London, (Pal Telegraph) - UN says up to 150 bodies found off the Tunisian coast a day after a boat reportedly carrying 850 people capsized.
Source: http://www.paltelegraph.com/world/africa/9342-bodies-of-african-refugees-recovered.html
Student politics Entertainment David Lynch Reckitt Benckiser Rape Housing market
Eros Group, the sole distributor of world-renowned brands Samsung, Hitachi, Linksys, Candy & TCL and one of the leading players in consumer electronics, telecom, and allied multi-products in the Middle East, has been awarded at the esteemed Middle East Retail Academy (MERA) 2011 Awards in the Specialist Retail Distributor of the Year category.
Source: http://www1.albawaba.com/eros-group-awarded-specialist-retail-distributor-year-376536
Francesca Panetta US supreme court Transfer window Canada Science fiction Cricket
PHILIPSBURG--Based on e-mails circulating amongst some enumerators of the recently-concluded Census 2011 and forwarded to the media during the weekend, it appears that monies owed to many of them by the government are being withheld because of back taxes they owe the government.
The enumerators ? persons who were out in the field conducting the census ? who are yet to be paid said they had never been told that the payment they would receive could be jeopardised because of unpaid taxes. In fact, some said they had asked this specific question in pre-census sessions and were told that monies would not be applied to their back taxes and that the payment was one flat fee of NAf. 1,000.
While some enumerators said they could accept the payment being applied to back taxes, others were pretty upset.
"We went out in the hot sun and sometimes left our families at night to go out and get this information for the government. We endured insults and various forms of abuse. Now we get told that we are getting nothing for all of that.
"Some of us stepped forward to do this job for specific reasons. We needed that money for specific personal things. If this was the case they should have told us from the start. But they told us it would not happen," one enumerator said, adding that the government would not have anyone to assist for the next phase of the census.
Several enumerators have confirmed receiving their payments, which were deposited in their bank accounts late last week.
Economic Affairs Secretary General Miguel DeWeever, when contacted Sunday, did not have enough information to provide an informed explanation. Neither did Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto. However, Minister Shigemoto indicated that he would check with the Receiver's Office on Monday to obtain clarity on the situation, as it would be the Receiver that would withhold payment for taxes owed.
Shigemoto said he did not know what census workers had been told or by whom, but as far as taxes go, the Inspectorate of Taxes decides and no one else is authorised to say anything regarding payments being applied to taxes being applied owed.
Makini Hickinson, head of Department of Statistics STAT, the branch of the government that executed the census, was off-island on Sunday and could not provide a comment.
STAT Senior Statistical Analyst Maurette Antersijn confirmed to enumerators via e-mail on May 26 that their payment "has been put on hold by the tax office."
The 2011 Census began on April 9 with more than 400 enumerators in the field. The majority of these enumerators were teachers. Census 2011 was executed for nine days, until April 17. The purpose was to collect information that will be analysed into vital statistical data for St. Maarten.
STAT has scheduled a follow-up census period for next month and, in the meantime, has been asking those residents who have not been "counted in" to make appointments with the department so their information can be collected.
International criminal justice Manufacturing data Economics Oscars Liverpool Panto season
His wife Liz and all four of his children were at his bedside. Michael Maidwell from Orange Grove band flew in from Holland to be there. Tributes have been pouring in to the Maidwell home over the weekend and countless condolence messages posted on Facebook.
Daughter Suzy told The Daily Herald while the cancer had worsened her father was determined to be awake at the end.
"He said everybody he loved and wanted to be with was alive. He had been too weak to communicate before but he suddenly said very clearly to us 'I love you all...I'm going now.' He saved all his energy to say that. It was beautiful," Suzy recalled.
His body will be cremated today Monday but that will be a private family affair.
In tribute to his immense contribution to sports, cyclists will meet at the Maidwell home on Saturday, May 14 at 3:00pm from where they will carry his ashes around the Lagoon to the runners who will be waiting at Port de Plaisance to continue the procession. The runners will finish at Kim Sha Beach before handing the ashes over to the Kayakers who will spread his ashes in the bay. A gathering will be held on the beach around 5:00pm where people will be able to pay their personal tributes.
Malcolm Maidwell was something of a visionary and responsible for starting and promoting sports such as road running, cycling, triathlons, and kayaking during the early days when those sports did not exist on the Dutch side.
He came to the island in 1969 and started a boat-building business with Peter Spronk in 1971. At the time he was an avid runner and soon formed the Road Runners Club with another sports enthusiast Dr. Frits Bus in 1984. The club is now in its 26th year.
It was around 1992 that Malcolm started the Friendly Island Triathlon Association and subsequently opened the Tri Sport shop as a means to import bikes for a growing number of triathletes. His brainchild, the Mini Triple Triathlon, encouraged many newcomers into the sport due to its flexibility of distances and disciplines.
In 1998 the Friendly Island Cycling Association was formed. Prior to this cycling clubs were all on the French side.
Following a cycling accident, he changed tacks and formed the Friendly Island Aquatic Club in 2002 which promoted Kayaking.
In 2005 he was decorated by Queen Beatrix of Holland for his contribution to sports.
Malcolm Maidwell will be remembered for his infectious enthusiasm and encouraging scores of sedentary people into healthy, sporty, lifestyles. He delighted in seeing his new-found athletes' progress.
Said Frits Bus; "I've lost my best and closest friend. We shared the same interests and passion for sports. Malcolm was always the driving force behind the forming of clubs and events. We did a lot together. The way he approached people and motivated them was amazing. We will miss him terribly."
Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/16602-malcolm-maidwell-passes-away-at-73.html
Awards and prizes Social networking Gabriel Agbonlahor Nuclear power Top 10s Sweden
THE HAGUE--"Little mafia boss, Mr. Ten Per cent." That is how Member of the Dutch Second Chamber Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) referred to St. Maarten's Vice-prime Minister Theo Heyliger during a meeting of Parliament Wednesday.
And Member of Parliament Eric Lucassen of the Party for Freedom PVV referred to St. Maarten's Prime Minister (Sarah Wescot-Williams) as a "conceited diva."
Van Raak's remarks were not appreciated by several of his colleagues as well as Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Piet Hein Donner. "That doesn't fit in the manner we talk about other governments and ministers. It is not conducive to a fruitful cooperation," said Donner, adding that he had "felt the urge to leave the room" while Van Raak spoke.
The SP Member of Parliament (MP) made his remarks when responding to a statement by Heyliger a few weeks ago in which he had likened the current stringent financial supervision of St. Maarten to "modern-day slavery."
"We are all slave drivers here. That is a remarkable characterisation considering the fact that we paid off the debt of the islands, including St. Maarten, and that we are helping out with expertise. Theo Heyliger is a little mafia boss. He is referred to as Mr. Ten Per cent," said Van Raak.
Acting Chairman of the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations Jeroen Recourt interrupted immediately and requested Van Raak to steer clear of using such characterisations. "You should not use these terms because then you do the same as the person that spoke of slavery," he said.
"If it is so, it needs to be said," reacted Van Raak, who called for an investigation into the state and integrity of St. Maarten's government in the same manner as the 2007 report of the Scientific Research and Documentation Centre WODC of the Dutch Ministry of Justice.
"I want clarity on the relation of politicians with casinos, with the government-owned companies and with the issuing of permits, and I want special attention paid to Heyliger's role," Van Raak said.
Other parties expressed no support for Van Raak's call for an investigation and most also denounced his remarks especially about Heyliger. "The Kingdom lives seeing this intense discussion, but qualifications such as slave drivers and mafia boss are improper," said MP Bas Jan van Bochove of the Christian Democratic Party CDA.
Van Bochove said he found it "presumptuous" to keep calling for an investigation or intervention whenever things are not 100 per cent. "We seem to give the new countries almost no time. It seems we want to finish them off after a few months. That isn't conducive to the process of growing up to become an adult. Let's give them some time while staying alert. But we should not shout that nothing is right over there after half a year and some headwind," he said.
MP Martijn van Dam of the Labour Party PvdA accused Van Raak of saying things to get "publicity" and for "local consumption." "These statements contribute nothing," said Van Dam, who did agree with Van Raak that the difficult budgetary process in St. Maarten "created little confidence" in the country's capacity.
MPs didn't respond or get upset when Lucassen of the PVV called Wescot-Williams a "conceited diva" because she hadn't shown up for a meeting with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT. He said the CFT was being "opposed" - the same CFT, which he said "protected St. Maarten from disaster."
Lucassen said Heyliger's slavery statement was "totally unacceptable."
"The Dutch tax payer had to pick up the tab to pay off your debt and we are being accused of slavery? If Mr. Heyliger is fed up with us, he should stop begging for money and get to work to realise true independence and get out of the Kingdom," he said.
Ineke van Gent of the green left party GroenLinks condemned Van Raak's statement about Heyliger. "You are accusing a person who is not here to defend himself. You flip about the term slave driver, yet you use these sort of characterisations," she said.
Van Gent complimented CFT saying that, "They are sitting on top of this like a pit bull that doesn't only bark but also bites." Van Gent too indicated that she was worried about St. Maarten's financial future because investments and debts would end up being deferred which would not serve the people.
MP Andr� Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party pointed out that the CFT concluded that St. Maarten's 2011 budget sufficiently complied with the norms set in the Financial Supervision Law, but that it remained concerned about the structural tenability of the government finances.
Bosman was clear in his views about Heyliger's slavery remark. "St. Maarten chose and wanted to choose. St. Maarten made a deal and now it doesn't want to stick to that. That has nothing to do with slavery, but everything with a good and reliable government. I find this remark totally unfitting. It doesn't reflect the relations between St. Maarten and the Netherlands," said Bosman.
Wassila Hachchi of Democrats D66 shared the sentiments of concern of the other parties about St. Maarten's finances and the budget. "A solid financial and budgetary discipline is an important indicator of good governance. We are glad that the CFT has approved the budget but we are a bit concerned about the future," she said.
US military Milan Baros Economic policy Environmental sustainability Roberto Mancini JLS
~Press asked to leave meeting~
PHILIPSBURG--Tuesday's Central Committee meeting between Parliament and the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT was deemed a closed-door session by President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell which in effect barred the press and stopped the live broadcast of the session on television and radio.
Arrindell told representatives of this newspaper and Radio Soualiga who were present in Parliament's Press Room that they had to leave just before the meeting started because the CFT wanted a closed session and would give information at its press conference today, Wednesday.
The journalists were told by Arrindell (UP), after they protested that no notification was given to the press or the public about the meeting being in camera, that if they did not leave they would be "escorted out of the building."
She added that the Members of Parliament (MPs) were informed on Monday that the session was closed. However, there was no follow-up notification to the press or public to inform about this change. Arrindell had issued a press release on Sunday night about the Central Committee meeting with no mention of the session being closed.
A member of the public who turned up for the meeting was not allowed to sit in the public gallery.
After leaving the Press Room, Arrindell instructed a staff member from the Department of Communication (formerly the Government Information Service) to turn off the audio and video feed to the room.
Based on Article 60 of the Constitution, Parliament meetings are public. An in camera session can be held if this is considered necessary by the President of Parliament or if this is demanded by four Members of Parliament (MPs). The meeting is entitled to resolve, by two-thirds of the votes cast, that it shall deliberate and make decisions in camera.
In Tuesday's case, the CFT asked for the meeting to be closed. MP Roy Marlin of the Democratic Party (DP) queried at the beginning of the session why the session was closed and was told about the CFT request by Arrindell.
As the meeting continued, Marlin left to talk about the matter with the journalists present. He said he raised the question about why the meeting was closed because he believes that if Parliament has a meeting it should be open to the public. "I also respect the fact that if a third party wants to meet Parliament behind closed doors. Sometimes it gives the third party the opportunity to say things that they would not normally say in a public session. If it gives a third party an opportunity to say things they would not normally say, I have no objections to that."
Marlin said that based on the information obtained in a meeting, an MP can form an opinion and be able to make decisions. All meetings of Parliament are crucial and important for the public, but if a third party requests a closed session, Parliament has "to weigh it very carefully."
In a later Kingdom Affairs Committee meeting, Arrindell asked for the position of the CFT to be placed on the agenda of the Kingdom Parliamentary Consultation Meeting slated for June 13 in The Hague. She wants to specifically discuss the right of Parliament to have the final say on the country's budget because the developments surrounding the 2011 budget showed that Parliament's authority was not fully respected.
Also present for the meeting with CFT were MPs Jules James, Romain Laville, Dr. Ruth Douglass, Johan Leonard and Silvia Meyers-Olivacce of the United People's party (UP), Leroy de Weever (DP), Patrick Illidge (independent), George Pantophlet and Dr. Lloyd Richardson of the National Alliance.
Roberto Mancini JLS Protest Norway Alexander Litvinenko London
WILLEMSTAD--Cura�ao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) called an urgent press conference after his heated meeting with Central Bank director Emsley Tromp to say the latter had tried to blackmail him with accusations against cabinet members to avoid giving clarity on his own dubious role in a NAf. 3-million loan.
The young prime minister said that, based on recent reports that he had arranged a
NAf. 3-million loan for two companies without any collateral from a commercial bank, the Council of Ministers had required further explanation, after Finance Minister George "Jorge" Jamaloodin had reported on his talk with the Central Bank director on the same topic earlier that day.
Schotte said that instead Tromp had launched serious allegations without presenting proof against him and other ministers, even claiming that Jamaloodin had threatened to plant drugs in the car and/or office. He called it an unsuccessful attempt at blackmail and nothing but a smokescreen.
Jamaloodin had put a distance between himself and his company Speedy Security when he had become minister and a committee had chosen government's "house bank" based on purely objective and well-established criteria, in a completely transparent manner.
It was Tromp who had received NAf. 3 million in his personal bank account from a loan that lacked any collateral. "So the question is: What did the Central Bank give or owe that bank instead?"
The prime minister added that the ties of a direct subordinate of Tromp at the Central Bank to the two companies that had benefitted from the loan made it all even more dubious. He said it was actually the audit team of the Central Bank that had noted the irregularity, "but word apparently came from above not to touch the matter, because it involved the boss."
There were more issues, he said, such as an insurance company operating without the required coverage from abroad. An attempt had been made to obtain such from another island nearby, but it had failed, he added.
"These matters affect the integrity of the institution and government had a right to demand clarity."
Asked what will happen now, Schotte said he would have talks about the matter with experts during his trip to the Netherlands, which starts today, Thursday, but that things could not stay this way.
Liverpool Panto season Julio Arca Christmas markets Poland World Cup 2018
