Saturday, December 31, 2011

Parliament continues talks on CGC today

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament will continue its discussion on the Corporate Governance Council at 2:00pm today with Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams present.

The National Alliance- (NA-) requested meeting began on November 25. The public meeting will focus on the functioning of the CGC in general and its letter to Parliament of October 25.

Wescot-Williams will answer questions posed by Members of Parliament (MPs) while Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto has provided his answers in writing to Parliament based on questions that were asked during the November 25 session.

The meeting is open to the public and will be aired live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20.

The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations will also be meeting in a closed session at 10:00am today, it was stated in a press release on Monday. The meeting is being held to prepare for the visit of parliamentarians in the setting of the inter-parliamentary Kingdom session that will take place from January 10 to 14, 2012.

Members of this committee are Roy Marlin (Chairman DP), Dr. Ruth Douglass (Vice Chairlady UP), Patrick Illidge (independent), William Marlin (NA), and Frans Richardson (independent).

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23194-parliament-continues-talks-on-cgc-today-.html

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Copa increases flights to four times per week

~ Brazilian visitors up 22 per cent ~

 

PHILIPSBURG--Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines has opened access to St. Maarten for Brazilian travellers by increasing its flights from twice to four times per week. Service is now on Sunday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Passengers make immediate connection at the Hub of the Americas airport in Panama City, without going through immigration and customs. Luggage is checked to the final destination. The additional service started on Monday. The route is operated with a Boeing 737-800, which can accommodate up to 155 passengers - 141 in economy class and 14 in business class.

  The increase in flights is due in large part to an increase of approximately 22 per cent of Brazilian visitors to St. Maarten over the last year. St. Maarten?s South American marketing firm InterAmerican recently highlighted these figures and other aspects of St. Maarten during a training session in Brazil for about 100 travel agents. The training session was a cooperative effort with Anguilla.  

  Next year, the training session will be replicated throughout Latin America, including Brazil, and address the benefits and ease of access that Copa Airlines provides from the South American continent to St. Maarten. The airline currently services six Brazilian cities - Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Manaus and Porto Alegre - with 42 flights weekly.

  "We appreciate all the support of travel agents in the sale of our tickets,? said Alessandra Tortora, Executive Director of Copa Airlines. The Brazilian market is growing every year in its presence in St. Maarten. This year, the flow of Brazilian tourists rose by 22 per cent, a figure higher than in Latin America, recording an average increase of 18 per cent,? Tortora said.

   While the high season in St. Maarten is between December and April, the Brazilian public are frequent travellers throughout the year.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23671-copa-increases-flights-to-four-times-per-week-.html

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Two ?St. Maarten Stores? to be opened in the US

page1b171~ Meyers gives update on tourism initiatives ~

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism Franklin Meyers disclosed on Tuesday that St. Maarten will open two marketing facilities in the US market in 2012.

In discussing a range of tourism-related issues with The Daily Herald, the Minister said the first "St. Maarten Store" would be opened in New York in January 2012 and the other, slated for Florida, will open not long after that.

The Florida store will be located in Aventura or Sawgrass. The final location in the "Sunshine State" depends on upcoming meetings, discussions and site inspections.

The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau maintained an office in New York in the past, which served as an information portal for travel agents and consumers looking for information about St. Maarten, including brochure fulfilment and representation at trade shows nationwide.

That office has been closed for more than a year while the Tourist Bureau and its marketing firm Tambourine worked on a new modern concept to promote the destination in the US market.

At the centre of that concept is the opening of consumer-based store fronts ? not the customary office in a high rise building, but one at ground level, so that people walking down the street will be in contact with the brand of St. Maarten on a daily basis.

Establishing of the stores, similar to Apple iStores, is in keeping with St. Maarten's marketing strategy, which calls for a shift that departs from marketing with emphasis on tour operators and travel agents, who are becoming less and less important in the decision-making role for tourism and travel to the Caribbean, and going more directly to the consumer

The street level offices in New York and Florida conceptually will resemble small art galleries with a clean, simple environment, images of the island, a rack for showcasing hotel brochures, projected videos, and a space for interaction with St. Maarten's official Website.

Florida is an important market area for St. Maarten, considering strong trade activities and establishing a presence in the Southern US market.

Tourism Authority

Minister Meyers said tangible discussions on the long-awaited Tourism Authority also were underway, with the goal of having the Authority established in January 2012. He explained that meetings had taken place with "all partners" and a structure of seven persons/members to serve on the authority had been established.

Three members will be nominated by government, three will come from the private sector and those six will agree on a seventh. Government will appoint the Authority's director and chairperson.

Puerto Rico MOU

As for new airlift, the Minister said none was scheduled for the immediate future, but the pending MOU that would be signed between St. Maarten and San Juan would be beneficial in attracting European carriers like Air Berlin.

St. Maarten and Puerto Rico have been discussing the possibility of jointly accessing new air services from Europe, especially given the potential for a double stop due to some technical departure restrictions from Europe.

The MOU, in the short term, will cover the two islands pooling their resources to intensify air access development from various markets. It also will lead to promoting dual destination packages, for which a pilot project will be established using one or two properties from each island to spearhead the project.

Growth

Despite a decline in arrivals from North America, St. Maarten's main source market, Meyers said the situation was not alarming. Numbers have remained steady between 480,000 and 520,000 over the past five years, he explained.

"It still concerns me, however, because I always want to see more growth. Hopefully when we start to market more aggressively and put certain things in place, we will see some growth from that market," he said.

Hand-in-hand with these new marketing initiatives, Meyers continued, is providing the additional rooms through the attraction of boutique resorts. He said the plan still was to realise a few of these small-scale hotels over a four-year period, financed through St. Maarten's still-to-be-developed Development Bank.

Meyers said boutique hotels were attractive to European travellers, who tend to vacation longer than visitors from the US.

"As far as the economy goes, worldwide indicators show that we are now starting to stick our head above water, but as one economist put it, we still have to look out for the waves, since we are taking a mouthful of water every now and then," Meyers said.

"Realistically speaking, for St. Maarten I would tentatively project, based on all indicators, that we will remain stable, as we have been now, for the next two to three years before we see any real growth. But right now we have to prepare for that growth and make sure we are in a position to take advantage of it, which is exactly what we are doing."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23227-two-st-maarten-stores-to-be-opened-in-the-us-.html

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Elshot: Unions shouldn?t have to fight for COL pay

~ Cost-of-living adjustment is for all workers ~

PHILIPSBURG--Cost-of-living (COL) adjustment is for all workers in St. Maarten, in the private and public sector, says Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) President Claire Elshot.

She told reporters on Wednesday that the intention of the adjustment was to maintain the buying power of workers by adjusting their salaries based on the increase in the cost of living each year. She said the impression was sometimes created that the adjustment was only for civil servants and teachers, but this was not the case.

She said too that unions should not have to fight for this payment, as the COL had already been established by former Antillean Labour Minister Burney Elhage, along with the 2006 minimum wage increase.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams had told reporters at Wednesday's Council of Ministers live press briefing, which she alone attended, that all efforts should be made to have the payment made in 2012. She said while government was not prepared to change the budget, an amendment would have to be made.

"Government feels that all must be done and all avenues must be looked at in order to make payment in 2012 possible," she said. "And I know it's a broad statement, because we don't have all of the answers as to how [the payment will be made-Ed.]. We will not reverse the budget that we have now that is being discussed. We acknowledged that we will have to come with a budget amendment and these are the things that are being looked at, at this moment," she added.

Elshot said that unions didn't expect to have to "go through tedious" Tripartite Committee meetings to justify the payment all over again.

The controversy over the 2010 cost-of-living payment arose after the unions received a letter from government recently, inviting them to a meeting to discuss how the payment could be made without any financial implication for government. Unions were also concerned that the payment, which was supposed to have been made in early 2012, had not been budgeted for.

"COL is an acquired right of all workers," Elshot stressed.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23713-elshot-unions-shouldnt-have-to-fight-for-col-pay-.html

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Prospects for salary rises brighten in the Middle East

Middle East companies are likely to continue to spend more in pay rises to retain talent within their organisations into 2012, according to human resources consultants.

Businesses are seen awarding higher pay rises as competition for talent increases in the GCC
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/prospects-salary-rises-brighten-middle-east-407007

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GCAS is awarded the Gold ICAO TRAINAIR plus full membership

The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), the training arm of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has received the gold TRAINAIR PLUS full membership from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) at an official ceremony held in Montreal, Canada. This prestigious membership comes after the centre successfully completed last month the world?s first TRAINAIR PLUS Standardized Training Package (TP STP 001) at the GCAS facilities at ADAC?s Al Bateen Executive Airport.

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/gcas-awarded-gold-icao-trainair-plus-full-membership-407029

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Frenchman found dead on porch in Madame Estate

MADAME ESTATE--A man was discovered dead on the porch of a house on Grenada Road in Madame Estate on Tuesday morning. Police began an investigation into the man's death.

Police reported that the deceased, French national O.G.A.P., had been found by a person walking past the house around 6:30am. The person then alerted police who arrived at the scene shortly afterward.

The victim officially was pronounced dead after being examined by a doctor. The body will be examined to determine the exact cause of death.

A person living on Grenada Road said several families lived in the divided residence, but the deceased was not known by any of them.

Several patrols were sent to the address to investigate, including a forensic unit, detectives and a K-9 unit. On the scene police said the victim wasn't showing signs of life.

Investigators closed off an area on both sides of the house where the body had been found. A perimeter was set to the street corner about one house down from where the body had been found. Around 10:00am forensics unit members and detectives were seen still on the scene collecting evidence and talking to witnesses.

Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson said, "The information with regard to this investigation is still unclear and any other information at this time will not be divulged to the public."

The detectives are questioning witnesses and are requesting that anyone who may have any information that could shed some light on this investigation come forward and give this information. The media will be informed as more information becomes available.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23229-frenchman-found-dead-on-porch-in-madame-estate-.html

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Clyde: Statia expects its GEBE rep to execute share transfer agreement

~ Will invite Pandt to meeting ~

ST. EUSTATIUS--Commissioner Clyde van Putten on Wednesday said the government of St. Eustatius expects its representative on GEBE's Shareholding Foundation to carry out the wishes of government as they relate to the transfer of GEBE shares agreement that was signed by Saba, Statia and St. Maarten. Statia's representative on the foundation board is Max Pandt.

Van Putten's invited comment came a day after it was revealed that the execution of the agreement had gotten stuck in the Shareholding Board, after Pandt had not been in a meeting to lend Statia's support to the said execution. The Commissioner disclosed that Pandt had written the Executive Council of Statia indicating that he had not been privy to information on the transfer and had not been given instructions by the government of Statia to act.

Stressing that Statia stands behind the agreement signed, Van Putten said government will formally invite Pandt to a meeting to discuss the issue and give the instruction. "Members of the Supervisory Board or the Shareholding Foundation of GEBE can have their personal opinions, and we respect that. Even from a legal point of view, maybe he [Pandt-Ed.] may be seeing things that we as Executive Council might not be seeing and we are open to listen," the Commissioner said.

He continued: "But after that, the authority still lies with the Executive Council in determining what we want and the direction we want to go. Then the obligation for whoever is representing government will be to execute whatever decision on behalf of government."

Van Putten said Pandt could not be held accountable for not executing the agreement, as legally he had not been given the instruction. "However, when the air is clear after the meeting, we would expect him to carry out the wishes of government. We are not going back on the agreement. The agreement is a good starting point, so I don't expect that we will be revisiting it to change anything."

"But there are different ways to reach the room, so to speak. Maybe some of the things Max Pandt feels may not necessarily differ with the agreement as is. There are probably a number of strategies that could be applied in achieving some of the things outlined in the agreement. But we stand behind the agreement," he said.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23267-clyde-statia-expects-its-gebe-rep-to-execute-share-transfer-agreement-.html

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WITU, WICSU to write Govt about cost-of-living payment

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) and Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) will be sending government a joint letter on the payment of the 2010 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

The unions will be sending the letter in their capacity as members of the advisory body GOA. They will be registering their disappointment in government's position on the payment, WITU President Claire Elshot said on Monday. The letter, addressed to Prime Minister and Minister of Personnel and General Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams, is expected to go out today, Tuesday.

The 3.2 per cent 2010 COLA payment was supposed to have been made in January 2012. However, the union was invited by Wescot-Williams to meet with the Personnel Affairs Department last week to discuss a "structural way" of handling the payment without any financial implications for government.

Elshot said that meeting had produced no new information. She said the department officials had reported that they had heard that another proposal for the payment of the Cost of Living Adjustment was being worked on by the Finance Department, but had not received that proposal.

Elshot told reporters last week that the union had received information that government had decided "not" to make the payment and that this payment was not included in the 2012 budget.

She said she did not understand how government expected to resolve this matter without any financial implications, as the workers expected to be paid. "We can't come to a structural solution, because everything has gone up," Elshot said last week, alluding to the spiralling cost of living in St. Maarten.

She mentioned at that time the struggle waged by workers earlier this year for backdated COLA payments. This struggle resulted in demonstrations by teachers, civil servants and members of the disciplined services, and meetings held during school and work hours.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23193-witu-wicsu-to-write-govt-about-cost-of-living-payment-.html

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Parliament continues talks on CGC today

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament will continue its discussion on the Corporate Governance Council at 2:00pm today with Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams present.

The National Alliance- (NA-) requested meeting began on November 25. The public meeting will focus on the functioning of the CGC in general and its letter to Parliament of October 25.

Wescot-Williams will answer questions posed by Members of Parliament (MPs) while Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto has provided his answers in writing to Parliament based on questions that were asked during the November 25 session.

The meeting is open to the public and will be aired live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20.

The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations will also be meeting in a closed session at 10:00am today, it was stated in a press release on Monday. The meeting is being held to prepare for the visit of parliamentarians in the setting of the inter-parliamentary Kingdom session that will take place from January 10 to 14, 2012.

Members of this committee are Roy Marlin (Chairman DP), Dr. Ruth Douglass (Vice Chairlady UP), Patrick Illidge (independent), William Marlin (NA), and Frans Richardson (independent).

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23194-parliament-continues-talks-on-cgc-today-.html

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WITU, WICSU to write Govt about cost-of-living payment

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) and Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) will be sending government a joint letter on the payment of the 2010 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

The unions will be sending the letter in their capacity as members of the advisory body GOA. They will be registering their disappointment in government's position on the payment, WITU President Claire Elshot said on Monday. The letter, addressed to Prime Minister and Minister of Personnel and General Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams, is expected to go out today, Tuesday.

The 3.2 per cent 2010 COLA payment was supposed to have been made in January 2012. However, the union was invited by Wescot-Williams to meet with the Personnel Affairs Department last week to discuss a "structural way" of handling the payment without any financial implications for government.

Elshot said that meeting had produced no new information. She said the department officials had reported that they had heard that another proposal for the payment of the Cost of Living Adjustment was being worked on by the Finance Department, but had not received that proposal.

Elshot told reporters last week that the union had received information that government had decided "not" to make the payment and that this payment was not included in the 2012 budget.

She said she did not understand how government expected to resolve this matter without any financial implications, as the workers expected to be paid. "We can't come to a structural solution, because everything has gone up," Elshot said last week, alluding to the spiralling cost of living in St. Maarten.

She mentioned at that time the struggle waged by workers earlier this year for backdated COLA payments. This struggle resulted in demonstrations by teachers, civil servants and members of the disciplined services, and meetings held during school and work hours.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23193-witu-wicsu-to-write-govt-about-cost-of-living-payment-.html

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Head of Arab League monitor delegation says Homs situation "reassuring"

The head of Arab League monitor delegation who is visiting Syria in order to investigate if the regime is keeping its promise to implement a plan to end the crisis said on Wednesday the situation in the "Resistance Capital" of Homs was "reassuring so far."

"The situation seemed reassuring so far," Sudanese General Mustafa Dabi told Reuters. "Yesterday was quiet and there were no clashes. We did not see tanks but we did see some armored vehicles. But remember this was only the first day and it will need investigation. We have 20 people who will be there for a long time."

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/news/head-arab-league-monitor-delegation-says-homs-situation-reassuring-407011

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Three hurt in accident

Page1A183PHILIPSBURG--The driver of a Hyundai car and two passengers were involved in a serious accident on Walter Nisbeth Road on Tuesday around 9:30pm.

It was reported that the car was travelling from Philipsburg when the driver lost control and hit a lamp post. The vehicle then flipped over and crashed into a parked Suzuki SUV.

The three occupants were injured and bloodied, but are expected to survive. One person was stuck in the vehicle. After much effort fire fighters were able to remove that person around 10:00pm. One person, more seriously injured than the others, was taken to St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment.

Police, fire fighters and two ambulances reported to the scene.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23629-three-hurt-in-accident-.html

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New Spanish government announces draconian measures to balance the budget

Deputy PM Soraya Saenz Santamaria headed the table that made the announcements Spain's new government revealed on Friday that the public deficit for 2011 would come in at 8% of GDP, well above a target of 6%, and announced income and property tax hikes and a civil servant wage freeze in response.

Source: http://en.mercopress.com/2011/12/30/new-spanish-government-announces-draconian-measures-to-balance-the-budget?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss

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The Sad, Sad World of Israel's Big-time Liars

'A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes' -- attributed to Mark Twain

By Stuart Littlewood

Meet another of Israel's undesirables, Yuli Edelstein.

He is the regime’s Propaganda Minister (or to be more precise, Minister for Dis-information and Diaspora) and he runs the biggest lie machine in the world.

His task is to make the Israel 'brand' smell sweeter. The reason it stinks, of course, is the regime's putrid morals and murderous conduct, which the lie machine works overtime to try to justify and excuse. It will always fail. You cannot build a decent brand image on lies, obnoxious behaviour and a massive attitude problem.

Edelstein hit the headlines over Christmas when he told everybody that the Arabs are "a deplorable nation". He was speaking at a public diplomacy event (incredible as it may seem!) at Yor Yehuda, which I'm told means "light of Juda".

He said that “as long as the Arab nation continues to be a deplorable nation, which continues investing in infrastructure for terrorism, education to hate, and welfare for the families of shaheeds [martyrs], there will be no peace.”

The reporter asked Edelstein's office if the minister was aware that there are some 80 million Arabs in the world, from Sudan to Syria. A spokesman replied: “Yes, there are – and the minister meant them all.”

That's rich coming from someone whose own position doesn’t bear examination. I understand Edelstein lives in one of Israel's illegal settlements, Neve Daniel, which is built on stolen Palestinian land in wilful breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

“Settlers” is too nice a word for such people. It suggests peaceful pioneers wishing to integrate with the locals. Israeli “settlers” are anything but. They are aggressive squatters, half a million of them in over 100 illegal colonies – ugly blots on an otherwise lovely landscape. They include gangs of armed delinquents and religious nutters who terrorise local villagers, vandalise their crops, pollute their land and harass their children.  The Fourth Geneva Convention forbids an occupying power to transfer parts of its own civilian population - and that includes Edelstein and his ministerial colleague the psychopath Avigdor Lieberman - into the territory it occupies. Which leaves these two charmers open to charges of war crimes.

Israel’s hasbara liars verge on the compulsive and pathological. Telling lies is routine; they are in denial of reality; they exaggerate; they come to believe their lies; they have no remorse; and they have no regard for the consequences. Despite this, the Western media lap up anything Tel Aviv’s liars spew out.

Edelstein’s capacity for silliness knows no bounds. When the US demanded that Israel suspend a planned project in East Jerusalem (which is Palestinian territory of course) and revoke planning permission, Ynet News reported Edelstein saying that such a demand to halt construction "proves how dangerous it is to get dragged into talks of a settlement freeze… Such talks will lead to a demand to completely freeze our lives in the entire State of Israel."

And he let his Stalinist tendencies (Edelstein’s from the Ukraine) get the better of him earlier this year when he wrote to Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook demanding the removal of a page that was calling for a third Intifada and had generated nearly 250,000 supporters.

How to do it (a teach-yourself primer)

It goes without saying that Israel's lie machine has an instruction manual for those it recruits into its vile business. See it here.

The manual’s general thrust is to win over the mass of “persuadables”, primarily in America but also in the UK. The strategy from the start is to isolate democratically-elected Hamas and to rob the resistance movement and the Palestinian people of their human rights. This quote at the beginning sets the tone: "Remember, it’s not what you say that counts. It’s what people hear."

The lie machine's top priority: demonise Hamas…

And this is how they try it on...

• “Clearly differentiate between the Palestinian people and Hamas. There is an immediate and clear distinction between the empathy Americans feel for the Palestinians and the scorn they direct at Palestinian leadership. Hamas is a terrorist organization – Americans get that already. But if it sounds like you are attacking the Palestinian people (even though they elected Hamas) rather than their leadership, you will lose public support. Right now, many Americans sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians, and that sympathy will increase if you fail to differentiate the people from their leaders.”

• "Draw direct parallels between Israel and America—including the need to defend against terrorism.... The more you focus on the similarities between Israel and America, the more likely you are to win the support of those who are neutral. Indeed, Israel is an important American ally in the war against terrorism, and faces many of the same challenges as America in protecting their citizens."

Note how Israel’s strategy is almost totally dependent on the false idea that they and America are victims of terror and all western nations need to huddle together with Israel for mutual protection. Fortunately, level-headed people are beginning to realize who the terrorists really are.

It is surely obvious by now that allowing parallels to be drawn between Israel and America only serves to increase the world’s hatred of America. US citizens are very belatedly waking up to this, as are British citizens, but many continue to fall ass-over-tit into the trap.
 
Next, inject with “core values” and repeat over and over and over again…

• "The language of Israel is the language of America: 'democracy,' 'freedom,' 'security,' and 'peace.' These four words are at the core of the American political, economic, social, and cultural systems, and they should be repeated as often as possible because they resonate with virtually every American."

If so fluent in this splendid language, why won’t Israel acknowledge their neighbours’ rights to democracy, freedom, security and peace and end their military oppression?

• "A simple rule of thumb is that once you get to the point of repeating the same message over and over again so many times that you think you might get sick—that is just about the time the public will wake up and say 'Hey—this person just might be saying something interesting to me!' But don’t confuse messages with facts.... "

Right, never let facts get in the way of a good message!  And, as George Dubya Bush, 43rd US President, said: "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

• "The fight is over IDEOLOGY, not land; terror, not territory. Thus, you must avoid using Israel’s religious claims to land as a reason why Israel should not give up land. Such claims only make Israel look extremist to people who are not religious Christians or Jews.”

If the fight isn’t about land, why did Israel steal it at gunpoint? And why won’t they give it back when told to repeatedly by the UN?
 
Then there's the uncontrollable urge to possess the Holy City...

• "The toughest issue to communicate will be the final resolution of Jerusalem. Americans overwhelmingly want Israel to be in charge of the religious holy sites and are frankly afraid of the consequences should Israel turn over control to the Palestinians. Consider:

# 71% of Americans trust Israel most to protect the holy sites in Jerusalem, compared to 6.1% who trust the Palestinian authority most. 8.5% percent trust neither.

# 54% of Americans believe that “Jerusalem must remain united under Israeli sovereignty” while just 23.9% believe that ‘Jerusalem should be divided into Israeli controlled and Palestinian controlled areas’.

Given the choice between the two, Americans of all political and demographic stripes trust Israel to protect and have sovereignty over Jerusalem."

The Old City and east Jerusalem are Palestinian. Nevertheless, "Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel," says prime minister Netanyahu. Israel is in control right now and prevents Muslims and Christians from outside the City visiting the holy places. No way can Israel be trusted.

The UN's partition plan decreed that Jerusalem should become a ‘corpus separatum’ under international administration. It is unlikely that the UN would wish to see its resolutions torn up or international law re-written for Israel’s sole benefit or to suit America’s misinformed opinion.

Oh, and let's put the boot into the other demon, Iran...

• “Many on the left see an “Israel v. Palestinian” crisis where Israel is Goliath and the Palestinians are David. It is critical that they understand that this is an Arab-Israeli crisis and that the force undermining peace is Iran and their proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. You must not call Hamas just Hamas. Call them what they are: Iran-backed Hamas. Indeed, when they know that Iran is behind Hamas and Hezbollah, they are much more supportive of Israel.”

By the same token we must call the racist regime what it is – US-backed Israel.

The plight of the Palestinians under Israel’s heel was of international concern long before Hamas appeared on the scene. Iran’s support for Hamas is difficult to quantify and probably less than we think. In any case it is peanuts compared to America’s support for Israel.

Hamas, as everyone knows, is an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and was founded in 1987 during the first Intifada. Hezbollah came into being in 1982 in response to US-backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. So the territorial ambitions of US-backed Israel provoked the rise of both. US-backed Israel’s problem is entirely self-inflicted and shouldn’t concern the rest of us at all.

The lie machine’s propaganda manual is indeed an evil document oozing poison. It shows better than anything else why the Israeli regime can never, never, never be trusted and is therefore no partner for peace.

Edelstein should reflect on how being a fabricator and dealer in lies, and a war criminal too, is about as low a thing as a man can be. But, Israel being Israel, creatures like him and that unprincipled mouthpiece Mark Regev are guaranteed a job.

- Stuart Littlewood’s book Radio Free Palestine can now be read on the internet by visiting www.radiofreepalestine.org.uk. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

Source: http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17353

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Maho comptroller?s detention suspended

MAHO--Fraud suspect D.M. was released from police custody last week Friday. D.M.'s lawyer Remco Stomp said the Judge of Instruction had suspended his client's pretrial detention on "personal grounds."

D.M. was arrested on suspicion of embezzling large sums of money from Sonesta Maho Resort on November 18. Resort management first learnt of D.M.'s alleged embezzlement scheme through an audit done by an independent accounting agency. The report showed several discrepancies that gave cause for further investigation. At that time it was also learnt that D.M. was making plans to leave the island.

The investigation into D.M.'s activities focused on finding the embezzled funds. Investigators believed his money was saved in Canada, his birth country.

D.M. had worked as comptroller for Sonesta Maho for more than 10 years prior to his arrest. He held a management level position and was responsible for supervising the quality of the resort's accounting and financial reporting.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23157-maho-comptrollers-detention-suspended-.html

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Unions: Reduce bread weight rather than increasing price

PHILIPSBURG--Instead of increasing the price of bread, the weight should be decreased and the price maintained.

This was the suggestion of Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) President Theophilus Thompson, who says an issue such as the price increase of a staple commodity such as bread should have been discussed with the social partners.

Thompson told reporters at the Chamber's weekly press briefing on Thursday that the price of bread was supposed to be based on its weight and if it was necessary the weight should be decreased and the price maintained.

He told reporters that if unions had been consulted on this issue before, this would have been their suggestion. He said too that it was irresponsible to increase the price of bread when the minimum wage remained the same, as this would reduce the workers' buying power.

When asked whether reducing the weight would not mean that bread-buyers would be eating less, Thompson said this probably would be a good way of combating obesity and making people healthier.

Carl and Son's Bakery Managing Director Carl Housen told The Daily Herald on Tuesday that the company would be increasing the price of its bread as of January 1, 2012, to match regional prices and to offset the rising cost of ingredients, transport, fuel, utilities and other components with which the bakery had to contend.

Housen had explained that two prices would be offered for bread: a wholesale price and a retail price (what the consumer pays). White sliced bread will increase from NAf. 2 retail to NAf. 2.50, with a NAf. 2.25 price per loaf for wholesale. Sliced wheat bread will increase from NAf. 2.50 retail to NAf. 3.25, with NAf. 2.70 for wholesale. Lard bread and butter bread will increase from NAf. 1.80 to NAf. 2.25 retail, with a NAf. 2 price for wholesale. French bread now will cost NAf. 2.70 retail and NAf. 2.23 wholesale.

Citing thousands of dollars in losses, Housen said he no longer could wait for official government indication to increase the price of bread. The move is similar to what bakeries in Cura�ao and Aruba did earlier this year when they went ahead and raised the price of bread to offset the rising cost.

Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers had confirmed in July that government probably would grant an increase, though not as much as the owners of bakeries had requested. While Meyers had stated that the issue should be finalised that month, government has given no indication about an increase to date. Carl and Son's requested the increase in January 2011.

The last price adjustment was approved in 2008, after Carl and Son's stopped producing bread for a short period, seeking increases to offset the same rising cost. The 2008 price increase was the first in about 10 years.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23891-unions-reduce-bread-weight-rather-than-increasing-price-.html

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Sarah: Social assistance policy to be ?overhauled?

PHILIPSBURG--Government will be "overhauling" its social assistance policy to make it easier for persons such as the elderly and mentally challenged to apply for and renew their medical and financial aid.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the neighbourhood assessment study conducted in St. Peters and other districts had showed that social aid issues were major concerns for residents.

The overhauling of the social assistance policy will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs VSA.

"We have received the concern from many residents ... and a lot of it has to do with the extension and renewal of these applications. It is difficult especially for the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill and [similar-Ed.] groups of persons to keep up with the administrative procedures necessary ... oftentimes resulting in persons finding themselves without the necessary help they are seeking and entitled to from government," the Prime Minister said.

She said the Community Help Desk currently operational in St. Peters and to a certain extent in Dutch Quarter had important roles to play in assisting persons with information on where to get certain government services and assistance.

"Government's intention is to continue with the overall review of these policies and legislation that will ease that burden that so many persons have expressed that they are encountering," she said.

The Prime Minister couldn't say how long the revamping process would take, but indicated that she considered it a matter of urgency and a priority.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23266-sarah-social-assistance-policy-to-be-overhauled-.html

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Jet ski capsizes, woman rescued by security guard

page1D184GREAT BAY--A Sheriff security guard helped to save a young woman who fell off a jet ski watercraft Wednesday afternoon.

The young woman was riding in Great Bay with her stepfather when the jet ski capsized. Wednesday's wind caused the water to be extra rough.

The security guard was completing his rounds when he was called over by Divi Little Bay Beach Resort housekeeping. The housekeepers explained that they had heard a woman shouting for help. The cries appeared to becoming from the Great Bay beach.

The man quickly stripped down to his boxers and dove into the sea to rescue the woman. Persons looked on from a path going up the cliff where Fort Amsterdam is located.

When the two were safely on the rocks, the woman informed the guard that her stepfather was still in the water. The stepfather was rescued moments later by St. Maarten Harbour authorities who rode out on a jet ski and brought the man safely to shore.

Police arrived on the scene to take a statement from the pair. Both were clearly shaken, but needed no special medical attention. No ambulance was seen at the scene.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23668-jet-ski-capsizes-woman-rescued-by-security-guard-.html

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Shots fired in nightclub by off-duty cop in fight

~ Three persons arrested ~

MAHO--Police responded to a group fight in a nightclub in the Maho area in which a police officer was involved.

A reliable source reported that the officer in question had entered the night club near closing time, approximately 4:00am Thursday. Off duty, he was at the establishment to enjoy the night. While there, he approached a young lady who, unknown to him, was in the night club with her boyfriend, and attempted to be social.

Noting the situation, the boyfriend confronted the officer and a fight ensued. The altercation quickly grew into a 20-man group fight. Seeing the situation growing out of control, the officer then fired several warning shots inside the club. This created panic and police were called to the scene.

Three persons were arrested when police arrived, but the officer who was reportedly the cause of the fight was not among them.

Contacted Thursday afternoon, nightclub management was unable to answer questions about the incident.

Police also were questioned about the incident, but declined to comment or confirm details. However, they said an internal investigation was in process. They said the other party involved had filed an official complaint saying the off-duty policeman and the other officers had acted inappropriately in the situation.

No damage to the building or club-goers was reported. It was not confirmed whether the three arrestees had since been released. Police and club management expect to meet today, Friday.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23712-shots-fired-in-nightclub-by-off-duty-cop-in-fight-.html

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Defamation/Disinformation in the service of Israel

altLondon, (Pal Telegraph) - Laura Stuart considers the use of defamation and disinformation by the Board of Deputies of British Jews – Britain’s leading Israel lobby group – as tools in its rear-guard defence of Zionism and the apartheid state of Israel.

Source: http://www.paltelegraph.com/opinions/views/10469-defamationdisinformation-in-the-service-of-israel.html

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TelEm group goes live with new billing system Monday

PHILIPSBURG--In what is being viewed as a significant development company-wide, TelEm has announced plans to "Go Live" with a brand new billing system on Monday, December 5. The company will be deploying new billing software which it says will "greatly assist" with a more efficient and productive billing strategy.

Customers currently receive separate bills for Internet, mobile, international and landline services. Once fully installed and operating, the new billing software will provide one bill to customers with multiple services and multiple accounts with TelEm.

The new billing software is a product of the Israel-based company MIND. It has been fully tested and jointly developed during the past year, with the input of personnel from various departments within TelEm. A consulting company was assigned to monitor quality control of the new billing software, while MIND itself took care of the installation and personnel training.

The latest "hands-on" training has been taking place this week and involves front-end personnel in the Customer Care and Cashier departments, who will be working directly with the new system. Further training in applying more advanced features of the system will be given to selected managers and supervisors during the upcoming weekend, while the migration from current billing systems to the new MIND billing system takes place.

As a final step before the new system officially goes online, there will be four days of testing and a migration of important customer information from two separate billing systems to the new MIND billing system.

The migration began midnight Wednesday and will continue until 6:00am on Monday. In order to ensure a smooth migration of database information TelEm will initiate an internal switching network freeze on services related to mobile, wireless, ADSL, VoIP and Naternet.

During the freeze, all customer transactions related to the network will be carried out manually and in the case of sales, receipts will also be produced manually for customers making transactions at company locations, Friday and Saturday.

Management explained that once the new system is fully in place, TelEm will be able to offer different packages of services, or "bundled" services to customers.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23084-telem-group-goes-live-with-new-billing-system-monday-.html

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Lebanese MP claims Assad brother "disappeared"

A member of the Lebanese opposition Future bloc, MP Khaled Daher, was quoted as saying on Thursday that he had received information "more than confirmed" about the disappearance of Maher al-Assad the brother of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. According to him, Maher is either seriously hurt or was removed by President Assad from commanding military operations against protesters. The Lebanese politician challenged the Syrian media to show Maher al-Assad in front of the public in order to deny his statement.

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/news/lebanese-mp-claims-assad-brother-disappeared-407216

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UK protesters to picket Israeli embassy

altLondon, (Pal Telegraph) - British anti-war and pro-Palestinian campaigners will hold a rally outside the Israeli regime's embassy in London to mark the third anniversary of Tel Aviv's massacre of Palestinian civilians in "Operation Cast Lead."

Source: http://www.paltelegraph.com/world/uk-news/10465-uk-protesters-to-picket-israeli-embassy.html

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Turkey: We will continue supporting Palestine

altPresident Abdullah G�l reiterated Turkey's support for the Palestinian cause of becoming an independent state at a meeting he had with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas at the �ankaya presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/10467-turkey-we-will-continue-supporting-palestine.html

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Dutch satisfied with inquiry by Transparency International

WILLEMSTAD--The Kingdom Council of Ministers considers the November 17 reaction by the Government of Cura�ao, in which it announced a national integrity assessment by Transparency International (TI), a satisfactory reaction to the Council's October 14 letter on implementation of the recommendations of the Committee Investigation Cura�ao in the so-called Rosenm�ller Report.

That is what can be concluded from a letter dated November 29 that Kingdom Relations Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.

"The decision to approach a renowned international organisation for the evaluation and, if necessary, improvement of the guaranteeing of fundamental rights and liberties, in my view underlines that the Government of Cura�ao is giving content to the responsibility that is deduced from the Kingdom Charter," he wrote.

Parliamentarian Inneke van Gent called the minister's letter "quite bureaucratic" and typically "shunning the issue" by stopping short of the Rosenm�ller Committee's recommendation to have an independent committee look further into doubts over the integrity of members of the Schotte cabinet. She said he merely was trying to keep the peace while the people of Cura�ao suffered and experienced social irregularities.

"A little integrity does not exist, also not in Cura�ao, where administrators not too long ago were rolling around in the street and openly accusing each other of corruption. It almost seems as if Transparency International's explicit instructions are not to name names, especially don't go into detail and it cannot lead to complaints. That is unacceptable," said Van Gent.

"I see that the minister is trivialising the problems. We are supposed to want to defend openness in government here, in Cura�ao and in the rest of the Dutch Caribbean. Corruption allegations must be cleared up regardless of the persons involved. Does the minister recognise that the Netherlands remains responsible for good governance in Cura�ao and what is he doing to carry this responsibility?"

Donner answered that more time was required to discuss the issue, which was why he had sent the letter to the Second Chamber. "We can talk about it more later on, preferably before the Kingdom Conference of December 14," he said.

He pointed out that the charter determined the possibilities of the Kingdom Government and that the answer by Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte was adequate. He added that his letter to the Second Chamber did in fact mention investigating persons and that this already had been done by the prosecution in Willemstad, but he agreed that integrity concerned more than looking only into possible penal acts.

"The council realises that the inquiry by Transparency International does not stretch out to persons. At the same time, the Prosecutor's Office in Cura�ao concluded there was no reason for criminal prosecution regarding all facts and allegations in the report of the Committee Investigation Cura�ao," Donner's letter stated.

"The Kingdom Council concludes that the letter of the Government of Cura�ao pending the result of the investigation by Transparency International and the follow-up to be given by the Government of Cura�ao does not require further reaction."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23012-dutch-satisfied-with-inquiry-by-transparency-international-.html

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Welfare Road to reopen on Dec 9

Page1a165COLE BAY--Welfare Road will re-open for two-way traffic on Friday, December 9, just in time for the peak of the high season.

Head of the Department of New Projects and Planning Kurt Ruan on Monday said all works - including drainage and sewage facilities and placing of utilities underground - will be completed on the road.

He said in the coming days the brick work for the sidewalks will continue and the final layer of asphalt will be applied. Traffic in Cole Bay will revert to its original situation as of December 9.

Ruan commended contractor Windward Roads for working under government and public pressure, while still ensuring that the job was done correctly.

He said the biggest challenge of the project was having GEBE replace old utility lines (especially water lines) and he thanked GEBE for cooperating fully with government and the contractor. Ruan also thanked TelEm and Cable TV for their cooperation.

"We know the public and our visitors have been inconvenienced, but it was short term inconvenience for long term benefits and safety aspects for the district. We thank the public as well for their patience and understanding, but assure that the drainage and sewage facilities upgrades are a benefit and vital for the community of Cole Bay," Ruan said.

He also said that by early next year, work should commence in other side roads of Cole Bay as part of the ongoing project to upgrade the infrastructure of the district.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22970-welfare-road-to-reopen-on-dec-9-.html

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Brooks files court case against Lambert for slander, breach

PHILIPSBURG--Former managing director of GEBE William Brooks has filed an injunction against current Chairman of GEBE's Supervisory Board Julius Lambert. The case was heard on Friday morning and the verdict is expected next week.

Attempts to reach the attorneys of the two parties for a briefing on the specifics of the case were unsuccessful on Friday. However, it is understood that Brooks filed the injunction after Lambert made what Brooks considered disparaging remarks to the St. Kitts Observer newspaper about Brooks' tenure at GEBE.

Brooks is the new Chief Executive Officer at the St. Kitts Electricity Company SkElec.

He reportedly is also seeking damages and has accused Lambert of breaching the non-disclosure clauses in the agreement that ended his tenure at GEBE before the scheduled expiration of his contract this month.

Lambert was quoted by the Observer in mid-October as saying: "He left for vacation some months ago and then he informed us that he did not want to return. His contract was terminated really for poor performance. There were major problems with his management of GEBE. There was no control and the company was losing a lot of money."

He also was quoted as saying: "Brooks did more travelling than working. He refused to take advice from the Supervisory Board and he just does what he wants. He did not report as he should to the Supervisory Board and shareholders, he didn't present timely financial figures and operations data. It was a laissez-faire type of management style really."

Lambert also reportedly told the Observer that the GEBE board now was trying to sort out the "shambles" since Brooks' departure, that GEBE had "lost millions and millions of dollars" under Brooks' control due to inefficiencies in electricity and water distribution, and that there had been no control of the billing system.

It is unclear who will foot the bill for the court proceedings, Lambert or GEBE, should Brooks be victorious.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23120-brooks-files-court-case-against-lambert-for-slander-breach-.html

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Need for protecting consumers from dodgy business underlined

page4d174~ As MPs hear from Chamber of Commerce ~

PHILIPSBURG--The urgent need to protect shoppers, both visitors to the country and residents, from unscrupulous businesspeople was underscored during the Central Committee hearing with representatives of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.

Malpractices mentioned included palming off imitation merchandise as original products, refusing to honour manufacturers' guarantees or extend one of their own, and selling refurbished items as new.

While the hearing was geared to discussing the pending changes to the Civil Code to bring a Consumer Protection Act into effect, the dialogue between Members of Parliament (MPs) and the chamber reps also zoomed in on the current state of affairs affecting consumers.

Chamber President Glen Carty said in his presentation that his organisation represented the "good corporate citizens" and called on government to do its part to regulate businesses operating without licences and/or paying taxes.

As for the draft law, Carty said care must be taken to ensure a balance so that the law, when enforced, could not be abused by the buyer or the seller. Products on the shelves must be up to par and good after-sale service is also essential.

Better business

Carty also raised the need for a "better business bureau" as an extension of the law that stemmed from a consumer protection act worked on by the chamber and the Small Business Development Foundation (SBDF) dating back to 2006. That bureau would put the onus on the government and chamber to set business operations and sales standards, and would guide consumers to recommended businesses via stickers on the store doors.

Carty said it was better to have a local bureau do the rating than have the cruise lines recommend and rate stores and other businesses, a rating driven by marketing fees.

National Alliance (NA) MP William Marlin said the issue was much more serious than the Chamber "putting stickers on the doors of businesses."

The cruise ship passengers coming to the country have changed drastically over the years, from the higher end to more budget tourists who don't know the difference between St. Maarten and St. Lucia. Their knowledge about the island is formed based on information from cruise directors who market businesses that advertise aboard ship.

"The cruise ships have no benefit in telling the truth. The cruise lines have financial gains on who pays to advertise on board," he said.

Responding to Marlin, Carty said tackling the cruise ship marketing strategy was "an uphill battle" and when it came to dealing with businesses in the country, government needed to tackle infractions together with the Chamber.

Carty added that there is some reluctance from politicians because the businesses were "the ones who fund your campaigns. As politicians, it is difficult, because the same people you have to take action against are the same people you have to get campaign funds from."

Consumer protection on a wide scale was born with the influx of cruise ship passengers in the past 20-plus years, Chamber Board member Ludwig Ouenniche said. The death of many small businesses in and around Philipsburg came about because they were boycotted by cruise ship passengers as non-recommended stores.

The cruise ship recommendations "created the perception" for visitors that they were not protected if they shopped in non-recommended ones, said Ouenniche, who has been a major thrust behind the need for consumer protection over the years.

Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Franklin Meyers already has showed his support for consumer protection by giving his ministry instructions to have the consumer protection act (not the law) in place in January.

Ouenniche said the consumer protection act and law would "put fear" in businesses that "action would be taken immediately" if they delivered substandard service or merchandise. It also will cut down on the red tape for the consumer whose only recourse is going to court over bad merchandise.

Member actions

Democratic Party (DP) MP Leroy de Weever pointed to a decline in business in Philipsburg if stores continued to sell counterfeit merchandise as the real thing to visitors. "It's your members who are selling fake products. Your membership is tricking the consumers. The Chamber has to have a big stick [to deal with the situation]."

MP Frans Richardson (independent) also spoke about the damage "fake" merchandise passed off as real caused to the economy and image of the country. He said draft legislation was pending to deal with this phenomenon of counterfeit merchandise flooding the market. The draft dates to the days of the dissolved Netherlands Antilles Parliament and should be picked up by MPs next year.

MP Patrick Illidge (independent) highlighted government-owned utilities company GEBE as a business from which consumers needed protection, because often GEBE refused to take responsibility for appliances damaged by GEBE's power fluctuations.

He also said businesses on Back Street constituted the "backbone" of the local economy, because people came to shop for merchandise to take to other islands to sell. When these products are substandard and cannot be returned, it tarnishes St. Maarten's reputation as a shopping mecca.

MPs Johan "Janchi" Leonard and Silvia Meyers-Olivacce (United People's (UP) party), and Dr. Lloyd Richardson (NA) voiced concern about the lack of protection for consumers and the fact that people needed protection from businesses that were essentially members of the Chamber.

No guarantees

MP George Pantophlet (NA) queried about the number of businesses operating without permits. Carty replied that for some time now the Chamber had not been receiving copies of licences issued by government. This has created a gap in the Chamber's records.

Pantophlet also asked why guarantees were not being honoured by businesses. To this, Ouenniche said that based on international regulations, whatever guarantee was given to the distributor by the manufacturer must be passed on to the buyer. However, there are stores in St. Maarten that "use a red stamp" to void any guarantee from the manufacturer and do not back the product with guarantees of their own or even after-sale service.

Chamber Executive Director Claret Conner said the association's quest was not only to represent businesses in a professional manner, but to protect them. "Before we go over to bashing businesses, Parliament needs to address laws to protect businesses. Without business, we can't live." He added that to enforce regulations the chamber "would need support from higher up," pointing to government.

The consumer protection law and other pending changes to the Civil Code are available for review on Parliament's Website

www.sxmparliament.org . A report of the hearing will be compiled and the process to pass the law will move on to the Central Committee in the coming months.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23303-need-for-protecting-consumers-from-dodgy-business-underlined-.html

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Tourism council members face prosecution in the Jordanian ?casino file?

Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh on Tuesday referred violations by members of the National Tourism Council (NTC) in connection to the ?casino file? to the justice minister to be referred to the attorney general for necessary legal procedures.

The casino case is related to a deal the first government of former premier Marouf Bakhit signed with an investor in 2007 to build a casino on the shores of the Dead Sea
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/tourism-council-members-face-prosecution-%E2%80%98casino-file%E2%80%99-407066

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Cristina Fernandez thanks solidarity and calls on ?all Argentines? to collaborate

The Argentine president proceeded with her agenda as any normal day Argentine president Cristina Fern�ndez spoke publicly on Wednesday for the first time since the announcement she will undergo cancer surgery in January and thanked all well-wishers, from government officials to members of the opposition and overseas leaders.

Source: http://en.mercopress.com/2011/12/28/cristina-fernandez-thanks-solidarity-and-calls-on-all-argentines-to-collaborate?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=main&utm_campaign=rss

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Postal Services staff get payslips, but no money

~ Union threatens to file injunction against PSS ~

PHILIPSBURG--Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) workers have received payslips for their November salaries, but no money.

When contacted for comment on Wednesday, PSS Head Denicio Richardson said he had no comment while the matter was being resolved.

St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) President Ludson Evers told reporters yesterday that the workers had informed him last week Friday that they had not yet received their November salaries. If this situation persists today, Evers said, the union will be forced to file an injunction against PSS by tomorrow, Friday.

Evers said that when contacted, Richardson had told the union he was not aware of the situation. When Nieuwe Post Nederlandse Antillen (NPNA) head Franklin Sluis was contacted the union was told that PSS had not submitted the relevant information needed for payments to be made.

Evers said that based on the agreement signed between the parties recently, NPNA had agreed to cover all the "shortfalls" pertaining to PSS' operations in the form of a zero per cent interest loan repayable over a six-month period in 2012.

However, for NPNA to make payments to cover the shortfalls, PSS has to submit the relevant information indicating the amount it was unable to cover for the month in question. Evers said NPNA would then make payment within eight days.

What is strange about this entire situation, he said, is that PSS staffers had received their November salary payslips from NPNA, while they were now under the employ of PSS. He said the union had to look into this matter, as receiving payslips from NPNA could mean that the workers were still working for NPNA, which he said was not the case.

Evers said the salary tab for PSS workers was between NAf. 96,000 and NAf. 100,000 per month.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23042-postal-services-staff-get-payslips-but-no-money-.html

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Morocco expects economic growth of 4%-5% next year

The Central Bank of Morocco expects an economic growth of 4% to 5% next year. According to a report by the Moroccan news agency, Maghreb Arabe Presse, the institution revised its projections and believes that despite the positive result in the foreign accounts last month, mainly due to transfers from Moroccan expatriates, some signs of its partner countries' economic slowdown may reflect in the kingdom.

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/morocco-expect-economic-growth-4-5-next-year-406848

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GEBE grants reduction in fuel clause for December

PHILIPSBURG--The Supervisory Board of Directors of GEBE unanimously approved a 15 cents per kwh (kilowatt hour) reduction in the fuel clause for December bills. The charge will be reduced from 42 cents per kwh to 27 cents per kwh.

Interim Managing Director of GEBE Paul Marshall explained that the reduction was based on the projected financial figures for the 2011 financial year which shows room to grant consumers the relief on December bills.

Marshall said GEBE reviews its financials every fourth quarter to determine if relief is possible for consumers. He did not provide any specifics about company financials.

Ironically, the relief, based on GEBE's financials, comes after mid-October statements by Chairman of the Supervisory Board Julius Lambert to St. Kitts media that the actions of former Director William Brooks resulted in the company losing "millions and millions of dollars."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23300-gebe-grants-reduction-in-fuel-clause-for-december-.html

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