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One Killed, Three Injured In Explosion At Rui Montego Bay Hotel

KINGSTON, Jamaica – One man was killed and four injured in an explosion at the RIU Montego Bay Hotel in the western parish of St. James on Thursday.

The Jamaica Fire Brigade reports the explosion happened in the main boiler room of the hotel.

The public relations officer of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Emeleo Ebanks, said the cause of the explosion is not yet known.

As investigations continue into the incident, the hotel has been closed and guests moved to other locations.

“There is no electricity and the guests were relocated to the other hotels in the island Read more

Upp Faction Forfeits Opportunity To Represent The People

The Central Committee of Parliament made history last week when it scheduled ample time to discuss the 2016-2020 Governing Program “Solidarity for Prosperity.” As far as I can recall, this is the first time that Parliament planned so many meetings to handle a governing program. The only other topic for which so many meetings are scheduled by Parliament is the country’s budget. I am a strong believer that these two go hand in hand and we should expect to see the priorities and projects listed in the governing program also reflected in all future budgets presented.

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA), comprised of the USP, DP and NA factions, also ought to be commended for their display of unity during the opening presentation Read more

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Minister Jacobs Pushes Initiative To Increase Drinking Age

 

PHILIPSBURG – It is Parliament’s policy that initiative draft laws presented to Parliament and whose authors are no longer Members of Parliament, can be further promoted by the faction to which the initiative taker belonged.

This is the case with the change to the permit ordinance and the “legal” drinking age. One would recall that the Lion’s Club has been an advocate for the legal drinking age to be established at 18. This is the case in the penal code, however, the permit ordinance that regulates the sale of alcohol, prohibits the sale of alcohol to persons below the age of 16.

This discrepancy was addressed in Parliament during a meeting with representatives of the Lion’s Club.

Former Member of Parliament (MP) and present Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Silveria Jacobs, presented an initiative draft law, amending the permit ordinance to bring this in line with the penal code Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- It is parliament's policy that initiative draft laws presented to parliament and whose authors are no longer members of parliament, can be further promoted by the faction to which the initiative taker belonged.
This is the case with the change to the permit ordinance and the "legal" drinking age.
One would recall that the Lion's Club has been an advocate for the legal drinking age to be established at 18. This is the case in our penal code, however, the permit ordinance that regulates the sale of alcohol, prohibits the sale of alcohol below the age of 16 Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- Over the weekend a small group consisting of Minister Emil Lee and one representative each from INSO, Royal Haskoning, St. Maarten Medical Center, and KPMG, visited the Owen King E. U. Hospital in St. Lucia. During their tour of the hospital built by INSO this group met with the Honorable Minister of Health and Wellness, Minister Mary Isaac Read more

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Charlotte Brookson Academy Hosts Staff Retreat 

 

PHILIPSBURG – The Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts recently concluded its retreat on April 18.

The 14 members of the board, management and staff gathered at the conference room of the Simpson Bay Resort. The purpose of the retreat was to re-establish a common understanding of the CBA vision and the school development plan, strengthen a collective understanding of how the vision will be implemented, monitored and evaluated and to identify strategic personal and professional development plans for the staff.

The turbulent process of moving to the new location, and in preparation for the upcoming school year and getting approval for the future focus of the school, management and staff felt it opportune to get together in a conducive environment to reflect on the immediate past, the successes, challenges and opportunities for the future of CBA.

The sessions were facilitated by independent consultant Marjan de Visser and assisted by Human Resources and Finance Manager Hiro Shigemoto and Innovations Coordinator Okama Ekpe Brook Read more

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Draft Law Establishing Timeshare Authority For St. Maarten Under Review

 

PHILIPSBURG – It has not gone unnoticed that timeshare users of units on St. Maarten have been very vocal as of late regarding the draft law to establish a timeshare authority.

“There is quite a history behind the proposal to establish a Timeshare Authority, starting with a motion passed in Parliament on June 29, 2011 to establish a ‘timeshare regulatory body,’” explained Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams.

With the help and involvement of many, in and outside of government/parliament and the timeshare industry, two draft initiatives were tabled by former MP P Read more

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Draft Law Establishing A Timeshare Authority For St. Maarten Under Review.

PHILIPSBURG:--- It has not gone unnoticed that timeshare users of units on St. Maarten have been very vocal as of late regarding the draft law to establish a timeshare authority.
“There is quite a history behind the proposal to establish a Timeshare Authority, starting with a motion passed in Parliament on June 29, 2011, to establish a ‘timeshare regulatory body”, explained MP Wescot-Williams.
With the help and involvement of many, in and outside of government/parliament and in and outside of the timeshare industry, two draft initiatives were tabled by former MP, P Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts concluded its retreat on April 18th, 2017. The 14 members of the board, management, and staff gathered at the conference room of the Simpson Bay Resort. The purpose of the retreat was to reestablish a common understanding of the CBA vision and the school development plan, strengthen a collective understanding of how the vision will be implemented, monitored and evaluated and to identify strategic personal and professional development plans for the staff Read more

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WILLEMSTAD/ PHILIPSBURG:--- The medical director of SEHOS (St Elizabeth Hospital ) Dr. Franke Scheper worked closely with the Inspector of Health in Curacao Dr. Gersji Pererira to find a workable solution and one that he could manage in the interest of Healthcare.
Dr. Michel Berry was suspended by the institution in the month of January for not seeing and treating a patient that was admitted to SEHOS. The moment Dr. Berry was suspended both by SEHOS and the Inspector of Health the director of SEHOS called in two different auditors from the Netherlands to conduct an independent audit on the quality of surgery care and on patient safety.
Shortly after that SEHOS discovered that one of their surgeons, Dr Read more

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A New Political Party Launches In Antigua

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – With a promise to advocate for transnational leadership and changing how politics has been practiced here, a new political party was launched Tuesday.

Member of Parliament for All Saints East and St Luke Joanne Massiah said the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) would change the culture of disillusionment with the current crop of political leaders in Antigua and Barbuda.

Massiah, who is a founding member of the DNA, said she would name candidates “after carnival.”

She envisions a “new Antigua and Barbuda” where residents can live out the motto, each endeavoring all achieving.

Massiah told the launch of her party, at the Multi-purpose Centre in the capital, that others in the past have failed to provide a reliable “supply of water, electricity and modern road infrastructure”.

She promised a 20-year development plan for the country called vision 20/20.

“Growth is only possible if we are prepared to change,” the female legislator said, while quoting the national anthem.

“We intend to give people hope Read more

Disease Burden Growing As Vector Insects Adapt To Climate Change

KINGSTON, Jamaica – There were surprised gasps when University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor John Agard told journalists at an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in late November 2016 that mosquitoes were not only living longer, but were “breeding in septic tanks underground”.

For many, it explained why months of fogging at the height of Zika and Chikungunya outbreaks had done little to reduce mosquito populations in their various countries Read more

Minister Jacobs Emphasizes Parental Responsibility During Carnival

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports Silveria Jacobs addressed the media in Wednesday’s, April 19, Council of Ministers Press Briefing.

She wished everyone a happy and safe Carnival and stressed “especially to the parents, there is still school, and I would like to remind parents that your first responsibility is to make sure that your children make the most of their education Read more

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Minister Emmanuel Not Distracted By False Information

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of VROMI Christophe Emmanuel gave a short status update to members of the press in Wednesday’s, April 19, Council of Ministers Press briefing.

In regard to the proposed housing development in Dawn Beach, representatives “will be here in May. They will give a full rundown.”

“I received an email from them today stating that they will be signing the agreement, and going over all the paperwork with the landowner, contracts with the developer. I think that part of it is for them to explain how they’re going to move forward with it when I was in Curaçao,” Minister Emmanuel informed.

“Everything was set and is in motion concerning the 167 homes that are supposed to be built in the Dawn Beach area,” he said.

Concerning the explosive letter that was printed in the media, the Minister said, “That’s just what it is for me Read more

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Minister Lee Asks Media To Provide Quality, Unbiased Information To Public

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Emil Lee addressed the media in Wednesday’s, April 19, Council of Ministers Press Briefing.

He first reported on his trip to Holland. “The purpose for the visit was to discuss the developments with the hospital. The fact that the hospital project is now back on track, we are again looking at exploring the possibility of financial support from Holland,” Minister Lee informed.

“The reason being, although we’re accessing funds locally to begin the project, fact is that if we can access funds directly via Holland because of the lower interest rate and because of a different payment terms, this would result in a savings operationally for the new hospital of between 3-5 million guilders a year, and I believe that anything we can do to save money operationally is money that can be better spent on health care rather than paying into financing charges,” the Minister informed.

According to the Minister, the “Kingdom Council of Ministers will make a recommendation that the funding for the hospital project be considered outside of the normal lending procedures.”

The other purpose for the Holland trip was to speak about legislative assistance Read more

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‘No Proof Of Nini Planning Murder’

WILLEMSTAD--The Prosecutor’s Office in Curaçao was unable to prove that Burney “Nini” Fonseca (45) had indeed been the intermediary between those who executed the murder of politician Helmin Magno Wiels in 2013 and the intellectual authors, said his lawyer Marije Vaders on Friday, asking for a full acquittal of her client.

She said convicted triggerman Elvis “Monster” Kuwas had lied several times in his testimony and asked the court to hold him in contempt for perjury.

Fonseca, who so far had refused to talk, made use of the last word in the “Maximus” trial by video conference from prison in the Netherlands, where he is serving a drugs-related sentence Read more

Rsa Debt ‘A Damocles’ Sword Over Our Heads,’ Gibbs Cautions

MARIGOT--President of the Territorial Council Daniel Gibbs has given a sobering reminder, that despite a balanced budget, there is still a matter of 48 million euros owed to Caisse Allocation Familiale (CAF) from the social benefit Revenu Solidarité Active (RSA), describing it as “a sword of Damocles dangling above our heads.”

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Wescot-Williams Requests Meeting To Discuss Taxes

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — After several requests for information on taxes and the answers provided by the Minister of Finance, I have now requested the Chairman of the Finance Committee to convene a meeting of this committee with the agenda point: The fiscal and tax systems of St. Maarten.

The request for the meeting was made after receiving upon request, the status of several pending pieces of legislation regarding taxes, etc. such as:

Cancellation of taxes prior to 2006;

Amendments to the national accountability ordinance;

Collection of taxes;

The financial training institution.

The first answers to these questions date back to August 2016, and an update was requested in March 2017.

Furthermore, I apprised the Finance Committee chair of the response by the Minister to the motion adopted by Parliament regarding the “forgiveness” of taxes, allowing taxpayers to file taxes, not filed before.

Then there is the document, provided by the Government, “The Road to a Smart State of the Art Tax Administration” by Mr Read more

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Wescot Requests Discussion Of Taxes In Finance Committee

PHILIPSBURG--After several requests for information on taxes and the answers provided by Minister of Finance Richard Gibson, Chairwoman of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has now requested the Chairman of the Finance Committee to convene a meeting to discuss the fiscal and tax systems of St Read more

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Rotary Sunrise Congratulates Butterfly Story Book Winners

Rotary Sunrise members with Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) pupils who participated in the Butterfly Story Book contest.

PHILIPSBURG--The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, District 7020 Butterfly Story-Writing contest was recently concluded and with much appreciation to young authors on the island, Rotary Sunrise congratulates Khushi Soneji and Nagely Andular Vargas for emerging as the overall winners.

  “The Gift of Listening” by Khushi J. Soneji of Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) and “The Girl with the Well-Worn Uniform” by Nagely Andujar Vargas of Ruby Labega School emerged as the two best stories from the 14 stories submitted from St Read more

Upp Members Of Parliament Boycotted Central Committee Meeting On Thursday.

Minister Boasman says Opposition had no questions since Governing Program well put together.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Members of Parliament representing the opposition in parliament from the United Peoples Party (UPP) boycotted the Central Committee meeting on Thursday. MP Claret Connor showed up, signed in but left before the meeting convened.
Members of Parliament from the coalition spoke out against the absenteeism stating that this is the time the opposition has to use to question government.
However, Minister Rafael Boasman was optimistic in his statements Read more

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Us Dot Penalizes Dynamic International Airways

NORTH CAROLINA – The United States Department of Transportation (DOT), has ordered Dynamic International Airways to pay penalties of US$120,000 following an incident last year in which several passengers were stranded in Guyana and New York.

The DOT says the airline cancelled several flights and failed to notify passengers in a timely manner and refund them.

Demerara Waves Online reports that Dynamic has provided several reasons for each of those problems that plagued passengers during September, October and November 2016.

“Failure to comply with this cease and desist provision may subject Dynamic International Airways, LLC and its successors and assignees to further enforcement action,” said the DOT in a warning to the airline on Friday.

While the destinations were not named by the DOT, the authority said the complaints received were from passengers who used the airline to and from destinations outside the US.

Earlier this year, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) summoned Dynamic Airways to discuss the adverse impact the cancellations had on passengers.

Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings at DOT, Blane A Workie said a probe was triggered after its Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division received a  â€œsignificant increase” in the number of complaints Read more

Parliament, Our Weak Link

Some people wonder why my writings deal mostly with the Parliament of Sint Maarten. This is because our Parliament is a new constitutional institution.

During the last campaign, leading up to the September 26, 2016 elections, the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) observed that the majority of the people knew and understood very little about our Parliament and about the role and function of the parliamentarians they were about to elect.

The people generally equated the role of a parliamentarian with that of a minister Read more

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The Laws Of St. Maarten Books In English Are “Going Like Hot Bread”

 

PHILIPSBURG – The Laws of St. Maarten is a set of five books just published here. And the attractive, reader-friendly design publications are “going like hot bread” at Van Dorp bookstores and from the InfoMedia distributors, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

Each volume of The Laws of St. Maarten describes the book project on its cover as, “a five-volume English ‘Translation of the Official Publication’ of the Constitution and other laws established for governing St Read more