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British comedian buys time on Trinidad television to urge Warner to rat out FIFA

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--British comedian John Oliver, the host of the HBO series "Last Week Tonight," purchased time on Trinidad television on Tuesday night to urge the indicted former FIFA vice president Jack Warner to keep a promise and tell all he knows about the organisation. This is according to a report from Caribbean News Now.

Warner bought time on the same channel TV6 last week to claim he had an "avalanche" of damning information about FIFA's corruption, following his arrest along with several other FIFA officials on bribery and fraud charges Read more

France beat England 1-0 in World Cup opener

CANADA- - Speedy forward Eugenie Le Sommer struck with a superb long-range goal in the first half to set up a 1-0 victory for France over England in their Group F Women's World Cup opener in Moncton on Tuesday.
  Le Sommer, the French League's top player, took advantage of a defensive mix-up by Katie Chapman and Laura Bassett and fired in a thunderous shot from the edge of the Read more

Editorial - Lesser of two evils

Members of the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations are scheduled to meet this morning. Topics include a debriefing on the recent Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO in The Hague. Although not on the agenda, the protocol regarding an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten signed around the same time between Justice Minister Dennis Richardson and Dutch Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk is likely to come up. After all, several legislators have voiced their disapproval over this perceived “bypassing of Parliament” in no uncertain terms.

In one case it actually concerns governing partner USP, which was given precisely the Justice portfolio when joining the UP-led coalition in January Read more

Semsamar managing directors past and present under judicial control

MARIGOT--Director General of Semsamar Marie-Paule Bélénus-Romana and her predecessor Jean-Paul Fischer were taken into 48-hour custody in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Monday, where they were placed under judicial control and "mise en examen."

On Wednesday, they appeared before a Judge of Instruction. The Judge's decision was based on "suspicion of conflicts of interest, misappropriation of funds and favouritism."

The development is the latest in a three-year investigation into the operations of Semsamar, and follows various revelations that emerged from the so-called Milos report and audit of the company Read more

Sapphire will not be sold, resort to rebrand, renovate

CUPECOY--After a period of quiet following the news in late January that timeshare exchange network RCI had suspended its relationship with Sapphire Beach Club and Resort, some Sapphire timeshare owners were informed via newsletter over the weekend that the resort would be going through renovations and had signed a preliminary agreement at the end of 2014 "initiating the process of affiliation to a prestigious hotel chain" that remained unnamed.

The newsletter item also disclosed that the property would not be sold, which had been a subject for speculation by many.

RCI had not disclosed any reasoning for the suspension in its notice, but it was understood to be tied to the property's multiple maintenance issues Read more

Six honoured in annual Mother’s Day ceremony

MARIGOT--The Collectivité honoured six worthy women in its annual Mother's Day ceremony on Friday.

In keeping with tradition, the representatives of the six different councils had the difficult task of choosing someone from their district. Mother's Day on the French side is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of May.

The ceremony began with an opening address by Vice-President Ramona Connor recalling the important role of the mother in society before each district representative announced their candidate with a biography.

The chosen six included Alberta Leblanc from district one, Jocelyne Illidge for district two, Marguerite Bryan from district three, and Tamika Meyers from district four, Louisita Fleming Richardson from district five and Mercedes Thomas from district six.

The ladies were chosen for their strong family values, raising many children, and contributing much to the community Read more

I voted for improvement yet nothing has changed

Dear Editor,

Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address the United People’s party.

UP party, as a supporter of the united people’s party, I have a request in return for all my hard work and efforts in getting votes for the current government body.

It is only fair and understandable that while some other supporters/campaigners are benefitting from their input; Erno York has only received small but appreciated donations Read more

Shigemoto, GAS director go free in ‘Piranha’ case

PHILIPSBURG--Former Minister of Finance Hiroshi “Hiro” Shigemoto (44) and Global Advisor Services (GAS) BV Director R.A.G. (62) both were acquitted fully by the Judge on Thursday in the so-called “Piranha” case.

The Prosecutor’s Office had accused both men of having committed fraud in connection with invoices sent in for payment for GAS services for the recruitment of highly-skilled staff members for the Department of Fiscal Affairs between January 1 and June 30, 2009. This agreement was renewed in 2011 retroactively from July 1 to December 31, 2009.

GAS also was responsible for managing the one-year project financed by Dutch funding agency USONA to hire staff for the new Tax Department for an all-inclusive fee of NAf Read more

Dp Leader Questions Integrity Chamber Protocol

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - More questions are being asked about the details of the Integrity Chamber agreement which was signed in The Hague last Saturday.

The agreement was signed between St. Maarten's Minister of Justice, the Honorable Dennis Richardson and the Dutch Government.

Many members of Parliament have expressed their disapproval about the manner in which the agreement was signed and the impact it will have on the authority of the island's highest legislative body, the Parliament of St Read more

Up Board Denounces Statements On Smn-News Website

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The United People's Party (UP) board recently met to discuss a number of pressing issues inclusive of a recent statement found on the online news site SMN-News.

"We the board of the UP board would like to denounce a recent statement made on one of the local online media outlets Read more

Parliament must do its job

Dear Editor,

Never have I witnessed such a degrading meeting of the people's business in parliament as that meeting held last week regarding the Checkmate Security contract at the St. Maarten Harbour. This meeting was called by the opposition because the people of St. Maarten wanted to know how such a contract could have been approved by the management and the supervisory board of directors of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

Those members of parliament supporting the government want the people to believe that because it is a local that owns Checkmate Security it is alright to pay them any amount of money and no questions should be asked Read more

style="text-align: center;">Five Years After St. Maarten Acquired Its' Separate Status On October 10, 2010 And Nothing Has Changed. After The 2014 Election We Have Changed A Few Of The Players In Parliament But The Leadership Remained The Same, Therefore We Should Not Expect Anything Different. This Brings Us To The Meeting Of Parliament Where The Checkmate Contract Should Have Been Debated.

PHILIPSBURG:---– Never have I witnessed such a degrading meeting of the people business in parliament as that meeting held last week regarding the Checkmate Security contract at the St Read more

style="text-align: center;">New comers cannot move WICSU forward.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Denisio Conner a senior civil servant for the Government of St. Maarten for the past 20 years has decided to postulate himself for the Presidency of the Windward Islands Civil Servants and Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU). The election is slated for Friday May 29th 2015 at the WICSU/PSU head office on Walter Nisbeth Road from 7am to 4 pm.
Running alongside Conner is Henrietta Doran York, someone that has been in the political arena for years and has even served as deputy Minister of Plenipotentiary Read more

Caribbean Looks To Paris Climate Summit For Its Very Survival

St. Maarten/THE CARIBBEAN—Caribbean leaders on Saturday further advanced their policy position on climate change ahead of the 21st Conference of Parties, also known as COP 21, scheduled for Paris during November and December of this year.

The position of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), 14 independent countries, was put forward by the group’s chairman, Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, during a meeting here with French President François Hollande. “For the Bahamas, which has 80 percent of its land mass within one metre of mean sea level, climate change is an existential threat.” — Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie

“The evidence of the impact of climate change within our region is very evident Read more

Carnival Foundation “Fires” 6 Volunteers

GREAT BAY – St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) fired six volunteers last week, days after the carnival season concluded.  According to one of the volunteers who asked to remain unknown, years ago, the volunteer started assisting the SCDF with the expectation to serve the community in what they called the islands biggest cultural festival. Six letters were sent personally to the volunteers stating that the foundation thanks them for their service however due to downsizing and restructuring of the board, the foundation can no longer allow them to be volunteers in the foundation.

Six members including a board member were sent the following dismissal letter, by President of the SCDF Michael Granger last week Thursday Read more

Tourism season better, but marketing concerns loom

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten's accommodation sector enjoyed a positive tourism season, which reportedly measured up to slightly better than last year's. Hotel General Managers (GMs) contacted by The Daily Herald were proud to report the good results, some specifically citing the (now halted) Thomas Cook (TC) charter from Sweden as a positive contribution. However, they also expressed some concern over the lack of destination marketing.

According to St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association's (SHTA's) most recent figures, the first quarter of 2015 saw a total occupancy of 82.1 per cent, of a total of 3,375 rooms belonging to SHTA members Read more

Mesmeric Messi nets double as Barca romp past Bayern

BARCELONA--Two late moments of Lionel Messi magic and a goal from Neymar helped Barcelona break the resistance of Bayern Munich in a pulsating 3-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

After Barca had been frustrated by the brilliance of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for most of the match, Messi fired home after 77 minutes and then doubled the lead with a delightful chip from six metres three minutes later Read more

Mesmeric Messi nets double as Barca romp past Bayern

BARCELONA--Two late moments of Lionel Messi magic and a goal from Neymar helped Barcelona break the resistance of Bayern Munich in a pulsating 3-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

After Barca had been frustrated by the brilliance of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for most of the match, Messi fired home after 77 minutes and then doubled the lead with a delightful chip from six metres three minutes later Read more

Prosecutor wants jail time for ex-minister Shigemoto

PHILIPSBURG--The Prosecutor's Office requested eight months, deprivation of the right to be elected and a five-year ban from the civil service for former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto on Wednesday during the first day of hearings in the so-called Piranha case.

Shigemoto and Global Advisory Services (GAS) BV Director R.A.G. (62) are facing fraud, embezzlement, forgery and money-laundering charges.

G. is suspected of having made fraudulent transactions in connection with the recruitment of personnel for various government agencies that allegedly cost Country St Read more

style="text-align: justify;">SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING SINCE THE ELECTION IN 2014 AND THIS UP LED GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT OF ST. MAARTEN HAVE NOT INITIATED ONE PROGRAM THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE ORDINARY PEOPLE IN ST. MAARTEN. IT IS VERY IRONIC THAT EVERY TIME YOU MEET PEOPLE ON THE STREET THEY ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED FOR THEY HAD EXPECTED TO SEE THIS COUNTRY MOVING FORWARD IN PARTICULAR IN THE AREA OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS.

Those who brought us to this point are suffering the most!
PHILIPSBURG:---- Just recently I met a senior citizen at a Supermarket and he was boasting about how he assisted a particular candidate that is now part of the parliament of St Read more

Community meets police on escalating burglaries, violence

SOUTH REWARD--About thirty concerned residents of Waymouth Hill and South Reward gathered Thursday evening for a meeting with Police Force representatives concerning a serious and escalating string of break-ins in the area.

Some of the residents, discontented and having lost some faith that a solution was being found, say they would have been very disappointed had it simply been a "lock your windows and doors" type of meeting. However, they said they found it informative, and found the police representatives to be "open, frank and candid," as put by one resident.

"They didn't make excuses," and came across as approachable Read more

The Case Against Dollarization

The fact that there is still a discussion on the dollarization issue is somewhat strange to me and not because I think it would the worst thing that can happen to us in St. Maarten but because of the total lack of actual benefits proposed by those supporting dollarization.

The symposium on dollarization organized by the Council on Advice at the University of St. Maarten only confirms what I have believed all along, that dollarization is not a valid option for St. Maarten. Although I am basing my article on what was published in the media since I was unable to attend the actual meeting.

In the media, supporter of dollarization, Mr Read more

Stephane Earl Duzong ready for Eruption in Paradise

PHILIPSBURG--Stephane Earl Duzong will represent the SXM Rock Boxing Club on the pro-am boxing card Eruption in Paradise at L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium May 30.
    Duzong has been in the sport for one year. He trains with former pro St. Maarten fighter Claudette Alexander.  Eruption in Paradise will be his first fight Read more

Dollarization – still a discussion point

Dear Editor,

The fact that there is still a discussion on the dollarization issue is somewhat strange to me and not because I think it would the worst thing that can happen to us in St. Maarten, but because of the total lack of actual benefits proposed by those supporting dollarization.

The symposium on dollarization organised by the Council on Advice at the University of St. Martin only confirms what I have believed all along, that dollarization is not a valid option for St. Maarten Read more