Oranjestad – The Board of financial supervision Aruba (CAft) considers the compliance with the budgetary norms for 2017 and later years crucial in decreasing the government debt of Aruba and making the public finance sustainable. This is what Raymond Gradus indicated during his first visit to Aruba as CAft chairman. For 2017 a strict supervision is essential to comply with the projected measures to reduce the financing deficit. Considering the results of the first half year, CAft is concerned about the disappointing income and increasing expenses. In addition the CAft has insisted during its visit to present the 2018 budget…
Author: The Publisher
CAY HILL – On Friday October 6th the final Emergency Operations Center (EOC) meeting was held at the Fire & Ambulance Building, marking the end of the emergency response to Hurricane Irma. The next phase will be the road to recovery, which entails the rebuilding of Sint Maarten. The EOC was called in to action on September 1st in preparation for the approaching Hurricane Irma. Since that time the EOC has met regularly and at the peak of the response at least once daily. The EOC consists of 10 Emergency Support Function (ESF) Groups led by Prime Minister William Marlin…
SIMPSON BAY – On Tuesday 10-10-17, Prime Minister William Marlin and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication Melissa Arrindell Doncher welcomed the 1st commercial flights to Sint Maarten marking the re-opening of PJIAE / SXM Airport. The two Ministers were present 7:50 am in the morning to welcome the first flight, WINAIR that arrived from Saba beginning the historic day that saw 6 flights land with one cancellation. Around midday a festive welcome ceremony was organized that included live music, ladies in beautiful carnival costumes, give away items, finger food snacks & cold beverages. The special welcome was…
Man arrested during search Based on information of possible illegal fire-arm possession a search of a popular night club located on the A. Th. Illidge road was conducted on Tuesday at approximately 10.30 a.m. During this search a male suspect with initials M.C.M. was arrested after a considerable amount of U.S., Euro and Guilders currency was found. The suspect could not give an acceptable account regarding this money. These monies were confiscated for further investigation. The suspect was taken to the Philipsburg Police Head Quarters where he remains in custody for questioning. Two suspects arrested in break-in Based on the…
Pond Island – TelEm Group announced it will be giving customers some extra days grace to pay their July bills which are currently due. Disconnection notices placed in the local media recently say the last day of payment for July bills was Tuesday, October 10, 2017 with disconnections due the following day, Wednesday October 11, however, management says it will extend the payment due date for July bills to October 16th to better accommodate customers. “Our Simpson Bay location is closed and after the downpour of rain Tuesday, we are unable to open our Bush Road location as planned, therefore…
PHILIPSBURG – The Parliament of Sint Maarten will meet in sessions on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 as follows. Continuation Plenary Session of Parliament about disaster management and reconstruction following hurricane Irma The Plenary Session of Parliament will reconvene on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 9.00 am in the Legislative Hall of the House of Parliament at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. This session started on Monday, September 25, 2017 and continued on Thursday, September 28, 2017 and Wednesday, October 4, 2017. The agenda point is: State of preparedness hurricane season, Disaster management hurricane Irma, Reconstruction following the devastation by hurricane Irma…
A few years ago when I was a student at the University of St. Martin (USM) I was fortunate enough to do two political science classes. One with Khalilah Peters and another with Arjen Alberts. Both classes were very insightful: Khalilah’s class was an introduction to political science and Arjen’s class focused on politics in the Caribbean and examined governance in various non-independent and independent Caribbean countries. These classes allowed me to see the big picture and develop an informed opinion on Independence. This opinion is that neither side of the island is ready or will ever be ready for…
POND ISLAND – Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell Doncher will lead a delegation from St. Maarten to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Cruise Conference and Trade Show. The event will be held in Merida, Mexico from October 23 to 27 and is the largest cruise conference and trade show in the Caribbean and Latin America. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Minister views the FCCA conference as “beyond crucial” in being able to re-assure St. Maarten’s partners in the cruise industry that the destination will be ready to provide a terrific experience for cruise…
THE HAGUE — Four parties in The Netherlands finally reached an agreement today and presented their governing accord for the next cabinet period under Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s leadership. The four leaders of VVD, CDA, D66 and the ChristenUnie (CU) addressed the press about what this agreement meant for each of their parties. The governing accord is considered a highly detailed and extremely ambitious plan packed with measures that will cost enormous amounts ranging from millions to billions of euros. The extensive document consisting of 55 pages was handed over to the Chairlady of the Second Chamber, Khadija Arib, by…
The Tzu Chi Foundation continues to touch many lives with their community outreach programmes, offering free breakfasts to the schools and donating waterfilters to the MLK primary school, as you can read elsewhere on this news site. Nothing starts the day off effectively like a hearty breakfast and especially for young children, a solid breakfast is the cornerstone to good growth, both physically and mentally. You cannot learn on an empty stomach and too many children are going to school hungry. It is time our society as a whole understands that problem and start following the example of the Tzu…
