, and plans to start taking travellers there in May 2016, on weekly seven-day voyages from Miami. Carnival, the world's largest cruise operator and a major source of St. Maarten's cruise tourists, said it was still in talks with Cuba for approval to start humanitarian and culturally themed visits.

Based in Miami, Carnival is the first major US-based cruise ship company to venture into Cuban waters, but joins a growing list of maritime companies hoping to profit from a thaw in relations between Washington and Havana.

The Cuba cruise should be launched in May under its new "fathom" brand, set up last month to run cruises with humanitarian and cultural themes to the Dominican Republic.

Carnival will use the 710-passenger vessel, MV Adonia, for its Cuba cruises on the small side for the company, whose ships typically carry 2,000 to 3,000 people.

Carnival said the cruises would focus on education, the environment and economic development, and feature Spanish lessons and workshops on the country's heritage Read more

Caribbean fights to protect high-value, declining species

KINGSTON, Jamaica--Threats from climate change, declining reefs, overfishing and possible loss of several commercial species are driving the rollout of new policy measures to keep Caribbean fisheries sustainable.

Regional groups and the US-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Wild Earth Guardians have petitioned for the listing of some of the Caribbean's most economically valuable marine species as vulnerable, endangered or threatened with extinction.

In addition, regional scientists believe that climate change could alter the ranges of some of the larger species and perhaps wipe out existing ones.

Fisheries ministers of the Caribbean say they are concerned that "extra-national activities and decisions" could impact the social and economic well-being of their countries and their access to international markets Read more

UN Srebrenica vote delayed in bid to avoid Russia veto

UNITED NATIONS--A U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution to condemn the Srebrenica massacre as genocide, marking the 20th anniversary of the mass killing, has been delayed until Wednesday as Britain and the United States try to convince Russia not to veto the commemoration, diplomats said.

Russia has deemed the British-drafted resolution unbalanced and does not want the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys described as genocide Read more

Bill Cosby's moralizing comes back to haunt him

NEW YORK--Bill Cosby's forthright views on black parenting came back to haunt him this week when a U.S. judge called the comedian a "public moralist" who had lost the right of personal privacy in a 2005 civil sexual assault case.
  The career of the once beloved comedian from TV's "The Cosby Show" is in tatters after more than 40 women came forward in the past year to accuse him of drugging and sexually assaulting them in incidents dating back decades.
  For years, Crosby was a sought-after speaker at graduation ceremonies and other college events across the United States, giving dozens of speeches that amused and inspired his mostly young audiences Read more

Wide Feet need love too!

FOR THE LOVE OF SHOES

Greetings!

My name is Ameera Groeneveldt. I am the owner of Shoe Solution SXM – the ONLINE delivery shoe store for women, men and kids; specializing in large shoe sizes 10 and up and wide-width shoes. I am also a shoe consultant.

LOVE. That is the one word that sums up what is LACKING for feet these days Read more

Notices July 8

VKS Practice   

Voluntary Corps of St. Maarten (VKS) announces that the VKS will be having a practice on Sunday July 12, from 9:30am to12:30pm at St. Peters intersections, located at St. Peters. The general public is requested to exercise caution when passing through these areas. 

Teachers, Volunteers Needed

I Too Can Learn (ITCL) Foundation is seeking teachers (Special Ed) and volunteers for their Center. For more information call 547 0890 or 524 6067 Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs is calling on the populace to be extremely careful not to light any bush fires and not to throw out any lighted cigarettes which could easily ignite a fire. The extreme drought has heightened the threat for bush fires.
The Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten seasonal outlook for July and August says that rainfall is expected to be below-normal to near normal.
Present observations are indicating that there is a greater than 90 per cent chance that El Nino will continue through the fall Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Fourteen persons were successful in following and completing a Job Trainer training and are now certified job trainers. The Job Trainer Training was given by the Council of Education and Labor Dutch Caribbean (known as ROA CN) and focuses on equipping job trainers (personnel at the job training company tasked with supervising and guiding trainees) with the skills necessary to effectively guide students on traineeships.
The training was coordinated by the Division for Educational Innovation (DEI) and facilitated by Violet Duggins-Gumbs of the Council of Education and Labor Dutch Caribbean Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Council of Education and Labor of the Dutch Caribbean (known as ROA CN) made a working visit to St. Maarten in June 2015 in which one of its activities was to conduct a presentation on its organization and render advice and tips to St. Maarten on setting up its own Council of Education and Labor. St. Maarten is already in the process of establishing its own Council of Education and Labor therefore the presentation was very beneficial to government stakeholders who are busy with establishing the council Read more

When will PJIAE get its FBO Building Permit --- Building Permit sent to Prime Minister’s Office two weeks ago.

style="text-align: center;">Creditors still have hope and waiting for Project to kick off.

PHILIPSBURG:--- SMN News received information that the head of VROMI Louis Brown signed off on the building permit for the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) Project which is to be constructed at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) some two weeks ago and sent it to the Office of the Prime Minister but to date the Prime Minister of St Read more

Mp Lake Supports Mp Marlin's Stance On Promoting Nationalism, Patriotism And Cultural Retention

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Today's youth take signals from our generation, United People's (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake said on Tuesday.

This is in connection with fellow MP Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo call for the promotion of nationalism, patriotism and cultural retention.

"If it is important to us then it becomes important to them Read more

Statia Prepares For Sustainable Conference In September

ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius - St. Eustatius is once again preparing for the annual Sustainable Development conference.

The event which is in its 4th year is being held under the theme, "Economic Value of Tourism" and is earmarked to run from September 25th to 26th.

Speaking to our news department, director of the Statia Tourism Development Authority, Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Calls On Community To Be Cautious Due To High Fire Threat Caused By Drought

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs is calling on the populace to be extremely careful not to light any bush fires and not to throw out any lighted cigarettes which could easily ignite a fire.

The extreme drought has heightened the threat for bush fires.

The Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten seasonal outlook for July and August says that rainfall is expected to be below-normal to near normal.

Present observations are indicating that there is a greater than 90 per cent chance that El Nino will continue through the fall Read more

Notices July 7

Educational Scholarship

Be the Change Foundation has set up the first Erika Cannegieter Dream Big Educational Scholarship. Interested students must be legal residents of the island. The applications must be submitted by July 20th and the winner will be announced on July 27. For more information call 580 1437 or email \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Read more

Chicago's July 4 rituals: fireworks, gun deaths

CHICAGO--Late in the evening on July 4 a haze of smoke from backyard fireworks hung over Chicago. Like kids all over the city, 7-year-old Amari Brown stood on the sidewalk enjoying the show - until the staccato burst of explosives turned into gunfire.
  Brown was hit when a man ran around the corner and shot at his group in an apparent gang-related attack. He was rushed to the hospital in his father's arms and died two hours later.
  The boy was the youngest of 10 people killed and more than 50 injured in gun violence over the Independence Day weekend, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner and local media reports Read more

Mr. Sneek lost it, again

Dear Editor,

On Friday, July 3, 2015, the headlines of this well-read newspaper stated: "Koos Sneek Files Charges Against Clyde van Putten."

Mr. Sneek plays the victim here. The victim of slander, of unsubstantiated accusations. Now playing the role of a victim is a rescue mechanism to protect the person's ego when he fails to reach his important goals. Instead of admitting that he failed in doing what he wanted to do, he plays the role of victim and claims external factors were the reasons he didn't reach his goals Read more

NAGICO’s Little Stars - Back to School Campaign begins.

style="text-align: justify;">PHILIPSBURG:--- Eight (8) students from the Dr. Martin Luther King School in Dutch Quarter, were named the Nagico Little Stars for the 2014- 2015 school year.
The NAGICO Little Stars project, grants the top performer in every grade within the school a scholarship for the next school term, which consists of a fully paid tuition fee for one school year and a voucher to cover the costs of school supplies; including books and school uniforms for the next school term.
The students chosen were the top performers in their respective groups, who excelled in academics, attendance and their overall behavior throughout the school year.
The selection process which was done by the teachers and principal of the MLK School was also observed and vetted by a representative of NAGICO Insurances for transparency reasons Read more

>PHILIPSBURG (PARLIAMENT/Independent Faction)"---  Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo and First Vice President Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo was one of the country’s parliamentarians who attended Curacao Flag Day activities on behalf of the Parliament of Sint Maarten.

“It was an honour to have had the opportunity to witness the celebration of Curacao’s Flag Day, “Dia di Bandera” Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Mysterious draft MOU signed by GEBE COO and GB Energy Surfaced --- PM Marcel Gumbs and MP Theodore Heyliger witnessed signing at DIVI Little Bay Hotel.

style="text-align: center;">Supervisory Board of Directors allegedly Cancelled MOU --- Will Prime Minister come forward with signed copies.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The much talked about Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed earlier this year by the former COO of GEBE Romelio Maduro and the President of the G. B Energy Pablo Porles has surfaced. However, SMN News only managed to retrieve the unsigned copy which is documented as “Privileged and Confidential.” The MOU which several Members of Parliament requested and to date cannot receive was signed on February 4th 2015 at the Divi Little Bay Hotel in the presence of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the shareholder representative of the Government of St Read more

Nagico's Little Stars - Back To School Campaign

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Eight (8) students from the Dr. Martin Luther King School in Dutch Quarter, were named the Nagico Little Stars for the 2014- 2015 school year.

The NAGICO Little Stars project, grants the top performer in every grade within the school a scholarship for the next school term, which consists of a fully paid tuition fee for one school year and a voucher to cover the costs of school supplies; including books and school uniforms for the next school term.

The students chosen were the top performers in their respective groups, who excelled in academics, attendance and their overall behavior throughout the school year.

The selection process which was done by the teachers and principal of the MLK School was also observed and vetted by a representative of NAGICO Insurances for transparency reasons.

The Nagico Little Stars winners are:
K1 - Bianca Dinzy
K2- Errol Haynes
Grade 1 Kymari Rize
Grade 2 Marlena St Read more

Island Gems Assists With Sessad New Playground

MARIGOT, St. Martin - With children and education at the core of its criteria for grants, Island Gems Charity Foundation recently play a part in the acquisition of a specialized playground for the Service d'Education Speciale et de Soins a Domicile SESSAD.

The organization, located in the heart of Marigot offers special education with care at home for some 50 children, age five to 15.

Island Gems, the island's oldest and all-women charity, was approached via its Vice President Karine Fleming to be participate in the project to acquire a new playground Read more

Mp Jacobs To Tackle New Laws When Parliament Resumes From Summer Break

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Deputy Leader of the National Alliance, member of Parliament the Honorable Silveria Jacobs is bent on tackling a number of important issues when the Parliament of St. Maarten return to chambers at the end Read more

Connor talks aviation, maritime matters with Curaçao and Aruba

PHILIPSBURG--Issues related to aviation and maritime affairs were discussed when St. Maarten’s Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Claret Connor met with his counterparts from Curaçao Minister Suzy Romer and Aruba Minister Otmar Oduber in Oranjestad, Aruba recently.

The meeting was part of a high-level political discussion as a result of the first protocol signed several years ago to further cooperation between the three countries in aviation and maritime affairs.

Based on the talks, workgroups will be established by the three countries that will then work on the points of discussion and formulate them into working documents for further decision making, a press release issued on Sunday stated Read more

Jacobs chalks up another win for Chalk Dust at Ram contest

MARIGOT--Francis Jacobs continued his record-breaking run of wins at the fifteenth Annual Ram Beauty Contest in Colombier on Sunday with his prized ram Chalk Dust again winning the prestigious Boer category.

Jacobs, who had several winning entries at the show organised by I Love My Ram Association, has produced winners for seven consecutive years.

"I guess I'm just good at looking after my animals," he said modestly. "I put a lot of hours into it."

With more entries in the Boer class than usual, they were divided into three categories Read more