SXMElections.com

Good Day Welcome To Announcements From The Of The Collectivity.

MARIGOT:--- On Tuesday, August 1st, 2017, the Collectivity will start the 3rd and final phase of the rehab works at the Jean-Louis Vanterpool stadium. During this time, the intersection of Rue de Holland and the intersection of Paul Mingau Street will be closed to vehicle traffic. The deviation will be via Rue de Concordia.
The objective is to move back the wall to widen the sidewalk for the safety of pedestrians. Work will be completed August 31, 2017, before the opening of the new school year.
The Collectivity apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
The return to the four-day school week, implemented by the Education Department and officially validated by the Executive Council on Wednesday, July 26, will be implemented as of September 2017 in the schools of Saint Martin.
School hours will now be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 am to 11.30 am and from 1:30 pm to 4 pm
This return of the four-day week is accompanied by an increase in the number of extracurricular activities and supervision, in line with the commitments made by the new majority of the Collectivity.
With a contribution of 50 euros per child for the school year 2017-2018, the partnership set up with the CTOS of Saint-Martin, which has increased the training of its animators, which will guarantee students a better experience.
Various games will be offered to the children every day of the week on their lunch break; homework help will be set up every evening from 4 pm to 5 pm Read more

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Pond Island - St. Maarten’s incumbent telecommunication provider, TelEm Group, has posted a profit for the year 2016. The actual figures have been presented to the company’s Supervisory Board of Directors and the Government shareholder in recent weeks for their consideration and review and are not being made public at this time.
The announcement was made to TelEm Group personnel in a brief internal announcement Friday, in which Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, and Chief Financial officer (CFO) Mrs Read more

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Prime Minister Tells Investors, “We Are Open To Partnerships”

Below is the speech of Prime Minister William Marlin at the 21st Annual International African-American Hotel ownership and investment summit and trade show. This event was organized by the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD)

Honorable Mr Read more

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Tobago Gears Up To Fight Sargassum Invasion

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – As Tobago’s tourism industry struggles to repel the sargassum invasions that have smothered its beaches with massive layers of seaweed as far as the eye can see – in some places half a metre thick – and left residents retching from the stench, the island’s government is working to establish an early warning system that will alert islanders of imminent invasions so they can take defensive action.

The Deputy Director of Trinidad and Tobago’s Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Dr Read more

Persons Insured By Szv Has To Pay Cash At Lfc. Lack Of Payment By Obs.

PHILIPSBURG/Marigot:--- Patients that are ensured by SZV St. Maarten will not be able to see a doctor even in emergency cases at the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital (LCF) unless they pay the 75 Euros consultation fee cash or 100 Euros as an initial deposit if they are to be hospitalized. Management of LCF implement the new rules as of July 24th, 2017 after they were not paid by the Association Observatoire de la Santé of Saint Martin (OBS) Read more

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The 2017 Study Financing Recipients Head To The Netherlands

PHILIPSBURG – On July 30th, the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE), co-sponsored by Dominos Pizza, will host the 6th annual ‘Bon Voyage’ ceremony for all 2017 study financing recipients. The ceremony begins at 1:00p.m. and will be stationed in the departure hall. The ceremony will include dj’s, food, and drinks. Family and friends are also invited to attend this joyous ceremony.

Thirty-three (33) students will be traveling to the Netherlands to further their tertiary level education Read more

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The 2017 Study Financing Recipients Head To The Netherlands.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On July 30th, the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE), co-sponsored by Dominos Pizza, will host the 6th annual 'Bon Voyage' ceremony for all 2017 study financing recipients. The ceremony begins at 1:00p.m. and will be stationed in the departure hall. The ceremony will include dj’s, food, and drinks. Family and friends are also invited to attend this joyous ceremony.
Thirty-three (33) students will be traveling to the Netherlands to further their tertiary level education Read more

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Organized by the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers, NABHOOD
Miami, Florida, July 26 -28, 2017.

Honorable Mr. Andy Ingraham,
Founder, President, and CEO of the National Association
Of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers,
Mr. Ken Fearn,
Chairman of NABHOOD,
Board members,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

I bring you greetings from the Friendly Island of St Read more

Witu Being Left Out Of Social Dialogues

MADAME ESTATE – The Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) held a press conference, via phone, with the different media outlets, at their office in Madame Estate, on Thursday, July 27, after another failed attempt to meet with Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs.

According to WITU President Claire Elshot-Aventurin, the purpose of the press conference was to inform members about the ongoing issues they come to the union with, and let them know how talks with the Education Minister were progressing.

Initially, WITU first requested a meeting with Minister Jacobs on June 16 Read more

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Telem Group Ceo Cautions Against “Free Wi-Fi” Idea For St. Maarten

Pond  Island –  TelEm Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, is advising “caution” to an idea coming out of a recently concluded telecommunication conference in the Dominican Republic, that St. Maarten can enhance its telecommunication services to residents and visitors by offering free Wi-Fi throughout the island.

The idea was put forward by Minister of TEATT, Melissa Arrindell-Doncher during the recently ended 33rd annual Conference and Trade Exhibition of CANTO, in the Dominican Republic, and repeated in at least one online media outlet this week.

“I am all for making telecommunication services affordable for TelEm Group customers, however I cannot see how we can benefit by offering free wi-fi “spots” to the millions of visitors who come to the island each year, who are currently paying for this service,” said Mr Read more

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Pond Island:---TelEm Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, is advising “caution” to an idea coming out of a recently concluded telecommunication conference in the Dominican Republic, that St. Maarten can enhance its telecommunication services to residents and visitors by offering free Wi-Fi throughout the island.

The idea was put forward by Minister of TEATT, Melissa Arrindell-Doncher during the recently ended 33rd annual Conference and Trade Exhibition of CANTO, in the Dominican Republic, and repeated in at least one online media outlet this week.

“I am all for making telecommunication services affordable for TelEm Group customers, however, I cannot see how we can benefit by offering free wi-fi “spots” to the millions of visitors who come to the island each year, who are currently paying for this service,” said Mr Read more

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Caribbean Must Equalise To Grow And Grow To Equalise, Says Eclac

KINGSTON | NEW YORK – If they are to meet commitments agreed under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals (SDGs), the countries of the Caribbean must focus on closing the structural gaps they still have – particularly with regard to gender equality and financial and fiscal sustainability (due to their high debt level) – and mitigating the effects of climate change, .

Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), spoke in this regard during the ‘African-Caribbean Cross-Regional Exchange’ at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) which ended July 19 at United Nations headquarters in New York.

“The current development model is unsustainable in that it has led to a decrease in trade and growth, greater inequality, excessive financialisation, and has fallen into the greatest market failure of all: climate change,” she said.

“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have thus come about as an aspirational response with a view to the long term … [and] “in order to meet the SDGs, ECLAC proposes a great environmental push, a change in productive structures via industrialisation, innovation and the incorporation of greater knowledge.”

The New York event, which focused on dialogue around proposals related to debt, climate change and gender equality in Africa and the Caribbean, was organised by the Regions Refocus initiative of the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation (with headquarters in Sweden), the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) foundation and the Jamaica Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Participants in the dialogue included Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, Representative for the Jamaica Permanent Mission to the United Nation; Ambassador Pennelope Beckles of Trinidad and Tobago; Ambassador Keith Hamilton Lewellyn Marshall of Barbados and other Caribbean and African ambassadors to the United Nations, Anita Nayar of Regions Refocus, and Caecilie Schildberg of FES, among others.

In her remarks, the ECLAC Executive Secretary said that in order to implement the 2030 Agenda, develop their national institutional frameworks to follow it and mainstream the SDGs into their plans and policies, it is essential that the countries of the Caribbean know the challenges they face in the current global context in terms of trade flows and accords, access to financing and mobilisation of resources, and technology.

“We must equalise to grow and grow to equalise, fostering investment and gender equality,” said Bárcena.

On this last point, she stated that the main issue is assuring women’s autonomy in its three dimensions: economic, physical and political.

In the Caribbean, women tend to be over-represented in the lowest sectors of the labour market – especially in the service sector – and under-represented in areas that require higher qualifications, she explained.

Furthermore, the unemployment rate is higher among women, who also suffer lower levels of social protection and have lower salaries compared with men (in similar positions).

“Much more needs to be done to completely capitalise on women’s potential, requiring methods that encompass their access to education and quality training, to economic resources and financial services, and to new forms of financing,” Bárcena said Read more

Update: Hikers Find Partially Submerged Body In Water

UPDATE by French Prosecutor office:

OYSTER POND, French Saint Martin – At 12:25pm on Wednesday, July 26, hikers near the Whale Watch Observatory in Oyster Pond on the French side reported to Gendarmes the presence of a body that was partially submerged in the water, some 50m from the edge.

This lifeless, but recently deceased body, was of a man about 35 years old, 1.80m and of Latino ethnicity Read more

Rerouting At Beacon Hill Entrance Will Have To Be Considered, One Death Is Too Much Says Minister Of Vromi.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel made clear on Wednesday that the people of St. Maarten will have to consider the re-routing of traffic on Beacon Hill since this plan has been on the books for years. The Minister said that government have to find a solution to the problems that exists at Beacon Hill because visitors to the island refused to take heed of the warning signs Read more

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Sarah: Winair’S Success: A Story Of Fighting For What You Believe In.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — It is with a great feeling of satisfaction that I took note of the publication regarding Winair’s performance for the fiscal year 2016 and I wish to add my words of congratulations to the board of supervisory directors, the management and staff for this accomplishment.

What a turnaround, if one looks back just a few years to the then outlook for this airline company.

Over the past few years, achievements by our national airline Winair have been steadily coming in and time and time again, I had to think of those early days when Winair was inherited from the Netherlands Antilles, bruised and in serious debt Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, July 24, 2017, Ambassador of India to Venezuela and Consul General of India to Sint Maarten, Mr. Rahul Shrivastava, made an introductory visit to the Honorable Prime Minister Mr. William Marlin.

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PHILIPSBURG:--- It is with a great feeling of satisfaction that I took note of the publication regarding Winair’s performance for the fiscal year 2016 and I wish to add my words of congratulations to the board of supervisory directors, the management and staff for this accomplishment.
What a turnaround, if one looks back just a few years to the then outlook for this airline company.
Over the past few years, achievements by our national airline Winair have been steadily coming in and time and time again, I had to think of those early days when Winair was inherited from the Netherlands Antilles, bruised and in serious debt Read more

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Regional Laboratories Prepare To Detect And Respond To New And Emerging Diseases

KINGSTON, Jamaica - “Public health laboratories play a critical role in the fight against communicable diseases, specifically vector-borne diseases, to better prepare the Region to detect and respond to new and emerging threats,” stated Dr Karen Polson-Edwards, Acting Director, Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at CARPHA.

Dr Polson-Edwards was speaking at the opening of a two-day technical and policy forum for laboratory directors from 19 English and Dutch speaking public health laboratories across the Region Read more

Open Letter To The Democratic Party

Dear editor,

Albert Claudius Wathey is rightly considered the Father of the Nation by many in Sint Maarten. He was also the co founder of the Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP). Not too long ago, however, the current government, of which the DP is a coalition partner, revealed that it wants to demolish the old government administration building Read more

New Uwi Chancellor Takes Office

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The University of the West Indies (The UWI) marks a change in its leadership, as it welcomes a new Chancellor, the highest office-holder in The UWI system.

Trinidad and Tobago national, Robert Bermudez assumes duties as the 6th Chancellor of the University, having been appointed at the University Council’s annual business meeting on April 27, 2017 to succeed Sir George Alleyne.

According to the University’s Statutes and Ordinances, “the Chancellor shall preside at meetings of the Council [the highest governing body of the regional university] and any Convocation and shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be conferred upon the holder of the office of Chancellor by The UWI Charter or any Statute, Ordinance or Regulation.”

Chancellor Bermudez—as he will be called—has been an entrepreneur for over 40 years.  He led the growth of his family-owned firm, to a regional business throughout the Caribbean and Latin America and has enjoyed a distinguished career in business, serving as either Chairman or Board Director for several corporate bodies in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Read more

Cal Dedicates Jet To Honour Calypsonian

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Calypsonian Dr McCartha Linda Sandy Lewis, better known as Calypso Rose, was hailed for her contribution to Caribbean culture when Caribbean Airlines (CAL) dedicated one of its 737 jets in her honour.

The formal commissioning of the aircraft took place on Friday when the signage on the nose of the aircraft was unveiled by three ministers: Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly; Minister of Tourism Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon.

In addition, chairman of Caribbean Airlines Sameer Ronnie Mohammed and Rose’s international manager, Jean Michel Gilbert were present.

Rose was absent from the function but watched live from Lyon in France where she was scheduled to perform.

The decision to name the aircraft in her honour was made by Cabinet for her becoming the first Soca artiste to win the World Music Album of the Year for her latest album “Far From Home” at the French Victories de la Musique award ceremony in Paris on February 10.

Gadsby-Dolly said another of Rose’s many ground breaking achievements was when she won the title Calypso King in 1978, with her renditions “I Thank Thee” and “Her Majesty”, forcing organisers of the competition to change the name of the show to Calypso Monarch, the name it still carries today.

She said her list of achievements testifies to her unwavering spirit as an exemplar for all Trinidadians to follow.

She said Rose was not a case of overnight success but one of perseverance as she began writing songs when she was 15 and has so far penned more than 800 tunes.

The music video to the song “Far From Home”, which was shown on board the aircraft, features Rose at the controls of a vintage aircraft and many scenes of her native Tobago.

Gadsby-Dolly said the video showed that the sky is the limit for Rose Read more

Cal Pilots Raise Safety Concern Over Atr Planes

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – On the heels of an emergency landing in St Lucia by an ATR aircraft belonging to Caribbean Airlines (CAL), pilots yesterday held a “critical” meeting to discuss safety concerns over the aircraft.

The T&T Guardian was told by a source that the pilots are threatening to ground all flights until CAL rectifies all issues raised by them, including recurring technical problems on aircraft.

Contacted about the meeting held by the T&T Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA) yesterday, CAL communications manager Dionne Ligoure said she was aware but could not comment further on it.

On Sunday, Flight BW434 was forced to make an emergency landing at Hewanorra International Airport in St Lucia after a warning light came on in the aircraft’s cockpit Read more

Extreme Weather Wiping Out Hard-Won Gdp Gains In Hours

BRUSSELS, Belgium – With Antigua and Barbuda joining St. Kitts and Nevis as the two eastern Caribbean nations to attain middle-income country status, a senior diplomat has identified climate change as a major factor preventing other nations in the grouping from taking the same step forward.

According to the World Bank, a middle-income economy is one with a gross national income per capita of between 1,026 and 12,475 dollars in 2016, calculated according to the Atlas method — a formula used by the World Bank to estimate the size of economies in terms of gross national income in U.S Read more

Acm President To Be Recognised By Nabj

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), Wesley Gibbings will receive the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Percy Qoboza Foreign Journalist Award at the NABJ Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans next month.

Gib Read more