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Gumbs calls for improved political climate in Kingdom

WILLEMSTAD--St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs called on the countries in the Dutch Kingdom to create a better political climate to make a true contribution to improved relations in the Kingdom, during the opening of the 2015 Kingdom Conference at Curaçao's Santa Barbara Resort on Tuesday.

According to Gumbs, a dispute regulation, which was one of the major topics at Tuesday's conference, would not even be necessary if there were a correct and just political climate in the Kingdom Read more

EXCLUSIVE:GEBE Supervisory Board Refuses to Resign.

>PHILPSBURG: ---- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs and the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger seems to have more problems on their hands now that the Supervisory Board of GEBE made it clear that they will not vacate their positions.
SMN News learnt that the leader of the UPP contacted the board members and asked them to make their positions available, the contact it is understood was made on Thursday last week, by evening that same day the chairman of the supervisory board Rene Richardson sought legal representation and basically sent out a press release stating that the company’s COO Romelio Maduro does not have any contract with GEBE and is currently on non-active duty.
The supervisory board of directors sent out a four-page memo to the staff and other stakeholders of GEBE informing them that they sent a report to the shareholder representative informing them why they took the decision not to renew Maduro’s contract.
The memo basically states that the internal auditor found a number of irregularities when an internal investigation was conducted on the COO Read more

Amendments To Tobacco Ordinance At Advisory Council

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - MP the honorable Cornelius de Weever is looking forward to the support of Parliament when it comes time to vote on the draft ordinance amending the Ordinance limiting tobacco use.

The former Minister now MP stated that this is the result of work that he started as a minister of health.

He is lo Read more

Dp And Plp Not Willing To Work Together

ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius - Based on the financial higher supervision as has been imposed on the government of St. Eustatius by the Kingdom government, Councilman of the opposition Democratic Party, Nicholas Sneak recently told our news department that he is willing to work with the government in an effort to find a solution to the island's financial woes pointing that they have the interest of the island and its people at heart.

However, according to him, as long as the ruling party does not allow them to work with them on finding a solution, there is nothing that they can do.

Meanwhile, speaking to our news department, leader of government on St Read more

Caribbean Netherlands Week: Still A Good Result

BES Islands - From June 8th to 12th, the Netherlands Caribbean week (CN-week) took place in The Hague.

Priorities during this week were as stated before: poverty alleviation, children's rights and promoting the economic development.

Multi-annual Programme (MAP) and development plans for each island
Since taking office as Kingdom Representative, Gilbert Isabella travels regularly between the islands and to The Hague to share his findings and experiences from the Caribbean Netherlands and to bring the views of the island governments to the attention.

He speaks regularly with various Ministers, State Secretaries and civil servants, with special attention to the problems which arise on the islands Read more

Rain Forest Adventures did not invite SXM Pride

Dear Editor,

I read with interest the article in Monday's paper stating that Rain Forest Adventures met with members of the heritage, culture and environmental groups to share its plans for the Plantations Industry and Golden Rock.

In the article it was stated that Jadira Veen and Rueben Thompson of SXM Pride were not present Read more

Europe unites for bicentenary of battle that made Napoleon history

WATERLOO, Belgium--Kings and commoners gather at Waterloo this week to mark the battle's bicentenary in a show of European unity not seen for a major anniversary at the site since history changed course there on June 18, 1815.

Days of official ceremony, a music-and-fireworks spectacular and re-enactments of the bloody summer day that finally ended Napoleon's French domination of the continent have been heralded by a flurry of academic reassessment of the conflict and renewed debate, and discomfort, over its meaning for Europe today.

At the site, 20 km (12 miles) south of the headquarters of the European Union in the Belgian capital Brussels, descendants of the British, Dutch, Belgian, German and French combatants will gather alongside state representatives in a spirit of unity.

It is a contrast not just to the 1915 centenary, under World War One German occupation, but also to 1965, when France snubbed British events for the 150th anniversary Read more

Dispute regulation top priority for St. Maarten

WILLEMSTAD--Establishing a dispute regulation (geschillenregeling) for the Kingdom will be the number one topic for the St. Maarten delegation today, Tuesday, at the Kingdom Conference in Curaçao, said St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Monday.

"We think that the agreement that the Parliaments of the Kingdom reached on the dispute regulation during the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations IPKO in The Hague last month was a good agreement and we hope that all parties at the Kingdom Conference will be ready and willing to reach a final settlement," Gumbs told The Daily Herald.

According to Gumbs, it was time for the Netherlands to show the willingness to work with the three other countries in the Kingdom, Aruba, Curaçao and St Read more

Trinidad PM dismisses Warner’s claim that ganja was found at her house

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--Another allegation by Jack Warner – this time that marijuana was found at the home of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar two years ago – has been dismissed.

Persad-Bissessar has told the embattled politician that if he has evidence of the ganja find and subsequent cover-up, he should take it not only to local police but to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) – the same agency that investigated him for alleged corruption at football's world governing body, FIFA.

"More lies and distractions which I have placed in the hands of my lawyers" was the prime minister's response after the Trinidad Express reported yesterday that Warner had submitted a statement to a Justice of the Peace claiming that on April 12, 2013, former deputy commissioner of police Mervyn Richardson came to Parliament and informed him that a packet containing four ounces of marijuana was found outside a window of Persad-Bissessar's private residence.

"Should Mr Warner have any information about any wrongdoing he should take it to the police and the FBI," the prime minister is quoted as saying in today's Trinidad Express.

Warner, who was national security minister at the time, claimed that he, Richardson, former national security adviser Gary Griffith, and Housing Minister Dr Read more

Supreme Court justices refuse to restore North Carolina abortion ultrasound law

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by the state of North Carolina to revive its law requiring women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound of the fetus performed and described to them by a doctor.

The high court let stand a December appeals court ruling that struck down the 2011 law as unconstitutional because it forced doctors to voice the state's message discouraging abortion. The action does not impact similar measures in other states.

North Carolina lawmakers had argued that requiring narrated ultrasounds would provide crucial information to women making an irrevocable decision, even if they chose to avert their eyes and not listen to the explanation of the displayed fetus images Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week sixth grade students from the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Cole Bay visited the House of Parliament.

The 27 students and two teachers were given a tour of the House of Parliament besides receiving a power-point presentation from Parliament’s Administrative Assistant Cheryl Dangleben York with respect to the role of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Ministers, and the purpose of the House of Parliament within society.

Students also get the opportunity of role playing where seven act as members of the Council of Ministers while another 15 as Members of Parliament Read more

style="text-align: center;">Is it really the signing of the Integrity protocol why Minister Richardson must go!
I can imagine all of those voters of last election holding their head and bawling with shame knowing that they put this government in place. Don’t blame the politicians, blame yourself. You knew that if you put the same leaders back in office you could not have expected different results than what we are getting today.

Philipsburg:--- Many persons have not being paying much attention to the back and forth discussion regarding the establishment of an Integrity Chamber, especially not those ordinary citizens who are unemployed and those others who can’t make ends meet because of the high cost of living Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- The USP board will be holding a board meeting on Tuesday to determine whether or not they will continue to support the current coalition or if they will leave and go back to the opposition benches.
SMN News understands that Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson informed the Council of Ministers and members of the coalition on Friday during the coalition meeting of the letter he received from Member of Parliament Frans Richardson also on Friday who asked him to resign effective immediately.
According to information SMN News received it appears as though several members of the coalition will not be voting for the motion if MP Frans Richardson brings it to the floor of Parliament Read more

Seventh Day Adventist School Grade Six Students Visit Parliament

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Last week sixth grade students from the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Cole Bay visited the House of Parliament.

The 27 students and two teachers were given a tour of the House of Parliament besides receiving a power-point presentation from Parliament's Administrative Assistant Cheryl Dangleben York with respect to the role of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Ministers, and the purpose of the House of Parliament within society.

Students also get the opportunity of role playing where seven act as members of the Council of Ministers while another 15 as Members of Parliament Read more

Does USP know something?

Everyone may think of United St. Maarten Party (USP) leader Frans Richardson what they want. Elected into Parliament on the slate of National Alliance (NA) in 2010, he left the party and kept his seat.

Together with the other independent parliamentarians Romain Laville and Patrick Illidge who had broken with respectively United People's (UP) party and NA, he orchestrated the so-called "Carnival coup" of 2012 to bring about a change in government that lasted one year.

Richardson then established USP, which earned two seats in its first election of September 2014 Read more

Airport renovates departure lounge

AIRPORT--Outbound passengers using Princess Juliana International Airport SXM, would have noticed a significant change to the Departure Lounge, which has received a transformative face-lift as part of the airport's new retail strategy.

The new Departure Lounge will be officially opened on Wednesday, June 17, at a ceremony that will begin at 7:30pm. Governor Eugene Holiday and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs are among the invited guests to the opening ceremony of the remodelled Departure Lounge.

All of the members of the Council of Ministers and of Parliament, as well as government leaders from all the hub partners are invited guests.

"The renovated Departure Lounge forms an integral part of SXM Airport's Capital Improvement Program Read more

RFA meets reps of culture & heritage

PHILIPSBURG--Rain Forest Adventures (RFA) recently shared its plans for the Plantations Industry and Golden Rock (commonly called Emilio Wilson Estate) with members of the heritage, culture and environmental groups as well as other stakeholders.

"The meeting ended in a commitment to continue working together and incorporating best ideas and practices as the project develops," John Dalton of Rain Forest Adventures told The Daily Herald via e-mail on Sunday.

Dalton shared with attendees' his company's objective to showcase St Read more

Law to ban tobacco use in public soon for Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--A law that seeks to ban the use of tobacco and tobacco products (cigarettes and cigars) in public spaces, workplaces and on public transportation will soon be before Parliament for debate and approval.

The draft amendment to the country's existing regulations in tobacco use is on the initiative of independent Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever Read more

Lorenzo cuts Rossi's MotoGP lead to one

BARCELONA-- Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo slashed team mate Valentino Rossi's championship lead to a single point on Sunday with his fourth win in a row at an eventful Catalan Grand Prix.
  The victory on a scorching afternoon also handed the Spaniard a MotoGP record with 103 successive laps led, breaking Australian Casey Stoner's previous benchmark of 88.
  Rossi completed a one-two finish for Yamaha, the team's second of the season, while Honda's Dani Pedrosa was third.
  "The conditions were difficult as it was very hot," Lorenzo told reporters Read more

St. Maarten might be looking at new elections at the Expense of the People – Is there a stand off?

style="text-align: center;">St. Maarten has a Constitution that must be respected.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The current coalition government have a real problem on their hands to solve, now that MP Frans Richardson has asked the Minister of Justice by way of letter to resign effective immediately.
Political pundits says that MP Frans Richardson is getting ahead of himself and that he needs to know that St Read more

National Alliance Concerned About Dismissal Of Nipa Director

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - In light of the recent dismissal of the director of National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA), Vernon Richards, Deputy Leader of the National Alliance and chairperson of the committee for Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs of Parliament, the Honorable Read more

EXCLUSIVE: --- GEBE Board asked to Resign --- UP Leader called GEBE board members and asked them to make their positions Available.

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger contacted each of the members of the Supervisory Board of GEBE and asked them to make their positions available Read more

Editorial - The sooner the better

It seems the Gumbs cabinet has become embroiled in separate disputes (see Friday paper) with the boards of two public-sector entities on decisions regarding their directors.

At utilities provider GEBE Romelio Maduro was suspended, placed on non-active duty and said not to be legally appointed in any function, despite the fact that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on behalf of the shareholder had informed the Supervisory Board recently that he couldn’t honour their request not to extend Maduro’s contract and in fact had decided to extend such for another two years pending an investigation.

At National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs advised the board to reverse its earlier dismissal of director Vernon Richards for organising, allegedly without proper authorisation, an Open Day that the minister also attended.

The two cases are different in that GEBE is a state-owned company and NIPA a Government-subsidised foundation, but the similarity lies in the fact that their boards have a certain degree of statutory autonomy compared to, for example, Government departments Read more

Stakeholders reconvene on EVT Economic Framework

PHILIPSBURG--Stakeholders reconvened on Friday morning for a follow-up session on the draft National Economic Framework that was presented three weeks ago by the Department of Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication EVT.

The EVT team has been collecting and compiling feedback in the meantime and the goal of this second session was to share overall feedback and discuss goals, methods and avenues.

Along with taking additional feedback, one of the results of the meeting was the establishment of expert "sub-workgroups" for a number of sectors, with the aim of the groups being able to execute visions as outlined in an "holistic vision document" that would be preceded by sector-specific discussions and research between private and public bodies: telecommunications, tourism, marine, creative, agriculture, finance and real estate.

Through demand on the part of the audience, environment was also added to the list.

Robbie Ferron, one of the more vocal attendees, told Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Claret Connor and the EVT team that he expected the "big hitters" in government as well as the private sector to join these groups.

"This is the chance to prove yourselves," he asserted, this sentiment in line with that of many stakeholders, of the private sector in particular, that the first session felt like a repeat of past, shelved initiatives.

The groups will be key to progress, according to TEATT Secretary-General Miguel De Weever, and will counteract the chance of the framework remaining unfulfilled as feared Read more