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Minister Lake Releases Vorst Cay Hill Property Vision For Public Housing And Job Creation Center

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake says in order for the country to move forward, one has to have a vision.

On Wednesday Minister Lake released an illustration of his vision for the Vorst property in Cay Hill. It includes public housing for young professionals who are studying abroad and would like to return home to work; and a commercial job creation center that would create jobs for the unemployed and those seeking work.

The commercial center includes a sewing center that could create 100+ jobs.

The Minister's vision entails persons sewing school uniforms, prison uniforms, hotels and many other businesses that require a uniform Read more

Romain Laville At Odds With Statement From Up Candidate

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Independent Member of Parliament, the Honorable Romain Laville, who has opted not to run for the August 29th parliamentary elections, has reacted bitterly at the statements of Read more

Unemployed Father Calls For Support With School Fees

Anonymous businessman helped him out, but there are others

St. Maarten – George Antoine Hodge is an unemployed father who struggles financially. With the new school year beginning today, there are school fees to be paid. He turned to Julian Rollocks who took him on a tour until they found a businessman (who wishes to remain anonymous) prepared to pay the school fees for his 16-year-old son George Jr.

Hodge is obviously happy with the support but he is also aware that there are many others on the island facing similar financial problems Read more

Dp Removed Campaign Material In Belvedere, But: Roundabout Billboards Remain An Issue

St. Maarten – The police had to intervene and in the end, the Democratic Party yielded and took down its oversized political billboard at the Belvedere roundabout on Friday. Chief Commissioner Peter de Witte said that officers had checked the situation on Thursday and concluded that the billboard stood – as was obvious to everyone except the Democratic Party – on the roundabout.

On Wednesday, party-leader and Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams still declared that the situation did not fall within the description of a roundabout Read more

Lenny Priest Wants Clarity About St. Maarten Medical Center

St. Maarten – Lenny Priest, leader of the One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP), has asked clarification from Public Health Minister Cornelius de Weever about the possible construction of a new hospital. In a letter dated August 6 (last week Wednesday), Priest notes that four years ago there was talk of an expansion of the existing St Read more

Up-Candidate Terry Peterson: “A Vote For Frans Means Four More Years Of Laville”

St. Maarten – “A vote for Frans (Richardson – ed.) and the US Party is a vote for another unstable Romain Laville government,” Terry Peterson, the number 8 candidate on the list of the United People’s party (UP)  stated in a press release yesterday Read more

Financial Supervision (Cft) Blames Four Ministries For Delay In 2015 Budget

St. Maarten – The 2015 budget will be ready by the end of the month, Finance Minister Martin Hassink told this newspaper last week. That is more than a month after the budget should have been submitted to the Council of Advice and to financial supervisor Cft, who should have received the draft by July 9. Four ministries still have to downsize their wish list for 2015 to make it fit within the financial plan for 2015.

The Cft notes in a letter dated July 15 to Minister Hassink that the deadline of September 1 for submitting the budget to Parliament is at risk Read more

Marlin: “Up Is Ready To Rip The People Off”

National Alliance meeting draws a large crowd

St. Maarten - A large crowd came out to listen to the National Alliance party candidates as they launched their first political meeting in Sucker Garden on Saturday evening. NA-leader William Marlin called on the electorate to come out in numbers and vote for his party.

“Come August 29 make no mistake, don’t vote because of the green flags, because you were given 100 cents, vote because you need a decent honest government, with hard working ministers and parliamentarians who will look out for you every day Read more

Mp Leonard Questions Pm On Alleged Winair Debt

St. Maarten – United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament is seeking answers from Winiar shareholder representative Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams about a supposed debt of $1.4 million owed to a company in Guadeloupe Read more

Legal Policy Advisor Takes Pm To Court Over Dubious Suspension

Social Economic Council implodes under warring secretary-general

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – The Social Economic Council has virtually collapsed due to a conflict between its Secretary-General Gerard Richardson and legal policy advisor Arjen Alberts whose attorney Cindy Marica filed a lawsuit against the Minister of General Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams yesterday to get clarity about his position Read more

Confusion About Annual Accounts From Subsidized Foundations 

MHF: “We submit documents every year”

St. Maarten – That the board for financial supervision has not received annual accounts from foundations that receive annual government subsidies is in most cases not due to those foundations. This appears from reactions this newspaper received to last week’s article – based on a letter from the board for financial supervision (Cft) to Finance Minister Hassink – that stated that the Cft had not received such accounts for a large number of years.

Mental Health Foundation’s director Eileen Healy was the first to react, saying that the MHF files annual accounts every year Read more

Rival Afghanistan candidates sign agreement to cooperate

KABUL--Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates have agreed in writing to work together to form a government of national unity, both candidates told a news conference, following meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday.
  A joint declaration signed by both candidates, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, did not provide details on the government framework, except to say that both sides would form commissions to work on its structure. "One of these men is going to be president, but both are going to be critical to the future of Afghanistan, no matter what," Kerry told reporters in Kabul.
  The joint declaration stated that the candidates would agree to a timeline for the electoral process and an inauguration date for the next president by the end of August Read more

Youth empowerment: Innovation

Dear Editor,

St. Maarten, under the leadership of the Democratic Party, is working rigorously towards creating a society where people of different cultures and religions can live together with mutual trust. To build a civilized society based on similar norms and employment opportunities it is essential to create a platform for integration and personal development.

Based on the diversity of cultures and nationalities that exist, St Read more

Snatched by Argentina junta as a baby, musician back with family

BUENOS AIRES--Years of nagging doubt over his identity were crystalized on his June 2 birthday, pushing 36-year-old Argentine musician Ignacio Hurban to take a DNA test that identified him as a victim of the country's dirty war.

Born in 1978 to an imprisoned mother who was soon after executed by the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, Hurban has come to symbolize the struggle of families torn apart by the dictatorship.

The junta ordered that hundreds of children of assassinated leftists be adopted by other families Read more

Editorial - Costly error?

The questions posed by Member of Parliament Johan "Janchi" Leonard (UP) about Winair (see Friday paper) deserve an answer. If indeed the government-owned carrier owes US $4.1 million to a company in Guadeloupe for wet-leasing an ATR plane, the former policeman's concern is understandable.

After all, St. Maarten is the airline's majority shareholder, while St. Eustatius and Saba each have minority interest Read more

Scotiabank winner of two Caravanserai injunctions

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance ruled in favour of Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) in two summary proceedings concerning the Caravanserai property in Beacon Hill on Friday.

The bank won the injunction filed by International Financial Planning Services (IFPS) to halt the auction of two plots in the resort, as it claimed ownership of the part of the property where Dunes Casino is located.

IFPS had requested the Court to exclude the sale of these properties from the auction until the Court has made a decision in the proceedings on the merits.

Scotiabank also emerged victorious in the summary proceedings it had filed against Kildare Properties Ltd Read more

Cadastre still to be moved to VROMI

PHILIPSBURG--The Cadastre (Kadaster in Dutch) and Mortgage Registry still legally falls under the Ministry of Finance, while the practical responsibility is that of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.

A report submitted by Ombudsman Nilda Arduin about the operations of the Cadastre was before Parliament in a Central Committee meeting on Friday. However, after Members of Parliament asked questions, President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell suspended the meeting until further notice to give VROMI Minister Maurice Lake time to get the go ahead from the Council of Ministers to discuss the Cadastre and its work Read more

‘There was no military threat by Venezuela’

THE HAGUE--The proximity of Venezuelan warships to Aruba and Curaçao territorial waters did not constitute a military threat, according to Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans.

The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard on July 27 signalled Venezuelan navy ships in front of the coast of Aruba and Curaçao, outside the islands' territorial waters, stated Timmermans in a letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament earlier this week.

Timmermans clarified in his response to written questions by Members of the Second Chamber Wassila Hachchi and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of the Democratic Party D66 that the Venezuelan ships were "in transit" from Maracaibo to their home base Porte Cabello Read more

Checkmate staff worried about rumoured sale, late pay, service

~ Kuiperi says sale not finalised ~

PHILIPSBURG--Several Checkmate Security Services officers have expressed concern about a number of issues related to their employment, including the rumoured sale of the company, their accumulated years of service and the late payment of salaries.

Checkmate official Michael Kuiperi said in an invited comment that the company had not been sold, but was in an "advanced negotiation stage" with an American group and a local group. Both, he said, are showing much interest in purchasing the shares of the company.

The name of at least one prominent local businesswoman had been circulating in the community as the potential buyer of the establishment, but Kuiperi said that while he too had heard the name linked to the sale, it was not true.

The non-unionised workers contacted The Daily Herald, saying they had heard that the company had been sold, but they were not privy to any information and were not being told anything by management Read more

Minister Lake says his ministry ready to accept responsibility for Kadaster Organization.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake says at the moment his ministry does not have any legal responsibility over the Land Surveyor & Registry Office known as Kadaster, but he is ready to take over once given the mandate by the Council of Ministers to do so.

"From a legal perspective, I have been advised that the Kadaster falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance Read more

>GREAT BAY:--- Tourism is St. Maarten's main source of income and as a result should be fiercely protected. With a one pillar economy such as this, economic shocks can be risky; therefore, competent persons need to be placed in these crucial positions to ensure stability and sustenance of our economy.
The Board of the United St. Maarten Party (USp) believes that with unpredictable economical influences like the worldwide economic depression that started in 2008 and peaked in 2009 and resulted in a global economic downturn, some of which still lingers, St Read more

ECB says Ukraine crisis threatens EU recovery

FRANKFURT--The Ukraine crisis has heightened risks to the euro zone's weak and uneven economic recovery, and a tit-for-tat sanctions war could compound the problem, the European Central Bank said on Thursday as it held borrowing rates at record low levels.

ECB President Mario Draghi cited instability across the Middle East as well as tensions between Russia and Western countries over the conflict in Ukraine among factors weighing on growth in the single currency area. Moscow has retaliated for European Union sanctions by halting imports of food from Europe.

At a news conference after the bank's monthly policy-setting meeting, he stressed the ECB was ready to resort to quantitative easing - printing money to buy securities - if the outlook for inflation fell further Read more

Minister of Justice tours police facilities in progress

SUCKER GARDEN-- On Wednesday, August 6, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson was given a guided tour of the ongoing construction of the new police training centre, and also visited the new Joint Emergency Dispatch Centre, which is presently being completed.

Present during the tour of the new training centre was Chief of Police Peter de Witte, Acting Chief of Police, Commissioner Carl John and police advisor Klaas Groen.

The training centre is being built at the former B.B.W. building on Sucker garden road, which is currently being rebuilt.

The new training centre will include several classrooms where theoretical instruction can be given Read more

Leonard wants answers on Winair owing US $1.4M

PHILIPSBURG--United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament Johan Leonard has written to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) seeking information about Windward Islands Airways International Winair possibly owing a Guadeloupe company some US $1.4 million for the wet leasing of an ATR aircraft.

“If Winair owes this amount, Parliament needs to know how Winair will pay this,” said Leonard who wrote to Wescot-Williams in her capacity as shareholder’s representative for Winair Read more