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Dp Leader Responds To Political Rumors Wednesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Residents woke up to rumors on Wednesday morning that the national coalition of the National Alliance, the Democratic Party and the United St. Maarten People's Party was no more.

According to circulating rumors, the number 2 candidate on the slate of Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake stated on Tuesday that Ministry VROMI is working closely with Nature Foundation regarding the removal of Sargasso seaweed on certain beaches.

A backhoe has been in operation at a beach in Point Blanche which has seen a large amount of Sargasso seaweed come ashore.

Residents have been complaining about the smell and burning eyes that live at Ground Dove Apartments which is right next to the beach.

"I've had a very good working relationship with Nature Foundation Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake announced on Tuesday that he is in the process of visiting the different districts where it concerns trench cleaning works based on contracts that were signed earlier this year.

"I am very proud of the work that has been carried out by our young small business owners, the local contractors Read more

Remain vigilant and prevent mosquito breeding.

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), says that the community should remain vigilant in preventing mosquito breeding. Frequent rainfall allows mosquito's to breed when the rainwater gets trapped into containers around homes and businesses.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) have both recently appealed to countries that have mosquitoes that transmit dengue and chikungunya to step up their vector control efforts and prepare for a possible increase in patients suffering from these diseases.

The PAHO/WHO recommendations come as the peak transmission season for dengue approaches and following local transmission of chikungunya in a number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Resident's at home and owners of businesses are advised to continually take measures to mitigate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that is responsible for the transmission of dengue and chikungunya.

Minister of Public Health Hon Read more

style="text-align: center;">"Agree to disagree agreeably" - Pastor Wycliffe Smith

CAY HILL:--- Several Pastors from various churches came together on Tuesday afternoon and prayed for the three leaders of the three political parties that came together to form the coalition government for 2014-2018. The short but powerful prayer service took place at Bearing Point in Cay Hill where several persons including nine persons appointed by the three political parties have been working on the Governing Program for the next four years.
Pastor Wycliffe Smith the main organizer of the event said that the churches have been praying throughout the election period, on Election Day and even up to today as the political parties worked on forming the new government they have been praying Read more

style="text-align: center;">Four Years after Brutal Murder another Suspect Arrested, Suspect was 17 years old when he slaughtered Julot.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Police arrested a 21 year old man identified as A.R.S.R on September 12th, 2014 for the murder, manslaughter and or rape of the 20 year old Blue Point employee Clemencia Julot whose body was found in the bushes in Oyster Pond in the vicinity of Border Bar and Casablanca on Thursday July 22nd, 2010.
Julot was killed in the early morning hours either one or two days before her partly decomposed body was found in the bushes in Oyster Pond by a search team Read more

Ronald Plasterk: “Buying Votes Undermines St. Maarten’S Democratic Character”

THE HAGUE – Socialist Party parliamentarian Ronald van Raak received predictable answers from Minister Ronald Plasterk to his questions about the election fraud trial in St. Maarten. “It is not up to the minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations to comment on court rulings,” the minister wrote, though he also noted that buying and selling votes undermines St. Maarten’s democratic character.

Van Raak posed questions to Plasterk on August 27, two days before the parliamentary elections in St Read more

Restaurant-Owner Remains Jailed For Eight More Days

St. Maarten – The Judge of Instruction extended the detention of the 75-year-old owner of Toppers restaurant by eight days yesterday. Last week police visited the restaurant in Simpson Bay and found a handgun and ammunition for which the owner, H.A.D., did not have a permit.

The court in Philipsburg has over the years handed down a variety of sentences for illegal firearm possession. In general, sentences for business owners were more lenient than those for individual citizens.

In 2006, an Australian sailor was caught with two handguns and two shotguns on his boat, as well as with 2,000 rounds of live ammunition Read more

Minister Lake Follows-Up On Trench Cleaning Works And Job Creation

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake announced on Tuesday that he is in the process of visiting the different districts where it concerns trench cleaning works based on contracts that were signed earlier this year.

"I am very proud of the work that has been carried out by our young small business owners, the local contractors Read more

Nadal puzzled as Spain pick female Davis Cup captain

SPAIN-- Toni Nadal has given a lukewarm response to the decision by the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) to appoint former women's Tour player Gala Leon as Spain's new Davis Cup captain.

The RFET handed the 40-year-old Leon responsibility for the country's Davis Cup team following Carlos Moya's decision to step aside last week.

Leon, the former world number 27, will become Spain's first female Davis Cup captain.

Nadal, uncle and coach to 14-times grand slam champion Rafa, sounded puzzled when asked about the appointment.

Leon's appointment could create problems "at dressing room level," he told Spanish radio.

"I have had zero relations with Gala Leon and I believe Rafa Nadal also zero, he has never mentioned it to me," he said.

"But it doesn't matter, I have never spoken to her but that doesn't mean anything.

"It would seem to be more normal if the captain had been someone like Juan Carlos Ferrero, or some ex-player of a certain level, which is what has happened recently."

Former world number one Ferrero, who retired in 2012, has expressed a desire to captain the team one day.

Moya quit after five-times winners Spain, fielding a weakened team, were relegated from the elite World Group for the first time in 18 years after a playoff loss in Brazil.

The RFET said in a statement on Monday that Leon, who quit the tour in 2004, would take on Moya's responsibilities as part of her role in charge of the federation's sporting management.

While Toni Nadal sounded unenthusiastic, Leon received support from Britain's twice grand slam champion Andy Murray who broke the mould earlier this year by deciding to employ former French player Amelie Mauresmo as his coach.

"Congrats to Gala Leon Garcia for becoming first female Spanish Davis Cup captain today.. Read more

Two wrongs do not make right

Dear Editor,

It seems as if everyone tends to agree or raise their hands above their heads when it comes down to "what about when so and so did this or did that?" And then there was this in the editorial "the disturbing trend unfortunately can be seen throughout all sectors." The behaviour in traffic was mentioned as an example and I could not agree more, but permit me to remind your readers how too many of those who were vying for office expressed themselves during the recent held political campaign Read more

Air France strike crisis deepens

PARIS-- A bitter Air France labour dispute deepened on Monday as management pledged to press ahead with its low-cost airline ambitions and pilots said that an eight day-old strike over the proposals would continue indefinitely as a result.

Air France's Franco-Dutch parent Air France-KLM wants to develop its own low-cost brand, Transavia, with hubs in France, the Netherlands and Europe in an attempt to maintain market share for Europe's second-largest carrier by revenue in the face of fierce competition in the sector.

However, Air France pilots fear that the move - particularly for those hubs that will hire pilots outside France - will end up eroding their pay and conditions, which are among the best in Europe.

The strike has grounded 60 percent of Air France flights and is costing Air France-KLM up to 20 million euros ($25.7 million) a day.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls stepped in on Monday to back the management.

"For the image of France, the image of the company and its future, for the employees themselves and clearly for customers and passengers it is time to find a solution," he said.

The CFDT Air France union, which represents ground staff and flight attendants but not pilots, criticised what it called a "disproportionate" and "exorbitant" strike and said anger was growing among the airline's other workers.

Labour Reforms

Valls' intervention, during a visit to an Airbus plant in Hamburg, came as he battles rebellious left wingers in his Socialist government who think he is giving away too much to big business Read more

‘Vote-buying undermines St. Maarten’s democracy’

THE HAGUE--The reported trading of votes in St. Maarten is worrisome and has an undermining effect on the country's democracy.

That is what Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated on Monday in response to written questions submitted by Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP).

Van Raak sought clarity on August 27, two days prior to the elections, after reading in the local media that the Court of First Instance had declared admissible the Prosecutor's Office's cases against five persons involved in the selling and buying of votes on behalf of the United People's (UP) party in the September 2010 election.

Van Raak had asked the minister's opinion on the court's decision and the accusation of the judge that the Prosecutor's Office was guilty of "class justice" by only prosecuting the five suspects in question, and to leave the management of UP in peace despite evidence that pointed in their direction Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The members of the workgroup and the three political party leaders that came together hours after the 2014 Parliamentary Election to form a broad based government were at Bearing Point in Cay Hill finalizing the draft Governing Program which will be submitted to the Governor of St. Maarten by the formateur William Marlin, the leader of the National Alliance on Wednesday September 24th, 2014.
The three political parties that came together early in the morning of August 30th, 2014 are the United  St Read more

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Sint Maarten's participation in the United Nations (UN) 3rd Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that took place early September in the South Pacific Ocean island nation of Samoa, will be presented in a meeting on Tuesday to the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

The workgroup consist of senior representatives from all the departments. The objective of the meeting is to see which areas each of the responsible ministries/departments can be prioritized for action that has been identified.

The ministries involved are Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunications, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports, and Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- No less than 6 armed robberies on supermarkets were reported during September 15th through September 20th, 2014. These robberies took place in the areas of Nazareth, Sucker Garden, Fort Willem and Cole Bay. During these robberies the sales profit of the day or at least part thereof was taken from the cash register by masked suspects armed mainly with guns and who would not hesitate to use them. During one robbery one victim suffered an injury to his head. They robbers sometimes would also use weapons such machetes, knives and even baseball bats Read more

Vorst Land Deal Will Not Have Support Of Na Leader

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance, the Honorable William Marlin made clear last week, that his faction will not support the purchase of the Vorst family to the tune of 5.5 million guilders, as has been agreed upon by outgoing Minister responsibility for VROMI, Maurice Lake.

The leader of the National Alliance reaffirmed his decision during the Central Committee meeting last week handling the amendments to the 2014 budget.

The amendments to the budget also include the purchase of the property Read more

Sids Conference In Samoa Outcome To Be Presented To Inter Ministerial Workgroup

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Sint Maarten's participation in the United Nations (UN) 3rd Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that took place early September in the South Pacific Ocean island nation of Samoa, will be presented in a meeting on Tuesday to the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

The workgroup consist of senior representatives from all the departments. The objective of the meeting is to see which areas each of the responsible ministries/departments can be prioritized for action that has been identified.

The ministries involved are Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunications, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports, and Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Read more

Peace Day Celebrations Conclude: “Make This Be The One To Start The Dialogue”

Guests at yesterdays’ cultural manifestation join hands around the peace monument at the Philipsburg Jubilee library as part of activities to commemorate International Peace Day 2014.

St. Maarten’s multicultural aspect was evident yesterday during a colorful cultural manifestation organized by the local arm of the Rotary Club to commemorate International Peace Day with a call “to make this be the one to start the dialogue”.

The celebrations took place at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library kicking off with a moment of silence, followed by the joining of hands for a prayer for peace and “unity among the many cultures from different parts of the world represented here on St Read more

Minister Lake Prepares Legal Defense For Vorst-Controversy

St. Maarten – Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake says he is preparing for a legal battle about the Vorst property based on the outcome of Friday’s Central Committee.

“I am going to prepare myself legally because some parliamentarians are making this issue a personal one.  This is not about politics anymore. I have to defend myself now with the slandering of my name. I don’t have any butter on my head Read more

Lions upset Packers, Giants secure first win

NEW YORK-- The Detroit Lions defense overwhelmed the Green Bay Packers and Eli Manning engineered the first win of the season for the New York Giants in a Sunday of NFL surprises.

Defensive back Don Carey scored on a 40-yard fumble return in the first quarter and running back Reggie Bush had a 26-yard scoring run in the fourth as the Lions upended the Packers 19-7, holding Green Bay to 223 yards total offense at Ford Field.

Manning threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants beat Houston 30-17, handing the Texans their first loss of the season.

The Giants led 14-0 at halftime, after touchdowns by wide receiver Victor Cruz on a pass from Manning and running back Rashad Jennings's one-yard run, then withstood a third-quarter rally by the Texans to secure the win.

In other early games, the New England Patriots defeated the visiting Oakland Raiders 16-9 and the Dallas Cowboys scraped past the Rams 34-31 in St Read more

Michel Hodge new chairman of airport holding company

AIRPORT--Michel Hodge's career has come full circle. He is back at SXM Airport as the chairman of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) Holding Company.

Hodge brings to the holding and operating companies of the airport many years of experience in the aviation and airport management field, as well as expertise from his 12-year tenure on the supervisory board of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies where he served as vice chairman.

Hodge was nominated by independent Member of Parliament (MP) Romain Laville for the post on the holding company board Read more

Inspectorate investigating physical abuse at Day Care

~ Owner says accusations malicious, false ~

CUL DE SAC--A day care centre in the Cul de Sac area is under investigation for the alleged physical abuse of children in its care, but the centre in question says the accusations are malicious, false and intended to damage its reputation.

Head of the Court of Guardianship Richelda Rodriguez-Emmanuel confirmed that two reports of child abuse had been reported to the Child Protection Services about the day care centre up to last week Read more

Lake ‘preparing for legal battle’

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Maurice Lake, who was heavily criticised for agreeing to purchase the Vorst Estate property for an "exorbitant price that can drive up the cost of real estate in St. Maarten," says he is preparing for a legal battle over this issue.

Lake was at the time responding to a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament held on Friday, in which several Members of Parliament (MPs) said that he should be held personally liable for the agreement he had signed to purchase the Vorst Estate for way above the market value, and for the procedures he had followed in this process.

Lake, who issued a release about the matter following Friday's meeting of the Central Committee, said in a second release on Sunday that he will prepare himself legally as MPs were making the issue a personal one and he had to defend the "slandering" of his name Read more