SXMElections.com

>DUTCH QUARTER:--- Police are busy investigating the death of a young girl from the Dominican Republic whose body was found in the trunk of a car early Tuesday morning in the Dutch Quarter area. The victim has been identified by residents as Lizcania Maduro (Liz) aka Beba Brumant (23) an employee (bartender) of Sonesta Great Bay Resort. SMN News learnt that the victim is the adopted daughter of Attorney at Law Edwin Maduro.
Information reaching SMN News states that the girl lives in Nazareth Dutch Quarter Read more

Detained Americans in North Korea seek US help

SEOUL/WASHINGTON--Three American citizens detained in North Korea appealed to the U.S government on Monday for help returning home, speaking in rare interviews with U.S. media that were set up by the North Korean government and may signal an attempt by Pyongyang to reopen a long-stalled dialogue.

The three men, one serving a 15-year sentence and two awaiting trial in the isolated country, spoke to CNN and the Associated Press in tightly controlled circumstances. One of them said his health was failing and another described his situation as "urgent."

The men said they were being treated humanely but asked the U.S Read more

Many Cubans angered by new consumer import restrictions

HAVANA--Cuba has raised duties and restricted imports on consumer goods brought in by air travelers or sent by mail, imposing greater hardship for a fledgling private sector and angering people looking to counter chronic shortages.

The new restrictions, which began on Monday, take aim at black market dealers of goods that are hard to find on store shelves or come with steep excise taxes Read more

Coalition NA/DP/USP

Dear Editor,

The results of the elections of August 29, 2014, asked for a coalition government.

And there were four possibilities, to know: UP/NA with 11 seats; UP/USP with nine seats; UP/DP with nine seats; and NA/DP/USP with eight seats.

The election campaign clearly showed NA/DP/USP campaigning against the UP.

So if UP wanted to continue governing, UP needed a clear mandate from the electorate.

UP won, but failed to accomplish a majority on its own Read more

Editorial - Time will tell

It appears a new government is indeed on the horizon, now that three parties with a combined eight of the 15 seats in Parliament have reached agreement on the division of ministerial portfolios and other positions (see related story). The candidates for such are yet to be announced, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what some of the names involved might be.

NA is likely to nominate its political leader William Marlin as the new Prime Minister, while the party's number two candidate and top vote-getter Silveria Jacobs, having already served as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, is favoured to take up that post again Read more

Heyliger: UP parliamentarians to be ‘formidable’ opposition

PHILIPSBURG--Developments over the past days will see the United People's (UP) party playing its role in Parliament from the opposition benches. UP party Leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger said the party and its Members of Parliament (MPs) "will be a formidable force to be reckoned with when it comes to the role of keeping the government in check."

"We are ready to govern, to hold in check and control the decision of the coalition government that is in the making Read more

NA/DP/US divide portfolios, sign declaration for open stable govt

~ NA gets PM post; DP gets Parliament President ~

PHILIPSBURG--United St. Martin (US) party, Democratic Party (DP) and National Alliance (NA) agreed to a division of portfolios in a Governing Declaration for an "open and stable" government signed early Monday.

The coalition partners have also agreed that an operational and forensic audit will be conducted on government-owned companies to determine their overall health Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance (NA) has extended its heartfelt thanks to the electorate and party supporters for peaceful exercising their democratic right to vote and for their confidence in the party and says now that elections are over; the time has come to work in the best interest of the people of St. Maarten.

Leader of the National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament William Marlin said St Read more

Leader of the Democratic Party Prime Minister Wescot-Williams’ Post-Election Message.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Leader of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams released a statement regarding the outcome of the 2014 elections on Monday. The Prime Minister highlighted the way forward in her statement released amidst ongoing negotiations regarding the formation of Government; "The Democratic Party of St Read more

style="text-align: center;">NA, USp and DP Sign Governing Accord --- Rumors must be put to rest

PHILIPSBURG:--- Formation talks between three political parties that obtained seats in the Parliamentary Elections that were held on Friday are continuing. Early Saturday morning shortly after the election results were announced the leaders of the United St. Maarten People's Party, the National Alliance and the Democratic Party signed an agreement to work together to form the next Government of St Read more

Minister Lake says thank you.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake would like to thank his family, friends, and supporters for the support he received in August 29 parliamentary elections.

"I would like to thank the people who came out firstly to exercise their democratic right to vote Read more

Up Leader And Board Say Thank You Sint Maarten And Especially The 6000+ Voters Who Voted Up

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – United People's (UP) Party Leader and Member of Parliament Hon. Theo Heyliger and the UP Party Board would like to thank the people of Sint Maarten for exercising their democratic right to vote on Friday, August 29th when over 14,800 persons made use of their right to vote, bringing the turnout close to 70 per cent.

"I am overwhelmed by the support received where over 6000 voters placed their confidence in the UP Party, making the UP the largest political party in the country Read more

St. Martin to attend major China tourism conference

MARIGOT--A delegation from the Collectivité will visit China at the beginning of September to participate in the Beijing Fragrant Hills Summit, as part of the Federation of World Tourist Cities Conference (WTCF), which will be held this year under the theme "market and cooperation."

The Chinese authorities invited President of the St. Martin Tourism Office Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool who will be accompanied by Tourism Office Director Silviane John, Second Vice-President of the Territorial Council Ramona Connor, Ports Director Albéric Ellis, and Tourism Director for the Collectivité Stéphanie Bessière.

Costs of the delegation's visit to China have been entirely paid for by the Summit organisers.

The St Read more

Football Association opens offices in Rue de La Liberté

MARIGOT--St. Martin Football Association (SMFA) inaugurated its new offices at 34 Rue de La Liberté, Marigot, on Saturday, in the presence of Préfet Philippe Chopin, Territorial Councillor Antero de Jesus Santos Paulino (standing in for Alain Gros-Desormeaux), invited Confederation of Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) officials, SMFA board members, sponsors and contractors.
  The location is the former Mission Local office.  The office has a spacious reception area on entry and interior offices at the back Read more

Coalition talks amongst NA, DP, US continue over weekend

CAY HILL--Talks to form a new coalition government for the next governing period continued amongst the Democratic Party (DP), United St. Martin (US) Party and National Alliance (NA) over the weekend.

The Daily Herald understands that parties met on Sunday to hammer out a more detailed agreement on working together in a new government for Country St Read more

Editorial - Top 10

The individual votes-count of Friday's election that only became fully available late Saturday afternoon makes for some interesting reading (see related story). For one thing, UP leader Theo Heyliger confirmed he is by far the most popular politician in St Read more

Holiday starts consultation on formation of new gov’t today

HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday will start consultations for the formation of a new government as of today, Monday, September 1. The consultations will be held with Vice Chairperson of the Advisory Council; Ombudsman Nilda Arduin-Lynch; outgoing President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and the leaders of the four political parties that obtained seats in the elections: United People’s (UP) party leader Theo Heyliger, National Alliance (NA) leader William Marlin; Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams and United St Read more

Re-migrant couple caught up in middle of alleged vendetta

GUYANA--The re-migrant couple in whose names the two Lexus vehicles, now at the centre of an alleged US $40 million tax fraud, were imported is maintaining that there was no breach of the tax laws of Guyana.

A family member told the media during an interview that the couple retired and returned to Guyana to live with their son. Their son is the Customs officer, who reportedly prevented Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) enforcement officers from taking possession of the vehicles on Friday night, August 29.

He and his parents are close friends with Kaieteur News' Publisher, Glen Lall, who allegedly drives the vehicles.

When the media visited the Continental Park, East Bank Demerara residence on the weekend to talk to the couple, they made it clear that the vehicles were in their possession as they live with their son, but pointed out that family members along with the Lalls are close friends and would from time to time use the vehicles.

"What wrong have we committed? We haven't sold the vehicles Read more

Libyan armed group takes over annex of US Embassy

WASHINGTON--Members of a Libyan militia have taken over an abandoned annex of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli but have not broken into the main compound where the United States evacuated all of its staff last month, U.S. officials said on Sunday.

A YouTube video showed the breach of the diplomatic facility by what was believed to be a militia group mostly from the northwestern city of Misrata. Dozens of men, some armed, were seen gleefully crowded onto the patio of a swimming pool, with some diving in from the balcony of a nearby building.

Libya has been rocked by the worst factional violence since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi, and a Misrata-led alliance, part of it which is Islamist-leaning, now controls the capital.

A takeover of the embassy compound could deliver another symbolic blow to Washington over its policy toward Libya, which Western governments fear is teetering toward becoming a failed state just three years after a NATO-backed war ended Gaddafi's rule Read more

Putin calls for talks on east Ukraine "statehood"

MOSCOW/MARIUPOL, Ukraine--Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Sunday for immediate talks on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine, although his spokesman said this did not mean Moscow now endorsed rebel calls for independence for territory they have seized.

The Kremlin leader's remarks, two days after a public appearance in which he compared the Kiev government with Nazis and warned the West not to "mess with us", came as Europe and the United States prepared possible further sanctions to halt what they say is direct Russian military involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Germany aired suspicions that Moscow might be trying to create a land corridor to supply Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in March, while the four-month conflict moved onto the sea for the first time on Sunday Read more

Grappling with history, EU tests unity, new faces

BRUSSELS--European Union leaders meeting in Brussels this weekend, amid world war anniversaries, did not want for reminders of the continental conflicts that the bloc's founders meant to consign to history.

They took another symbolic step away from the Cold War division of Europe, in choosing a Pole from the ex-communist east to run their Council. But disarray on how to respond to Russia's moves in Ukraine, added to differences over reviving the euro zone economy, left them struggling to match fine words with the decisive action many want their new executive team to deliver.

Meeting in sight of a huge EU banner commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, and on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Hitler's invasion of Poland, many cited that bloody past to focus minds on halting what Lithuania's president said was already "a state of war" with Russia.

"We know from European history the danger of the territorial integrity of a nation state being threatened and undermined in this way and we have to send the clearest possible signal," said British Prime Minister David Cameron of an agreement to review possible new sanctions on Moscow within the next week if President Vladimir Putin does not pull back forces from Ukraine.

But scepticism over the effectiveness of previous sanctions and concern for flagging national economies, some hugely vulnerable to retaliation if Russia cut off supplies of energy, left it unclear how far and how fast the bloc was ready to act Read more

Legacy vs history

Dear Editor,

My twelve-year-old niece in hearing them speak about what kind of a legacy President Obama will leave, wanted to know more about this; I tried to explain it to her this way. People in their 20s and beyond still refer to me as the police who liked to dance in Carnival. Even though I personally do not consider that part of my legacy it is part of history, which even though not being my intention, also contributed to the attraction of tourism.

Many years ago on stepping into a travel agency in New Haven Connecticut, out of curiosity I asked if they had a brochure or anything on St Read more

Leader Of The Democratic Party Prime Minister Wescot-Williams' Post-Election Message

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Leader of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams released a statement regarding the outcome of the 2014 elections on Monday.

The Prime Minister highlighted the way forward in her statement released amidst ongoing negotiations regarding the formation of Government; "The Democratic Party of St Read more

Political Parties Share Portfolios

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The combination of the National Alliance, Democratic Party and the United St. Maarten Party have decided on the division of seats in the wake of the agreement signed on Saturday morning, August 30th.

According to documents obtained, the National Alliance will be responsible for portfolios of VROMI, Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.

The party will also be responsible for appointing the new Prime Minister of St Read more