SXMElections.com

Nepal quake victims still stranded, PM says toll could be 10,000

JHARIBAR/SINDHUPALCHOWK, Nepal--People stranded in remote villages and towns across Nepal were still waiting for aid and relief to arrive on Tuesday, four days after a devastating earthquake destroyed buildings and roads and killed more than 4,600 people.

The government has yet to assess the full scale of the damage wrought by Saturday's 7.9 magnitude quake, unable to reach many mountainous areas despite aid supplies and personnel pouring in from around the world.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala told Reuters the death toll could reach 10,000, as information on damage from far-flung villages and towns has yet to come in Read more

Annual Fish Day

~ From the Sea to the Pot ~

A huge turnout is expected once again on Sunday, May 3, for the extremely popular Fish Day cultural extravaganza, now in its 13th year at French Cul-de-Sac Bay. The day-long schedule of activities, starting at 7am with the fish and conch sale and ending at 10pm, promises to be a fun-filled family occasion, reminiscent of days gone by. Everyone is welcome to spend the day, meet up with friends and family, enjoy the music, food and drinks; become a part of the village community and be entertained by the island's talented artistes.

The official opening commences at 9:30am with a tribute to St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday decorated NAGICO Group Chairman Imran McSood Amjad as Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau on Friday evening, April 24th, 2015 during a ceremony held at the Cabinet of the Governor at Harbour View, St. Maarten.

Mr. McSood Amjad was awarded the Royal Decoration for his valuable contributions to St. Maarten's society over the many years Read more

The Evolving View of Cannabis

~ Many opinions expressed at St. Maarten’s first open forum ~

By Lisa Davis-Burnett

Marijuana is seen as a gateway drug, partly because it is illegal, meaning that in order to get it, one must go into situations, where other illegal activities are taking place and associate with dealers of various illegal substances. “If it was structurally controlled and properly distributed, we would eliminate this discussion about it being a gateway to harder drugs.” This opinion was expressed by Dr Read more

The Evolving View of Cannabis

~ Many opinions expressed at St. Maarten’s first open forum ~

By Lisa Davis-Burnett

Marijuana is seen as a gateway drug, partly because it is illegal, meaning that in order to get it, one must go into situations, where other illegal activities are taking place and associate with dealers of various illegal substances. “If it was structurally controlled and properly distributed, we would eliminate this discussion about it being a gateway to harder drugs.” This opinion was expressed by Dr Read more

Chamber lends helping hand to entrepreneurs with Business Centre

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) has set out to lend a helping hand to entrepreneurs with its new Business Centre, which was officially opened on Friday.

The Centre is located adjacent to the Chamber's office on Cannegieter Street and has opened with two staffers, Tytania Archangel and another person. Archangel told The Daily Herald after the opening that the intention is to eventually strengthen the staffing capacity with a receptionist, a marketing manager, finance and budget manager and economist.

The Business Centre is a service centre for business development for entrepreneurs living in St Read more

Foundation plans scholarship for highest scoring FBE pupil

PHILIPSBURG--Together We Can Foundation announced on Wednesday that it plans to grant a full highschool scholarship to the highest-scoring pupil of the 2015 foundation based education (FBE) exams.

This, the Foundation said via press release, is the mere reason of holding the Battle of The Fittest Tournament, amongst other types of fundraisers. “This tournament will take place in the month of July and we are encouraging companies to make a donation. Proceeds of these events will go towards the scholarship fund and other social projects we intend on executing in the near future.”

The foundation said that it hoped to be able to assist many more pupils in the future, possibly all who score a certain grade point average (GPA), if the foundation manages to raise sufficient funds Read more

Taiwan assisting St. Vincent with sheep, goat production

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent--Taiwan is providing support to St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ government in its efforts to boost small ruminant production through a project that will result in animals being impregnated within a week.

The project, which will be fully rolled out in May, hopes to increase the nation’s sheep and goat population by 40 per cent by 2020, thereby reducing imports of mutton and lamb.

The project includes the use of female synchronisation – bringing several animals into heat at the same time – then inseminating them artificially.

Veterinary officer with responsibility for animal production Amelia Jack said synchronisation and artificial insemination would be beneficial to St Read more

In Florida's Everglades, Obama wades into climate change politics

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Florida--President Barack Obama strolled past reedy sawgrass and twisted mangrove tree roots in Florida's Everglades on Wednesday, part of a push to get Americans thinking and talking about the damage climate change is causing close to home.

Obama took a half-hour walk on the Anhinga boardwalk trail on the western edge of the vast 1.5-million-acre (607,000-hectare) park, past alligators slinking around the edge of porous limestone pinnacle rocks.

Rising sea levels are killing grasses and threatening the unique ecosystem Read more

SZV positive agreement will be reached on arrears by deadline

PHILIPSBURG--Social and Health Insurances SZV official Reginald Willemsberg is confident that an agreement will be reached with government on the outstanding arrears owed to the insurance service provider by the May deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

Willemsberg said parties have been meeting on the matter, but declined to go into details on the discussions. A meeting was held last week and another is set for this week.

"We are talking Read more

Jamaica just planted its first legal marijuana plant

KINGSTON, Jamaica--Jamaica just planted its first-ever legal marijuana plant.

The first legal cannabis plant in the country was planted on the grounds of the University of the West Indies Mona campus on Monday.

The University has been accorded an order by the government to cultivate marijuana for medical research and to "set the pace for the development of a legal cannabis industry."

That follows the passage of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, which recently became effective and provides for the development of a medical marijuana industry in the country.

A similar licence will also be granted to Jamaica's University of Technology, according to a statement from the government.

"I want to know when you start to do the experimentation, and what is found in the plant," Science Minister Philip Paulwell told researchers Read more

Norissa Richards is new Mature Carnival Queen

Mature Carnival Queen 2015 Norissa Richards (centre) with runner-up Lisette Carty (right) and second runner-up Micheline Warner. Photos by Fiona Van Kampen.

CARNIVAL VILLAGE--Norissa Richards was crowned the new Mature Carnival Queen in a packed Carnival Village on Monday night. First runner-up was Lisette Carty and Micheline Warner named as second runner-up by judges Grace Bleijden, Ife Badejo, Clara Reyes, Anushka Lopes and head judge Nzinga Lake. Masters of Ceremonies were Chet Euton and Gina Bruni.

The event started with an introductory dance in which the candidates wore red evening wear before stripping off their dresses to reveal tight lycra suits Read more

Benches For De Weever School From Island Gems

HOPE ESTATE, St. Maarten - M. Genevieve de Weever Primary School is now the proud owner of twenty-four locally made, brightly coloured benches thanks to a donation from Island Gems Charity Foundation.

The school approached the all-woman foundation with a request for benches to place outside each classroom for pupils to utilize prior to classes or at recess.

The school sourced a local woodworker to build the benches and paint them in fun bright colours.

Island Gems, which focuses on education and projects with long term impact in the community, was happy to fund the project Read more

Two Cubans lose bids to become first opponents elected to office

HAVANA, Cuba--Two Cuban dissidents on Sunday lost attempts to become the first openly declared political opponents to win election in Cuba since the 1959 revolution, each failing in races for Havana municipal assemblies.

Hildebrando Chaviano, 65, and Yuniel Lopez, 26, both said they had fallen behind by insurmountable margins and had no hope of winning.

The two were among of 27,379 candidates competing in midterm elections for 12,589 nationwide municipal assembly posts, the first rung on Cuba's political ladder.

"The vote was clean Read more

Republican presidential hopefuls target US middle-class insecurity

NASHUA--Facing a recovering economy and a tumbling jobless rate, Republican presidential candidates honing their economic message are trying tap into a lingering sense of insecurity among Americans seven years after the global financial crisis.
  And some are striking a sympathetic tone with lower-income workers in a way that contrasts with four years ago when Mitt Romney struggled to overcome perceptions that he was largely the candidate of the wealthiest Americans Read more

Paul, Graham clash over foreign-policy

NASHUA, New Hampshire--Republican presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham took their debate over America's role in the world from the U.S. Senate floor to the campaign trail on Saturday in an early sign that foreign policy is likely to be a flash point in the 2016 election.
  At a gathering of 18 potential and actual White House contenders, Paul accused fellow Republicans of being too willing to commit U.S 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

Former US President Jimmy Carter to head observer team to Guyana polls

GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Former United States President Jimmy Carter will lead an observer mission to monitor the May 11 regional and national elections in Guyana.

"I look forward to leading our delegation to observe Guyana's elections on May 11," Carter said.

"The Carter Center has a long history in Guyana and great respect for the Guyanese people. These will be the fourth elections we have observed there since 1992, and we trust they will be peaceful and inspire hope for the future."

The Carter Center is joining the Organization of American States (OAS) that have been invited to monitor the polls by the Guyana government.

The Carter Center in a statement said that the core team of experts will be joined this week by six medium-term observers, together representing nine countries.

The Center's observers will meet regularly with representatives of the Guyana Elections Commission, political party candidates, civil society organisations, the international community and citizen election observers to assess electoral preparations and the pre-electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, voter education, and other issues.

They will be joined by a larger delegation of election observers in May, led by Carter, who will assess the voting, counting and tabulation processes.

The election here is seen as a straight fight between the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which is seeking to extend its more-than-two-decades hold on power and the coalition alliance comprising the main opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the small Alliance for Change (AFC) Read more

Council of State requests a stay on voting on Integrity Chamber

PHILIPSBURG--The Kingdom Council of State has requested a stay on the voting by St. Maarten's Parliament on the national ordinance establishing an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten. This was the word from Deputy Prime Minister/Justice Minister Dennis Richardson.

Richardson said at a press conference with Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in Dr Read more

Sarah calls for govt’s stance on CBCS issue

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams has issued a call to the Marcel Gumbs' Cabinet "to show leadership by providing government's stance" on the halting of renovation work on the Central Bank of Curaçao and St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams expressed concerns over the saga of the Central Bank of St. Maarten. MP Wescot Williams in a press release posed several questions about the work stop. Below is the press statement issued by MP Sarah Wescot Williams.

"I guess, according to some, it would be "politically incorrect" of me to question the saga unfolding at the Central Bank of Curacao and St Read more

Former Pm, Mp Sarah Wescot-Williams Speaks On Cbs Debattle

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - I guess, according to some, it would be "politically incorrect" of me to question the saga unfolding at the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) here in St. Maarten.

In fact, media reports suggest that this saga is ongoing since last year. Gradually it became clear that the work at the CBCS building in Philipsburg had come to a halt and the rumor mill went in overdrive.

When recently one of the 2 parties finally went public with their side of the story, the questions and insinuations became even more probing and disturbing.

The Central Bank is the monetary authority for Curacao and St Read more

Broad support for corruption probe Curaçao, St. Maarten

THE HAGUE--The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament voted on Tuesday for the motion by Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) and André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party calling for an investigation of the flow of money between criminal organisations and the governments of Curaçao and St. Maarten.

A broad majority of the Second Chamber voted in favour of the motion, which Van Raak presented during a short follow-up meeting last week Wednesday, following the general debate with Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk on March 31 about the level of governance in the Dutch Caribbean countries.

The motion called on the Dutch Government to facilitate an investigation into the (illegal) flow of money between the under- and upper-world in Curaçao and St Read more

Obama concedes Congress role on Iran deal

WASHINGTON--U.S. President Barack Obama conceded on Tuesday that Congress will have the power to review a nuclear deal with Iran, reluctantly giving in to pressure from Republicans and some in his own party after they crafted a rare compromise demanding a say.

The role for the Republican-controlled Congress injects a new element of uncertainty into the delicate final stages of negotiations between major powers and Iran aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Since a preliminary agreement was reached in Switzerland on April 2, the White House had stepped up its lobbying to persuade Democratic senators not to support the bipartisan bill that would give Congress oversight of a final deal, saying it could threaten what Obama hopes will be a legacy-defining foreign-policy achievement Read more