SXMElections.com

Vorst heirs offer a reduced land price

PHILIPSBURG--Government has been offered the Vorst land in Cay Hill for US $1 million less by the heirs to the property. This now puts the purchase price at US $4.5 million.

Caretaker Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams said the Council of Ministers has not taken a decision on whether to accept the offer. Her preference is to leave the offer for the incoming cabinet to make a decision.

Outgoing Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI Minister Maurice Lake had come under much fire for opting to purchase the land, instead of following an earlier proposal with the heirs for government to lease land.

The purchase price was higher than the lease price Read more

Hassink: Govt seeks more tax compliance to generate income

PHILIPSBURG--Generating income through more tax compliance, rather than increasing taxes continues to be the aim of government. Reducing expenditures is also an integral part making government financially stable, says outgoing Finance Minister Martin Hassink.

Both of those approaches were employed in drafting the 2015 country budget. The budget is deemed "far too late already" to meet all the required deadlines. "This year it was very challenging to handle budget as all the ministries had plans and wish lists that far exceeded the available ceilings," Hassink said.

Some final steps need to be taken before budget is presented to Parliament for ratification Read more

Please provide more options for higher education in St. Maarten

Dear Editor,

As a student studying abroad I think it’s really difficult to cope with so much. I really wish that St. Maarten can invest in their Education System. This implementation would highly benefit government in its expenditures, to save much more. If the USM can just expand their study options, most students would not have to go away. This will highly increase the flow of income prior to not only depending on tourism, but also the GDP, the island will produce for itself Read more

Broadway finds a new stage in an old venue: Cuba

HAVANA--In Bob Nederlander Jr.'s mission to export Broadway to new markets around the world, he found an old one where the American art form lay dormant for a least 50 years - communist Cuba.

After testing the Cuban appetite with a 2011 concert of Broadway show tunes, Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment decided to stage a three-month run of "Rent," the first Broadway musical exported to Cuba in decades.

"We were all blown away by the reaction," Nederlander said of the 2011 show Read more

style="text-align: center;">If the candidate fails screening and I am asked to stay on I will only do so for three months --- Hassink.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Martin Hassink informed reporters on Wednesday that his appearance at Wednesday's weekly press conference will be his last appearance as Minister of Finance since he is a caretaker Minister. SMN News asked the Minister of Finance whose name came up during the formation of the first government that was in the making to remain as the Minister of Finance if the candidate that was submitted by the UPP/De Weever/ Marlin government fails the screening for any reason and he is asked to remain as the Minister of Finance if he will refuse the position Read more

style="text-align: left;">PHILIPSBURG:--- Caretaker Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams announced at the Council of Ministers weekly press briefing on Wednesday that the Vorst family has submitted a new proposal for the sale of their property located in Cay Hill. Wescot Williams said that the new proposal submitted to government is one million dollars less than the first proposal Read more

Editorial - Immediate and direct

For the second time in three months a worker fell from a height while doing his job in St. Maarten (see related article). This time there was no serious injury, so the victim could be treated on the spot by ambulance personnel and didn't require hospitalisation.

It was different story on August 27, however, when Haitian mason Diuecel Bosse (54) of S&R Construction toppled into an empty elevator shaft at the former Ocean Terrace building in Maho then under renovation and died. There were rumours that he had been fleeing from an immigration raid held there that day, but this never was confirmed.

In general, one regularly can see people working at heights on the island without any safety line or even a helmet Read more

Nearly-expelled pupil now at sister Hillside campus

ST. PETERS--A nine-year-old child has returned to school after an attempt to expel him from Hillside Christian Schools Asha Stevens Campus.

After a line-up of warnings by the school on the child and his brother, and a meeting with Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs (ECSY) Inspection Division Truancy Officers, a Court of Guardianship (CoG) representative and the child’s parents, the Hillside Christian Schools board arranged for the child to be enrolled in its Helmich Snijders Campus.

Switching the child to a school with Dutch as the language of instruction was not a preferred solution, but the school board made the decision after the meeting on the urgent case and a subsequent notification that the board would be solely responsible for enrolling him in another school Read more

Teens unite to end violence to women

PHILIPSBURG--November 25th was International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. In observance of the day, Women's Desk with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, together with Community Development, Family and Humanitarian Affairs, organised an awareness event for teenagers in the Philipsburg Cultural Centre.

Some 60 youths, both male and female, attended the event, which was part of a month of awareness activities in five high schools on both sides of the island Read more

India central bank under pressure to cut interest rates as growth slips

NEW DELHI--India's economic growth probably slowed to around 5 percent in the three months to September, slipping from 5.7 percent in the previous quarter, two senior finance ministry sources said, putting pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates.

The sources said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would press Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan to lower borrowing costs when the two meet ahead of a decision on interest rates next Tuesday.

Six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power with a promise that "better days are coming", growth of 5 percent would mark a serious setback from the previous quarter and fall far short of the 8 percent that Asia's third-largest economy needs to create enough jobs for its growing workforce Read more

Delta's breakaway union struggles to win support

NEW YORK--A group of Delta Air Lines pilots seeking to replace the current pilots' union at the U.S. carrier are struggling to win enough support.

The Delta Pilots Association (DPA) claims that nearly half of the airline's 12,000 pilots have at some time in the past four years signed cards backing it to be their union for collective bargaining with management. But under U.S. labour law, many of the cards - a third or more - are invalid because they weren't signed in the past 12 months, DPA said.

The group is trying to oust the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which has represented pilots at the carrier since 1940 Read more

St. Maarten shows support for Key to Freedom rehab

ST. PETERS--Recovering addict Jacob Alexander and his family joined friends, supporters, staff and clients of the Key to Freedom Christian Rehabilitation Centre at a fundraising event held at Benny’s in St. Peters recently.

The event was held to raise funds for the rehabilitation centre. Claudette Alexander, Jacob’s sister, was one of the organisers of the fun day, which provided fun for the whole family.

Fundraising Event

The event, which received a donation of drinks from Antillean Liquors and Caribbean Liquors, a bouncy castle from Kidsworld, and flyers and posters from Print Services, also saw many other sponsors contributing to help out the rehabilitation centre.

In the afternoon of November 11, more than 200 people attended to join in the fun, which included a barbecue, a children’s fun area, flea market, tombola, dominoes tournament and an open jam session Read more

Airco worker falls through roof into minister’s office

PHILIPSBURG--An air-conditioning technician working on an air-conditioning unit at the Government Administration Building took a wrong step and fell through the roof into Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever's office early Tuesday afternoon.

The man did not sustain any serious injuries as a result of the fall Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The 9th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards Gala Event, held on Friday November 21st 2014, by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), was an outstanding and spectacular event. The evening saw 19 persons receive awards in the categories of Accommodations, Trade, and Community Service, as well as 6 persons /organizations in the extraordinary categories. The SHTA extends congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 9th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards.
Guests were treated to a visual oasis of black & white with purple accents by Glitter Events who was contracted to transform the venue into a magical ambiance suitable only for St, Maarten's best and brightest stars in the Tourism arena.
The gala event was held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino which has been the host venue for many years to the event Read more

Collective Prevention Services Appeals for Action to Prevent an Increase in Dengue and Chikungunya Cases due to daily rainfall.

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Section Collective Prevention Services (CPS) within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour is appealing to the community to step-up mosquito prevention measures in order to prevent an increase in dengue and chikungunya cases due to the daily rainfall that the country has been confronted with.

CPS uses this opportunity to also commend the Dutch Quarter Community Council in conjunction with the organizes of the OASIS project for carrying out a clean-up effort within the district about two weeks ago.

Minister of Public Health Hon Read more

Collective Prevention Services Appeals For Action To Prevent An Increase In Dengue And Chikungunya Cases Due To Daily Rainfall

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Section Collective Prevention Services (CPS) within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour is appealing to the community to step-up mosquito prevention measures in order to prevent an increase in dengue and chikungunya cases due to the daily rainfall that the country has been confronted with.

CPS uses this opportunity to also commend the Dutch Quarter Community Council in conjunction with the organizes of the OASIS project for carrying out a clean-up effort within the district about two weeks ago.

Minister of Public Health Hon Read more

Crystal Pineapple Awards A Grand Success

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The 9th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards Gala Event, held on Friday November 21st 2014, by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), was an outstanding and spectacular event.

The evening saw 19 persons receive awards in the categories of Accommodations, Trade, and Community Service, as well as 6 persons /organizations in the extraordinary categories.

The SHTA extends congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 9th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards.

Guests were treated to a visual oasis of black & white with purple accents by Glitter Events who was contracted to transform the venue into a magical ambiance suitable only for St, Maarten's best and brightest stars in the Tourism arena.

The gala event was held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino which has been the host venue for many years to the event.

The resort also prepared a sumptuous and elaborate culinary extravaganza complete with living statutes which included more than ten live food stations, expertly prepared dishes such as a giant Paella, Sushi & Sashimi platters, roast leg of Lamb, Chateau Briand and a sumptuous dessert selection ranging from an array of cheeses and fruit to Sonesta's signature pastries.

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Anenda Zaandam, who tied the evening together along with board members and experts of the industry presenting the various awards.

Singers ARIAS opened with the National Anthem & closed the evening with a heart-warming "Time to say Goodbye" Read more

Nuclear talks extended 7 months after failing to meet the deadline

VIENNA--Iran and six powers failed on Monday for a second time this year to resolve their 12-year stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and gave themselves seven more months to clinch an historic deal.

Western officials said they were aiming to secure an agreement on the substance of a final accord by March but that more time would be needed to reach a consensus on the all-important technical details.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, trying to win relief from crippling international economic sanctions by patching up relations with the West, said the gap between the sides had narrowed at the latest round of talks in Vienna Read more

Pantophlet wants updates on short-term contract changes

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) George Pantophlet is calling on Ministers to give a long-overdue update on the amendment to the Civil Code to end the abuse of short-term labour contracts, the establishment of the Casino Gaming Board, the Dividend Policy and the Consumer Protection Agency.

Pantophlet said in a press statement Monday that they had had enough time to present to Parliament the changes or legislation for establishment of the various entities.

NA submitted draft amendments to Book VII of the Civil Code to correct the abuse of short-term labour contracts some 42 months ago.

Caretaker Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever has made "several changes" still in draft form to the relevant parts of the Civil Code and presented them to the Council of Ministers Read more

Delegation satisfied with outcome of youth meeting

MARIGOT--A delegation led by union representative Cédric André from Union Général des Travailleurs de Guadeloupe (UGTG) said it was “very satisfied” with the outcome of a meeting held Monday with President Aline Hanson and other officials and technicians to resolve issues that sparked a demonstration by some 50 youths in Sandy Ground last week Thursday.

The youths blocked the main road in protest at the lack of sports facilities and activities in Sandy Ground, as well as other issues.

Complaints centred on infrastructure for basketball, volleyball and football, the problem of abandoned cars, garbage situation, inadequate street lighting in the district, sewage and drainage issues, rain water evacuation and stagnant pools of water that encourage mosquito breeding Read more

Bill Cosby performs in Bahamas amid sexual assault allegations

NASSAU, Bahamas--As the sexual assault allegations continued to pile up back home in the United States on Thursday and Friday, it was "better in The Bahamas" for veteran comedian Bill Cosby when he performed at a small theatre in the world-famous Atlantis resort.

Cosby reportedly received a standing ovation at the close of his 90-minute set at a fundraiser to support the Nassau chapter of The Links.

The audience, which included some prominent Bahamians, apparently had no problem ignoring allegations that have made headlines worldwide claiming that Cosby had drugged and sexually abused women at intervals spanning more than two decades.

"I think everybody is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty," Alfred Sears, an official with the College of The Bahamas and a former attorney general, told the Associated Press.

"Tonight is for a cause, and I think that he has contributed to the cause Read more

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS) Dr. Virginia Asin said on Sunday that the 30th meeting of the Caribbean Immunization Managers hosted by Sint Maarten was a success, and resulted in the review and finalization of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) plan of action for 2015.

"I think it is very important as a region that we continue in our efforts to learn best practices from each other, and this setting was a great way to do that," Minister of Public Health Hon Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet said he has given the respective Ministers responsible for the following enough time to present them to Parliament. He is referring to the Initiative Law on the Amendment of Book 7 of the Civil Code to deal with the abuse of the short term contract which was started by the faction of the National Alliance some 42 months ago Read more

Ninth Crystal Pineapple Awards:  Shta Posthumously Honors Erika Cannegieter-Smith   

St. Maarten – The Crystal Pineapple Awards ceremony tends to get a bit rowdy towards the end of the evening – the result of a sumptuous dinner, a couple of glasses of wine and good company. On Friday evening the buzz stopped abruptly when Ricardo Perez and Lorraine Talmi announced the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association’s Person of the Year: Erika Cannegieter-Smith, the founder of the Be the Change Foundation  and former sales manager and event planner at the Radisson Hotel on the French side who succumbed on August 22 to cancer at the age of 36 Read more