GREAT BAY- PJD2 Radio personality Samuel Allen Jr is no longer with us. Allen who had to be airlifted to the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon after suffering from a stroke died while he was receiving treatment early last Saturday morning. He celebrated his 48th birthday on September 17. It was quite a scene outside the Intensive Care Unit at the St Maarten Medical Center when members of the local media converged. They were not there to capture breaking news, instead they were there to hear good news on the state of Allen’s medical condition after he suffered a stroke last…
Author: The Publisher
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Yes, St. Maarten should be worried about Trump, but not for the reasons you think As the saying goes; if the US sneezes, St. Maarten catches a cold. Our economy is inextricably linked to that of the United States, home to most of our tourist visitors and provider of the majority of our imported goods. Even our culture has become increasingly influenced by signals from the north, not only because of American visitors and investors, but also by way of the mass media, starting with cable TV in the nineties and of course the internet in the 21st century. History…
Dear Editor, HOPE congratulates all the elected representatives to be sworn in as Members of Parliament and wishes them and the new to be sworn in ministers, much strength in their endeavors to govern our Island in the direction of sustainable development. We hope that all decision-making will be done through the good governance principles, in dialogue with the people and taking into account the regional and international development realities. The Parliament (the Legislative branch of government) is autonomous from the government (the ministers or executive branch) and has the task to make and amend laws (legislation) and also has…
WILLEMSTAD – The elections that were scheduled to take place today in Curacao have been postponed until Wednesday October 5 because of Tropical Storm Matthew that passes close by Curacao today, Elisa Koek reports on Caribisch Netwerk. The head of the Central Voting Bureau, Raymond Pacheco Römer and Prime Minister Ben Whiteman made the announcement yesterday afternoon during a press conference. Mathew became a hurricane yesterday. According to Yogi Coffie of the Meteorological service the hurricane passed Curacao last night around 8 p.m. at a distance of a bit more than 200 kilometers. The Government of Curacao has warned that…
ORANJESTAD – During its visit to Aruba Wednesday and Thursday the Board of financial supervision Aruba (CAft) advised to ensure by means of a 2016 budget amendment as announced by the government as well as a Modification Memorandum that the 2016 and 2017 budgets will remain within the deficit norm in conformity with the National Ordinance on temporary financial supervision (LAft). This in light of the economic growth figures that are lower than previously expected. Recent Aruba Central Bank figures show that both the real and the nominal economic growth have been stagnant for some time. The promised 2016 budget…
Now that the NA and the UP have found the common ground that binds them, the country seems to be on the road to the stability it so desperately needs. After five years of fallen governments it is about time too. The ten-seat majority in parliament will give the new coalition a lot of fire power, also when it comes to legislation that requires a two-third majority. That all ministers will come from the candidate lists of the two parties is another revelation, because this seems to exclude the appointment of ministers by individual MPs who then pull the strings…
GREAT BAY – With the exception of Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Ingrid Arrindell who is attending the FCCA-cruise conference in Puerto Rico, all ministers of the incumbent cabinet signed their letters of resignation yesterday; today these letters will be presented to Governor Holiday. Because the National Alliance and the United People’s party have already signed an agreement to form the next government, Prime Minister William Marlin expects that the governor will soon appoint a formateur – charged with the formation of the new cabinet, rather than an informateur, who would be charged with examining all possible combinations that could…
NEW YORK – Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that, along with climate change and lingering indebtedness, Caribbean islands face another existential threat from the withdrawal by global banks of correspondent banking relations to their financial institutions. In the global campaign against money-laundering and terrorist financing, very strict penalties have been imposed on banks by regulatory bodies in North America and Europe for any infringement of the stringent regulations. “In this environment, where even the slightest infraction could expose a bank to a fine of hundreds of millions of dollars, many…
GREAT BAY – Financial supervisor Cft is following the developments surrounding the plans for the construction of a new hospital closely “considering potential risks for the national budget.” this appears from the first half-year report of the Cft that covers the period up to June of this year. Financial supervisor Cft publishes half-year report The report states that the current hospital has been losing money for years because the compensation for treatments has not been indexed for a long time – a situation Minister Emil Lee (Public Health) has in the meantime repaired. The Cft refers to a report about…
GREAT BAY – Tropical Storm Matthew could throw a spanner in the works for the elections that are scheduled to take place tomorrow in Curacao. Yesterday, the storm was located 55 kilometers southeast of St. Lucia, moving west at 33 kilometers an hour. The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning for Guadeloupe and Martinique; similar warnings are in effect for Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia. The hurricane center warned Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao to follow the development of the storm closely. At 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon the center of the storm…
