SXMElections.com

SXM Autism Association

~ Training to better understand autism ~

SXM Autism Association is continuing to work to fill a need in our community. They have organized training on autism designed for the general public, in partnership with National Education, General Social Security Fund (SSTC) in Guadeloupe and SESSAD (Service d'Education Spéciale et de Soins à Domicile) in France. The training was held in late November and early December.

Understanding autistic people is the focus of the training, and it is based on applied analysis of their behavioural cues Read more

Editorial - Improved compliance

Today's news that the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT has given St. Maarten until January 31 to establish the 2015 budget is most welcome. The original December 15 deadline had clearly gotten out of reach, in part due to the recent political developments and issues with the screening of candidate ministers.

Affording the incoming UP-led coalition more time to present amendments bringing the draft in line with CFT's advice and the Kingdom Consensus Law on Financial Supervision shows the necessary respect for the Gumbs Cabinet that – after all – will have to work with it Read more

Lake Calls For Volunteers For Simpson Bay Lagoon Clean Up

St. Maarten—A clean up of the Simpson Bay Lagoon is scheduled to take place this Saturday December 6 and Vromi Minister Maurice Lake is calling on the marine community, organizations, businesses, volunteers and students to come out and support this clean-up.

 

Minister Lake’s initial appeal for a coastal clean-up of hurricane related debris in the lagoon due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, was publicly stated early November and the St Read more

Central Asian migrants feel the pain of Russia's economic downturn

DUSHANBE/BISHKEK--Vali Salimov quit his job at a Moscow supermarket last month after his salary was halved, and returned home to Tajikistan another migrant victim of Russia's economic downturn whose family livelihood now looks precarious.
  Salimov, like millions of other migrants, used to send much of his salary back home. So as he and others leave Russia, the economies of their home countries - poor former Soviet republics like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - are also feeling the pinch.
  "I was paid 25,000 roubles (536 dollars) a month Read more

Objections in Parliament to commonwealth proposal

~ Parties say decision is up to islands ~

THE HAGUE--The Labour Party PvdA, Democratic Party D66, Christian Democratic Party CDA and ChristianUnion (CU) turned down on Monday idea of the liberal democratic VVD party and the Socialist Party (SP) to establish a Dutch commonwealth construction with an independent position for Aruba, Curaçao and St Read more

Minister Lake calls on Marine community, volunteers and students to support clean-up of Simpson Bay Lagoon on December 6th.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake is calling on the marine community, organizations, businesses, volunteers and students to come out on Saturday, December 6 and support the clean-up of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Minister Lake's initiative appeal for a coastal clean-up of hurricane related debris in the lagoon due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, was publicly stated early November and the St Read more

Minister Lake Calls On Marine Community, Volunteers And Students To Support Clean-Up Of Simpson Bay Lagoon On December 6Th

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake is calling on the marine community, organizations, businesses, volunteers and students to come out on Saturday, December 6 and support the clean-up of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Minister Lake's initiative appeal for a coastal clean-up of hurricane related debris in the lagoon due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, was publicly stated early November and the St Read more

“The Initiative Is Up To The Caribbean Islands” – Dutch Parliament Divided About Commonwealth

THE HAGUE – The Netherlands cannot force the Caribbean islands to change the Kingdom into a Commonwealth. In spite of this, the Second Chamber reflected yesterday on a plan (from the Socialist Party and the VVD) to do this, Jamila Baaziz reports on Caribisch Netwerk.

VVD and SP say that they are in particular after ‘clarity and a vision’ and that they want to kick-start the discussion with their initiative memorandum. But PvdA, Christian Union, CDA and D66 do not want to exclude any option Read more

Usm Presents Psn Project At 25Th Anniversary Celebration

St. Maarten – During the University of St. Martin’s (USM) 25th Anniversary celebration ceremony, which took place on Friday, November 28, USM Foundation President Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet and USM Foundation Vice President Wycliffe Smith gave a presentation of the university’s new project, called Project Serving our Nation (PSN), which aims to improve the quality of life in every household in St. Maarten.

“The project is based on the ethic of care,” said Smith Read more

USM honours faculty and staff at 25th anniversary celebration

~ Special award for Danny's parents, Smith ~

PHILIPSBURG--University of St. Martin (USM) honoured a long list of staffers and faculty for their efforts in moulding students over the years during its 25th anniversary celebrations on Friday evening.

A special award was presented to Vice President of USM Foundation and the institution's first Director Pastor Wycliffe Smith, as well as to the parents of Treasurer of USM Foundation Danny Ramchandani, for allowing their only son to come to St Read more

Notices November 29

Saturday, November 29

FREE HIV TEST

Organised by St. Maarten AIDS Foundation for World AIDS Day

Place: Scotiabank in Philipsburg (next to KFC)

Time: 10am to 3:30pm

Results in 15 minutes.

Saturday, November 29

MOVIE NIGHT

Organised by 1st St. Maarten Boys' Brigade & the 2nd St. Maarten Girls' Brigade

Time: 7:00pm

Place: Louisann Augusta Illidge Hall

Admission: Adults - NAf 8 or US$4/ Children - NAf 4 or US$2

Drinks and snacks will be on sale Read more

Notices November 27

Saturday, November 29

FREE HIV TEST

Organised by St. Maarten AIDS Foundation for World AIDS Day

Place: Scotiabank in Philipsburg (next to KFC)

Time: 10am to 3:30pm

Results in 15 minutes.

Saturday, November 29

MOVIE NIGHT

Organised by 1st St. Maarten Boys' Brigade & the 2nd St. Maarten Girls' Brigade

Time: 7:00pm

Place: Louisann Augusta Illidge Hall

Admission: Adults - NAf 8 or US$4/ Children - NAf 4 or US$2

Drinks and snacks will be on sale Read more

Editorial - Despite the turmoil

People worried about the delay in installing a new cabinet and its consequences for the budgetary process should be reassured at least somewhat after statements this week from outgoing Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Finance Minister Martin Hassink (see Thursday paper).

The intention is to ratify the draft budget in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday coming, after which the Advisory Council is to review such Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Caretaker Prime Minister the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined in commemorative Thanksgiving Lunches at the St. Maarten Senior Citizens Recreational Center in Hope Estate on Thursday. The events also recognized various businesses and members of the community that contributed to various programs centered on the enrichment of the lives of senior citizens Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Caretaker Prime Minister the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended the launch of the African Caribbean Heritage Alliance ACHA at the Belair Community Center on Thursday. The ACHA is an organization founded with the vision to create unity and linkages amongst people of African decent living in St. Maarten and between Africa and the Caribbean in general Read more

Prime Minister Attends Launch Of The African Caribbean Heritage Alliance

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Caretaker Prime Minister the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended the launch of the African Caribbean Heritage Alliance ACHA at the Belair Community Center on Thursday.

The ACHA is an organization founded with the vision to create unity and linkages amongst people of African decent living in St Read more

Prime Minister Joins In Thanksgiving Lunch With The Elderly

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Caretaker Prime Minister the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined in commemorative Thanksgiving Lunches at the St. Maarten Senior Citizens Recreational Center in Hope Estate on Thursday.

The events also recognized various businesses and members of the community that contributed to various programs centered on the enrichment of the lives of senior citizens.

The Prime Minister wished all present a Happy Thanksgiving and a delicious lunch and thanked those present for their contribution to building the country and laying the foundation of St 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

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

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

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

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

>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