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Vote Buying Case Heads Back To Court — No Proof Of Class Justice 

St. Maarten – The vote buying case, commonly called the “Masbangu case” was referred back to the Court of first instance by the Court of Appeal in a verdict rendered yesterday. The case was dismissed by the Court of First Instance when the judge ruled that trying the persons who allegedly sold their votes and not trying the person to whom they are accused of selling their votes smacked of class justice.

The case concerns charges brought against four persons who were accused of selling their votes to the UP in 2010 and were brought before a judge in 2012, following which the case was postponed and continued on August 24th of last year, just after the 2014 elections Read more

Good Bye Carnival 2015, Hello 2016 As Scdf Announces Dates

St. Maarten – Carnival 2015 has come to an end and work has already started for the 2016 carnival season. St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) President Michael Granger, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Claret Connor and Marketing Director Rolando Brison all thanked the public for supporting the 2015 activities and promised noting but bigger and better events for the 2016 carnival season.

The burning of King Momo took place close to Midnight in Festival Village on Tuesday morning Read more

Kingdom Affairs Committee Gives Government 48 Hours To Get Act Together

St. Maarten – The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs met on Tuesday morning in preparation for the Inter-Parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom (IPKO) conference in the Netherlands from May 25th to May 29th. The council of Ministers is still to answer pertinent questions from the committee who submitted several questions to the council weeks ago. Members of the committee believe that it is vital for the sector heads and Ministers to come with answer to the questions, this will allow the Members of parliament to be prepared for the meetings in the Netherlands.

Acting chair of the committee, Member of Parliament (MP) Cornelius de Weever opened the meeting after 10AM on Tuesday and received the approval of the decision list for the IPKO meeting Read more

Cuba insists it has oil, US firms uninterested

HAVANA--Cuba unveiled new data on Wednesday it said confirmed there were billions of barrels of oil beneath its Gulf of Mexico waters but admitted there was little interest in new exploration even with the thaw in U.S. relations.

The United States and Cuba have vowed to restore diplomatic relations after more than 50 years of animosity, but the comprehensive U.S. trade embargo remains in place 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

SMART joint venture agreement is signed

PHILIPSBURG--A joint venture agreement was signed on Wednesday, May 6, in Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall of the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg by the main partners of the fourteenth St. Martin/St. Maarten Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART) scheduled to be held Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino May 13-15.

The agreement was signed in the presence of St. Martin Tourism Office President Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool; St Read more

Visa lifted for Colombians to visit St. Maarten and Curaçao

~ Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands to follow ~

PHILIPSBURG--Colombians travelling to Curaçao and St. Maarten no longer will need visas as of July 1, 2015. Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands reached an agreement on this in Curaçao on Tuesday.

The four countries decided to grant a visa exemption for Colombia, valid for Curaçao and St. Maarten, in anticipation of a possible future exemption for Europe's Schengen Area and in light of the harmonisation of the Dutch Caribbean visa policy.

The decision to allow Colombians to travel to the two countries will be evaluated in July 2016 Read more

Prosecutor wants jail time for ex-minister Shigemoto

PHILIPSBURG--The Prosecutor's Office requested eight months, deprivation of the right to be elected and a five-year ban from the civil service for former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto on Wednesday during the first day of hearings in the so-called Piranha case.

Shigemoto and Global Advisory Services (GAS) BV Director R.A.G. (62) are facing fraud, embezzlement, forgery and money-laundering charges.

G. is suspected of having made fraudulent transactions in connection with the recruitment of personnel for various government agencies that allegedly cost Country St Read more

St. Maarten Govt ends S4 services

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten's Government is terminating the service level agreement with St. Maarten Student Support Services S4 in the Netherlands effective July 1, 2015. Two student counsellors will be guiding the new students instead.

St. Maarten's Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Affairs Rita Bourne-Gumbs informed study-financing recipients in the Netherlands by letter on March 19 of her decision to terminate the agreement with S4 and of the consequences this would have for St Read more

style="text-align: center;">MOU with the Dominican Republic in the pipeline, Visa Requirements for Colombians lifted.

PHILIPSBURG: --- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom Bert Koenders and his delegation made his first working visit to the countries within the Kingdom namely Curacao, St. Maarten and Aruba.
During the meetings held in Curacao in which Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs was part of some key decisions were taken, one being the visa requirements for Columbians travelling to Curacao and St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Claret Connor would like to express his gratitude to all who made Carnival 2015 possible.

Carnival 2015 was held under the banner of "Come Experience Life."

"My gratitude to everybody goes from A to Z, from the organizers, the St 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 May 07 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 Thursday 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

Parliament puts Govt on deadline

PHILIPSBURG--Government has 24 to 48 hours, to provide information to Parliament's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations and Inter-Parliamentary Affairs or face a summons for ministers to appear before the committee.

Members of Parliament (MPs) serving on the committee and other MPs have had enough of government not providing requested information the committee needs to prepare for the tripartite and Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO set for May 25 to 29, in The Hague.

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo said in the committee meeting on Tuesday morning, if government continues to miss deadlines Parliament will have no choice but to call in the ministers.

Thus far, only some information has been received from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour; however, that information still has some gaps which Marlin-Romeo will attempt to have filled by sending a follow-up to the ministry.

Deputy Committee Chairman independent MP Cornelius de Weever told fellow MPs that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs had informed him prior to the meeting that his secretary-general will look into the needed information.

De Weever will communicate the deadline as agreed on in the committee to government along with the caveat that if the information is not received, the defaulting ministers will be called before the committee very soon.

In other matters, all political parties that are yet to supply information about its structure, operations and method of dealing with integrity breaches have until the end of this week to submit the information to the committee, said De Weever Read more

Vote-buying case to go back to Court of First Instance for retrial

PHILIPSBURG--The Joint Court of Justice referred the so-called "Masbangu" case, involving selling or buying votes on behalf of United People's (UP) party in the September 2010 election, to the Court of First Instance on Tuesday for retrial.

The Court of First Instance declared the Prosecutor's Office's cases against these men inadmissible in August 2014, because it had failed to also investigate the roles of UP and its leadership in the scheme.

Initially, the case involved five suspects, but one of these persons passed away in June 2014.

The case concerns (former) officers of the then-Police Force of St Read more

Guyanese wanted for US murders held in Trinidad

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--A 37-year-old Guyanese who entered Trinidad under a false name is now in custody after being identified as a man wanted for several criminal offences in the United States, including two counts of murder.

A statement issued Tuesday by the twin-island republic's National Security Ministry said Balkumar Singh, who has US citizenship and immigration status in Canada, was first detained on March 27, for violating the country's immigration laws, under the name Shauwn Maharaj.

The fugitive, who has 14 convictions in Canada, including for assault and weapons charges, is also known by the aliases Tevin Persaud, Terry Persaud, Kumar Doodnath, Terry Singh and Sean Maharaj.

Based on information received by local Interpol, he was positively identified as Balkumar Singh who was being sought by US authorities on charges of murder, assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.

As a result, a request was made by the US for Singh's provisional arrest, which was agreed to by the Attorney General, and Singh subsequently appeared before a Port of Spain Magistrates' Court.

He was remanded into custody until May 28 Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Court of Appeals has rendered its verdict on Tuesday ordering the Prosecutor's Office to conduct a complete retrial of the Masbangu (VOTE BUYING CASE). Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed that the verdict was issued on Tuesday afternoon.
Kamps said although the case does not fall under her jurisdiction but that of the Solicitor General Taco Stein she understands that the court ruled that the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance was not correct therefore a complete retrial of the case involving the United Peoples Party and its leader Theodore Heyliger must take place 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

Gunman in Mohammad cartoon attack was monitored for years

GARLAND, Texas/PHOENIX--Federal agents for years monitored one of the two gunmen who were shot dead after opening fire with assault rifles at a heavily guarded Texas exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.

Two government sources who asked not to be named said the shooters were roommates Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, of Phoenix. Court documents show that Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006 and convicted in 2011 of lying to FBI agents over his desire to join violent jihad in Somalia.

FBI agents and police searched the two men's home at the Autumn Ridge Apartments in north-central Phoenix, cordoning off the complex and evacuating residents for several hours in the early morning.

The shooting incident in the Dallas suburb of Garland was an echo of past attacks or threats in other Western countries against images depicting the Prophet Mohammad Read more

Baltic military shadow-boxing said to reach Cold War levels

VISBY FORWARD OPERATING BASE, Sweden--A daily game of Cold War cat-and-mouse is ratcheting up tensions in the Baltic and drawing the biggest military presence into the region for over 20 years, Swedish military officials say.

Eye-to-eye encounters with Russian combat jets and reports of suspected submarines in Swedish and Finnish waters are fuelling regional concerns about Russian assertiveness in the wake of the Ukraine crisis and reversing years of defence cuts. Western officials say Russia has stepped up probing flights and mock bomb runs near Europe's borders since 2013, forcing jets from NATO nations and non-NATO allies like Sweden to scramble repeatedly Read more

Burning of King Momo marks end of Carnival

CARNIVAL VILLAGE--The 2015 Carnival season officially came to an end last night with the burning of King Momo in Carnival Village at midnight.

King Momo was set alight by fire-dancer Jason Carter after revellers enjoyed one last jump-up to Carnival Village starting near Le Grand Marché, and listened to closing words by St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) President Michael Granger, Marketing Director Rolando Brison and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Claret Connor.

Granger called it "the night we all dread," but said there would be many changes coming for next year's Carnival season, which he called "an infusion of culture," including bringing back a number of elements 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

>GREAT BAY:---- Educator and leading linguist Rhoda Arrindell is one of at least 12 authors, mostly from the USA, invited by the Anguilla Literary Festival to its 4th annual edition on May 21-24, 2015, said her publisher House of Nehesi (HNP).
Arrindell will be a panelist on book publishing on May 23. But it's her new and well-selling book, Language, Culture, and Identity in St Read more