GREAT BAY--Frustration with Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs intensified in Parliament today as Members of Parliament publicly condemned his performance, questioned his attention to critical national issues, and warned that a former minister faced a motion of disapproval for far less.

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Patrice Gumbs announced today that St. Maarten’s garbage collection contracts will have to be retendered after the evaluation of submitted bids found discrepancies and non-compliance across all applications. The Minister did not expound in detail on exactly how the bids were non-compliant.

GREAT BAY--The war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is beginning to affect airline ticket prices as higher oil and jet fuel costs put new pressure on carriers worldwide. Airlines are warning that even if the impact is temporary, passengers are likely to feel it through higher fares, especially on international routes. For the Caribbean, the impact could go beyond airline tickets.

COLE BAY--A new treaty signed Tuesday at the Cole Bay Police Station strengthens maritime cooperation between St. Maarten and Saint-Martin, giving Dutch and French authorities clearer legal authority to continue cross-border pursuit during counter-drug operations in surrounding waters.

The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) carried out a major promotional campaign in Trinidad and Tobago, placing Destination St. Maarten and St. Maarten Carnival 55 in front of one of the Caribbean’s biggest Carnival audiences.

GREAT BAY--Former Member and Chairman of Parliament Rolando Brison used his closing statement before the Court of First Instance to defend not only his own conduct, but also what he described as the realities of political life in St. Maarten and the risks this case could pose to the island’s democratic culture.