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>PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo treated the country’s senior citizens so they could attend an event for International Day of the Older Persons which was recognized and celebrated globally on October 1st.

Senior citizens on Dutch Sint Maarten were able to be transported to a celebration through the giving back to the community program of Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo.

The sponsorship of a coaster bus was given after Meals on Wheels founder Mary Bryson indicated the areas that needed assistance in order for them to make this event a success.

MP Marlin-Romeo attended the event and thanked the elderly for their contribution to Sint Maarten/St Read more

Governor will not sign Resolution to call new elections --- What type of stand-off do we have now? (UPDATED)

style="text-align: center;">Several Candidates selected to be screened for Ministerial Posts.

PHILIPSBURG:--- According to information provided to SMN News the Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday convoked Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to his office on Friday where he informed him that he will not be signing the resolution for new elections since there is a majority in Parliament Read more

Upnext To Share Motivational, Fitness, Educational Information Via Facebook

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - UPNext, the youth arm of the United People party (UP) will launch its latest initiative today on Facebook.

The group of young people has chosen to share vital information with their peers as well as the general social media community on three days of the week, each day with its own name Read more

Mp Leona Marlin-Romeo Contributes To Seniors Celebrating International Day Of Older Persons

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo treated the country’s senior citizens so they could attend an event for International Day of the Older Persons which was recognized and celebrated globally on October 1st.

Senior citizens on Dutch Sint Maarten were able to be transported to a celebration through the giving back to the community program of Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo.

The sponsorship of a coaster bus was given after Meals on Wheels founder Mary Bryson indicated the areas that needed assistance in order for them to make this event a success.

MP Marlin-Romeo attended the event and thanked the elderly for their contribution to Sint Maarten/St Read more

St. Maarten Hosts Event On Innovation In The Eu’S Overseas Countries And Territories

Brussels - Anguilla and the Falklands are geographically apart but their representatives are among 15 from the European Union’s Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) gathering in Sint Maarten 5-7 October to brainstorm the same challenge: diversifying economies with innovation.

Prime Minister of St Maarten, Marcel F.A. Gumbs, will open the event along with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications Ernest Sams.

The three-day workshop is part of the European Union- funded project, ‘Territorial Strategies for Innovation’ (April 2014-April 2018) Read more

Kraft Foods Group Voluntarily Recalls Select Code Dates And Manufacturing Codes Of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Boxed Dinners Due To Possible Metal Pieces

NORTHFIELD, Ill – Kraft Foods Group is voluntarily recalling approximately 242,000 cases of select code dates and manufacturing codes of the Original flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner – due to the possibility that some boxes may contain small pieces of metal.

The recalled product is limited to the 7.25-oz. size of the Original flavor of boxed dinner with the "Best When Used By" dates of September 18, 2015 through October 11, 2015, with the code "C2" directly below the date on each individual box Read more

Rotary St. Maarten Makes Large Donation To Helmich Snijders 3Rd Digikidz School

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - After recent successful car raffle fundraiser event, Rotary Club St. Maarten has pledged US$ 15,000 towards the DigiKidz Project of Foresee Foundation.

The amount will be used to equip a classroom at Helmich Snijders Christian School with technology devices and contribute in the installation of a full wireless network infrastructure with WIFI in all classrooms and offices.

In addition to that teachers will be trained in the use of Skoolcontrol, the school’s new management platform, and the use of the Promethean digital boards.

Mr Read more

Statia’s appeal against higher supervision heard

ST. EUSTATIUS--The appeal filed by the Executive Council against the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations to impose higher supervision on St. Eustatius was heard Friday.

An advisory board of the Dutch government met with Commissioners Reginald Zaandam (United People’s Coalition, UPC) and Astrid McKenzie-Tatem (Progressive Labour Party, PLP) and ministry representatives in the conference room at Old Gin House.

Dutch Government Representative Gilbert Isabella and Hyden Gittens and Manus Twisk of Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT) were also called to be heard Read more

Hurricane batters Bahamas, fate of cargo ship unknown

NASSAU, Bahamas--The fate of more than 30 crew aboard a cargo ship missing off the Bahamas in heavy seas whipped up by Hurricane Joaquin was unknown on Friday as the storm battered the island chain for a second day.

News the vessel had lost contact with shore came as forecasters shifted the likely track of the potentially catastrophic storm further away from the U.S. East Coast, but there were still warnings about the possibility of severe flooding in the Carolinas from unrelated heavy rains.

Late Friday afternoon, the U.S Read more

We can’t leave people on islands in the hands of big criminals

Dear Editor,

It isn’t really a festive celebration, the anniversary of the new countries Curaçao and St. Maarten, which became autonomous countries within the Kingdom on October 10, 2010. Poverty has increased enormously, as well as the crime rate. The world of organised crime seems to have taken over the government by buying votes and bribing politicians. In a very short period, the governments of Curaçao and St. Maarten have fallen and nobody exactly knows why.

Last April, all political parties in the Dutch parliament voted in favour of a motion tabled by my VVD-colleague André Bosman and me calling for an investigation into the relationship between the criminal underworld and the legitimate society. That investigation mainly focuses on the relationship between politics and the (illegal) gambling industry where a lot of money is being laundered, possibly with involvement of Dutch companies Read more

Sarah: Elections will not solve ship-jumping issue

~ Cabinet should resign immediately ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams said on Friday that calling early elections will not solve the issue of Members of Parliament (MPs) switching their support from one party to another Read more

Sarah confirms she will assume Chairmanship of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams confirmed on Friday that she will be assuming the position of the new Chairperson of Parliament.

DP forms part of the new eight-seat-majority coalition in Parliament Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams told members of the media at the Democratic Party bi-monthly press conference on Friday that calling for early elections is unconstitutional and that members of the current cabinet that got a motion of no confidence from the majority in parliament should have tendered their resignation already Read more

>MARIGOT/PHILIPSBURG:---  80 persons have finalized their participation in the training as interviewers for the ‘How Healthy is Sint Maarten/Saint Martin?’ public health survey.
The training was facilitated by the University of the U.S. Virgin Islands (UVI) through their collaboration with the University of St. Martin (USM) (UVI @ USM), as well as the Department of Statistics (STAT) and three Health Care Professionals volunteering their time and skills for the initiative.
The training, a part of the ‘How Healthy is Sint Maarten/Saint Martin?’ project, was hosted by representatives from both the Dutch and French Governments, under the auspices of the Observatory of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin.
The Honorable Minister of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), Rafael Boasman, Acting Secretary General Ministry VSA Joy Arnell, the Head of the Public Health Department, Fenna Arnell, the Honorable 2nd Vice President of the Collectivite of Saint-Martin, in charge of Health and Social Affairs, Mrs Read more

80 Persons Certified By Observatory For Public Health Survey

MARIGOT/PHILIPSBURG - 80 persons have finalized their participation in the training as interviewers for the ‘How Healthy is Sint Maarten/Saint Martin?’ public health survey.

The training was facilitated by the University of the U.S. Virgin Islands (UVI) through their collaboration with the University of St. Martin (USM) (UVI @ USM), as well as the Department of Statistics (STAT) and three Health Care Professionals volunteering their time and skills for the initiative. 

The training, a part of the ‘How Healthy is Sint Maarten/Saint Martin?’ project, was hosted by representatives from both the Dutch and French Governments, under the auspices of the Observatory of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin.

The Honorable Minister of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), Rafael Boasman, Acting Secretary General Ministry VSA Joy Arnell, the Head of the Public Health Department, Fenna Arnell, the Honorable 2nd Vice President of the Collectivite of Saint-Martin, in charge of Health and Social Affairs, Mrs Read more

Dp Leader Outlines Reasons That Destroyed Their Confidence In The Council Of Ministers

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The council of ministers experienced a motion of no confidence against them this Wednesday during a meeting of Parliament.

The motion was initially supported by the opposition National Alliance and the DP factions in parliament however it turned out that the motion was supported by additional members who were thought to be supporters of the current coalition government Read more

New Elections For St. Maarten Possible December 8

From left: Ministers Rafael Boasman, Rita Bourne-Gumbs, Marcel Gumbs, Dennis Richardson, Martin Hassink and Claret Connor during what could be their last press conference. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

Council of Ministers hits back and dissolves parliament

St Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Reacts To Motivating Points That Led To Motion Of No Confidence Last Wednesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - This past Thursday the Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Marcel Gumbs called a press conference and outlined their reaction to the vote of no confidence against his government by the Parliament of St. Maarten.

Prime Minister Gumbs confirmed that the motion took his cabinet by surprise.

He Read more

Opinion: “Self Above Country” 101

Who said politics is boring? The conspirators in parliament had their first laugh on Wednesday when they lured all MPs to the House of Representatives with an irresistible agenda point – the remarks made by Attorney-General Guus Schram about the ties between the criminal underworld and St. Maarten’s legitimate society. Then followed an agenda point about the situation at the government-owned companies, in particular the airport.

But those who thought that the opposition intended to wash the ears of airport director Regina Labega were in for a nasty surprise Read more

Chta's 'Chief' To Explore Cuba Impact On Caribbean Tourism; Taps Industry Experts For Insight

THE CARIBBEAN - One of the most highly anticipated panels of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association's (CHTA) upcoming Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) is "Cuba: Opportunity or Threat?" which will take place on the closing day of the conference (Sunday, Oct. 4) from 3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m."Cuba: Opportunity or Threat?" will delve into how the US-Cuba normalization affects Caribbean business and how hotels can minimize any potential downside impact. Additionally, it will explore the positive opportunities Cuba may present to stimulate the region's growth as a whole.This highly-anticipated session - expected to be standing-room only - will be moderated by Anton Edmunds, Principal, The Edmunds Group International, and will feature the following panelists:Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Principal Partner, BedfordBakerGroupMarla Dukharan, Group Economist, Caribbean Banking, Royal Bank of CanadaSimon Suarez, President, ASONAHORESHugh Riley, CEO and Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organization"The efforts towards the normalization of trade and travel between the United States and Cuba opens the door to a renewed focus on Caribbean tourism," said Edmunds Read more

Romny and Catalan win Cycling Club’s Night Race

PHILIPSBURG—Seven Romny won the Junior Division and Steve Catalan took top honours in the seniors at the St. Maarten St. Martin Cycling Club evening race Saturday.

The race had been schooled to be a 100 lap relay consisting of five rider teams.

"Several of the teams pulled out at the last minute." said Jean Paul Rousseau from the Cycling Club.

"We did not want to disappoint the riders that did show so we ran two races." The young riders did five laps of the one kilometre course and the seniors completed 30 laps.

The lap starts on Pond Island by the University, goes to the Salt Pickers Roundabout back to the landfill entrance and finishes back at the University.

Second in the juniors was Noel Kianny Read more

Editorial - Eyes on the ball

It appears St. Maarten is again caught in a “Mexican standoff,” as NA leader William Marlin called it back in 2013 when much of the cabinet with his party’s signature wanted to dissolve Parliament and call early elections after losing its majority support Read more

Plasterk regrets fall of Gumbs cabinet

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk said on Thursday that he regretted the resignation of the St. Maarten Government headed by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. He urged the next Government to work in the general interest.

Without wanting to become involved in local party politics, Plasterk said he regretted the resignation of the Gumbs cabinet for two reasons: the good cooperation he had with Gumbs and the fact that too many changes of Government were not good for a country.

“The basis of cooperation with Prime Minister Gumbs was good Read more

Sarah: Dismissed ministers cannot turn around to dissolve Parliament

~ Ministers should resign ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams says ministers who are dismissed cannot “turn around and dissolve Parliament.”

She was reacting to news that the Gumbs cabinet, against whom a motion of no confidence was passed on Wednesday, had submitted a National Decree to Governor Eugene Holiday on Thursday to dissolve Parliament and call new elections Read more