CHRISTIANS UNDER SIEGE P. 30

VOL 24 NO.251 Tuesday, March 17, 2015 U.S. 0.75 CENTS / NAf. 1.50 / EC$ 1.75

IN BRIEF

Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson (seated) is surrounded by the new police recruits who were sworn in on Monday, along with more experienced offi cers. Story on page 7.

THE HAGUE/WILLEMSTAD--The St. Maarten Government has taken loans on which it has to pay interest for the purchase of Emilio Wilson Park and the gov-ernment building on Pond Island, but so far these investments have not been realised. The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT warned in a letter dated March 12 against this modus operandi of the St.

Maarten Government by taking out loans and not using the funds for the purpose for which they were intended. Whereas the current account of the St. Maarten Government so far showed a NAf. 8 million defi -cit in the last quarter of 2014, the capital account revealed a surplus of NAf. 110 million. The CFT stated in a reaction to the fourth

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament still has to readjust its fi nances to cope with an almost NAf. 2 mil-lion budget cut that came with its adoption of the 2015 Country Budget in January. Parliament originally submitted a budget for its operational ex-penses totalling some NAf. 12.8 million, said Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parlia-ment Sarah Wescot-Williams at a party press conference Mon-day in Parliament Building. The approved budget only allocates some NAf. 11 million to the leg-islature. The almost NAf. 2 million cut was a result of the Finance Minis-try adjusting budgets across gov-ernment’s apparatus to come to

a balanced budget that is in con-formity with the Kingdom Law on Temporary Financial Supervision for Curaçao and St. Maarten. How Parliament will cope with the reduced budget has not even been broached as yet among Members of Parliament, Wescot-Williams said. Parliament’s draft budget had

PHILIPSBURG--The Depart-ment of Labour Affairs will be introducing new procedures for employment permit requests as

of March 30. The new procedures will target “vacancies” that are advertised in connection with a fi rst time em-ployment permit application and renewals that have not surpassed three years. According to a press release from the department, on March 30, the Department “will imple-ment new procedures that will offer the business community and the Department of Labour Affairs the opportunity to work closely together to streamline, unify and promote accountabil-

ity.” According to the release, the new procedures “aim to enhance the administration for businesses and job seekers.” In giving an insight into the new procedures, the department said it will be issuing offi cial letters to business representatives that will provide insight on the availability of suitable applicants for vacan-cies that have been registered during the period of validity. The companies will then be required to submit the letter to Ministry’s

��Philipsburg

PRISONREPORT Law Enforcement Council represen-tatives have presented the report “the security and the safety in the detentions facilities of St. Maarten” to Minister of Justice Dennis Richard-son. Page 3.

��Philipsburg

ASSURIA BUYS MEGA Gulf Insurances parent company As-suria NV recently acquired majority shares in Mega Insurance Co. Ltd., a key player in the life insurance indus-try in Trinidad and Tobago. Page 4.

��Willemstad

NURSE MURDEREDAn emergency room nurse of Cu-raçao’s St. Elisabeth Hospital was found murdered late Sunday night. Page 7.

COLE BAY--Family members of a missing girl are requesting the public’s assistance to fi nd their relative, a police press release stated. Ana Cathuisca Arrindell (19), residing on Wellington Road, Cole Bay, left her home on Sep-tember 3, 2014, to run a few er-rands and has not returned since. “Family members have done their utmost, by calling and mak-

ing contacts with other family members, friends and acquain-tances, to try to locate Cathuisca, but to no avail. Cathuisca left the home without taking any person-al belongings or other items with exception of her passport,” the press release stated. “The Police Force has been in-formed of this situation and has been looking for Cathuisca, but

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CHRISTIANS UNDER SIEGE P. 30Putin ReappearsIn PublicAfter LongAbsencePage 28

2 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Editorial

ST. MAARTENTelephone

542-5253/542-5597/542-0931/543-7236

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POLICE STATIONPhilipsburg tel. 542-2222Simpson Bay tel. 545-5500HOT LINE 108EMERGENCY 911FIRE DEPARTMENTTel. 542-6001 or 919HOSPITALMedical Center, Cay Hill24-hour Emergency Servicetel. 543-1111 or 910AMBULANCEPhilipsburg tel. 542-2111 or 912MEDICAL EMERGENCIESFor medical emergencies after clinic hours, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 am and during weekends and holidays, all patients of hereunder men-tioned family doctors can go to the emergency room of the St. Maarten Medical Center, tel.: 543-1111 (ext. 1): Dr. A. Arrindell, Dr. F. Bou-man, Dr. F. Bus, Dr. H. Deketh, Dr. A. Herles, Dr. G. van Osch, Dr. G. Spencer, Dr. P. Ar-rindell, Dr. G. Bryson, Dr. J. Datema, Dr. G. Foeken, Dr. L. Knol, Dr. A. Raghosing and Dr. U. Tjaden.SXM Animal Welfare Foundation Ambu-lance Team 520-8887CRIME STOPPERS ANYMOUS TIP LINE: 543-TIPS(8477)TELEPHONE INFOTel-em: 542-2211

ST. MAARTEN WEATHER INFO: 123ST. MAARTEN TOURIST OFFICEKrippa building, Juancho Yrausquin blvd. #6, tel. +1 721-5490200, fax. +1 721-542-0664ST MAARTEN ZOOMadame Estate: tel. 543-2030Open daily 10 am - 6 pm.October-March 9 am - 5 pm.Admission: Adults: $10, kids $5. COLE BAY COMMUNITY COUNCIL: meet-ing 1st. Thursday of month at Sun Flower Kinder Garten School, Union Rd. Cole Bay at 7:30pmSERVICE CLUBSROTARY meeting at Divi Little Bay, every Wednesday at 12:20 p.m.(Tuscan Restaurant) Rotary Mid Isle meets every Tuesday 7 pm, at Mary’s Boon, Simpson Bay. Rotary Sunrise meets every Tuesday at 7am at Philipsburg Jubilee Library Conference room.Rotary club St. Martin Nord meet at the Grand Case Beach Club Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Rotarac Club of St. Maarten Sunrise meets every 1st and 4th Saturday at 7pm at Holland House Beach Club.LIONS meeting at the Upper Princess Quarter Community Centre Lions Den in Sucker Garden every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.ST.MAARTEN LEO CLUB meeting at the Lions Den every 1st, 3rd Saturday every month at 11:00 amKIWANIS meets at Wifol Building on Thursday each month at 7.30pm.

Kiwanis Key Club of the St. Maarten Academy meeting at the St. Maarten Acad-emy every Friday at 1.30 p.m.KIWANIS SOUALIGA 1st & 3rd Monday 7:00pm Holland HouseJCI St. Maarten (JAYCEES) meeting at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library every last Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Busi-ness attire required.PHILIPSBURG TOASTMASTERS CLUB bi-monthly sessions every first and third Thurs-day of every month at the Library conference room at 8:00 p.m.ST MARTIN MUSEUMFrontstreet 7, Philipsburg, tel 542-4917Opening hours from March 1st:Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Saturday & Sundays: closed.ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUSMon-Sun, 6-7pm, Red Cross Building, Airport Road. Saturday and Sunday at Mullet Bay beach next to restaurant 8.30-9:30am. Tel. 581-1875 / 544-3203St. Maarten AIDS Foundation 55 Welfare road tel +5532626/ +5884636 www.sxmaidsfoundation.org ; Facebook: sxmaidsfoundationNATURE FOUNDATION ST. MAARTEN�� Tel. 544-4267, Fax. 544-4268.Email: [email protected] R. FRIENDS�� !� �� "!�� Email: [email protected], www.arfsxm.orgPHILIPSBURG JUBILEE LIBRARYCh.E.W.Vogestr. 12, Tel. 542-2970.Open: Mo: closed, Tu/We: 9-12.30 / 2-8,

Th: 2-8, Fr: 9-12.30 / 2-5, Sa: 10-1.WOMEN’S DESK, Frontstreet 141 (opposite Tel-Cell). Monday - Friday 9am-5pm. Tel: 542-7940, Fax: 542-7941.E-mail: [email protected] HAVEN, providing shelter and support to victims of family violence. POB 636; Hotline: 9333; Office 9277; Fax: 9368CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT, E.C. Richardson street 11-b; Tel. 542-1000/542-1008; Fax: 542-1001COAST GUARD NA&A, (24 HRS): 113LEGAL AID CENTER, Law Clinic, open every Saturday 9:00am - 12.00 noon. Free advise on personal legal issues. Administration Build-ing, tel. 5422337THE RED CROSS, ST. MAARTEN, Airport Road, #34 Simpson Bay, Tel. 545-2333/2304, Fax. 545-5263. Cell. 586-5330 (24/7) Email: [email protected] SALVATION ARMY Union Rd 59 Cole Bay POBox5184 Tel/fax:5445424 (721)544-5424 / 5534682 email: [email protected] Facebook: SXM Salvation ArmyST.MAARTEN CHAPTER OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN holds their general monthly meetings every third Monday at the Delta Hotel at 7:00 pm.DIABETES FOUNDATION OF ST. MAARTEN, Free blood-glucose testing every Thursday from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. at the Philips-burg Pharmacy Voges street, Philipsburg (op-posite library). Tel.: 542-3001USO St. Maarten/St. Martin (USA military), contact Janet Lambert 5577616 or 00590 590 294406.SKALCLUB ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN

meets 1st Tuesday of the month. For location call: 5424432 (Jennifer). St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality (SAFE) Tel: +1-721-5504221 www.safesxm.com facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safe.sxm G+: +safe sxm

POLICE MUNICIPALE tel. (00590) 590 87.61.55GENDARMERIEtel. (00590) 590 52.30.00/02FIRE DEPARTMENT tel. (00590) 590 52.30.40AMBULANCETel. (00590) 590 52-00-52Cell. (00590) 690 57-13-28Fax. (00590) 590 29-08-11HOSPITAL tel. (00590) 590 52 25 25DISPENSAIRE Marigot8 a.m. - 3p.m. tel. (00590) 590 87.50.93DISPENSAIRE Orléans8 a.m. - 3 p.m. tel. (00590) 590 87.37.21C.R.O.S.S. (Center, Research, Organization, Rescue, Security) is on stand by 24 hours at 0596 709292.SERVICE CLUBSROTARY Club Sunset restaurant, Grand Case Beach Club every Thursday at 7:45p.m.LIONS First and third Tuesday at Nadaillac, Marigot at 7.30 p.m.MUSEUM ST. MARTINlocated Fichot Street nr 7 (behind the Catholic Church) Open from 9am to 1pm, and from 3pm to 5pm tel. (00590)590 56.78.92.FRENCH HONORARY CONSUL, POBox 803, Philipsburg. Tel: (00590) 879989. Fax: (00590) 879625. E-mail: [email protected]

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Time to deliverThe Committee for Financial Supervision CFT noted that the capital investments approved for 2014 at the end of the year still had not been realised (see related story). This is an undesirable situation if only because interest is being paid on this money while it remains unutilised.It regards, among other things, 30 million guilders to buy part of Emilio Wilson Estate (EWE) and 22.5 million to complete and furnish the new Administration Building on Pond Island. Mind you, these things already were indicated as priorities back in 2013.One of St. Maarten’s most-often-heard complaints in the days of the former Netherlands Antilles was that the then-Island Territory could not contract loans unless through a government-owned company, while Curaçao did. It took close to four years of struggles with budgets by no fewer than three Finance Ministers to change this, since gaining country status in 2010.But now that the right to borrow fi nally has been achieved, proper use apparently is not being made of it. That certainly doesn’t create a perception of solid planning, also taking into account that governing is supposed to be looking ahead.Time for the local political establishment to deliver on these policy intentions is running out fast. Government simply needs to do what it says and say what it does.

WEATHER Today: Generally fair to partly cloudy and hazy, with a brief local show-er possible.Winds: East-Northeast to East, 8-14mph.Sea conditions: Light to moderate. Seas: 3-6 feet.Forecast high: 29°C 84°FForecast low: 24°C 75°FSYNOPSIS: A relatively dry, stable and hazy atmosphere will continue to limit rainfall activity. Shallow patches of low-level clouds embedded in the air fl ow may cause a local shower over St. Maarten. Sea condi-tions are expected to fl uctuate during the next few days. Therefore, small craft operators and sea bathers should be vigilant.SPECIAL FEATURES: None.Outlook until Wednesday evening: Fair to partly cloudy and hazy, with a local shower possible.Sunrise: 6:19am.Sunset: 6:23pm.

Date Vessel Place Arrival Departure Agent Mar. 17 Aidaluna Pier 6:30 18:00 MaduroMar. 17 Norwegian Getaway Pier 6:45 18:00 MaduroMar. 17 Disney Fantasy Pier 7:00 19:00 MaduroMar. 17 Independence of the Seas Pier 7:20 17:00 Maduro

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 3Islands

PHILIPSBURG--Today, March 17, is International Social Workers Day. Social workers are a dedicated group of people, working in various fields, to counsel and guide people. Social workers can be found in various organisa-tions, such as the depart-ment of Social Services, White and Yellow Cross, Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), Pointe Blanche Prison, the Miss Lalie Youth Care Centre, the Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten, schools, the Court of Guardianship and any oth-er place where someone may need a helping hand and guidance to find their way in society. International Social

In cooperation of Board (l-r) Mimi Hodge, Natasha Richardson, notary Meredith Boek-houdt Elencia Baptiste-Boasman and Richelda Rodriguez-Emannuel.

Workers Day, which this year has the theme “pro-moting dignity and worth of people,” is observed by the St. Maarten Social Work-ers Association (SSWA), which will celebrate this day, along with its one-year anniversary, on Saturday, March 21, at Boca Marina Restaurant in Simpson Bay. At the event, which is by invitation only, social workers will be honoured and one person will be an-nounced as Social Worker of the Year. During the event, guests will have the opportunity to learn from the experience of a guest speaker and a new board for the SSWA will be elect-ed. The SSWA was founded on March 18, 2014, on ini-tiative of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs. The organisation is governed by a board of five members and has the ob-

jective to promote, develop and protect social work. The board works hard to identify relevant training opportunities for SSWA members. The SSWA also gives advice and assistance to its members via “super-vision and inter-vision,” provides moral support, guidance and counselling for association members, organises social events, conducts marketing, pro-motion and establishes, stimulates and maintains relationships with other or-ganisations. Anyone requiring more in-formation, or anyone inter-ested in membership of the SSWA may contact [email protected]. The board of the SSWA wishes all Social Workers a happy Social Workers Day.

from prison escapes. The re-port also focusses on internal security, to the extent that a safe working environment for staff at the institutions is maintained as would be the case with the safety of pris-oners during their detention. An additional point of in-terest was the incident of September 11, 2014 at Pointe Blanche prison, where un-rests took place after a pris-oner was slashed with a self-made machete after he tried to shoot another inmate. His firearm jammed, and a thor-ough search of the facility re-vealed a second firearm. The Council is said to be im-pressed with the great dedi-cation, which many display in keeping the institutions operational, even under dif-ficult circumstances. The report mentioned that attention is being paid to construction initiatives that benefit safety and security. Since mid-2013, the facility in Pointe Blanche has begun renovation, taking place in phases. Progress is being made in in-troducing additional security and safety, by implementing mechanisms that would mini-mize the risks of escape. The report notes that tools such as camera surveillance and intercom promote the safety of both staff and inmates. An acceptable level of secu-rity and safety, however, calls for more than “bricks, bars and cameras. In areas other than construction and facili-ties, an extremely worrisome

situation is present. Three structural factors affect se-curity and safety within the prisons in a negative man-ner: understaffing, quality and integrity of personnel,” the report specified. On the basis of its research, the Council has presented 15 recommendations to address the current situation. Each of these recommendations is to contribute to marked improvements. “Substantial effect, however, will only be achieved when this multifac-eted issue is approached in-tegrally,” the council warned. In 2011, the Progress Com-mittee of St. Maarten which monitors action plans ad-opted in the framework of the constitutional reform of 2010, expressed doubts re-garding the resolving of the problem of shortage of de-tention locations without the assistance of the Kingdom partners. The Council now doubts whether St. Maarten, with-out employing the opportu-nities available through its Kingdom partners, will be able to solve the challenges regarding detention capacity as well as that of safety and security of the institutions. The scope and dimension of the problem, and the extent to which it has been conse-quently lagging behind in following up on findings and recommendations, are not a cause for optimism of the Council.

Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson (left) receiving report from Franklyn Richards, Representative of the Council on Law Enforcement (centre) and Gerard van Voorst, Chief Inspector of the office of the Council on Law Enforcement on St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG--Repre-sentatives of the Council of Law Enforcement on Mon-day presented its report “the security and the safety in the detentions facilities of St. Maarten” to Minister of Jus-tice Dennis Richardson. Presenting the report to the minister were Franklyn Richards, representative of the Council of Law Enforce-ment and Gerard van Voorst, Chief Inspector of the office of the Council of Law En-forcement on St. Maarten. The report was drafted in the wake of the Council hav-ing examined the security of, and the safety in Pointe Blanche and Simpson Bay prisons. In addition, at the request of the Minister of Justice, the Council investi-gated a serious violent inci-dent that took place on Sep-tember 11, 2014, within the walls of the Point Blanche facility. The report underscores that the importance of security and safety in prisons cannot be underestimated. “Soci-ety should be able to rely on the fact that incarceration of convicted criminals will have its judicial effect and pro-tect society against further crimes. The government has the duty to ensure the safety of personnel in the work-place of facilities and a safe confinement of detainees,” said the report. The focus of the report is not only placed on communi-ty safety, taking into consid-eration eventual protection

P H I L I P S B U R G - - S t . Maarten Police Force, via a press release, has given the latest results of its most re-cent increased traffic con-trols. On Wednesday, March 11, the police department started its control on motor vehicles with unpaid road tax. “To date a total of 150 motor vehicles have been controlled. A total of 90

fines have been given and a total of 42 vehicles have been towed,” the press re-lease stated. “The controls will continue and intensify. All motor vehicle opera-tors should make sure the road tax for their vehicle has been paid and all other documents are in order. This information is to avoid any unnecessary inconve-nience,” the police con-cluded.

4 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Islands

PHILIPSBURG--Surinam-ese financial group and par-ent company of Gulf Insur-ances Assuria NV recently acquired majority shares in Mega Insurance Co. Ltd., a key player in the life insur-ance industry in Trinidad and Tobago. The acquisition is expect-ed to further strengthen its investment position in Caribbean markets. The strategic move is in line with the regional develop-ment and expansion strat-egy of Assuria and is aimed to further invest in the fast evolving insurance markets and to continue to provide customers with state of the art insurance products and services. The Central Banks of Su-riname and of Trinidad and Tobago both approved the acquisition whereby As-suria obtained 77 per cent of the shares in Mega In-surance. The takeover will bring financial strength and technological expertise to Mega Insurance, while the Assuria Group will now have an ideal platform for

expanding its life insur-ances operations in wider Caribbean markets. According to a press re-lease, the acquisition will create good opportunities for Assuria’s subsidiary company Gulf Insurance that is currently operat-ing in different Caribbean territories including St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eusta-tius and Curacao. Gulf St. Maarten branch manager Nadira Hellen-

doorn said: “We are very pleased with the strategic alliance between Assuria and MEGA and we look forward to work together with the dedicated and knowledgeable staff of our new sister company for the further enhancement of our insurance portfolio. Collaborations like this will add value to our operations and is something our cus-tomers will definitely ben-efit from.”

Management of Assuria/Gulf. From left: Mario Merhai, Angela Lee Loy, Albert Tom Yew, Ste-phen Smit (Chairman), Armand Achaibersing, Suniel Nandpersad, Jason Clarke and Martin Jim.

POND ISLAND--TelEm Group’s Technical Depart-ment has informed that there will be a series of quality assessment tests on the company’s copper network, starting in Simp-son Bay Tuesday night and ending in Belvedere during the early hours Thursday morning. The assessments are be-ing carried out to evaluate the signal strengths of the

copper network in prepara-tion for a new ADSL net-work infrastructure to meet increasing demands for TelEm Group’s high-speed Internet service. Work, during which tem-porary interruption in voice and Internet service can be expected, is scheduled to begin between 12:00 mid-night and 5:00am on Tues-day, March 17, in Simpson Bay, Cole Bay and Cupe-coy; Wednesday, March 18, in Philipsburg, Pointe Blanche and Cay Hill and Thursday, March 19, in Eb-enezer, Dawn Beach and Belvedere. TelEm Group manage-ment has meantime apolo-gised to customers for any inconvenience caused.

PHILIPSBURG--The 2014 winners of the Annual Cul-ture Time (ACT) Awards, the island’s longest unin-terrupted cultural awards, “are practically all new faces,” according to hosts Fabian Badejo and Rhoda Arrindell. Winners were an-nounced on Sunday during radio magazine programme Culture Time. The dance award went to first time nominee, young St. Maarten dancer Kyle Patrick. He has been de-scribed by Broadway star Nicole de Weever as “amaz-ing” and by renowned dancer/choreographer and National Institute of Arts (NIA) co-director Clara Reyes as “spectacular.” Another first time nomi-nee, actor Jesus Richard-son took the Theatre/Film award, for his work in the hit South African play, Siz-we Banzi is Dead, directed by Felix Fleming, while the Red Eye Crew (R.E.C) won in the Music category. The band repeated as winners of the Video of the Year. Art teacher Henry Thom-as received the Fine Arts Award for his work in grooming a new genera-tion of artists, while prolific “grassroots” poet Raymond Helligar, won the Literature Award. Helligar (“Big Ray”) first erupted on the literature scene with his “dialect po-ems” published by House of Nehesi in the seminal anthology “Where I See the Sun – Contemporary Poetry from St. Martin,” and has been a fixture since, with a growing popular following. The prestigious Culture Time “Person of the Year” award went to radio per-sonality, and cultural activ-ist Jacques Hamlet (“Billie D”), while the “Lifetime Achievement Award” was bestowed posthumously to

Annual Culture Time (ACT) Dance Award Winner Kyle Patrick (right) and dance partner Mallika Bauman (left). Lovis Ostenrik photo. Madam Mingau, founder/director of Grain d’Or, a well-established folkloric dance group. Other winners include the Marcus Garvey Grassroots School, which won in two categories – Cultural Or-ganisation of the Year and Youth Organisation of the Year. It is the only other group, besides REC, to win in two categories. The ACT Award for DJ of the Year went to DJ Ricky, with Control Band be-ing adjudged “Band of the Year.” The St. Martin Song of the Year was “My Baby Yolo” by Oswald, with the “Foreign Song of the Year” going to Mr. Killer for his “Rolly Polly” which many consider the unofficial Road March for Carnival 2014. The Fashion award this year went to Zillah Duzon Hazel, while the Chef of the Year was won by Maranatha Leconte. Patron of the Year went to GEBE, for sponsor-ing multiple cultural events. The prestigious, non-mon-etary, non-material awards now in its 18th consecutive year, recognises cultural workers in various fields for their excellence, consisten-cy, and impact throughout the year.

“We’re keeping a close watch on all those engaged in the cultural life of the island year-round,” said Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, who added that “although we do not give statuettes or cash prizes, it is our own way of saying, ‘well-done, keep up the good works’ to the win-ners and nominees as well.”

PHILIPSBURG--Milton Peters College (MPC) and Sundial School in collabora-tion with the school board SVOBE are finalising the preparations for their open house scheduled for Sat-urday, March 21, at their respective locations from 10:00am to 1:00pm. The open house will be held under the theme: “Let’s edu-cate.” The event is targeting primary school pupils, their parents and the public. The school urges the public to attend the open house to see the various sectors the two institutions currently of-fer and listen to advice and the information that will be presented. Additional infor-mation can be obtained by visiting SVOBE’s website at: www.svobe.org.


NAf. 4.15 million allocated for MPs’ salaries, NAf. 1.53 million for faction staff and related cost, allowances and payment to former MPs NAf. 1.96 million, travel NAf. 1.04 million, rent for Parliament House NAf. 1.13 million, secretar-iat salaries NAf. 1.6 million and related cost NAf. 1.33 million and NAf. 75,000 for legal and other expert ad-vices. No division has yet been made for the reduced bud-get Parliament has to work with, said Wescot-Williams. She and faction advisor hotelier Emil Lee share the view that cuts must be made and serious research must be carried out into the application of the law

that allocates allowances and other benefi ts to for-mer MPs. The law does not make a distinction between an MP who was not re-elected and one who opted not to contest an election. In either case, allowances can be claimed for a stipu-lated period of time. The amount in the original budget for legal and other expert advices is miniscule compared with Parlia-ment’s travel budget. Lee said Parliament needs to address its priorities. Possible cuts can come in the area of travel and MPs’ salaries. Wescot-Williams said she’s “open” to a dis-cussion about MPs’ sala-ries, but stopped short of saying if she is willing to

take a pay cut. The original budget of Parliament which was ad-justed by the Finance Min-istry was compiled in the last Parliamentary term and was already with the minis-try when the current MPs took offi ce on October 10, 2014. Meanwhile, Parliament’s fi nances are still handled by the Finance Ministry. The legislature does not have a fi nance/accounting department of its own and no attempt has been made to establish one since the inception of Parliament in October 2010. This leaves MPs to make requests for all disbursements, even faction supplies to govern-ment. Wescot-Williams also re-iterated her stance about the need for labour and re-lated statistics from govern-ment to support its push to implement the counterpart policy. The policy seeks to place unemployed Dutch nationals as counterpart to foreign workers in special-ized jobs. She does not be-lieve the counterpart policy will in any way create job space for university gradu-ates who want to return home.

SIMPSON BAY--The new-ly fl edged Medical Duty Offi cers (MDO) of the St. Maarten Ambulance Ser-vice on Monday fi nished their training with an exam, which consisted of three parts. The fi rst part was com-pleted on Friday, during an exercise in which the trainee MDOs were judged on their skills in command and control, medical units and situational leadership within the organisation and

management of a disaster. Friday’s portion of the exam was conducted in a training exercise in which the MDOs had to work to-gether with team leaders of the Netherlands Royal Ma-rines. On Monday they fi nalised the exam, fi rst with another scenario-based exercise which entailed all aspects of their jobs as Medical Duty Offi cers. This was fol-lowed by each candidate giving a presentation on

Friday afternoon, setting out a subject involving risk factors in regard to disaster management on the island. The trainers and men-tors were very much satis-fi ed with the efforts and the achievements of the MDOs, which were dis-played during the differ-ent phases of the exam. All candidates passed their as-sessment with outstanding results.

The newly qualifi ed Medical Duty Offi cers, joined by their trainers, colleagues and project manager, pose with their certifi cates.

PHILIPSBURG--Disciples Toastmasters have recently introduced a method giving people the opportunity to present in front of three au-diences in 45 minutes and receive feedback on practi-cally every public speaking aspect from three different groups. During a recent meeting held at St. Maarten Acad-emy, the Club organised a special event similar to speed dating, which was called “Speech Station”. Three stations were set up with a speaker and an evalu-ation team for each station. Speakers were required to deliver their presentation on three separate occasions and received evaluations from each team. Patricia Peter, Johnny Joe and Sharon Layne were featured speakers. They said to be delighted with the opportunity to receive feedback and improve as

they delivered their speech-es. The concept was initiated by the club’s Vice Presi-dent Education, Kimasha Williams. President Linda Moise-Flanders expressed her satisfaction in the man-ner in which the grounds of St. Maarten Academy were transformed into speaking stations for the purpose of the meeting and how smoothly the evaluation teams moved from one station to the next, provid-ing valuable feedback. She thanked all members from other Toastmasters clubs who came out and support-ed the initiative. Disciples Toastmasters Club meets every sec-ond and fourth Sunday at 4:45pm at St. Maarten Academy academic sec-tion in St. Peters. The club is open and anyone is wel-come to join.

Pie chart created by DP shows Parliament’s allocations in its original budget.

COPING WITH REDUCED BUDGET Continued from page 1.

6 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015


P H I L I P S B U R G - -T h e twenty police recruits who are currently undergoing their basic training were sworn in by Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson during a short ceremony on Monday, March 16, a po-lice press release stated. The ceremony took place in the conference room of the Police Headquarters in Philipsburg. After the recruits were sworn in, the minister gave the recruits a stern message regarding integrity and the respon-sibilities they have to take on when carrying out their

WILLEMSTAD--An emer-gency room nurse of Cura-çao’s St. Elisabeth Hospital was found murdered late Sunday night. She ap-peared to have succumbed to stab wounds inflicted by an unknown assailant. Po-lice are busy investigating, reported 721news.com . The lifeless body of Cris-tina Hogesteger-Barry was found at her home on Kaya Misa Alegre in the district

of Bonam. The motive for the crime is unknown. It is suggested that robbery was not the motive, because the nurse’s purse was on the crime scene and her car was still in the yard where her body was found. Police and ambulance per-sonnel rushed to Bonam af-ter a call about the discov-ery of a woman lying face down with no sign of life. Hogesteger-Barry’s death left family on Curaçao and

St. Maarten in deep shock. The owner of Barry’s Welding Shop is her uncle. Hogesteger-Barry is the second member of her family to lose their life in a violent way. More than 20 years ago, the St. Maarten welding shop owner’s neph-ew, the brother of nurse Hogesteger-Barry, was murdered execution style on the French side garbage dump.

The stabbing victim. (photo courtesy Mariano Heyden)

duty. Chief of Police Pe-ter de Witte, Acting Chief of Police Carl John, Acad-emy Coordinator Inspector Keturah Brown, Class-in-structor Inspector Norwin Villareal, along with other

colleagues were also pres-ent during the ceremony. Peter de Witte spoke brief-ly to the recruits encourag-ing them to put their best foot forward and make St. Maarten proud.

CUL DE SAC--The St. Maarten Police Force has announced that the Emilio Wilson Estate shooting range will be used for the training of new recruits, a police press release stated. “In connection with the training presently ongoing for the recruits of the Police Force of St. Maarten, the entire community is hereby informed that a section of the property of the Emilio Wilson Estate will be used as a shooting range,” the press release specified.

“The section of property that will be used is the same section that was formerly used as a shooting range. These trainings will take place on Saturdays from 8:00am until 12:00pm. The community should take note of this information and pay attention when in the area.”

PHILIPSBURG--First Re-sponse will be holding its first Interscholastic Art Compe-tition amongst teenage stu-dents from May 1 to May 30 in an effort to raise aware-ness about safety and secu-rity in the community. The competition will have several rounds with the finals being held at the Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa on May 30, where the first, second and third place winners will be pre-sented with their prizes. Stu-dents between the ages of 13 and 18 are eligible to partici-pate. First Response said in-structions have been given to all participating schools and

students have begun working on their art pieces. For the competition stu-dents will be required to artistically depict their best concept of safety and securi-ty in the community in an art piece entitled: “Secure, Pro-tect, Prevent.” The winner’s art piece will be displayed in First Response’s showroom. The competition is intended to raise awareness amongst schools, parents and guard-ians about “the extreme re-sponsibility that is placed upon them to guide these young people correctly and also to make the young peo-ple aware of the harsh effects crime has on our commu-

nity.” First Response said it has decided to showcase the tal-ent of the country’s young people, while educating them about safety and secu-rity. “We believe this will be a great opportunity to join together as a community to educate, spread awareness and build confidence within the young people by expos-ing their talents,” First Re-sponse said. The first place winner will receive an IP camera system (consisting of eight camer-as) for the school; an alarm System Kit for the winning students’ home and an iPad and wireless camera for the student. Second place winner will re-ceive an analog camera sys-tem (with four cameras) for the school; a smart-phone and wireless camera for the student. Third place win-ner will receive two wireless cameras for the school and a PlayStation game console for the student. First Response said it has drawn a genuine concern for the safety of our community within the past year “due to the drastic increase” in the crime rate in St. Maarten. “Not only has the crime rate increased, but also our young people have become more and more involved in these criminal acts. We now know the importance of the say-ing, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ We all play a role in the development, desires and decisions of our young people. By making a change in our young people today; we will automatically make a change in our future.” First Response urges the public, parents and teach-ers to support, motivate and guide students during the competition. Additional information can be obtained from First Re-sponse at tel. 543-4778 or visit their Facebook page for updates on the competition: www.facebook.com/myfir-stresponse .

Governor Eugene Holiday recently received a copy of the 2015 edition of the Tax Codes, a document published by tax lawyers Meijburg and Co Caribbean. The up-to-date tax legislation for Curaçao, St. Maarten, Aruba, the Ca-ribbean Netherlands and Suriname are published in sepa-rate books that encompass the 12 editions of the tax code. The first edition of the tax codes was published in 1974 by Faroe Metry. Stichting Publicaties Meijburg and Co Ca-ribbean has been publishing the compilation of tax laws since 2004. Meijburg and Co Caribbean is a member firm of KPMG International. In photo: Governor Eugene Holi-day, Meijburg and Co Caribbean Tax Partner Wendell J. Meriaan and Tax Manager in St. Maarten Quincy Lont.


Continued from page 1.

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Section Employment Per-mits when applying for a renewal or first time em-ployment permits. The department will also provide “clear informa-tion” to job seekers as it relates “to the assessment results and job search ac-tivities executed on their behalf by the job placement team.” Labour Affairs said the information given to job seekers is important as 60 per cent of the clients of Social Services belong to the labour market and are therefore eligible for em-ployment. “This informa-tion is valuable insight for the team at Social Services in accordance with existing legislation as some of the job seekers may be receiv-ing financial assistance or plan on applying for finan-cial assistance,” the release said. The new procedures are being introduced in light of the “steady increase” in the number of “vacancies registered” monthly in con-nection with employment permit applications. Head of Labour Affairs and Social Services Peggy-Ann Dros said recently that 90 per cent of the vacancies registered in 2014 were in connection with an employ-ment permit request. She said this demand on the department has resulted in

the need for “more concise and accountable adminis-tration to address the needs of all clients utilising the various job placement and employment permit ser-vices.” On March 30, in accor-dance with legislation, the department will also provide more detailed guidelines to the business community as it relates to article 9 of the National Or-dinance which reads: “the company needs to demon-strate that sufficient effort has been exerted to source suitable applicants from the local labour force.” “The department will re-quire all businesses per this date to adhere to a few ad-ditional stipulations, which will be monitored closely by the various sections.” In anticipation of the implementation date the department will host an information session for in-vited guests and the pub-lic about the new working procedures. “The infor-mation is important for persons charged with the administration for Human Resources Affairs and the processing of employment permits.” The department urges the public to monitor the gov-ernment information page during the coming weeks as more information will be made available.

P H I L I P S B U R G - - S t . Maarten Carnival De-velopment Foundation (SCDF) on Monday pre-sented the first copies of the 2015 Carnival sched-ule to the management of Scotiabank, the sponsor of the schedule for almost twenty years. SCDF also presented Bank Manager Raymond Green with one of its uniform shirts for 2015 which Scotiabank also sponsored again this year. “We cannot express enough gratitude to Sco-tia for standing with the foundation for so many years. A true, dedicated partner that we can always count on,” SCDF Presi-dent Mike Granger said.

“Even in a day and age when so much is strictly digital, people clamour for these schedules. Hotel properties, airlines and other businesses make good use of them. They will be distributed island wide,” he said. Granger said the part-nership with Scotia goes past the provision of the schedules and uniform shirts. “Scotia is also where we conduct our business and they’ve been very, very good to the SCDF. Their staff is be-yond cooperative with the SCDF, often giving our re-quests priority treatment and giving sound, honest banking advice,” Granger said while singling out

Business Banking Man-ager Nicole Hodge and Business Banking Officer Samantha Blaize for their steadfast support. Green said that Scotia is very pleased to be able to continue supporting St. Maarten’s Carnival. “Let me take this opportunity to commend Mike and the committee for the great efforts put forth to grow and improve Carnival. We at Scotiabank are commit-ted to giving back to the community and are very pleased to be part of this important cultural event. We wish all St. Maarten-ers a great and safe Car-nival.”

From left: SCDF Vice President Edwardo Radjouki, Business Banking Officer Samantha Blaize, Bank Manager Raymond Green, Business Banking Manager Nicole Hodge and SCDF President Mike Granger.

U T R E C H T- - D a m i e n Schmidt, a young profession-al in the Netherlands origi-nating from St. Eustatius, and the Caribbean student association CSV on Saturday concluded a successful two-part entrepreneurship work-shop in Utrecht. Ten mostly-senior students and young professionals from the islands attended the event which focused on the so-called business model canvas and the business vali-dation board. The intention of the workshop was to in-troduce participants to en-trepreneurship and to help them develop their idea of starting up their own busi-ness, explained facilitator Schmidt. “We taught the participants how to work out their plans, how to communicate and ap-proach potential clientele. They then had to test, speak to outsiders about their busi-ness plan, and further devel-op their idea,” said Schmidt, owner of marketing and communications company DASTRU Consulting. The first part of the work-shop, held on February 28, started off with a segment called entrepreneurs church, which served as a motiva-tional, inspiring instrument to jump into the actual work-shop. The second part of the workshop on March 14, started with a recap, fol-lowed by presentations of business plans which were judged by Schmidt and Jef-frey Williams of CSV based on viability and from an in-vestor’s perspective. Rolph

Frolijk was the winner. Schmidt said the workshop clearly demonstrated that there was a need for these kinds of workshops, not only among senior students and young professionals from the Dutch Caribbean in the Netherlands, but also in St. Eustatius where he held a similar workshop in January

this year. On the request of CSV, Schmidt hosted a workshop on branding in March 2014. “It went well, so we agreed to do another one,” said Schmidt. CSV is a non-profit organisation with the objec-tive to help students achieve their (academic) goals in the Netherlands.

PERMIT PROCEDURES


2014 Executing Report that this was largely due to loans that had been secured to fi-nance investments that had been pre-financed from 2010 to 2012. This surplus could be used to strengthen Govern-ment’s cash position. How-ever, these loans, NAf. 30 million for Emilio Wilson Park and NAf. 22.5 mil-lion for the Government Building on Pond Island, put an unnecessary interest burden on the current ac-count. The CFT calculated that the current account has a cumulative deficit of NAf. 52 million since St. Maarten attained country status on October 10, 2010. The CFT emphasised the importance of drafting a realistic capital account and having a prudent loan policy. The CFT requested that Government indicate in subsequent reports how the money of the contract-ed loans had been used so it could check whether the in-vestments for which funds had been borrowed were had been realised. Aside from the anticipated NAf. 8 million shortfall over 2014, the CFT also indicat-ed its concerns about the increase of personnel ex-penses in 2014, which were 10 per cent higher than budgeted. The anticipated reduction of overtime pay-ments and other personnel cost did not materialise in 2014. To the contrary, the personnel expenses over 2014 were NAf. 17.4 mil-lion higher than budgeted. Especially the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry

of Public Health, Social Development and Labour spent much more on over-time than anticipated: NAf. 9.6 million and NAf. 7.4 million respectively. The CFT urged Government to take measures to contain the exceeding cost of over-time in the future. Meanwhile, the antici-pated revenue-increasing measures through dividend payments from govern-ment-owned companies of about NAf. 19 million did not materialise in 2014, as a result of which higher expenditures could not be compensated. Government raised NAf. 430.2 million in rev-enues while expenditures amounted to NAf. 438.4 million. This brings the pre-liminary result for 2014 to a negative balance of NAf. 8.2 million. The CFT also was worried about government’s cash position and the payment arrears. The payment ar-rears of the St. Maarten Government at the end of 2014 amounted to some NAf. 200 million, mostly to the Social and Health In-surance SZV (NAf. 87 mil-lion) and the St. Maarten Pension Fund APS (NAf. 70 million). There also is a dispute between Government and the APS and SZV of some NAf. 75 million. “The total payment ar-rears are about half the size of the budget, which is unacceptable,” stated CFT Chairman Age Bakker in his March 12 letter. CFT urged Government

during consultations last month to find a prompt so-lution for the payment of these arrears and to reach an agreement with APS and SZV before the end of May. The proceeds from the division of assets of the former country the Neth-erlands Antilles probably will not be enough to cover the payment arrears, so al-ternatives will have to be looked at. Also, a struc-tural solution is needed to further strengthen the cash position, the CFT stated.

Horses were spotted trekking across Simpson Bay Causeway during the weekend. The causeway, since its opening a year ago, has been a popular place for joggers, walkers, bicy-clers and now it appears horses and their tenders. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Berger)

PHILIPSBURG--The Ro-tary Club of St. Maarten Sunrise hosted a luncheon at the Waikiki Beach Res-taurant for all foster par-ents, owners of foster homes and mentors on St. Maarten. The purpose of the luncheon was to offer them a fun-filled day and to express admiration for the task they took on volun-tarily. Foster parents take on a very responsible task to care for children who, for varying reasons, can-not stay with their biologi-cal parents. They take on the role of a parent and in addition, also the role of a social worker, a counsellor and a mentor. From the smallest ba-bies up to 17-year-olds are

placed in their care to help raise them to become re-sponsible adult citizens of St. Maarten. The event was an opportunity for the par-ents and mentors to meet; a moment of bonding and sharing experiences. Dr. Virginia Asin, Presi-dent of the Rotary Club St. Maarten Sunrise, in her address complimented the parents and the mentors for the noble work they do. “Rotarians are guided in their lives and professions by the four-way-test” said President Virginia. “You are here today, because, although you are not Ro-tarians, you passed the test with flying colours. This is our way of saying thank you and to encourage you to

keep doing what you do,” Asin continued. Amongst the guests at the luncheon were Rotary’s Assistant District Gover-nor Rebecca Low, with members of the Vocational Training Team from Cana-da that are currently visit-ing St. Maarten for work-shops with school children and teachers in several ar-eas. Also at the luncheon were Rotarians and spouses of Rotarians, the President of Rotaract Sunrise, Micaela Hart and some of her ro-taract fellows. Among the guests were also a represen-tative of the Family Guard-ianship and the Director of the Court of Guardianship Richelda Emanuel.

The organising committee consisted of Service Direc-tor Agnes Mary Kapoor, Membership Director Oka-ma Ekpe Brook and Rotary Fellow Valda Woodley Ha-zel. The parents and mentors received an award of appre-ciation for their work. The Rotary Club also expressed special thanks to the Man-ager of the Waikiki Beach Restaurant, for sponsoring the event. Rotary Sunrise meets at Philipsburg Jubilee Library Conference Room every Tuesday at 7:00am for fel-lowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email [email protected].

LOAN INVESTMENTS Continued from page 1.

10 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Islands

has not been successful in locating her. The family members have now decided to go public.” The police are requesting that anyone who may have any information or may know Cathuisca’s where-

Cathuisca Arrindell (19) has been missing since September 2014.

abouts come forward and contact the police at tel. 542-2222 ext. 128 to share this information. Calls also may be made anonymously to the tip line tel. 9300 and will not be traced.

SIMPSON BAY--In ac-cordance with the Interna-tional Ship and Port Secu-rity (ISPS) Code, The Yacht Club Isle de Sol, of Island Global Yachting (IGY), pro-vided their contract security staff of Insema Group NV with a scheduled ISPS Code training on Friday, February 27. The training was facilitated by local Recognized Secu-rity Support Organization (RSSO) Ossem Solutions NV at the National Institute for Professional Advance-ment (NIPA) in Cay Hill. “With this training the pro-fessional standards of The Yacht Club Isle de Sol will continue with the goal to not only meet the mandated compliance, but to exceed these standards and provide a safe, secure and enjoyable haven for all those who visit,” said Isle de Sol via press re-lease. Most recently, Isle de Sol in-formed that it also complied with national and interna-tional security requirements in regard to updating their Security Management Pro-gramme, which consists of

Port Risk Assessments and Port Facility Security Plans through their Security Advi-sor Ossem Solutions. Isle de Sol will continue with various other trainings throughout the year and are presently in the planning phase of conducting a Bomb Threat Drill for Marina per-sonnel and stakeholders. Director of Marina Op-erations and Planning for IGY Marinas Brian Deher commented that “We are extremely pleased with the level of commitment and training that the Insema N.V. guards have demonstrated and we are thankful to have professional security consult-ing locally available on St. Maarten rather than having to incur the added expense to fly security experts in from abroad. “IGY has been working with Ossem Solutions N.V. on our ISPS compliancy for over a year now and we’ve had tre-mendous results. “Ossem Solutions has helped IGY find a balance between heightened levels of security, while simultaneous-ly working with us to improve

customer service which is of-ten times sacrificed in order to achieve the levels of se-curity needed in order to be ISPS compliant.” When asked about the cost to run training programmes and to maintain ISPS com-pliancy, Deher was quoted as saying that “our cost are in line with those of previous

years and our forecasts going forward are based on nomi-nal increases associated with cost-of-living escalations and depreciating assets that may need to be upgraded or re-placed, but other than that there are no material chang-es to our general security budget anticipated.”

PHILIPSBURG--March 18 is Aruba Flag Day and the Chuchubi Foundation on St. Maarten will once again be bringing all Arubans and lov-ers of Aruba together to cel-ebrate this Aruban national holiday. However, despite or-ganising a range of activities, the board of the Chuchubi Foundation will not be hold-ing a motorcade this year. On Tuesday, March 17, from 7:00pm until 9:00pm, the Chuchubi Foundation will be holding its award ceremony and a book launch, and will

be screening a documentary on Calypso in Aruba. Wednesday, March 18, is the big day. Between 6:00am and 7:00am interested parties are invited to join the Chu-chubi Foundation at Philips-burg Methodist Church for a church service, followed by the hoisting of the St. Maarten and Aruba flags. After the service, between7:00am and 7:30am, a light snack will be served on the grounds of Philipsburg Methodist Church. From 7:00pm until mid-night, the Aruba Day Meet and Greet party will take place at Soualiga Restaurant in the Emilio Wilson Park, where music will be provided by DJ Eazy Rick. The Chuchubi Foundation is looking forward to see-ing many people enjoy their event, to which everyone is invited, and is thanking all in advance for their support.

PHILIPSBURG--Parlia-ment’s Permanent Commit-tee on Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs now meets St. Maarten Li-ons Club on the topic of underage alcohol drinking and parental responsibil-ity on Friday, March 20, in Parliament House starting at 9:00am. The meeting was originally planned for today, Tuesday. The second agenda point for the meeting is approval of the decision lists of the committee so far for the 2014-2015 parliamentary year. The committee meeting is open to the public and will be live on St. Maarten Ca-ble TV Channel 120, Pearl Radio FM 98.1, www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org .

GIRL MISSING Continued from page 1.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 11

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The Ocean Cleanup Foundation representatives (second, seventh from left) alongside Captain (third from left) and crew of the Wylde Swan, anchored locally. (Darlene Hodge/ The Daily Herald photo)

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The Ocean Cleanup Foundation’s floating barriers at sea, strategically placed to collect plastic fragments. The Ocean Cleanup Foundation file photo.

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The Ocean Cleanup Foundation Multilevel Trawls Techni-cian Mario Merkus holds a trawl filter. (Darlene Hodge/ The Daily Herald photo)

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A multilevel trawl being submerged into the sea. The Ocean Cleanup Foundation file photo.

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The Ocean Cleanup Foundation’s floating barriers at sea, strategically placed to collect plastic fragments. The Ocean Cleanup Foundation file photo.

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SIMPSON BAY--A two-man team of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, an organisation with the goal of fuelling “the world’s fight against oceanic plastic pollution, by initiating the largest clean-up in history” left St. Maarten last week aboard the Wylde Swan, on its journey straight through the North Atlantic Garbage Patch which will end in the Azores, Portugal. In 2014, founder of The Ocean Cleanup Boyan Slat, who presented the concept at TEDxDelft when he was 17, became the youngest winner of the United Na-tion’s top environmental accolade, the Champion of the Earth award for this project. Expedition Chief Scientist and Multilevel Trawls Tech-nician Mario Merkus were on the island for the start of the voyage, engaging in vessel adjustments for trawl

deployment and training, alongside Captain Jeroen Peters, staff and teenage trainees of the Wylde Swan, the largest two-masted top-sail schooner in the world hosting on-board educa-tional programmes. Their aim is to gather data on the vertical distribution of buoyant ocean plastics across different sea states. The proposed trajectory of the voyage will have to take various sailing conditions into consideration, but the intention is to navigate the target area for as long as possible. This will be the first time the Wylde Swan is accom-modating the Foundations on such a voyage and prep-arations such as setting up the multilayer trawls need to be done per ship. These trawls can range in length depending on sea condi-tions and are deployed to collect small plastic frag-

ments, known as micro-plastics, floating at differ-ent levels along the ocean’s surface. Preliminary results of the Foundation’s first two expe-ditions and data collected during a third expedition in May 2014 showed that most plastic in the ocean is within reachable clean-up depths. Slat co-authored the study, which was published in the Journal of Bio geosciences. Concentration of micro-plastics have commonly been estimated using sur-face nets that only sample the top few centimetres of seawater, however, taking into account wind-driven mixing, there is a need to use the deeper, multilevel trawls to accurately gage pollution levels. The team will collect micro-plastic through the trawls, collect and freeze samples and record any variables such as location

and different environmen-tal conditions for further research. This will also help to design and assess the Foundation’s clean-up plat-forms, including the depth of the platforms’ booms. The Ocean Clean-up is based in the Netherlands. It develops technologies to extract, prevent and inter-cept plastic pollution. The Foundation has come up with a feasible and cost-effective method, through floating barriers strategi-cally placed according to the patterns of currents, to remove half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 10 years’ time, after having worked with a team of 100 volunteering scientists and engineers. “Why move through the oceans, if the oceans can move through you? An ar-ray of floating barriers first catches and concentrates the debris, enabling a plat-form to efficiently extract the plastic afterwards...an estimated 7,900 times faster and 33 times cheaper than conventional meth-ods. The Ocean Cleanup now works towards a large-scale and operational pilot in 3-4 years’ time.” The Foundation, citing the United Nations Environ-ment Programme (UNEP) and other studies, quanti-fies the plastic pollution problem as follows: Mil-lions of tons of plastic have entered the oceans; Plastic concentrates in five rotat-ing currents, called gyres and in these gyres there is, on average six times more plastic than zooplankton by dry weight. “Instead of going after the plastic – which would take many thousands of years and billions of dollars to complete – The Ocean Cleanup uses long floating barriers to let the ocean currents concentrate the plastic itself.” For more information, see http://www.theoceanclean-up.com.



Cu13b:Left to right: Island Council members Reuben Merkman, Millicent Lijfrock-Marsdin, El-vin Henriques, Island Governor Gerald Berkel, Franklin Brown, Adelka Spanner, Com-missioners Carlyle Tearr and Reginald Zaandam, with (front right) Teacher Chriselma Woodley and her students of the Lynch Plantation Seventh Day Adventist School at the government legislative hall.

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ANGUILLAEMERGENCYPolice 911Fire 911 Ambulance 911Police Station 497 2333Hospital 497 2551Dental clinic 497 2343Radio Anguilla 497 2218Tourism Department 497 2759Crimestoppers 0800 7777777AIRLINESAmerican Eagle 497 3501Winair 497 2748Liat 497 5000Air Anguilla 497 2643Trans Anguilla 497 8690COURIER SERVICEDHL 497 3400Federal Express 497 2719UPS 497 2239SERVICE CLUBSRotary Club of Anguilla Meets at Da Vida every Thursay at 6.00 p.m.Soroptimist InternationalDay Care Centre4.30 p.m. 2nd Tuesday in each month Tel: 497 3509Lions Club Meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesdayat 5.30 p.m. at the Arts and Crafts Centre Tel: 497 6259Interact Club of AnguillaMeets every Friday at 3.15 p.m.at theAlbena Lake Hodge Comprehensive SchoolToasmaster clubmeets every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 6.45 p.m. at La Vue,South Hill

ST. EUSTATIUS-- Dur-ing the recently held Island Council Meeting in the Vin-cent Astor Lopes Legisla-tive Hall, children of group 4 from Lynch Plantation Sev-enth Day Adventist School, along with their teacher

Chriselma Woodley-Adams, paid a visit to the hall where the children were given an idea about what happens in the island government and the processes adhered to by members of the Island and Executive Council. Council

members took time to speak to the children, ask ques-tions and to pose with them for a photograph. Island Governor Gerald Berkel was also involved when he visited the chil-dren on the school grounds.

WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao coalition party PAIS presented a draft “Repair Ordinance” to re-establish all those laws that were unduly placed on the so-called “negative list” with the transition country status on October 10, 2010. Rather than be restored by ministerial decree, the PAIS-fraction in Parliament believes they have to go through a special legisla-tive procedure. “Shortly after October 10, 2010, when Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom, we all ob-served that with the transition to a new country some serious mis-takes were made.” According to the coalition party, these errors have caused great damage to Curaçao’s legal system. Some ordinances that are very important for the country and other laws that are important for certain sectors were placed on the negative list. The latter means these regulations no longer exist and people are not able to call upon them. They were inadvertently with-drawn and cannot be revived by amending the list. Restoration of these laws (in their original condition) by un-doing the “expiration” is legally not possible. “Once it’s gone, it cannot be undone. Recovery is possible only by creating a new regulation.” The laws in question regard Financial Management, the Fire Department, solid and chemical wastes, the Police Regulations and the Meteorological Service. The PAIS-fraction has so far identified some 14 regulations. There are possibly other laws which ought not to be on the nega-tive list and can be added to the bill proposal before handling in Parliament, PAIS indicated. Fact is, according to political Alex Rosaria, that the Curaçao citizen is inconvenienced on a daily ba-sis by the fact that there is no legal basis for government action. “The citizens cannot understand why government allows this situation to continue for so long. Citizens express themselves dai-ly in all kinds of radio programmes, in newspapers, on Facebook and via phone about some untenable related situation.” “Mention is made of unacceptable situations where for example waste is burned without the necessary permission or waste is de-posited on public roads, with no respect for man and nature and which cannot be tackled because of the lack of a legal basis to do so,” said Rosaria. “During the past few years government has unsuccessfully at-tempted in various ways to fill the legal gap created by this situa-tion. How long, one wonders. “After careful consideration, we decided to put an end to this uncertain situation for the citizens. Our fraction wants to come with repair ordinances to revive the legislation that is required in our state. And this should take place within a reasonable time.”


Cu7a251:

Freedom Ministries Foundation recently received a dona-tion of food from Prime Distributors, to be given away to the needy. As a result, six boxes of yogurt cereal were given to foster homes. President of Freedom Ministries Gissel James would like to thank Prime Distributors, which continues to be one of the main sponsors of the foundation. She thanked the company for its generosity and encourages the public to show support and to donate items such as food, clothing and cash, which will be used to assist those in need on the island. “A little goes a long way, so don’t hesitate to call us with your dona-tions,” she added. For further information, call Gissel James at 526-3512, treasurer Audra Hyman at 581-2705 or secretary Jamila Connor at 011 590 690 618 185.

Cu13a:From left: Michelle Emmanuel, Patrick Hassell and president of the SBA, Wolfgang Tooten.

Islands

SABA-- The Saba Busi-ness association (SBA) recently awarded Patrick Hassell with the Entrepre-neur of the Year (EOTY) 2014 title. Hassell owns and manages “Patrick’s Auto Detailing” located on the outskirts of Windwardside. Wolfgang Tooten, presi-dent of the SBA, an-nounced feeling proud to be able to award the EOTY 2014 to one of Saba’s young business people and feels Hassell deserves the recog-nition. Hassell became the new-est member of the SBA in 2014. The SBA promotes a more diverse development of Saba’s economy, and is happy that one of Saba’s young people showed the spirit of entrepreneurship and started his own busi-ness despite the risks such a move carries. In 2014, Hassell opened his “Patrick’s Auto De-tailing” business. He built the shop by himself with the help of his father and friends. Hassel said that since his new business has no competition and it is something that Saba really needed, he is getting a lot of business. Tooten commented: “Has-sell represents a great role model for other young Sa-bians who can follow his lead and learn from his experience. I really admire Patrick’s determination, commitment, consistence and hard work. “In the spirit of adventure, Patrick took a chance and took his future into his own hands. Patrick works daily at his business from early morning until late in the afternoon. He has a great attitude and his service is unmatched. He delivers as

promised and the quality of his work is without ques-tion, excellent.” Tooten reinforced the is-sue that Saba needs more young local entrepreneurs, especially women and said that the SBA is cer-tainly willing and able to help them with advice and know-how. “For the future of Saba’s economy the SBA can only reinforce that we are committed to support lo-cal entrepreneurs and that we will lobby for them in our relation with the lo-cal government, the Dutch government and in our capacity as a member of the Saba E-Team,” Tooten commented. Hassell has two young children and is engaged to be married to Michelle Emmanuel who works as a waitress and bartender at Scout’s Place on Saba. Has-sell showed pride in accept-ing the award from Tooten, who personally came to visit his business and hand over the award.

“Thank you very much for the recognition. I really ap-preciate this award. I hope that many more young Sabians will also have the courage to start their own business someday, espe-

cially in the tourist sector” Hassell commented. His fiancé Emmanuel said she is very proud and con-fident that Hassell and his business will be successful in the years to come.

WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao’s fuel distributor Curoil is in-creasingly getting more orders from international clients for bunkering services. Last month the government-owned com-pany within three days refuelled two huge drilling vessels of Transocean simultaneously. Transocean Ltd. is one of the world’s largest offshore drill-ing contractors. The Swiss-based company rents out floating mobile oil rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US $282,700 (2010). This order involved a total supply of five million litres of diesel. One ship was supplied at the mega pier in Otrobanda and the others at sea. Curoil says it has thus strengthened its position as a bunker-ing station in the region.


Cu13d: Students from the Ocean class room clean the beach in Lower Town on Statia Monday morning.

Islands

and the St. Eustatius Lib-eral Action Movement (SLAM). Only two party posters were missing at that location: Statia Empower-ment Party (STEP) and Blanco List. This evening, nearing the end of the po-litical campaign, all parties will be out with more fire than ever before.

ST. EUSTATIUS--Students from various states in the America, from one of the vessels that host classrooms to these students for a pe-riod of summer, contribut-ed to keeping St. Eustatius clean. The students visit vari-ous islands and contribute either with a clean-up, by planting trees, or by climb-ing the Quill where they

gain information that can be used in the ocean class-room. On Monday morning they were seen cleaning the beach in the Lower town. This area will be used for Easter lovers, who have already marked out the ar-eas they will be utilising for their Easter weekend. This year the Carnival Committee is hosting some

of their activities at the beach for Easter and has re-named it “Easterval”. A resident of Statia com-mented: “A very hearty thank you goes out to these students that have taken the time out to give their sup-port to our island in any form of contribution, these students and their teachers are always working in col-laboration with STENEPA.”

ST. EUSTATIUS--With just a day away from the island election for 2015-2019, the fever has become heated amongst politicians. Each political party has been sending its message to the people of Statia via radio, television or public meetings at locations of their choice. Posters advertising the different political parties

could be seen in various parts of the island, in-cluding this area located between Bay Brow and Golden Rock village, just outside the Franklin D. Roosevelt airport fence, which showed posters by the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), the United People Coalition (UPC), the Democratic Party (DP)

Cu13c:This photo displays road signs in Statia by four of the six political parties contesting the 2015 island council election on Wednesday, March 18.



The 18th Latin American gathering of persons nationally responsible for youth care and youth pastors is being held in Curaçao March 15-21 (photo above courtesy Extra) by the Episcopal Conference under auspices of the local Department of Family and Social Well-being. There was also a special service at the Santa Ana Church in Otrobanda on Sunday (below) for bishops from the region meeting on the island.

P H I L I P S B U R G - -T h e Chuchubi Foundation in collaboration with Univer-sity of St. Martin (USM) will be launching the book and film on “Calypso in Aruba” today, Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00pm. At the event, author Gregory Richardson will be presenting his latest book titled “Calypso and Resistance in Aruba.” In the book Richardson explores the various per-spectives of Calypso in the Dutch Caribbean, specifi-cally Aruba. Calypso is often associ-ated with various themes such as double entendre/double meaning; multi-lingualism; melee/gossip; humour; social/political commentary and self-re-flection. In the book these themes are elaborated upon. Richardson is a lec-turer and researcher at the Instituto Pedagogico Arubano. The film “Mighty Lords, Kings and Queens and the politics of the rec-ognition” reflects on the diversity of Aruba’s com-

munity. The film provides a platform for the several calypsonians to voice their opinions on the state of this art form in Aruba. The film was conceived

and produced by Sharel-ly Emanuelson who is a Dutch Caribbean film maker with a Masters in Artistic Research.


W I L L E M S TA D - - I n terms of visitor nights the Curaçao Tourist Bureau (CTB) reported a seven per cent growth during the first two months of 2015. The preliminary statistics show a total of 744,759 nights stayed in this period, compared to 694,624 last year. The North American region recorded an in-crease of 19 per cent. Visitors from this mar-ket spent 118,938 nights on the island. From the South American region a 37 per cent hike was reg-istered, for a total of 185,551 visitor nights. Europe’s number in-creased slightly with one per cent more visi-tor nights for a total of 40,371 nights. The Caribbean region registered a decrease in visitor nights with 28,676, 13 per cent few-er than in the first two months of 2014. The information gath-ered from the Embar-kation/Disembarkation Cards shows that 70 per cent or 58,129 visi-tors stayed at one of the registered accommoda-tions in Curaçao. The share of arrivals among large hotels, small ho-tels, bungalows, apart-ments and guesthouses was respectively 31.6, 14.1, 15.5, 7.8 and 0.9 per cent. The number of visitors that stayed at a non-

Islands

ANGUILLA--On Satur-day, March 14, the Royal Anguilla Police Force re-sponded to a report of an assault at Shoal Bay West. On arrival initial investiga-tions revealed that an at-tempted rape had occurred involving a minor who is a visitor to the island. It also resulted in wounds inflicted to the upper body of the victim. Police are carrying out investigations and in the meantime a 34 year old male who resides at Shoal

Bay East was arrested and charged with attempted rape, attempted murder and wounding with intent. He appeared before the Magistrate on March 16 and has been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison. He is due back in court on June 29. The police are also report-ing that a 30 year old man from Sandy Ground was charged with indecent as-sault on Sunday, March 15, against a minor. He was tak-en before the Magistrate on March 16 and granted bail in the sum of EC $80,000. Other requirements includ-ed surrendering all travel

documents, reporting to the police Mondays and Fridays between 6:00am and 6:00pm and having no contact directly or indirect-ly with the victim. He was also given a curfew from 8:00pm –6:00am daily. He is due back in court on June 9. The RAPF on Saturday found 133 cannabis plants at Shoal Bay West that were well organised with a proper irrigation system. The plants were uprooted and transported to the Val-ley Police Station for de-struction. Nobody has been charged or arrested in con-nection with the plants.

registered accommoda-tion was 24,887. This is 30 per cent of the over-all arrivals. Utilising the “Turisti-ka Mode” CTB and the Ministry of Economic Development calcu-lated that in February 2015 the tourism sector was directly responsible for pumping US $80 million into the local economy. In February 2014 the tourism sector generated $69.2 mil-lion. European stay-over guests who visited Cu-raçao in greater num-bers during February 2015 spent a total 35.9 million dollars, about 44.9 per cent of the to-tal. They were followed by the South Americans who spent $21.4 million and the North Ameri-cans with $17.2 million. Caribbean visitors spent a total of 3.1 mil-lion dollars. Fifty-one per cent of the stay over visitors in Curaçao during the first two months of 2015 was female. The age group most represented was between 25 and 44 years old. Next in line are those between 45 and 64 years old. One can safe-ly conclude that Cura-çao is mostly visited by couples without chil-dren or with children old enough to stay at home, which are also the island’s main target groups.

The cannabis plants found by police at West End.


Retired 82-year-old Curaçao gynaecologist Sergio Leon, seen here between doctors Ashley Duits (left) and Rob Spong (right) was presented with the book “Anyway” about his life and career during a gathering in his honour at the Hilton Hotel. The book also gives a good idea of “the stone age” this medical speciality was in when he returned from the US to practice on the island back in 1962. (photo by Els Kroon)

WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao hospitality is poised for steady growth during 2015-18, but hotel association CHATA says the all-inclu-sive component is lacking. According to the latest fig-ures the island will welcome approximately 12,870 flights (inbound) this year, which equals about 1,164,440 (over a million) airplane seats. This represents a great op-portunity for Curaçao says CHATA. There are currently about 6,000 rooms on Curaçao (50 per cent hotel and 50 per cent apartments/villas). “CHATA firmly believes that we are in a unique tour-ism growth momentum. This growth momentum means that we must invest in our product with a focus on our existing and future hotel rooms. “TUI (Arke) recently con-firmed in a presentation to the sector that airlines and tour operators will surely follow the accommoda-tions. Many destinations around the world invest in their product by developing rooms before pursuing airlift opportunities. “We are missing high quali-ty all-inclusive hotel rooms,” said CHATA President and CEO Lizanne Dindial. “All-inclusive hotels bring in the needed volume and give the island clout towards poten-tial airline service.” “The demand from a con-sumers’ perspective is still to have a vacation without headaches, budget concerns

etc., which basically refers to hassle-free enjoyment or an all-inclusive package.” CHATA has also taken note of the ambitious goals presented by island partner TUI. “We want to grow to double daily flights, or 16 flights per week in the com-ing years,” said Steven van Nieuwenhuijzen, Deputy CEO TUI Netherlands. This is a huge opportunity for the island that is part of the growth momentum. “CHATA believes that it is important for us to move the sector into thinking strategi-cally on the future.” “The Curaçao tourism in-dustry is in a stage where we need to add additional rooms to be able to guaran-tee a double-digit growth in our tourism arrivals figures. Additional rooms must be planned for and in this case we have received a clear message that the rooms need to be built based on the needs and wants of our future consumers. “It is a fact that Curaçao is not an all-inclusive destina-tion and never will be cat-egorised as such either, but one or two additional high quality (branded) all-inclu-sive properties will stimulate demand, airlift and our local labour force,” the release stated. “CHATA’s analysis also confirms that we must not rely on the Dutch market for our tourism growth. Diversi-fication is a must and diver-sification in other European, North American and South

American markets must be our focus for the coming five years. Secondary markets such as Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, UK, Toronto Canada, USA Tri-State, Sao Paulo Brazil are all markets with great growth potential for the island; these mar-kets will be the driving force in our overall tourism ar-rival numbers in the coming years. “We need to invest in main-taining our important source markets but also strategi-cally invest in opening new markets for the island that fit with our product offerings.”

A policeman in Aruba ran over and killed 12-year-old Zinnia Croes on the road to Spanish Lagoon last Friday around 7:00pm. The girl was playing on the street at the time, but there are indications the officer may have been driving while intoxicated.



ST. KITTS--Celvin “CG” Walwyn is again being criti-cised for recent comments he made about the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the institution that he leads. While speaking on Free-dom FM’s radio pro-gramme “Issues” sometime last week, Walwyn com-plained that communica-tion which he sought to initiate between himself and high-ranking members of the Force and the Prime Minister of the Federation had gone unanswered. He remarked that the “…Po-lice Force is going to the dogs and it’s being accom-modated.” Former Member of Par-liament and former mem-ber of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, G.A. Dwyer Astaphan said the Com-missioner, who left the Fed-eration on leave about two weeks ago, has developed a reputation as one who is often quick to speak. “When did the Force start going to the dogs? Just as soon as he boarded his plane back to Florida? That is a self-indulgent and

very unfortunate statement that is really unbecom-ing for someone holding that position. I think Mr. Walwyn has characterised himself as someone who is very quick to talk and to talk out of turn and to ut-ter indiscretions that really do not help him or help the organisation which he has had the honour to lead for these last few years.” Astaphan said he does not know what arrangements have been or are being made concerning the run-ning of the Force, but he in-dicated that he is not look-ing forward to Walwyn’s return in that capacity. “He said the Division in Nevis was lazy. Mr. Walwyn was a mistake from the be-ginning, with the greatest of respect … and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours. I am not who would be looking forward to his resuming the leader-ship of the Force. As I said, I don’t know what the ar-rangements are. “An absolutely incredible and unfortunate statement by him and this is one of many. He established his

pattern very early and he was consistent with it, ut-tering these indiscretions.” While in the opposition, Team Unity has indicated that Walwyn was unfair in his dealings and played into the hands of the then St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party-led Government. It is suggested that he might not return to head the Force after his leave of absence has ended. ~ SKN Vibes ~

ST. KITTS--Supervisor of Election Wingrove George is assisting police as they investigate breaches within the electoral office. The Observer spoke with Attorney General (AG) Vincent Byron Jr. who con-firmed that the Electoral Office remains closed be-cause a police investigation into “certain breaches” in the office is underway. He also spoke to George’s role in the investigation. “We have a police inves-tigation going on into the Electoral Office. There were some breaches in that office which we discovered the first week that we took office. As a result we had to ask the police to carry out an investigation and the of-fice has been sealed until the investigation is com-plete,” he said. “We have been told that Mr. George is assisting the police in their investiga-tion.” He said he is not at lib-erty to speak to the nature of the breaches until the police investigation is com-pleted. The staff has been relo-cated to the NEMA build-

ing where they are being debriefed and performing other duties. Oliver Knight, Manager of the Electoral Office, has been asked to go on vaca-tion leave and Alicia Mus-senden, another senior employee in the office, has been re-employed to tem-porarily manage the office, AG Byron informed. Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Den-zil Douglas has charged that it is a breach of the constitution not to have the Electoral Office open to al-low for continuous registra-tion. “The office is closed until we are satisfied that what-ever breaches, an investiga-tion is properly done and

concluded as to the integ-rity of our computers, our data and databases,” AG Byron said. “While the National As-sembly Elections Act does give the right to continuous registration, at this point in time, because of the po-lice investigation, we would hope that the general pub-lic will understand that the office is temporarily closed until further notice.” The Supervisor of Elec-tion has not been placed on suspension or leave at this time, the AG confirmed, as the government awaits the completion of his report into his actions in the hours following the February 16 election. ~ St. Kitts-Nevis Observer ~

ST. KITTS--The issuance of diplomatic passports to everyday citizens with no government posts is the subject of a Foreign Affairs Ministry investigation. This information came by way of Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Brantley, during an interview with The Observer. Dozens of these diplo-matic travel documents, according to unofficial sources, have been is-

sued to local businessmen and friends of the former government. Several of these passports appeared to have been issued to in-dividuals in both St. Kitts and Nevis as recently as 2014. The list reportedly includes real estate devel-opers and former officials in Nevis. “We are doing a top-to-bottom review of the privi-lege of holding a diplomat-ic passport of our country.

I do not want to be pre-mature, but we are aware that some people who hold these passports have no apparent reason to do so. “This is a matter we are looking at. We are going through it very carefully, systematically and delib-erately and we will take whatever action is neces-sary to protect the repu-tation of our diplomatic corps and to protect the reputation of St. Kitts and

Nevis,” Brantley said. He said the review would encompass all diplomatic passports, including those issued to foreigners in var-ious countries. “We are looking at it in a very holistic way, both lo-cally and internationally, and I will have more infor-mation on that very shortly in terms of how many we are talking about.” ~ St. Kitts-Nevis Observer ~

From left: Chief of Police Celvin “CG” Walwyn and Dwyer Astaphan.

Election Supervisor Wingrove George (left); Electoral Of-fice (right).

22 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Islands/Dutch Kingdom

LIMBURG--The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Lim-burg is investigating the kidnapping of two children who have allegedly been taken by their mother to Syria, against their father’s wishes. Local newspapers said that the 33-year-old moth-er has taken her children, ages seven and eight, with her. The woman is said to come from Chechnya and all three are believed to be travelling on stolen docu-ments, newspaper De Lim-burger says. The children have Dutch nationality. Two other children, who are younger, have different fathers and are with their grandmother in Maastricht, the paper says. The woman left Maas-tricht at the end of Octo-

ber and is thought to have arrived in Raqqa several weeks ago after spending some time in Turkey. The authorities were aware the woman had contact with jihadis and had questioned her several times. In addition, when the woman, named as Umm (Arabic for mother) by the Limburg papers, asked to print something on her children’s school computer, the director saw she was printing out airline tickets. He alerted the children’s father, who in turn told the police. However, despite an in-ternational alert being is-sued, “Umm” was able to take her children, Luca and Aysha, out of the country. They first went to Germa-ny, where they missed their

flight to Greece. Two weeks later, they flew to Greece from Belgium, the Limburg papers said. In total, six people from Maastricht are known to have made the trip to the IS-controlled territory. One 19-year-old youth died fighting and a second blew himself up in a suicide bomb attack. A 19-year-old girl returned to Maastricht after travelling to Syria to marry a jihadi at the end of last year. There have been 46 cases in which one or both parents have taken, or attempted to take, their children to Syria or Iraq, the Dutch child protection authority said on Monday. In addition, 15 minors have made the trip or been stopped while mak-ing preparations.

THE HAGUE--The current 75 members of the Dutch senate have voted 675 times on pieces of legislation in which they were involved via outside interests, Volkskrant newspaper reports on Mon-day. Critics say that now the po-litical role of the senate is be-coming more important, po-tential partisanship threatens to become “a major demo-cratic problem.” The senate’s official role is to carefully ex-amine and review legislation passed by the lower house of parliament. The ruling coalition does not have a majority in the upper house, which has led it to form alliances with other parties to ensure measures get passed. The senate has also rejected, or threatened to reject more controversial legislation such as the government’s plans to give health insurance compa-nies more control over treat-ment choices. Town and provincial coun-cillors are banned from vot-ing on issues in which they have a vested interested. But no such requirement exists for senators. The outside involvement in the senate ranges from a senator with a side job at a pension fund voting on pension legislation to specific issues. For example, D66 sena-tor Thom de Graaf, who is also chairman of the higher education college – HBO association, recently voted against a lower salary cap for the public sector. He has dismissed any claims of con-flict of interest as “rubbish,” pointing out that he was toe-ing the party line.

The job of senator is a part-time function with a salary of 24,000 euros a year and sena-tors are encouraged to have outside interests to widen their knowledge and involve-ment. However, the increasingly politicised role senators now have is perceived by some as a problem. Leiden professor Tom Barkhuysen told Volk-skrant it is essential to avoid any talk of conflicts of inter-est. VVD senator Frank de Grave was most active in voting on issues in which he is personally involved. De

Grave is chairman of the medical specialists’ organ-isation and pension giant PGGM. De Grave told Volkskrant he always voted according to the party line. Volkskrant also pointed out that two years ago, Christian democrat Sen-ator Elco Brinkman was part of the alliance to reform the Dutch housing sector in his role as chairman of the con-struction sector organisation Bouwend Nederland. However, when the issue was debated in the senate, he followed the CDA line and voted against.

“Union Patriotiko Boneriano” (UPB) proved it can still gather a crowd on Sunday. The governing party closed off its campaign for Bonaire’s March 18 Island Council elections in Kralendijk. The new “Movementu di Pueblo Boneriano” (MPB) that has seen a strong show of support in the street so far held its last public meeting in Rincon on Saturday, while current opposition party “Partido Demokratiko Boneriano” (PDB) closed off its campaign at the same location a day later. The race is expected to be mainly between these three parties.

AMSTERDAM--Most of the Dutch will have more disposable income this year, as low inflation and reduced pension premiums boost spending power, the government’s macro-eco-nomic think tank CPB said on Monday. On average, spending power will rise 1.2 per cent over the year but the in-crease will be higher by 1.6 per cent for people in work, the CPB said. Pensioners will only ben-efit marginally because many company pension pay-outs are being reduced or frozen. However, the prospects for 2016 are less rosy and, based on current economic forecasts, most people will not have more cash to spend than this year, the CPB said in its spring report. Meanwhile, research by the national statistics office

CBS shows that the nation-al economy and financial situation were the biggest concern to voters in 2012, followed by personal in-come and prices, and then jobs.

The integration of mi-grants, which was given as the most important issue in 2006 was considered a problem by just 14 per cent of the Dutch in 2012, the CBS figures show.

AMSTERDAM--In total, 164 police officers were fired or resigned in the Netherlands last year be-cause of integrity issues, the Dutch police confirmed on Monday. The total is a “slight increase” on 2013, police chief Gerard Bou-man said in a statement. Theft was the most com-mon dismissal offence (27 cases), followed by leaking information or using con-fidential police informa-

tion for private ends (22). Some 15 officers were fired for expenses fraud and 12 for drunk driving. Four of-ficers were fired for sexual assault. Most investigations cen-tred on the responsibilities or specific position of a po-lice officer, Bouwman said, “But behaviour in private is also looked into insofar as it has an impact on the reputation of the police.”

WILLEMSTAD--There is much local enthusiasm over the plans of American cor-poration IBP (which stands for International Baseball Partners) to build a brand new baseball complex on Cu-raçao. IBP is chartered in the United States with designs to build, own, lease and man-age multiple professional baseball complexes around the world. The website of the limited liability company says: “Because of baseball’s growing popularity globally, IBP is positioned to develop baseball facilities and project anchors with the potential to positively impact economies and establish valuable part-ners in international base-ball operations.” The name of the plan is “Project 421,” which refers to four acade-mies in two complexes within one campus. The project is

an ongoing cooperation with the Government of Curaçao to create an international baseball headquarters for player development. Curaçao is located in the centre of a baseball hotbed, in front of the Venezuelan coast and in an area near the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Curaçao pro-duces more Major League Baseball (MLB) players per capita than any other country in the world (one per 21,000 inhabitants) thus the choice seems to be logical. In addition, because of the social and political unrest in Venezuela that country is not a preferred location for a complex like this right now. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016 to coincide with the beginning of a new Curaçao Summer League for interna-tional player development.

Aysha (left) and Luca Opdam were allegedly taken to Syria by their mother.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 23Islands/Region

Port-au-Prince, Haiti--The Haitian government said Sunday it would hold elec-tions later this year, a sig-nificant step that follows years of uncertainty about the fragile Caribbean na-tion’s democratic process. The first round of legis-lative elections was set for August 9, with the second round scheduled alongside presidential and local elec-tions on October 25, the Ministry of Communica-tion said in a statement. A second round of presi-dential voting was set for December 27 in case no one wins the first round outright. President Michel Martelly is committed to “facilitat-ing free elections that are

credible, independent, transparent and inclusive,” the statement read. Haiti has delayed holding elections for three years and parliament’s mandate expired in January, leaving Martelly the sole leader of the impoverished country, where sometimes violent protests have erupted on the streets. Martelly attempted to calm the situation by nam-ing Evans Paul, an oppo-sition figure, as his prime minister and signing a deal to hold elections by the end of the year. Opponents of the popu-lar singer-turned-politician accuse him of manipulat-ing the crisis to engineer the collapse of parliament

in order to rule by decree -- like Haiti’s former dicta-tors. In turn, his camp accuses the opposition of thwarting attempts to hold elections by refusing to pass a new electoral law that would set up and fund a commission to oversee polling. The international com-munity is increasingly con-cerned that the crisis will hurt efforts to rebuild Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake and a later cholera epidemic blamed on UN peacekeepers.

Demonstrators march against the government of Haitian President Michel Martelly and to demand lower fuel prices, in Port-au-Prince, on March 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/Hector Retamal)

PARAMARIBO--Suriname’s air force since Friday has three helicopters at its disposal. The three HAL Chetak helicopters were handed over by Indian ambassador to Su-riname M. Subashini, to Defence Minister Lamure Latour. “A memorable moment,” said Latour, as he reflected that it had taken seven years of negotiations to get the helicopters to Suriname and operational. He said the air-craft would prove valuable in executing control and civil aviation support tasks. The helicopters were ordered in 2009 with a US $13.5 million price tag; the Indian Government had provided a US $16 million line of credit, but delivery was held up by financial and administrative obstacles. The helicopters, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronau-tics Limited (HAL India) were manufactured, inspected and tested in India, then taken apart and shipped to Su-riname. Indian technicians came to Suriname and helped put them back together. They also provided training to the pilots of the Suriname Air Force. Current plans call for the Chetaks to be based at Para-maribo’s Zorg en Hoop airport, Nickerie’s Majoor Henry Fernandes Airport and Albina Airstrip. Maintenance will be carried out by Indian ground support personnel, eight of whom have been dispatched to Suriname. The HAL Chetak is a licence-manufactured version of the 1960s-vintage Aérospatiale SA-316 Alouette III, a durable design especially suited for hot-and-high opera-tions.

PARAMARIBO--The wife of the Amsterdam criminal who was assassinated in Suriname earlier this month died in Suriname early Monday morning. Danielle M. had been in Suriname for the funeral of her partner March-ano Pocorni, who was killed execution style in a bar in Paramaribo on March 3. The 34-year-old woman passed away around 4:00am at a house at Volleybal straat in Southern Paramaribo. Au-thorities say it appears she died of natural causes and that there were no signs of foul play. Her death comes less than two weeks after Pocorni, a convicted criminal and suspected murderer, was assassi-nated in a club in Northern Paramaribo. His death was the latest in an ongoing underground war in the Nether-lands that has left more than 10 people dead so far. Po-corni was reportedly a suspect in the murder of another Amsterdam drug criminal Najeb Bouhbouh in Antwerp in October 2012, which reportedly had sparked the war.

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IsisGeneral John Kelly, commander of US Southern Command.

WASHINGTON, USA--A top US general has warned that Caribbean countries are unable to track nationals that could return from fighting for ISIS in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. The war in Syria has attract-ed roughly 100 foreign fight-ers from the Caribbean who could easily make their way to the United States, said Gen-eral John Kelly, commander of US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). According to the top US military commander for the southern hemisphere, with little ability to track and moni-tor foreign fighters when they return, it would be relatively easy for those fighters to “walk” north to the US border along the same networks used to traffic drugs and humans. “They don’t have that abil-ity to track these folks,” Kelly said at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday. Kelly said he is concerned that those who are radicalised enough to leave for Syria would return with greater ter-rorism skills and motivation. “I would suspect they’ll get good at, while they’re in Syria, get good at killing and pick up some real job skills in terms of explosives and be-headings and things like that. And everyone’s concerned, of course, if they come home. Because if they went over radicalised one would sus-pect they’ll come home at least that radicalised,” he ex-plained. There is no indication of any plan to attack the US, he said, but Americans “take for granted” the nation’s func-tioning legal system, agencies like the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the layers of uncorrupted law enforcement that can monitor and track potential terrorists in the US. “A lot of these countries just don’t have that,” he pointed out.

Kelly said that some of the fighters are recruited and radicalised off the Internet, but that there are “a couple of pretty radical mosques” in the region, as well. “A hundred certainly doesn’t seem like a lot – it’s not, but the countries they come from have a total inability to deal with it,” he said, naming Ja-maica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Venezuela, in particular. Kelly’s concern does not necessarily reflect “ISIS at the border” alarmism, rather he is looking at the potential trouble of South American, Central American and Carib-bean states in tracking return-ing fighters for themselves. The solution to preventing ISIS from coming through the southern hemisphere will require law enforcement and intelligence partnering with every state in the region, he said. “The network that comes up through the isthmus and Mexico that carries anything and everything on it … the amount of movement is what I think overwhelms our abil-ity – and the sophistication of the network – overwhelms our ability to stop everything,” he said.

“I think if they get back to some of these countries that I’ve described, it’s pret-ty easy for them to move around,” he said. In the meantime, the Obama administration has reportedly been putting together a plan to address the security vacuum in the region resulting from many years of US inattention but, according to sources in Washington, has been bogged down by political in-fighting and second-guess-ing. One of the stumbling blocks in Washington is said to be New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, a Dem-ocrat, against whom the Justice Department is re-portedly preparing to bring criminal corruption charges. One of the highest-ranking Hispanic members of Con-gress, Menendez is a former chairman of the Senate For-eign Relations Committee. He has become one of the Obama administration’s most vocal Democratic opponents on key foreign policy issues, including President Obama’s decision to ease the trade embargo against Cuba. ~ Curaçao Chronicle Edition ~

Islands/Region

PARAMARIBO--The Of-fice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR has expressed hopes that more countries in the re-gion would follow Suri-name’s example and elimi-nate the death penalty from their criminal codes. “We hope that Suriname’s initiative will have a positive impact on the other coun-tries in the region, which have de facto moratoria, but still maintain the death penalty in their legal frame-works,” OHCHR spokes-person Ravina Shamdasani said in a press release on Saturday. She also mentioned Cote d’Ivoire, where capital pun-ishment had been abolished in the country’s new consti-tution adopted in 2000, but nonetheless remained in the penal code until now. In Suriname, where the death penalty remained

in the criminal code even while it had not been implemented since 1927, the National Assembly on Tuesday, March 3, ap-proved amendments to formally abolish it. At the same time, to compensate for scrapping capital pun-ishment, Parliament also raised the longest prison term from 20 to 50 years. Parliament also scrapped conditional release for those convicted of capital crimes. The amendment that rep-resents a 90 per cent alter-ation of the criminal code was passed with 30 votes in favour. Parliament said in a statement that the new criminal code brings Suri-name in line with interna-tional trends, while it sends a clear signal to criminals. The decision that will shortly be signed and pro-mulgated by the president has been welcomed by the

OHCHR as a move that may prompt other coun-tries in the region to do the same. The body hinted that the Americas were the first to abolish the death penalty, with Venezuela doing so in 1867. “Following that, many other countries in the region abolished the death penalty, leading to the 1990 adoption of the Protocol to the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights. As it stands now, some 160 countries have either fully abolished the death penalty or do not practise it. In the last six months, the death penalty was abolished in Chad, Fiji and Madagascar.” According to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, there are currently more than 100 people on death row in Ca-ribbean countries.

SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom--Britain’s Na-tional Oceanography Cen-tre (NOC) says tsunamis triggered by the partial collapse of the Montser-rat volcano 13,000 years ago would have been much smaller than previously thought. This is according to re-search soon to be published in Geochemistry, Geophys-ics and Geosystems.“The collapse of a volcano can lead to explosive erup-tions or tsunamis, the size of which depends on the dynamics of the failure,” the NOC said. “It was previously thought that a large submarine de-posit of sediment at the

base of the Montserrat volcano was the result of the abrupt, large scale col-lapse of the volcanic island into the sea,” NOC said. “Therefore, it had been thought that a high mag-nitude tsunami must have followed”. However, by analyzing sediment cores drilled dur-ing the US$8 million “In-ternational Ocean Discov-ery Programme” (IODP) expedition to Montserrat in 2012, research shows that this deposit was in fact largely seafloor sediment. “This finding infers that an initial landslide from the volcano triggered much more extensive failure of submarine sediment lay-

ers around the base of the volcano,” NOC said. “This would have generated a much smaller tsunami than if all of the material had fallen from the main volca-nic edifice”. An international team of geologists including Dr. Peter Talling, who leads a NOC group dedicated to studying submarine mass movements and their as-sociated hazard, helped to collect and describe these cores.. According to the NOC, this was the first time that sediment from the large-scale collapse of a volcanic island has been successfully drilled for scientific pur-poses.

Montserrat volcano (File photo)

ROSEAU, Dominica--Police say one person was killed after the occupants of an ‘open keel boat’ sought to evade capture during a suspected drug transaction at sea on Saturday night. Police public relations officer, ASP Claude Weekes, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio Monday, said that the incident occurred one mile of the coast of the rural village of Bioche, west of here. He said the Coast Guard had spotted the unidentified boat and during the chase, the boat ran aground. He said that one of the three occupants jumped into the sea, but the two others “crashed on the rocks…one man was very seriously injured and the other succumbed”. He said the names of those involved including the dead person would not be disclosed pending notification of their families. “A substantial amount of drugs was found on the boat and that’s cocaine and marijuana,” he added.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 27US/World

U.S. President Barack Obama (C) talks to the media during a meeting with the Council of the Great City Schools Leadership to discuss “efforts to strengthen educational opportunities for students in city schools” at the White House in Washington on Monday.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland--The United States and Iran inched closer to a politi-cal deal that would set the stage for a landmark nu-clear agreement, but a U.S. official warned on Monday that Iran must make tough choices to allay fears about its atomic ambitions. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian For-eign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held nearly five hours of talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne before the Iranian delegation headed to Brussels for meetings with European ministers. After the Lausanne talks, a senior U.S. official said it was not clear if an end-March deadline for a frame-work agreement between Iran and six major powers could be met. “We are trying to get there but quite frankly we still do not know if we will be able to,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “Iran still has to make some very tough and necessary choices to address the significant con-cerns that remain about its nuclear programme.” The official did not elabo-rate but added that the Ira-nian delegation also raised in the meeting with Kerry an “ill-timed and ill-advised” letter from 47 Republican senators to Iran’s leader-ship warning that they could undo any deal President Barack Obama made with them. “These kinds of dis-tractions are not helpful when we’re talking about something so serious,” the official added. The U.S. official said the sides would work through the end of the month if needed to secure a deal. Talks are expected to re-sume on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said progress had been made in the talks but “important points” were unresolved. A statement from German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said a deal could not be struck “at any price”. With the Iranian new year holiday of Norouz ap-proaching this weekend, of-ficials close to the talks say it will be difficult to complete a political agreement this week. If it is not possible by the weekend, the talks could reconvene in the final days of March.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks with The Texas Tribune editor in chief Evan Smith (L) during a session at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive, film and music conference in Austin, Texas on Sunday.

WASHINGTON--Pres-ident Barack Obama has a stern message for the younger generation about their political pri-orities: care more about climate change, and less about legalizing mari-juana. Obama, who has been open about smoking pot in high school, chided an interviewer from Vice News who suggested that young people would view legalizing marijua-na as a top item when considering the presi-dent’s legacy. “First of all, it shouldn’t be young people’s biggest prior-ity,” Obama said in the interview, posted at htt-ps://news.vice.com/ “Young people: I un-derstand this is impor-tant to you, but as you be

thinking about climate change, the economy and jobs, war and peace, maybe way at the bot-tom you should be think-ing about marijuana,” Obama said. Obama has long said he supports decriminalizing marijuana but not legal-izing the drug. He has called for reform of the criminal justice system for disproportionately incarcerating African Americans for non-vio-lent drug offenses like marijuana possession. The Justice Department under Obama has taken a hands-off approach to enforcing a federal ban on marijuana use in states such as Colorado, Washington and Alaska where recreational mari-juana use is allowed.

“We may actually be able to make some pro-gress on the decrimi-nalization side,” Obama said. “At a certain point, if enough states end up decriminalizing, the Congress may then re-

schedule marijuana,” he said. Rescheduling re-fers to reclassifying the drug as a less dangerous substance. But Obama said he be-lieves there are “legiti-mate” concerns about

substance abuse and marijuana. “There is a legitimate, I think, con-cern about the overall effect this has on society, particularly on vulnera-ble parts of our society,” he said.

AUSTIN, Texas--As his likely rivals spent the weekend shaking hands in New Hampshire, po-tential Republican can-didate Rand Paul flew to Texas to court the software developers and entrepreneurs who are likely to play a central role in the 2016 election. The libertarian-lean-ing Kentucky Senator tweeted, Snapchatted and Instagrammed his way through the South by Southwest Interactive conference as he sought to make inroads among an independent-minded crowd that could serve as an important source of money, votes and pro-gramming talent for his expected presidential bid. “If you want talent you gotta go where the talent is,” he said on Monday. It was the first time a potential candidate has participated in the con-ference, according to organizers. Paul spent much of the weekend talking about the shared DNA of the tech com-munity and the libertar-ian movement, but he spent little time talking about net neutrality, the thorny question of how to ensure that all Internet traffic is treated equally. While many tech com-

panies back recently ap-proved rules that broad-band providers such as Verizon and Comcast should be regulated like utilities, Paul and other Republicans have argued that the new regulations will choke off innovation. It’s an argument he has made in great detail in other forums. In front of this crowd, he framed the debate in the broadest terms possible. “I don’t want the gov-ernment to screw up one of the greatest technolo-gies we’ve had,” he told the conference on Sun-

day, drawing applause. The applause that line drew came as a surprise for tech consultant War-ren Hanes, who said he thought many at the con-ference weren’t aware of his opposition to the new rules. “It’s possible there are people who simply responded emotionally to the issue of less regu-lation,” he said. Paul’s decision to spend the weekend in Texas, rather than early-voting states like Iowa or New Hampshire, highlight the crucial role the tech-nology industry is likely to play in 2016 - both as

a source of money and talent. While former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has locked down many big donors on Wall Street and Florida Sena-tor Marco Rubio has made inroads with the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, Paul has worked hard to cultivate ties in Silicon Valley, where many en-trepreneurs share his frustration with govern-ment eavesdropping. Campaigns have also engaged in a technology arms race since 2004 to find ever more sophis-ticated ways to target

voters. Planting the flag at South by Southwest could help Paul build a cutting-edge operation. On Monday, he opened an office for his politi-cal-action committee at the Capital Factory, a shared-office space for technology startups in a downtown Austin high-rise. The tech industry gave twice as much money to Democratic President Barack Obama than his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the 2012 elec-tion. Paul’s conservative stances on social issues like gay marriage and abortion could prove troubling for many in the industry, where liberal social views are wide-spread. Mozilla Corp. CEO Brendan Eich, for example, resigned under pressure in 2014 after board members objected to his support for a pre-vious campaign against gay marriage. Paul’s views on social is-sues are “a real problem for people like me,” said Jeff Boedeker, a pro-ducer at a multimedia company. Still, he says he believes the final say on abortion and same sex marriage will go to the courts, not the presi-dent, making support of Paul more palatable.

28 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015International

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev (not pictured) at the Constantine (Konstantinovsky) Palace in St. Pe-tersburg on Monday.

Siyakha Traore, brother of Bouna Traore, speaks to journalists as he attends the trial of two police officers involved in the accidental death of two youths in Clichy-sous-Bois in 2005, at the Criminal Court in Rennes, Brittany, France on Monday. Two police officers face trial on charges of “non-assistance to a person in danger” this week over the deaths of two teenag-ers Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traore, who were electrocuted in a high-voltage electricity transformer after running away from police in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb, in 2005. Their deaths triggered weeks of riots in the French suburbs and across the country.

FLORENCE/ROME, Italy--Italian police arrested four people and placed 51 under investigation on Monday in a probe into corrupt management of contracts for public works including part of a multi-billion euro high-speed train line. Police in Florence detained two suspects and put the other two under house arrest in the latest probe into the kind of widespread graft that Italy has long struggled to root out of business and politics. The contracts in ques-tion are worth a total 25 billion euros ($26 billion), senior special operations policeman Mario Parente told a news conference. One of those arrested was named as Ercole Incalza, who until late last year held a senior position in the pub-lic works department of the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry and had served under several governments. Ac-cording to the arrest warrant, the probe found that one of those arrested had helped arrange a work contract for Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi’s son. Lupi rejected the accusation. The investigation began with suspicions over contracts to build part of the high-speed TAV rail line near Florence. It eventually unearthed a much broader web of wrongdo-ing including rigged contracts for the Milan Expo world fair, which was at the centre of a corruption scandal last year. “We believe there is strong evidence of guilt,” said Flor-ence chief prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo. Endemic corruption continues to blight Italian business and politics despite Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s pledg-es to tackle the problem. Italy ranked 69th in Transpar-ency International’s 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index, joint last in the European Union with Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. Six years of on-off recession have created fertile ground for the kickbacks and black economy that in turn pro-long the crisis, the head of Italy’s top audit court said last month. Monday’s arrests prompted more calls to clean up the whole system of public infrastructure procurement. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement called both for Lupi’s resignation and for a long-delyed anti-corruption law to be passed in parliament. The head of TELT, which is due to build part of a TAV line between France and Italy, said the trans-Alpine pro-ject was protected from corruption partly because it was overseen by France and Europe as well as Italian authori-ties. “We need to be strict. Those who supervise us need to be even stricter than we are, but we operate within a framework that objectively offers guarantees,” TELT di-rector general Mario Virano told reporters in Rome.

LONDON--Britain’s op-position Labour Party ruled out forming a coalition gov-ernment with the Scottish National Party (SNP) after a May 7 national election, a tactical move it hopes will resurrect its flagging for-tunes in Scotland and calm nervous English voters. Since Scots voted by 55-45 percent to preserve the United Kingdom in a refer-endum last year, support for the SNP has surged, largely at the expense of Labour, on a perception that Brit-ain’s rulers are backsliding on pledges to grant Scotland more powers. Such strong

support risks disrupting the outcome of the closest UK-wide election since the 1970s and handing the SNP the balance of power in the Brit-ish parliament, a prospect that has spooked some busi-ness leaders and politicians. With opinion polls showing it faces all but being wiped out in Scotland at the SNP’s hands, Labour has been un-der mounting pressure from its own lawmakers to rule out an SNP deal. “It will not happen,” Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Monday of a possible formal coalition with the SNP. “Labour will not go into coalition govern-

ment with the SNP. There will be no SNP ministers in any government I lead.” Miliband did not rule out striking an informal deal however, a decision likely to ensure that speculation about such an arrangement will continue. Ruling out formal cooperation with the SNP, which still wants Scot-land to break away from Britain, but which is also, like Labour, left-wing, could help persuade Scots a vote for the nationalists is a wast-ed vote, Labour hopes. Labour is also under pres-sure from Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conserva-tives who have run an ad campaign showing Labour leader Ed Miliband in the pocket of SNP heavyweight Alex Salmond, suggesting a vote for Labour risks teeing up an alliance “between the people who want to bank-rupt Britain and the people who want to break up Brit-ain.” Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Stur-geon said Miliband’s state-ment had changed nothing. “Mr Miliband’s statement is absolutely fine from our point of view, because for-mal coalition with seats in the UK government has nev-er been our preference any-way,” she said in a statement. “The other arrangements which have not been ruled out - such as confidence and supply, and voting on an is-sue by issue basis - are the options we believe are best for Scotland anyway.”

STRELNA, Russia--Russian President Vladimir Putin reappeared on Monday af-ter 10 unexplained days out of public view, laughing off the “gossip” over his health that had erupted during his absence. The 62-year-old leader met the president of Kyrgyzstan at a lavish Tsarist-era palace outside St Petersburg in his first appearance since March 5. His absence had fuelled rumours he was ill, had been overthrown by the army or had even flown abroad to at-tend the birth of a love child. “It would be boring without gossip,” Putin said, smiling easily before television cam-eras. He looked relaxed, if pale. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, mocked the press for

its interest, referring sarcasti-cally to the various rumours: “So you’ve seen the broken, paralysed president, who has been captured by generals? He’s only just flown in from Switzerland, where he at-tended a birth as you know.” In a choreographed double-act, Kyrgyz President Almaz-bek Atambayev vouched for the Russian leader’s health, saying that Putin “just now drove me around the grounds; he himself sat at the wheel.” Putin’s return to public view coincided with Russia’s big-gest military exercises since ties with the West sank to a post-Cold War low over the Ukraine crisis. Defence Min-ister Sergei Shoigu said Putin had ordered nearly 40,000 troops to be at combat readi-

ness for exercises in Russia’s Arctic North and elsewhere, which appeared meant to dwarf war games in neigh-bouring NATO-member Norway. The Russian leader prides himself on his macho image. In 2008 he said he worked like a “galley slave” to run Russia. Typically, he is shown most days on state-controlled television, meeting officials in Moscow or travelling to Russia’s far-flung regions. During his absence, the Kremlin unexpectedly can-celled a trip to Kazakhstan and a high profile meeting with officers of the main suc-cessor agency to the KGB. Pictures were posted on the Kremlin website of meetings Putin had with public figures, which, it later emerged, had been taken several days ear-lier. The absence began a week after an opposition leader was shot dead near the Kremlin walls, adding to an ominous atmosphere in a country suffering from an economic crisis worsened by international sanctions im-posed over Putin’s decision to intervene in neighbour-ing Ukraine. Throughout his absence Russian officials had said that Putin had been working. Peskov said he had answered “10 times over” what Putin was doing during his absence. “It is impossible to say anymore,” he said. Putin remains hugely popu-lar in Russia, which has expe-rienced a surge of nationalist and anti-American sentiment fuelled by state-run media since Putin sent troops to seize Ukraine’s Crimea pen-insula a year ago. The mili-tary exercises are due to last

for much of the week, during which Russia will celebrate the anniversary of its annexa-tion of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, carried out with the help of special forces in

the weeks after a pro-Mos-cow leader was toppled in Kiev. Since then, a swathe of eastern Ukraine that Pu-tin calls “New Russia” has also tried to secede, leading

to war in which 6,000 people have been killed. NATO says thousands of Russian troops are fighting there on behalf of pro-Russian rebels, which Moscow denies.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 29International

Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui speaks with journalists outside MVS radio station in Mexico City on Monday.

MEXICO CITY--One of Mexico’s most prominent journalists, whose team re-vealed a conflict-of-interest scandal ensnaring Presi-dent Enrique Pena Nieto last year, has been fired, her employer MVS Radio said on Sunday. Late last year, reporter Carmen Aristegui exposed that Pena Nieto’s wife, An-gelica Rivera, was in the process of acquiring a lux-ury house from a govern-ment contractor that won millions of dollars in state business. It later emerged that both Pena Nieto and his finance minister had also purchased houses from government contractors.

The revelations damaged Pena Nieto’s reputation, compounding a deep po-litical crisis triggered by his government’s handling of a probe into the disappear-ance and apparent massa-cre of 43 trainee teachers in September. Last week, MVS Radio and Aristegui publicly locked horns over a brand-new platform for investiga-tive journalism called Mexi-coleaks. The company con-tended that Aristegui and her team offered MVS’s name and funding for Mex-icoleaks without authoriza-tion. MVS subsequently fired two of her star investiga-

tive reporters due to “loss of confidence”, prompting Aristegui to insist that re-instatement of her report-ers was an “absolute con-dition”. “Instead of firing them, we should be giving them prizes,” Aristegui said on her morning radio show. The events have inspired a torrent of Tweets sup-porting Aristegui under the hashtag #EndefensadeAr-istegui (in defense of Aris-tegui). In its statement on Sun-day, MVS Radio said “as a company, we can’t accept conditions and ultimatums from our collaborators.”

BRUSSELS--The Euro-pean Union gave the green light on Monday to a long-awaited pact with Bosnia, a first step towards possible membership of the bloc after years of political and economic stagnation. The move is part of a new drive, led by Germany and Britain, to spur reform and address the anger and frustrations among ordi-nary Bosnians that fuelled unprecedented civil unrest in February last year. The Stabilisation and Associa-tion Agreement (SAA) is a pre-accession pact that brings much-needed EU funds and a framework for further integration. Bosnia, which is still try-ing to overcome the legacy

of a 1992-95 war in which 100,000 people died, lan-guishes behind its ex-Yu-goslav peers on the road to EU accession. Its develop-ment has been stifled by a highly decentralised post-war system of government that divided power along ethnic lines and spawned huge networks of political patronage. The SAA was originally signed in 2008, but sat gath-ering dust until Germany and Britain offered a plan for its formal adoption in exchange for a written commitment from leaders of Bosnia’s Muslim Bos-niaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats to press ahead with reform. Foreign ministers of the 28-nation

EU said they had agreed to “proceed with the conclu-sion and entry into force” of the SAA. They called on Bosnia’s leadership “to fully uphold its commitments and ob-ligations ... and to remain engaged with the European Union under the renewed approach and maintain the positive momentum by de-veloping an initial agenda for reforms in consultation with the European Union.” Brussels first wants to en-courage economic reform to address high unemploy-ment and widespread pov-erty, before tackling the thorny issues of political reform. Progress may result in a formal application to join the EU.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid plays a guitar at a music store as he campaigns in the southern city of Ashdod in this March 15, 2015 file photo.

HAR HOMA, West Bank--Israel’s Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu, in a final bid to shore up right-wing support ahead of a knife-edge vote on Tuesday, said he would not permit a Palestinian state to be created under his watch if he is re-elected. Trailing his centre-left opponent Isaac Herzog in opinion polls, the three-term leader has sought to shift the focus away from socioeconomic issues and on to security chal-lenges, saying he alone can defend Israel. Having previously hinted that he would accept a Pales-tinian state, Netanyahu reversed course on Monday, cit-ing risks that he linked to the regional spread of Islamist militancy. He said that if he is re-elected, the Palestinians would not get the independent state they seek in the oc-cupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. “Whoever moves to establish a Palestinian state or in-tends to withdraw from territory is simply yielding terri-tory for radical Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel,” he told the Israeli news site NRG. Asked if that meant a state would not be established if he remained prime minister, he said: “Indeed.” Herzog, leader of Israel’s Labour party, favours reviv-ing peace talks with U.S.-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Herzog’s centrist running mate, Tzipi Livni, was formerly a member of Netanyahu’s conserva-tive coalition government and handled negotiations with Abbas until they stalled last April. Herzog and Livni have accused Netanyahu of playing up fears over the Palestin-ians and Iran’s nuclear programme to distract voters from the high cost of living and other social issues, which ac-cording to surveys are Israelis’ principal concerns.

JERUSALEM--The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candi-date said on Monday. The centre-left opposi-tion is poised for a surprise victory over Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud in one of Israel’s most nail-biting elections in years, accord-ing to the last polls. Nearly six million Israelis are eli-gible to vote in Tuesday’s election. Yair Lapid, a telegenic former news anchor and TV host, leads the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party (“There’s a Future”), which emerged out of the cost-of-living protests that swept Israel in 2011. The party came a surprise second in the last election in 2013 and is again set for an influen-tial showing. “The majority of Israelis want change,” Lapid, 51, told Reuters in between campaign events. “The Netanyahu era is coming to an end. That’s not because security issues don’t matter but because social and economic issues are dominating the agen-da,” he said in an interview. “Netanyahu has missed his moment. You can’t blame him - it’s never easy to know when the moment of your era passes. But for him it has passed.” Lapid was finance minis-ter in Netanyahu’s outgo-ing government but the two seldom saw eye-to-eye, and it was the dismissal of Lapid and Justice Minis-ter Tzipi Livni in Decem-

ber that precipitated these elections. When Netanyahu called the vote he looked set to secure a fourth term in office, which would have put him on track to become the country’s longest-serv-ing prime minister. But his focus on the threat from Iran’s nuclear pro-gramme and Islamist mili-tants in Gaza and the re-gion left voters uninspired, with even long-running Li-kud supporters saying they had heard such rhetoric before. Netanyahu’s speech to the U.S. Congress, criti-

cised by many at home and in Washington, also appears to have marked something of a turning point. Before the speech, he was broadly ahead in opinion polls but his numbers have trailed off since, with his anti-Iran message failing to gain trac-tion. Final polls published on Friday nearly all showed the Zionist Union, the cen-tre-left opposition alliance led by Isaac Herzog and Livni, holding a four-seat advantage going into the vote.

30 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015International

Catholic nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, the global order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa, take part in a rally to show solidarity with the nun who was raped during an armed assault on a convent school, in Kolkata on Monday.

KOLKATA--Christians in India said on Monday that the Hindu nationalist gov-ernment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not done enough to protect their religion, after a spate of at-tacks including the rape of a 75-year-old nun at the week-end. Christians prayed and held vigils across the country to protest against the rape dur-ing an armed assault on a convent school, the worst in a series of incidents that fol-lowers of the faith say are making them feel unwel-come in their own country. The convent attack also

comes in the same month an interview emerged of a man being held on death row for a fatal gang rape in which he showed no remorse and blamed the victim. The government banned the documentary, “India’s Daughter”, a decision which angered some Indians who said it should be aired to highlight the prevalence of gender inequality and sex crimes. Father Savari Muthu, spokesman for the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese and a national Church organiser, said the government had not taken concrete action to protect Christians. “We have to raise our voice against the atrocities. Christians will not tolerate this humiliation,” he said, joining critics who say Modi has not done enough to ensure religious harmony in a country with a history of inter-faith bloodshed. The motive for the assault and armed robbery in the eastern state of West Bengal on Saturday was not clear. It happened weeks after the leader of India’s main Hindu nationalist group said the charitable work of West Bengal-based Mother Teresa had been aimed at religious conversion. Critics say the remarks by the leader of

the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an organiza-tion close to the govern-ment, contributed to a cli-mate where Christians are seen as outsiders, despite a more than 1,500-year pres-ence in India. “I am not Indian any more, at least in the eyes of the proponents of the Hindu Rashtra,” prominent retired police chief Julio Ribeiro wrote in a column for the In-dian Express paper. The RSS condemned the rape. “No attack should be tolerated on any woman in India. Be it a Hindu, a Mus-lim or a Christian,” Suresh Joshi, RSS general secretary, told reporters on Sunday. Opposition lawmakers in the upper house of parlia-ment on Monday said the attack could damage the secular fabric of the country, where about a fifth of 1.27 billion people identify them-selves as belonging to faiths other than Hinduism. The large majority of those are Muslims. Since December, half a dozen churches have been vandalised, at the same time as conservative groups have campaigned to convert to Hinduism members of “for-eign religions” such as Islam and Christianity.


Local resident Uwen Garae stands in his home damaged by Cyclone Pam in Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Monday.

ARBIL/BAGHDAD --Iraq paused its Tikrit offensive on Monday and officials called for more air strikes against Islamic State militants, while an officer said Kurdish forces sustained two more chlorine gas attacks by insurgents. General Aziz Waisi told journalists the in-surgents used chlorine twice during a January offensive west of Mosul and once in a December attack on his military po-lice brigade in the Sin-jar mountain area. One attack near Mosul, on Jan. 23, was described by Kurdish authorities on Saturday. Waisi said a number of military police - he did not say how many - were taken to hospital, where blood tests indicated they had inhaled chlo-rine gas released by the bombs. “When it explod-ed, we realised it was not a normal smoke because it caused unconscious-ness and vomiting,” he said. He declined to say whether samples from the two previously un-reported attacks had been tested along with those from the Jan. 23 attack. The Dutch-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemi-cal Weapons said over the weekend it had not had a request from Iraq to investigate claims of chemical weapons use. Iraq’s Kurds were the victims of the deadli-est chemical attack of modern times when Saddam Hussein’s air force bombed the town of Halabja in 1988, kill-ing at least 5,000 people. In Tikrit, military of-ficials said there was no fighting on Monday. Is-lamic State insurgents controlling large parts of north and west Iraq and territory in neigh-bouring Syria have held onto central districts of Saddam’s home city and have laid explosives to hold up the advancing forces. The offensive by Iraqi security forces and mainly Shi’ite militia, who entered Tikrit last week, is their largest yet against Islamic State, but it stalled on Friday.

BOGOTA--Colombia’s criminal gangs pose the biggest threat to Colombi-ans and are responsible for human trafficking, rights abuses and for forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes each year, the United Nations said. While the government holds peace talks with left-ist rebels of the Revolution-ary Armed Forces of Co-lombia (FARC) in a bid to end 50 years of civil war, the main security threat to the Colombian people comes from organised crime - of-ten perpetrated by ex-para-military fighters, according to a U.N. report. Criminal gangs, composed of former right-wing paramilitaries and common criminals, are bent on maintaining and

expanding their stakes in the cocaine trade and in il-legal gold and silver mining along Colombia’s Pacific coast. “The main public security challenge remains violence by post-demobilisation armed groups linked to organised crime,” said the annual human rights re-port released on Monday. “Violence affects the rights of those living where such groups dispute control of il-licit revenues derived from the drug trade, extortion, illegal mining, prostitution, trafficking in persons and illegal migration.” Five decades of fight-ing between government troops, leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramili-tary groups have uprooted

six million Colombians and killed more than 200,000. The rise of new powerful criminal gangs stems partly from the failure of the de-mobilisation of paramili-tary groups. A 2003 peace accord led to more than 35,000 paramilitary fighters hand-ing in their weapons but thousands have since re-turned to crime and vio-lence, forming new crimi-nal groups which still hold sway in their traditional strongholds. “There aren’t any examples of successful demobilisation processes in the world. In Colombia, it wasn’t a great success,” Todd Howland, head of the U.N. human rights office in Colombia, told reporters in Bogota.

The report said criminal gangs linked to organised crime are threatening com-munity leaders and human rights activists trying to re-store land seized by armed groups to its rightful own-ers. Last year, 45 human rights campaigners were murdered in Colombia, of whom 11 had previously re-ceived death threats. “Frequent death threats against land activists and related impunity should be firmly addressed,” the re-port said. The government says it is providing nearly 2,000 ac-tivists with free protection, including bodyguards and bullet-proof vests and cars.

NEW DELHI--Plans for the European Union to host a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have collapsed amid acrimony over delays to the trial of two Italian marines for murder in the 2012 kill-ing of two Indian fishermen. A spokesman for the Min-istry of External Affairs on Monday confirmed that no EU-India summit would take place during Modi’s trip to Europe next month, when he will visit Germany and France, but the official declined to comment fur-ther. The last India-EU summit was held in February 2012, days before the incident. An EU official said both sides were looking for a mutu-ally convenient date for the summit, to be hosted by the 28-member bloc, that would allow for sufficient prepara-tion. The head of a European Parliament delegation vis-iting India expressed dis-appointment and said the failure to hold a summit would delay efforts to strike a long-awaited free trade deal. “Of course we attach importance to the impris-onment under any circum-stances of citizens of our member states,” Geoffrey van Orden told a news con-ference, when asked wheth-er the case of the marines was behind the failure to set a summit date. “We feel the process has gone on a bit long and should be expedited,” said van Orden, a British mem-

ber of the European Parlia-ment who headed the sev-en-strong delegation. Marines Massimiliano La-torre and Salvatore Girone, part of a military team pro-tecting a privately owned cargo ship, say they mistook Indian fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots into the water. India’s Supreme Court has allowed Latorre to temporarily return to Italy for heart surgery, but Girone remains in India awaiting trial. Indian reports say New Delhi has taken exception to the role of EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Federica Mogherini in the case, which has made head-lines in her home country, Italy. A European Parlia-ment resolution in January called for the return of the marines and a change of jurisdiction in the case. It-aly argues that the incident took place in international waters off India’s south-western coast. “It’s good for everyone to be fully aware of how much of an impact the unresolved dispute of the two Italian Navy officers can have on relations between the EU and India,” Mogherini told a debate on the resolution. “It is putting them to the test.” On the issue of the Italian marines, the EU official said Brussels had consistently called for a mutually agree-able solution, in the inter-est of both Italy and India, based on international law.

PORT VILA--Internation-al aid agencies are prepar-ing to begin emergency hel-icopter flights on Tuesday to the remote outer islands of Vanuatu, which they fear have been devastated by a monster cyclone that tore through the South Pacific island country. Disaster management of-ficials and relief workers are still struggling to estab-lish contact with the islands that bore the brunt of Cy-clone Pam’s winds of more than 300 kph (185 mph) on Friday and Saturday. The cyclone killed at least 24 people and left some 3,300 people homeless af-ter it destroyed homes, flat-tened buildings and washed away roads. Officials antici-

pate that number will rise once they are able to land on the outer islands of the scattered archipelago to in-spect the damage there. “We have no contact of any sort with the outer is-lands, the priority is to get communications up and running. It’s very, very concerning that we haven’t heard anything from the outlying islands,” Joe Lowry, a spokesman for International Organisation for Migration (ILM), told Reuters in Port Vila. “If the devastation is as high as we think it is on those islands, there is a chance that the death toll will go up very significantly.” Aid agencies and rescue teams from Australia and

New Zealand have flown over the islands, but have so far been unable to land because of flooding. The helicopters will be able to land on higher ground, giv-ing rescue workers a clearer picture of the overall im-pact. The Australian Red Cross said it had reports of “total devastation” on the south-ern island of Tanna, with most homes destroyed and at least two people dead. Tanna, about 200 km (125 miles) south of the capital with its 29,000 inhabitants took the full force of the category 5 storm. Reports from aid groups also said the main town on the island of Erromango, north of Tanna, had suf-fered similar destruction. In Port Vila, the clean-up was beginning, but there were worries about starva-tion after the main local food market was destroyed. The majority of locals rely on foods sold at the down-town market such as taro, island cabbage, bananas, kumala and yams for their staple diet. Shops selling tinned food were open and stocked in the capital, but most locals do not have the money to buy those foods and many were reported scavenging for bananas or fruit. “We have bread for the first time today because the bakery has opened,” said shop owner Colette Calvo. “We have water but the situation is very bad be-cause people don’t have local food,” Calvo added. “All they can eat is food like bananas that they pick up off the ground and they can get sick.”



Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, speaks to the crowd during a rally to protest against his imprisonment in Kuala Lumpur, in this file photo taken March 7, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR--Ma-laysian police arrested op-position politician Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, for sedi-tion on Monday, prompting the U.S. State Department to express concern over the freedom of expression in Malaysia. The charge of sedition fol-lowed a speech in parlia-ment last week by Nurul Iz-zah, a 34-year-old member of parliament, in which she referred to a February rul-ing by the country’s highest court. The court had up-held a sodomy conviction in February against Anwar, the biggest political threat to Malaysia’s government, and sentenced him to five years in prison.

“This police investigation is illegal, unconstitutional and a serious interference with the rights and privi-leges of parliament,” N. Surendran, Anwar’s lawyer, and a member of his Peo-ple’s Justice Party, said in a statement. It was unclear which spe-cific words by Nurul Izzah were considered by the police as seditious. The au-thorities have not issued a statement. Parliament of-ficials did not answer tel-ephone calls seeking com-ment. The U.S. State Depart-ment said it was “deeply concerned” by her deten-tion and that recent charg-es of sedition against crit-ics raised serious concerns about freedom of expres-

sion, rule of law, and the independence of the judi-cial system in Malaysia. “To further restrict freedom of expression will only lead to further erosion of impor-tant pillars of Malaysia’s democratic system,” it said in a statement. Malaysia’s Sedition Act, which dates from British colonial times, criminalizes speech with an undefined “seditious tendency.” Crit-ics have said the govern-ment has used the law to silence dissent, preventing open debate and discus-sion. The government says the law is necessary to clamp down on inflamma-tory actions that could stir ethnic or religious tension.

BEIJING--One of the most senior Chinese military of-ficers to be accused of cor-ruption has died of cancer, the state news agency Xin-hua said on Monday, spar-ing the government what could have been an embar-rassing trial. Xu Caihou retired as vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commis-sion in 2013 and from the ruling Communist Party’s decision-making Politburo in 2012. In a brief state-ment released shortly after midnight, Xinhua said that Xu had died in hospital on Sunday of multiple organ failure bought on by blad-

der cancer. His illness had previously been reported by the government . Though he has died, his “illegal gains” will still be dealt with in accordance with the law, the re-port added, without pro-viding details. China’s De-fence Ministry carried the same Xinhua report on its website. It was not immedi-ately possible to reach fam-ily members for comment. The official PLA Daily, in a commentary on its microblog, said that Xu ended his “pathetic and shameful life” on a sickbed under supervision. “Cor-ruption in the military is

the most dangerous kind, for if the military toler-ates corruption it tolerates defeat in battle,” it added. President Xi Jinping heads the Central Military Com-mission, which controls the 2.3 million-strong armed forces, and has made weed-ing out corruption in the military a top goal. The government said in October than Xu had con-fessed to taking “massive” bribes in exchange for help in promotions. Xu had been under investigation since last March, state me-dia said.


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Pricing Classifieds with photo: personal: $40 per week (max. 30 words with one picture)Commercial: $85 per week (max. 30 words with one picture)

V6, sunroof, power locks, power windows, A/C, CD player, gasoline. Fresh paint job good to go! In good working condition. $6,500 negotiable. Call:(1721)550-4104 or (1721)580-6706.

2003 Chevy Tracker. $5,500 negotiable. Only serious person. Call:581-1093 or 527-1801.

2004 Pajero Jeep, 4 doors, re-cently painted, runs well, $5,500. (1) Honda Civic 1995, 4 door, mag rims, 4 cylinders, gas engine, runs well, $900 negotiable. Call:586-9543.

2006 Hyundai Getz, grey, auto-matic, inspection until 2017. Car runs and drives well. Body is in good condition. $5,500 or best offer. Call:(1721)554-4069/580-4896.

2009 Ford Edge, light blue color, mileage 38200km. Call:553-2699.

2013 Hyundai Tucson, white, very low mileage, automatic, 4 wheel drive, excellent condition. Call:559-8814.

Boat Eduardono fi shing-plea-sure-ferry boat new 25.0 x 6.5 foot or 7.70 x 2.00 meter, $5,200. Call:522-7602. Fishing-Please-Ferry Boat.

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King size bed with side tables, dining set and a sofa set. Call:556-0563 or 522-5934.

Roberts 37.ft, sunk by hurricane. Mast, boom, rigging and sails are in storage. Brand new engine and generator. Price $7,000 negotiable. Call:524-7604.

skincare, pet sup-plies, eco-cleaning products. Cheaper than on Island, 2-4 days shipping. www.iherb.com, USA site. Enter reward code ALI728 for 5%+ $10 off(orders $40/more)or 5%+ $5 off.

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Location-Location-Location! Unbelievable panorama from the highest and unique Villa at Simpson Bay Hill(Simpson Bay Yacht Club). Best loca-tion, best Quality(European engineering). 4 Bedroom/3½ bath, pool, garage. Appraisal 1.2 Million USD. Price only USD$845,000 o.b.o! Financing by owner available. Call:554-8244.

bath home on majestic hill of Little Bay. Building 90m² lot 1000m² complete privacy, spectacu-lar view of Great Bay permit included for next levels. Call:(721)586-1901. Email [email protected]

Almond Grove Estate:Apartment for sale by owner. 2 bedroom/2.5 bath fully furnished, 24/7 secu-rity professional kitchen, common pool, private entrance, BBQ gar-den, parking. Must see. No agents. Call:522-5140 or [email protected]

Belair:Family friendly, 3 bed-rooms, 2 baths, offi ce plus down-stairs studio. Deeded property. Appraised at $450,000. Make offer below market and save with sale by owner. Email: [email protected] or call:520-5153.

2 bedroom, 2½ bathroom furnished designed apartment. Ground floor corner unit. Includes pri-vate patio and 3 boat slips. Price $795,000. By appoint-ment only, tel(+1721)580-8802.

For sale:South Reward Valley Es-tate. New 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms house, plus attached studio. 660m2 of property $285,000. Call:581-5590 or 587-1687.

Huge opportunity:Brand new 3 bedroom, 2 bath stand alone home, large yard, gated with po-tential apartment $250,000. Seri-ous. Call:586-7010.

Ocean view lot Indigo Bay, 24h gated, 1200m2 perfect view $185k. Adjacent lot also available. 37 meter wide, 95 meters altitude plenty space to design your dream house. Visit:www.wiseland.net/58b Call:(+1721)581-3242.

Pointe Blanche:2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment completely reno-vated, in great condition. Price $275,000. Mary’s Fancy:3 bed-room, 2.5 bath house consists of 2 levels with breathtaking views. Price $350,000. Please call:586-3375.

Pointe Blanche:For sale by owner, very large, 3 bedroom/3 bath and 2 bedroom /2 bath fully-furnished apartment, remodel kitchen, A/C, ceiling fans, incredible ocean view, washer/dryer. No agents. Call:522-5140, [email protected]

Sucker Garden:Fully and mod-ernly furnished 1 bedroom condo’s for a special price $140K. New Simpson Bay Yacht Club:2 bed-room condo fully furnished. Ask-ing $650K, but negotiable. Please call:580-4852.

designer mall at home. Get paid to wear designer products as seen on celebrities! Call:(1721)526-6096.

(2) 1 bedroom apartments $550 & $675 excluded utilities, South Re-ward. A large space at $1,375 and a small space at $500, L.B. Scott Road #137. Call:526-0139.

Bay Yacht Club studio, terrace on the water, fully furnished, 24 hours security, own parking, pools, tennis, gardens, USD$1,200 p/m. Boat slip available USD$300 p/m. Call:554-8244.

1 bedroom apartment on Front street Philipsburg. Call:580-3664.

bedrooms, short term rentals beachfront Beacon Hill Road #28. Fully fur-nished, guarded. Nightly costs $90-$110. Available April 1st to April 30th. Email: [email protected] or call:580-5334

2 bedroom furnished apartment. Gated property and own parking off of Guana Bay Road. View of Phil-ipsburg, $1,500. Call:554-8979.

4 bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment for rent, Paradise Island Rd #27, Madame Estate. Air conditioned $1,500 per month. Tel:581-9599.

Almond Grove Estate:Apartment for rent 2 bedroom, 2 bath fully furnished, washer, A/C, 24/7 secu-rity guard, newly remodeled, safe, centrally located. Call:522-5140 or [email protected]

2 bath-room, living, kitchen, garage with stove, fridge, washing machine on gated property location Lower Princes Quarter. $1,000 per month. Tel:542-7151 or 588-1477.

Almond Grove:Million dollar view spacious 3 bedroom, 4 bath villa furnished, private pool, secu-rity. Available April 1st to November 30th 2015 $3000 monthly, security deposit, no agents. Call:(1721)554-0849.

Almond Grove:Spacious open living area, 2500 sq.ft, gourmet kitchen, 2 bedroom/2 bath, beau-tiful ocean view from privacy of large covered terrace. Airco, full laundry, $2,500/month, 24/7 se-curity. Call:(721)523-0910 or [email protected]

Apartments for rent Egret Build-ing, Cole Bay. 1 bedroom unfur-nished $800. Email for enquiries or viewing [email protected] or call:544-2308.

Betty’s Estate:1 and 2 bedroom apartment for rent. Fully air condi-tioned, gated, fully furnished and unfurnished, generator, internet and satellite services. Pricing start-ing at $1,200. Call:520-3373 or FB Ashni’s Condo’s

condo’s $2,500-$2,800. Available now. Pelican Key:Luxury townhouses 1 bedroom $2,000-$2,300. No pets. Bay View:Modern 2 bedroom condos $3,000. Call:524-5134 or email [email protected]

Cole Bay, Almond Grove, very nice and big 2 bedroom/2 bath, big terrace, amazing lagoon and sea view, fully furnished, 24/7 security. $2,500/monthly. Call:581-6418.

Cole Bay, very nice and cozy 2 bedroom, 1 bath, great lagoon and sea views, furnished with parking. Safe and quiet area, $1,400 month-ly. Call:581-6418.

Cole Bay:For rent, available im-mediately fully furnished, condo consist of 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 12 hours security with common pool, all utilities included, for only $2,000. Call:588-3160.

Cole Bay:Furnished 1 bedroom apartment with A/C, parking. Good for one person or couple. Monthly $600 plus 1 month deposit. Avail-able immediately. Serious inquiries only. Call:556-3541.

space, Cannegieter Street, opposite Police Station, Philipsburg. 2000 sq. feet, $1,500 per month. Call:522-5555.

Building, Cole Bay. With ample parking, 55m². Good visibility and signage options. $1,350. Email for enquiries or viewing [email protected] or call:544-2308.

Cupecoy:100 sq.m, clean, one bedroom apartment on the lagoon, all renovated in a small gated com-munity. Large terrace with beauti-ful view and furnished US$1,300. Please call:587-2205.

Dawn Beach Estate:2 level condo, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, semi furnished, private back area, great views, $1,400 per month including internet. Tel:520-3311 or 560-690-14-54-36.

Dawn Beach Estate:One bed-room fully-furnished, private en-trance, washer/dryer, cable TV, gat-ed community, 24 hours security, ADT alarm, great view. Excluding utilities $975 monthly, $600/weekly including utilities. Available April 2nd. Call:520-0102/523-4154.

For rent a fully furnished villa avail-able immediatly in exclusive gated and safe community of Dawn Beach. Consist of 3 spacious bed-room, 4 bath, private parking. Price $2,600. Call:588-3160.

term Villa in French Lowlands. 3 bed-rooms, pool, completely fur-nished. Wonderful ocean view, very safe, gated area with 24 hours security. Large enclosed yard/garden. US$4,300. Tel:584-2740.

For rent:2 bedroom with 1.5 bath, 2 extra room on the second fl oor. Located in Ebenezer at Fls 1.600, one month deposit. Call:581-5587.

For rent:Beacon Hill/Maho , 2 fully furnished one bedroom apart-ments, only $650, and $850 per month, all inclusive , utilities. Wifi , tv, A/C, parking, near the beach. Call:522-2928.

For rent:Oyster Pond, new house unfurnished, 4 large bedrooms, 3 baths, garage, $2,300. Call:581-5590 or 554-2336.

For rent:Pelican 4 bedroom, 3.5 baths, semi-furnished home, garden, parking, pool. $2,600 per month. No agents please. Call:581-5590/554-2336.

Guana Bay:Two bedroom apart-ment, large porch, spectacular sea view overlooking St.Barths. Fully furnished, A/C, cable T.V., private parking. USD$1,500 p/m, utilities excluded, 1 month deposit. Available immediately. Tel:554-0355/581-4699.

Guana Bay:Two bedroom, one bathroom fully furnished, wash-ing machine etc. Covered porch private entrance parking and yard walking distance to beach $1,650 including utilities long term. No pets. Call:581-2324.

bedroom/1 bathroom unfurnished house with kitchen, living/dining, front and back porch. Rent $1,300 per month. Available April 1st, 2015. Serious inquiries only. Please call after 4pm, tel:554-8514.

Location, Location, Location. Beautiful modern one bedroom beachfront apartments, furnished. Located in Beacon Hill. Available April 1st, 2015. Weekly and monthly rates available. For viewing please call:556-1435 or 690-10-48-66.

Maho Royal Islander:1 bedroom furnished, high fl oor, beautiful views, 24/7 security, pool, ocean beach, walk to all. Available April-October, 7 months rental, $1,400 monthly in-cludes A/C. Call:(1721)522-6096.

Maho:Studio fully furnished, equipped, internet high speed, washer & dryer, private parking and security. Call:(1721)581-4494.

Middle Region:Studio apartment, 1 month rent, 1 month deposit, light and water included $325. Call:581-8265.

Newly built 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath apartment in Cole Bay semi-fur-nished $1,500 plus 2 months deposit. Serious inquieries. Call:586-7010.

bed-room, 2 bath spacious unfur-nished apartment, Front Street 106. Utilities not included, USD$1,350 per month. Call:522-5555.

apartment 2 bed-room, 2 bath, aircos, gated Waterfront road next to Budget Marine Cole Bay. $1,350 per month, utilities not included. Call:522-5555.

cubicles, partitions & kitchen, behind PDG supplies, Cole Bay. l800 sq. feet USD$2,000 per month. Call:522-5555.

Oyster Pond rent. New 2 bed-rooms, 1 bathroom apartment. Unfurnished, fridge and stove avail-able, garden and parking. A/C in all rooms. $1,300 p/m. Call:587-1687 or 581-5590.

Pelican:Apartment available for rent fully furnished, parking, pool, cable TV, internet, beach walking distance, no pets. Call:(1721)553-0515 or 523-9314.

Philipsburg:3 luxury split level penthouses. Prime location! 1 to 3 bedrooms, all 2 baths, near the Boardwalk. 2 months deposit, all con-nections available, $1,100 to $1,400 per month. Tel:1-721-526-5005.

Pointe Blanche:Large 3 bedroom, 3 bath fully or unfurnished apart-ment for rent. A/C, hurricane shut-ters, ceiling fans, gated, modern kitchen, ocean patio view, washer, parking, safe. Call:522-5140 or [email protected]

Pointe Blanche:Ocean view, un-furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with laundry room, $1,400 per month. Unfurnished 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with ocean view. Price $800 per month. Call:586-6896 .

Simpson Bay Beach, on the beach, huge 2 bedroom/2 bath fully furnished, big terrace, private parking, $2,500 monthly. Available for May 1st, 2015. Call:581-6418.

Simpson Bay Beachfront:Par-ticularly attractive 1 bedroom/1.5 bath condo. Comfortably furnished, washer/dryer, A/C’s, fans, appli-ances, shutters, pool, parking. Security, on the Beach. Long term rental only, $1,700 p/m. Available April. Call:523-4430.

Simpson Bay Cornor:Short term rental. Fully furnished 2 bedroom/2 bathroom, living room, equipped kitchen, parking, large balcony, satellite dish, great view. $800 p/m. Available May 1st-October 15th. Call:(1721)523-7616/522-3728, [email protected]

Simpson Bay(beach)studio in-cluding utilities $650 p/m plus de-posit (9 months). Good location, safe area. Furnished room, bath-room, fridge included, utilities plus Wi-Fi $595 p/m, plus deposit, short term available. Call:559-0411.


Simpson Bay, Puerta Del Sol, very nice new big studio fully fur-nished with terrace and lagoon view, night security and private parking, $1,250 per month includ-ing internet. Please call:581-6418.

Spacious and clean 1 bedroom apartments. Located in Cole Bay within walking distance to Island Water World, Bobby’s Marina, Medical University and many more facilities. Tel:(+1721)580-8376.

is seeking qualified Teacher and Afterschool assistant teacher fluent in Dutch. Must be Dutch nationals/have resi-dency permit. Contact Labour Department or call:581-0870/526-4988 for information or appointments.

is looking for security offi-cers. Call:524-9587, 586-7456 or 522-1638. From Sunday-Friday, 9am-6pm to get an application form.

the French side of the Island is looking for a Baker. Training is available. For more infor-mation contact us at 011-590-690-22-24-06.

Bay is looking for:All male kitchen helper, bartender, server and dish washer 25 years and over with working papers need to apply. Call between Monday-Saturday, 8am-5pm, 581-7777.

is looking for one cleaner, mini-mum 5 years experience working in a high volume restaurant. Must have valid papers. Contact Labor Department and call:587-3468.

Live in caretaker needed immedi-ately to take care of an elderly per-son. Expected duties:Household-ing chores, bathing, cooking and feeding, checking and monitoring blood sugar level/blood pressure, advising and support. Call:542-8823

Looking for a domestic worker to do house chores. Contact the Labor Department and call Espe-ransa Richardson 526-1712.

Young, vibrant family looking for reliable and effi cient domestic helper, 3-4 days a week. Chores include:Cleaning, laundry, ironing. Must speak English well and great with children. Must have transpor-tation. Call:522-7223.

is looking for qualified workers. Must have 1-3 years experience and have knowledge of the high scope curriculum. Call:545-3088/553-0536 or 586-1154.

26, Wellington Road, Cole Bay 9:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday. Tables $50, chairs $20, bunk bed with mattresses $450, sliding glass doors, windows $50, bar chairs $45, glasses $1, ceiling lights $20+, picnic bench $225. Call:544-2988.

FOR ONLY$175

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Business

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO--Brazilian prosecutors for-mally charged the treasurer of the ruling Workers’ Party and 26 others with corrup-tion linked to state-run Petrobras on Monday, in the latest blow to President Dilma Rousseff from the widening scandal. Prosecutors have “ample proof” that Workers’ Party Treasurer Joao Vaccari solicited donations from former Petrobras services chief Renato Duque and executives at engineering firms accused of funneling money from the oil com-pany, prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol said.

Vaccari was well aware the donations he was seeking comprised funds stemming from bribes, Dallagnol said, adding that much of the evidence was gleaned from plea bargain deals with ex-ecutives who were indicted and jailed late last year. The Workers’ Party says all the donations it received were legal. Rousseff said the charges against Vaccari showed her government had not interfered with the investi-gation to get the party off the hook. She has denied knowing about corrup-tion at Petrobras though she was chairwoman of its

board from 2003 to 2010 when much of the alleged graft occurred. “If they want to investi-gate, they will investigate. Whoever is found responsi-ble will have to pay for what they did,” she told report-ers after announcing plans to unveil new measures to fight corruption by the end of the week. Still, the scandal has heaped political pressure on Rousseff months after she was narrowly re-elect-ed. Outrage among Brazil-ians helped fuel huge street protests across the country, pressuring her administra-tion and in several cases

calling for her impeach-ment. Prosecutors also pressed additional charges against 15 executives linked to construction firms OAS, Mendes Junior and Toyo Setal. Many of the execu-tives had already been in-dicted in December. An OAS spokeswoman said the firm “vehemently” denies the allegations. Mendes Junior does not comment on ongoing judicial pro-cesses, a spokesman said. The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A policeman walks past a closed Banco Madrid branch in Ma-drid, on Monday.

MADRID--State-appoint-ed managers at Andorra’s Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA) have capped cash withdrawals in an attempt to contain the damage from U.S. allegations the bank laundered money for inter-national criminal gangs. The scandal - which has also spread to neighbouring Spain, where BPA’s Spanish unit Banco Madrid filed for bankruptcy on Monday - is a blow for the moun-tainous principality, which relies heavily on finan-cial services. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has said the problems at BPA - a lender which it said represented about a fifth of all assets and liabilities in the Andor-ran banking system - could strain national finances. Andorra took control of the bank after the U.S. De-partment of the Treasury described it last week as an “easy vehicle” for criminal gangs in Russia, China and Venezuela to funnel profits. S&P has since cut Andor-ra’s sovereign rating one notch to two levels above junk, while BPA could lose its ability to operate with U.S. counterparties due to the allegations. The chief executive of the bank, who was suspended along with the rest of the board last week, was arrest-ed at the weekend on suspi-cion of money laundering. BPA’s provisional adminis-trators have imposed a lim-it on cash withdrawals from ATM machines of 2,500 eu-ros per week per account, and limited national and international transfers. The principality’s finance min-ister said on Monday the

banking system was under stress but he insisted the scandal at BPA was an iso-lated case. “Andorra has initiated a transformation process and is committed with transparency, international standards of exchange of information and the fight against money laundering ... to preserve our position as a world-class financial centre,” Jordi Cinca told Andorran television. Andorran banks have ex-panded at a breakneck rate in recent years, increasing their assets under manage-ment by nearly two-thirds in the five-year period to 2013, and spreading to a wide array of places, in-

cluding Spain, the United States, Mexico, Dubai and Brazil. The sector’s assets under management are 17 times the size of the lo-cal economy and S&P has said the central govern-ment would not be able to provide enough financial support to BPA if it was re-quired. Andorran banks have no direct access to European Central Bank (ECB) facili-ties from their head offices, however they could access ECB funding through sub-sidiaries in the euro zone if those units had eligible collateral to park with the ECB. Banco Madrid, one of BPA’s subsidiaries, will begin bankruptcy proceed-

ings after customers rushed to empty accounts in the wake of the U.S. allega-tions. The firm, which focused on private banking, had about 6 billion euros ($6.3 billion) of assets under management before the allegations, and 15,000 cli-ents with deposits. Deposits of up to 100,000 euros per client will be guaranteed, and the Bank of Spain said fewer than 500 clients had more than that amount held at Banco Madrid. The cost for Spain’s de-posit guarantee fund, which has about 3.7 billion euros in firepower, will be un-der 500 million euros, two sources familiar with the matter said. Spain’s stock market regulator CNMV also said it had suspended reimbursement of invest-ment funds managed by Banco Madrid. The U.S. allegations in-clude that BPA facilitated the movement of $4.2 bil-lion in transfers related to Venezuelan money laun-dering. American officials said BPA’s alleged money laundering occurred largely through its Andorran head-quarters. But Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor is looking into whether simi-lar activity occurred at its unit there, a judicial source told Reuters. As well as looking into Chinese and Russian links, the anti-corruption pros-ecutor has tracked down about 20 names of former Spanish politicians who might be involved in finan-cial wrongdoings with Ban-co Madrid, the source said.

36 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Business

European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi adjusts his glasses during the IMFS Conference 2015 of the Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability in Frankfurt, Germany on March 11, 2015.

FRANKFURT--Describing the euro zone economy as “steadily recovering”, Eu-ropean Central Bank Presi-dent Mario Draghi called on Monday for a “quantum leap” in European inte-gration so countries share more sovereignty. A week after the ECB be-gan printing money to buy sovereign bonds, Draghi said the bank’s stimulus, lower oil prices and struc-tural reforms in euro zone economies were help-ing support growth in the 19-country bloc. “We are meeting against the backdrop of a steadily recovering economic situ-ation in the euro area,” he said in a speech for delivery at a finance conference. “Most indicators suggest a sustained recovery is tak-ing hold,” he added. “Con-fidence among firms and consumers is rising. Growth

forecasts have been revised upwards. And bank lending is improving on both the demand and supply sides.” The ECB had helped generate this upturn, said Draghi. Earlier on Mon-day, the ECB said it settled 9.751 billion euros ($10.30 billion) of public-sector bond purchases in the first week of the programme to pump more than 1 trillion euros into the euro zone economy. Under this quantitative easing (QE), the ECB in-tends to buy 60 billion euros a month of mainly sover-eign bonds until September 2016, or beyond if needed to see a sustained adjust-ment in inflation back to-wards the ECB target. The central bank projects its QE plan will turbo-charge a frail euro zone recovery, already helped by lower oil prices and a revival in bank

lending. But Draghi warned the currency area’s economies and institutions have not converged sufficiently. “This is why, whenever there is a serious shock in any part of the euro area, questions about the sus-tainability of the union still arise,” he said, pressing countries to reform their economies to stand on their own two feet. Euro zone countries had not yet converged suf-ficiently to dispel doubts about the bloc’s cohesion, said Draghi, stressing: “We have now integrated too much to even entertain re-versing the process - our economies are far too in-tertwined.” Draghi has been pushing deeper integration since early 2012, when the euro zone debt crisis led him and other top crisis-fighting

figures to work on a road-map towards a banking un-ion, fiscal union, economic union and political union. His French predecessor, Jean-Claude Trichet, called in 2011 for a central Euro-pean finance ministry. The Italian ECB president noted Europe’s fiscal rules have repeatedly been bro-ken, straining trust among countries. In response, he proposed deeper institu-tional integration, with

more shared sovereignty and strengthened account-ability of the European Un-ion towards its citizens. “In sum, my conclusion is that there must be a quan-tum leap in institutional convergence,” Draghi said. “We need to move from a system of rules and guide-lines for national economic policy making, to a system of further sovereignty shar-ing within common institu-tions,” he added.

Employees work in a production line at the plant of German carmaker Volkswagen in Wolfs-burg, March 3, 2015.

BRUSSELS--Once de-picted as a “Blue Banana” stretching from Manches-ter to Milan, Europe’s industrial heartland has moved eastwards just as its political centre of gravity has shifted to Germany. The term was coined in 1989, the year the Ber-lin Wall fell, to describe French geographer Roger Brunet’s work identifying a manufacturing megacity, visible from space at night as a band of light curving from England to Italy via the Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany and Swit-zerland. Brunet was worried that France, a highly central-ised economy dominated by Paris, was falling off the map. He developed the concept to urge the govern-ment to invest in infrastruc-ture to connect the Paris-Lyon-Marseille axis to the highly urbanised European backbone of around 110 million people. A quarter of a century later, the continent’s indus-trial geography has mor-phed. A more fitting image might be a golden football centred on southern Ger-many and reaching into Po-land, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Romania. “We have seen a huge re-location and concentration into a central European manufacturing core,” says

Michael Landesmann, sci-entific director of the Vi-enna Institute for Interna-tional Economic Studies. Former-communist coun-tries that joined the Euro-pean Union in 2004 and 2007 have become the extended production line of German industry, no longer just supplying raw materials and components but assembling cars and some industrial machinery. Manufacturing employ-ment has declined every-where in Europe as a share of the workforce but most sharply in Britain, France

and Belgium, with the post-2008 economic crisis accel-erating a trend driven by the globalisation of supply chains. The shift in the balance of trade inside the now 28-member EU in the dec-ade since its eastward en-largement began offers a striking illustration.

Golden FootballThe golden football region -- Germany, the Nether-lands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania -- increased its share of intra-EU trade by a total of 5.3

percentage points between 2004 and 2013, the latest year for which final data is published. The biggest gains accrued to Germany with 2.2 percentage points. Over the same period, the Atlantic Arc region englob-ing Britain, France, Ireland, Spain and Portugal lost a cumulative 4.4 percentage points in intra-EU market share, led downwards by Spain and the UK. Italy also lost 1.7 percentage points. How much this all mat-ters is open to debate. To some extent, industrial jobs

have been replaced by the growth of business services, especially in Britain, which has just overtaken France as the EU’s second biggest economic power. Manufacturing jobs in advanced economies have become increasingly highly skilled, while those parts of production for which high skill levels are not needed have been shifted to regions with lower labour costs. In the knowledge economy, location may become in-creasingly irrelevant and industrial plants may with-er in Europe as coal mines and steel mills largely did in the late 20th century. Yet Germany has built out its economic dominance of Europe by maintaining the largest manufacturing base. More worryingly, Landes-mann says, Europe’s south-ern periphery has become largely disconnected indus-trially from the core since the euro zone debt crisis forced Greece, Spain and Portugal to seek bailouts for their governments or banks. “The periphery and low-er income regions are not linked to cross-border pro-duction networks. That is not easily reversible and it’s not just an exchange rate is-sue,” he said.

Policy ActionEconomists assume too blithely that such trends

will balance themselves out over time, Landesmann said, arguing that the loss of manufacturing capac-ity on Europe’s southern fringes calls for policy ac-tion to build up peripheral countries’ export capacity. Not everyone is quite so gloomy. Latest figures from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, show exports from Spain, Portugal and Ireland are rising again. Ireland was the fastest growing economy in the euro zone last year with 4.8 percent growth, and Spain grew 2 percent, finally starting to turn the tide of mass unem-ployment. U.S. auto giants Ford and General Motors have just made major investments to increase car production in Spain. Ironically, Spain has increased its share of Europe’s industrial gross value added even as it has lost manufacturing jobs due to big gains in productivity. These shifting patterns pose conundrums for EU policymakers and the Eu-ropean Investment Bank as they consider how to target a planned 315 billion euro strategic investment fund intended to attract pri-vate capital into long-term infrastructure projects. Should the priority be to counter the growing north-south economic divide, re-industrialise the rust belt and the olive oil belt, focus on reducing dependence on fossil fuels such as import-ed Russian gas, or promote research and development in the industrial heartland? While acknowledging that trying to reverse the tide of industrial concentration would be futile, Vincent Aussilloux and Arno Ama-bile of the French govern-ment’s policy planning agency France-Strategie, argue in a forthcoming pa-per that the EU needs to target strategic investment at the most depressed re-gions. They also advocate a specific fund for the euro zone to provide loans and subsidies to develop re-search, small business and vocational training in the poorest peripheral areas. “This is also a political im-perative so that Europe is once again identified with positive, future-oriented projects and not just with enforcing budget auster-ity,” they say, warning that the widening industrial gap could otherwise cause a po-litical explosion.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 37Opinion

Dear Editor, As noted before, in past com-mentaries on this subject mat-ter – the threat of terrorism to the Caribbean, the Caribbean is an oasis for tourists. Growth within the region according to a new regional economic report from Integra Reality Resources (IRR), the region’s economic growth is driven by tourism. The economy of the region grew by 4.6 per cent in 2014. In 2014, the Caribbean wel-comed 26.3 million tourists, a 5.3 per cent growth over 2013. Half of the visitors, 13 million, came from the U.S. while more than fi ve million came from Eu-rope. Another 24 million were cruise passengers that visited the region. There has been news circulat-ing about Caribbean nationals getting involved in the self-de-clared Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), from an Aruban female living in Europe to Trini-dadians in the South. This news surfaced last year. In 2015, the threat has come a bit closer to home. ISIS is considered an evolving threat and would be a great interest to Caribbean law enforcement intelligence services and national security services, especially in light of the large numbers of U.S. and Eu-ropean visitors that vacation in the region annually. In intelligence community terms, the Caribbean region as

a whole would be considered as a soft target for terrorist groups. The U.S. Federal Bureau of In-vestigation (FBI) has ISIS and cohorts as a top concern, espe-cially the so-called “lone wolf,” terror method could cause havoc in an attack. The FBI and other top U.S. military offi cials have appeared recently in front of a U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Budget hearing, where the threat of ISIS and co-horts was discussed in relation to the threat it poses to the U.S. homeland. The FBI in the hearing referred to efforts to recruit Americans to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq and then have them return to the U.S. homeland where they would commit acts of terrorism. The U.S. National Intelligence Director has already indicated that approximately 180 Ameri-cans have travelled abroad to Syria where they joined in the fi ghting that is taking place in that country. Of the previously mentioned amount, approxi-mately 40 have already returned to the U.S. One can expect that U.S. intelligence services have these persons under constant surveillance. Interesting, is that somewhere around 100 so-called jihad-ists from the Caribbean have left the region and are fi ghting along with Islamists in Syria/Iraq. The U.S. is concerned that these individuals could return

back to the Caribbean and then attempt to make their way to the U.S. Some of the countries mentioned where “militants” are allegedly from are: Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname and Venezuela. The Caribbean region itself caters annually to millions of American visitors. The threat is more within the region than attempting to enter the U.S. homeland which already has a web of protection with respect to persons entering via boat or plane. The U.S. Southern bor-der with Mexico is a major con-cern for U.S. authorities since hundreds of thousands of peo-ple annually attempt to enter the U.S. illegally from this point. The U.S. and Europe need to look at working closer with Ca-ribbean governments, or per-haps intensify this cooperation with intelligence, national secu-

rity services and also providing the necessary technology in or-der to track would-be terrorists. U.S. Marine Corps General John F. Kelly, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, has already indicated via his testimony to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, that Caribbean countries have a harder time tracking the num-bers of people and their move-ments, because they lack the necessary resources in material and human. The General adds that he believes the U.S. intelligence community: “I believe we are overlooking a signifi cant secu-rity threat.” Here he is referring to criminal organizations that are already within the Americas (South, North and the Carib-bean) traffi cking across borders (arms smuggling, money laun-dering). Due to a compilation

of intelligence from around the globe, there is the belief that criminal networks involved in human and drug traffi cking are interested in working with ter-rorist groups in order to facili-tate the movement of terrorists or even weapons of mass de-struction toward the border of the U.S. homeland. The General points out that the intelligence community continues to underestimate the threat of the previously men-tioned as being a signifi cant and direct risk to the U.S. national security and that of partner na-tions. General Kelly believes that unless the U.S. and its allies are confronted with an imme-diate crisis, the tendency is to take the security of the Western Hemisphere for granted, which he says is a mistake. The Generals words should not ring hollow for regional security

and intelligence experts, as well as the roles of parliamentarians when it comes to border secu-rity matters and issues. Where do we stand when it comes to security at sea and airports, as well as coastal areas? What con-tingencies are in place to deal with various possible scenarios that could present itself? Have regional forces received anti-terrorism training? Regional governments have to have mechanisms in place to prevent a possible “lone wolf” attack or an attack that could involve more than one person hitting multiple targets. The U.S. FBI and General Kelly have both identifi ed areas of concern, not only for the U.S. but that is also relevant to every Caribbean country including St. Maarten.

Roddy Heyliger

By Eugene Robinson

WASHINGTON -- It’s been just a few weeks since Republi-cans took full control of Congress, but already it is safe to say they have no earthly idea of what they want to accomplish. What we’re seeing is not just a bit of sputtering before the GOP machine cranks up and begins to systematically fulfi ll its governing plan. There is no plan. Republican majorities in both the House and Senate are so out of control that they’ve managed a feat once thought impossible: They make the Democratic Party look like a model of unity and discipline. House Speaker John Boehner has never really been in charge of his caucus. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc-Connell was supposed to be a masterful orchestrator, a con-summate dealmaker, a skillful herder of cats. So far, he is looking, well, kind of Boehneresque. McConnell should be deeply embarrassed that a mere freshman, Senator Tom Cotton, Republican-Arkansas, could invite widespread ridicule by convincing 46 of his colleagues (including McConnell himself) to sign a dangerously inap-propriate letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At once bellicose and patronizing, the letter threatens to undo any agreement President Obama may reach on limit-ing the Iranian nuclear program. It is one thing for a rookie senator, perhaps impressed with his new status, to decide he can barge into sensitive inter-national negotiations that are clearly the president’s to con-duct. But to convince so many others to go along with such a bad idea suggests a disturbing lack of adult supervision. Predictably, Senate Republicans who signed Cotton’s mis-sive have had to spend days explaining why. The better ques-tion, in my view, is how: Specifi cally, how could McConnell allow his majority to be hijacked in this manner? Not that McConnell showed any greater ability to control events during the long and pointless fi ght over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Democrats remained united throughout – and, in the end, Republicans who had hoped to reverse Obama’s executive actions on im-


38 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Opinion

Dear Editor, Despite the efforts of this new parliament of trying to convince the public that it has raised the bar to a very high standard, this procla-mation continues to be such an uneasy truth. On the con-trary, it is by far, worse than the previous. What has be-come common practice for some parliamentarians is to have speech competitions and to see who can outfox and demean the other. But the public is not interested in such devious minds and childish behaviours.

Elevated representation of the people coincides with the ability to think indepen-dently and then proceed ex-peditiously and consciously to the demands of society and the success of this is-land. That is why I admire former MP Hyacinth Rich-ardson, who may not have had the oral ability like others who just chatter skil-fully, only to insult and seek appraisal to satisfy their self-centred fascination. Quite the opposite; he has always taken time to assess the situation and then vote

in the best interest of the people. The most disappointing of all the parliamentarians are the two Independents. When I look back at their performance in their previ-ous positions and the way in which the public viewed them then, it is such a con-trast to their current behav-iour. It is so sad to see how bitter and mean they are, to be always in competition to see who could insult their colleagues the most. What is hurtful is that these two politicians are always com-menting on the failure of the previous parliament. Yet, they have not shown the po-litical maturity to rise above party line and convince the public that they are there to represent whole-heartedly. Just last week, there was a discussion in parliament of which MP Sarah Wescot-Williams posed some very interesting questions and also shared her suggestions. All she got was insulting, self-centred comments from the number 2 candidate of the US Party and some nonchalant, diluted insults from the former Minister of Health. As long as they are

not the ones who are deliv-ering or members of their coalition, every other com-ment has no significance for them. Wescot-Williams may have characteristics that can irk many, including myself, but credit must be given where it is due. I have said before that she is the most tactful politician and an ace to reckon with. Besides her, the only politician who can represent St. Maarten on every level is MP William Marlin. This group feels that be-cause they can boast about having various degrees make them more competent than the previous. Possession of degrees comes with true in-telligence, wisdom, common sense and the ability to think independently. Indepen-dent-minded parliamentar-ians oppose and refuse to be controlled remotely. In-stead, they pool their ideas and work together to propel this nation forward. Self-

interest is never an option for forward thinking intel-lectuals. But this initiative is far-fetched because their egoistic nature has taken centre stage. This became the obvious a few weeks ago when their true character was exposed by blatantly in-sulting their colleague, MP Silveria Jacobs, when they stole her motion and then presented it as theirs. What they fail to realize is, the more they try to undermine their colleagues, the greater the risk becomes for getting

a vote of no confidence from the public. I think the worst thing that parliament has done is to form these committees because they are identi-cal to the structure of the government-owned compa-nies that are run like cartels. But I like the words of Bil-lie Holiday who says, “You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working with-out any feeling.”

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor, The genuine health of a civil state is sparked by integrity of its citizen norms and values. I hereby commend SXM DOET. Yes, continue the spreading of positive, creative en-ergy. We are one.

Theophilus Priest

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 39Opinion

Dear Editor, I was deliberating whether I should weigh in on the selling of drivers licences and SZV documents, Id cards etc. One would think that after hav-ing voiced my opinion on several occasions concerning the above I would be gloat-

ing and saying I told you so. On the contrary I am sad. Why sad, because if we go back in the archives of The Chronicle, The Guardian, The Windward Island News-day, you will find some letters to the editor from my person concerning the unacceptable

way of handling things by civil servants and more so by political leaders. Those who were familiar with how things were done on St. Maarten at that time were constantly asking them-selves how come “the powers that be” did not get rid of Russell yet from up here. Sad because one of the things that I constantly mentioned to whoever was ready to lis-ten is that “the government is creating a monster.” Many people were doing the wrong thing and only those of a dif-ferent political persuasion were condemned. And then there were civil servants who were persecuted and convicted, got back a job in government after sitting out their sentence. That was the monster that was created be-cause these people were used to (subtle blackmail) bend-ing the rules and dismissing proper procedure. Not me, I spoke about it in the past, but the integrity report brought a whole lot of this to light. During a dis-cussion one person said to me that he could understand helping somebody with a SZV card but they should lock up those who sell drivers licenc-es. What came out of that was this question. How would you feel to know that you are is-

suing SZV cards to foreigners and your family who is from here can’t get any? Reason-able question but that does not make it right. It is said that if we take con-trol of our consistent actions we are directing our lives, because it is not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, it is what we do consistently. Sad because too many of them accepted “who the hell Russell think he is to come up here and change things” rather than to say “the LMA is my bible and I’m sup-posed to live by it.” Once again those who have taken an oath to do the correct thing under all circumstances “So Help Me God” have shown the world that we do not have any regard for solem-nity. We are showing everyone that the core of government is corrupt. No not me, the nega-tive actions of Civil servants, section heads, MPs, Ministers in a very short span, have been uncovered and publicized and we are ready to point fingers at others. Sad because government refuses to accept that if you continue to have convicted people in government it works like a rotten apple. Should we really be offended when people refer to us as a corrupt people? The numbers

are escalating people. Some-one asked me who going to do the cleaning up; not the prosecutors because they too need cleaning up. The other one said Bosman told us that they are cleaning up so we have to clean up also. It was a free for all in that discussion; one person said if you make trouble during the carnival jump ups you will have to pay up to a six hundred guilder fine but if you steal from gov-ernment you going get a slap on the wrist. Another one said now that the possibility for the big boys to go Pointe Blanche is close, they fixing it up to accommo-date themselves in case.. It may sound funny but it is sad. I constantly mention the daily raising of prices in the super-markets and to add to that the price of house rent and utility

bills. Is not at least ninety per cent of that minimum wage consumed by those bills? Could more people than we know be suffering financially, and could these actions be a consequence of “if I have to do the dirty work for the Min-ister I am going to take my share too?” Talking about sharing. If St. Maarten would put its immi-gration to work meticulously and then put everybody to work and give them an hon-est wage accordingly, would there not be enough to share with everybody. Do we really need one set of people mak-ing all and the rest none on this sweet St. Maarten land? There is not even a possibil-ity about talking about put-ting up for a rainy day.

Russell A. Simmons

migration had to capitulate. McConnell, a master of the Senate’s arcane procedures, was reduced to complain-ing about how the mean old Democrats were using the rules to get their way. Did McConnell allow the scenario to play out as a way of teaching House Republi-cans the limits of their pow-er? If so, it was a triumph of hope over experience. We’ve seen this movie again and again, and it always ends the same way: with the House leadership apparently shocked to learn it takes 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate. For all the post-election talk about how the GOP was go-ing to show the nation it is capable of governing, by now it is clear that many Repub-licans in Congress do not share this goal. Since Republicans do not hold the White House or veto-proof majorities in ei-ther chamber, governing requires compromise. Re-fusing to make the compro-mises needed to pass man-datory legislation, such as budget appropriations, leads to self-inflicted wounds such as government shutdowns for which Congress is blamed. These are not difficult con-cepts to grasp. Yet many House Republi-cans – either for ideological reasons or because they fear inviting a primary challenge from the right – will not com-promise at all. They find it more advantageous or satis-

fying to vote 50-plus times to repeal all or part of Obam-acare, knowing they have no chance of succeeding, rather than look for ways to make the program work better for their constituents. That explains Boehner’s in-effectiveness. But what about McConnell’s? Why hasn’t he taken the reins? One reason is the number of Republican senators who are thinking about running for president. Opposition to Obama – rather than any set of ideas, values or principles – is the party’s North Star. So if a letter that seeks to tor-pedo the president’s Middle East policy is circulating in the Senate cloakroom, any-one thinking about the Iowa caucuses is going to sign on. Another reason might be that McConnell is simply a better counterpuncher than initiator. Or perhaps he just needs to rethink his ap-proach. His failure to get a single Democrat to defect on the Homeland Security votes should convince him that if he is going to be ef-fective in leading the Senate, something’s going to have to change. As things stand, it is pos-sible to argue that the most capable field marshals in Congress are Senate Mi-nority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Which makes you wonder just what in the world the Republican Party thinks it might be accom-plishing.

Continued from page 37.

A GOP ADRIFT...

40 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Comics

By Nancy BlackToday’s Birthday (March 17) – Talk about what you love this year. Expand professionally by finding passion in your work. Inspire and grow your circles. Share your unique view. Practice before performing. Take advantage of renewed con-fidence after the Vernal Equinox eclipse (3/20). Plan and coordinate with your team before launching a big summer splash. Open new doors with a partner this autumn. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) – Today is an 8 – Focus on your breathing to counter stress. Get busy making money over the next three weeks, with Venus in Taurus. Rake in the profit. Friends help out. Inspiration comes in a dream. Run tests before proceeding.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) – Today is an 8 – Your luck in love improves immensely over the next several weeks with Venus in your sign. Enjoy feeling especially beloved and irresistible. Get a new style, haircut or beauty treatment. Polish your pre-sentation for professional benefit. Opposites attract.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) – Today is a 9 – Allow yourself more quiet time over the next month, with Venus in Taurus. Finish old jobs and rest. Enjoy sweeter dreams. Don’t reveal all your secrets. Get a better deal through a broker. Travel, study and explore.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) – Today is an 8 – You’re especially popular over the next three and a half weeks, with Venus in Taurus. Group activities go well. Get out in public and stir up some action. Social activities benefit your career. Pay atten-tion to the numbers.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) – Today is an 8 – Take on more respon-sibility over the next month, with Venus in Taurus. Watch for career advances. Assume authority. Put love into your work and it flowers. Only discuss business with someone who can help. Keep it practical.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) – Today is an 8 – Consider all pos-sibilities. The next month is good for travel, with Venus in Taurus. It’s easier to set goals and venture forth. Class con-venes and studies get interesting. Make long-range plans. Set up your space to facilitate workflow.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) – Today is an 8 – Balance work and play. Making money can be fun. Expect expenditures. Find a sweet deal. Go over the numbers this next month, with Venus in Taurus. Save and increase your assets. Share enthusiasm with someone adorable.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) – Today is a 7 – Partnerships flow with greater ease over the next month, with Venus in Taurus. Form new ones, and renew old bonds. Compromise comes easier. Enjoy your feminine side. Put a practical penny-pincher in charge of household expenses.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) – Today is an 8 – There’s more work coming in over the next month – the kind you like – with Venus in Taurus. Clean and beautify your workspace. It’s getting fun (and profitable). Upgrade infrastructure to provide necessary support. Finish what you started.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) – Today is a 7 – You’re even luckier in games and romance over the next month, with Ve-nus in Taurus. Artistic efforts work in your favor. Keep play-ing to increase your skills. Learn from mistakes (especially financial). Play with young people.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) – Today is a 9 – Make your home your love nest. Household chores and improvements are more enjoyable over the next month, with Venus in Taurus. Focus on home and family, and settle into some domestic bliss. Get what you want delivered.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) – Today is a 6 – Take it easy. Trust your heart to lead you. Savor what you’re learning over the next month, with Venus in Taurus. Your research gets fasci-nating. Explore a passion. Write about what you love. Volun-teer for an inspiring cause.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 41Community

Dear Queenie, What ever happened to the custom of a man asking a wom-an’s father – or both her parents – for permission to marry her? Our daughter just got engaged to a man we have known for a long time but up to now he hasn’t come to us to ask us for her hand in marriage. Queenie, is he just leading her on?—Old-fashioned

Dear Old-fashioned, The custom you speak of went out of style along with the idea that a woman was merely her father’s property, with no mind or rights of her own. Nowadays both men and women make up their own minds about things like marriage and all their parents have to say about it is “Congratulations.”

Badminton ClubOrion Badminton Club is in the Academy Gym Hall. Prac-tice time: Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Soccer playersOualichi Women’s Soccer Association is accepting girls and women to expand with new and talented players. The women’s team (12 years and up) practises at Raoul Illidge Sports Complex every Monday and Wednesday, 5:30-7:00pm and the girls team (6-12 years) practises at Emilio Wilson Park every Saturday, 9:00-10:00am, and at Raoul Illidge Sports Complex on Monday, 5:45-6:45pm. Contact: [email protected] or call 587-9180 for more information. Facebook: Oualichi Women’s Soccer Team. Website: www.oualichisoccer.com

Boxing ClassesBoxing instructor Blair “The Pit-Bull” is offering boxing classes. For more information call call 581-8269 or 554-5522 Ultimate Fitness Center UFC.

Support GroupWomen of Destiny Support Group for single mothers meets on the second Monday of every month at Christian Faith Ministry love hall in Dutch Quarter at 7:30pm (purple church). Tel. 554-6553

Sailing lessonsSt. Maarten Yacht Club Sailing School (SMYC) invites per-sons to register for sailing lessons. For more information contact [email protected] or call 586-0850

Dance ClassesDance Theater of St. Maarten will be registering students ages 3+ for classes. For detailed schedule and new tuition rates, visit our website www.dancesxm.com, e-mail us at [email protected] or call 520-6914.

Volunteers NeededSt. Maarten AIDS Foundation is looking for volunteers with graphic design experience to design fl yers, posters and brochures for their events and activities. They are also look-ing for Spanish and Creole speaking volunteers with a good command of English. For more information call 588-4636.

Free HIV testingSt. Maarten AIDS Foundation is offering free and confi den-tial HIV testing at its offi ce Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs-days, 9:00am to 12:00pm. Results are available in 15 minutes. If these hours are not convenient call 553-2626 or 588-4636 to make an appointment. The offi ce is on the second fl oor of the Bluepoint building in Cole Bay (across from Tropicana Ca-sino). Parking and entrance at the back of the building.

Volunteers NeededSt Maarten Red Cross is looking for volunteers. Interested persons can visit their Building or call 545-2333 or 586-5330 for more information.

Positive ThinkingBrahma Kumaris St. Maarten invites persons to its on-going free meditation and Positive Thinking courses at Raj Yoga Centre, 16 Front Street. Call 524-2554 or 542-0541 for more information.

Community Reading ClassOrganised by the Salvation Army at Union Road #59, Cole Bay, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 2:30-4:30pm.

Programme for AlcoholicsAl-Anon is a non-profi t 12-step programme in partnership with Alcoholics Anonymous available for persons, family and friends of persons who may have a problem with alco-holism. The support group meets at Red Cross on Airport Boulevard every Monday and Friday, 6:00-7:00pm. For in-formation call 527-1343.

Only notices of fund-raising events for non-profi t or edu-cational organisations will be placed in the Events/Notices column. Notices/Events should be sent to [email protected] in the format used on this page. Do not send fl iers or press releases to this address.

NOTICESOnly notices and events of non-profi t or educational organ-isations will be placed in the Events/Notices column. No-tices/Events should be sent to [email protected] in the format used on this page. Do not send fl iers or press releases to this address.NOTICESSelf-defence Classes Ultimate Fitness Center is registering persons 15 and older for their Self-defence/Grappling classes now being offered at the in Philipsburg opposite the Travel Planners. For more information call 554-5522 for more information.

District ScreeningsGlucose, Cholesterol, Blood pressure, Weight and much more, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) mobile health bus will be making its third district visit at: Venue: Mc. Donald’s (Dutch Quarter); On Thursday, March 19; From 4:00 – 7:00pm. For more information call: CPS 542-2078 /3003.

School RegistrationClay Montessori Academy Foundation is now registering for the 2015/2016 school year. Also registering for our After School Program from 2:00 to 5:00pm. For more information call 527-4449 or email us at [email protected].

Schools RegistrationHillside Christian Schools in St. Peters and Cay Hill is regis-tering students for school year 2015 – 2016. St. Peters Cam-pus will be registering 3 and 4 old students from March 9–28 from 8:00am – 2:00pm. For more information call the St. Peters campus offi ce at 548-4757 and the Cay Hill offi ce at 543-1750, 543-1650.

Softball ProgramSt. Martin Pony Baseball/Softball League informs all par-ents of girls ages 4 and older that practice and registration have started for their softball program. Practice is held ev-ery Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 3:00 to 6:00pm at the John Copper Jose Lake Sr. Ballpark. They will also be youth softball and baseball games on Saturday at the fi eld in Belve-dere. Registration is at the offi ce on Cannegieter Street 93, Philipsburg. When registering take along a copy of your child passport, ID or residency papers.

Flea Market Ideal Pre-School Parents-Teachers Committee invites per-sons who would wish to participate in their March 15 fl ea

market to register. The event will be held at Emilio Wilson. For more information call 527-3676.

Female Soccer TeamFC Soualiga is looking for ladies to join their soccer team. Practice every Tuesday and Thursday 7:00 – 8:30pm at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex in Cay Hill. Contact [email protected] or call 584-1881, Facebook: FC Soualiga, or visit during practice hours, if interested.

After SchoolJoann’s After School is now registering children ages 3½ to 16yrs for extra help in the following topics: Dutch and Eng-lish topics from Monday to Friday after 12:00pm. For more information call 524-0401.

Self-Defence ClassesBrazilian Jiu Jitsu classes are offered for both adults and children age 4+. Muay Thai Kickboxing for Adults (Age 15+) Tuesday 7-8:30pm, Kids Age 8-14 Mon/Wed 5-6pm and Women Only Thursday 7pm. All classes take place at Renzo Gracie St Maarten, SXM BJJ 15 Wellington Rd Cole Bay. For more information contact 721 580 3894 or email [email protected]

Steel Pan ClassesAdults and children 5 and over are advised to register for steel pan afterschool classes at Dow’s Musical Foundation. Registration forms can be collected at A.Th. Illidge Road 48, Lower Prince’s Quarter, St Maarten (behind Firgos Paper and Oduber agencies). For more information call 542-6971.

Dance Classes Dance and Arts Dimensions Academy (DADA) is register-ing new and continuing students at the Yogesh complex 2nd fl oor, across from Le Grand Marché Supermarket, Cul de Sac. Sign up for Liturgical, Ballet or Jazz in dance from ages 2 to Adult. Vocal, piano and guitar lessons are available for students ages 5 to adults. Registration times are Wednesdays 5:00-6:00pm and Saturdays 11:00am to 12:00pm. For more information call 523-4436 or 522-5801.

Volleyball Try-outs United Volleyball Club is registering boys, girls and adults for their teams. Call 550-3435 or 520-1136 for more informa-tion and try-out times.

After SchoolKid Connect is now accepting enrolment for its After School Programme, which includes Homework Help, Dutch and Lunch. Located in Cole Bay, Kid Connect is open from 8:00am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday. Tel: 721-526-6152. Email: [email protected] . www.kcsxm.com

Study BuddyStudy Buddy Homework Guidance Programme for Second-ary Students and Primary 6th graders at Milton Peters Col-lege, 3:00-5:00pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more info contact: 580-6862/553-1253

Swim Team RegistrationCarib Swim Team is registering all swimmers at the pool Monday-Friday, 3:00-8:00pm, or Saturday, 9:00am-12:00pm. All children ages 5 and up, and adults are welcome to join the team. Team training is conducted daily. Special intro classes have been added to the schedule. For detailed sched-ule and new swim rates, e-mail [email protected] or call 581-7637.

Afterschool Care ProgrammeNo Kidding With Our Kids Foundation is now open for reg-istration for the upcoming school year. ASA Programme is for children ages 4-14 at two locations; Retreat and Sucker Garden. For more information call 542-4910 or visit the main offi ce at Sucker Garden Road 13 (Lions Building) to pick up a form.

Kid Connect EnrolmentKid Connect in Cole Bay is now accepting enrolment for its afternoon programme, which includes homework help, Dutch and lunch. Kid Connect is open from 8:00am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday. Call: 721-526-6152 or e-mail [email protected] .

Swimming ClassesMr. Busby Swim Instructor is now registering Children and Adults for swimming classes. Location: Divi Little Bay on the beach. For more information call 524-5137 or email: rawly-busby @gmail.com.

42 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015People

BVN (Dutch/Flemish) TVChannel 122 SXM Cable

Channel 23 WTN

Tuesday, March 17 12:00pm VRT Journaal 12:30pm Tijd voor MAX/Hallo Nederland 1:30pm De Wilde Keuken 1:55pm Met het Mes op Tafel 2:20pm Katja’s bodyscan 3:05pm NOS Journaal 3:10pm Sesamstraat 3:25pm Het Klokhuis 3:40pm Klaslokaal Abnormaal 3:55pm De pretroulette 4:15pm Blokken 4:45pm Thuis 5:10pm Dagelijkse kost 5:25pm EenVandaag 5:50pm NOS Sportjournaal 6:00pm VRT Journaal 6:45pm De Wereld Draait Door 7:30pm NOS Journaal 7:55pm Weerbericht Europa/Afrika 8:00pm Nederland Kiest: Het Debat 9:15pm Nieuwsuur 10:10pm Weerbericht Amerika & Cariben 10:15pm Pauw 11:00pm Terzake 11:40pm Iedereen beroemd

TV 15 (local)Channel 115 SXM Cable

Tuesday, March 17 8:00am AVS News (r) 8:30am Replay Dcomm 9:00am Caribbean Newsline 9:30am Caribbean Workout 10:00am Caribbean Passport 10:30am Speaking of Everything 11:00am Music Videos 5:00pm Music Videos 5:30pm Caribbean Newsline 6:00pm Dcomm 6:30pm Caribbean Workout 7:00pm TBA 7:30pm AVS News 8:00pm Oral Gibbes Live 9:00pm Music Videos 9:30pm Caribbean Medical/Robbie’s Lot 10:00pm Music Videos/Caribbean Lottery 11:00pm AVS News 11:30pm Caribbean Newsline

TeleCuraçao Channel 130 SXM Cable

Channel 8 WTN

Tuesday, March 17 6:00am Mi, Bo, Nos Salú 6:30am Mòru Bondia 9:30am Ban Halsa e Standarte 10:00am Tòsti 11:00am Dun’e un chèns 12:00pm Boletin di Mèrdia 1:00pm Bo Tra’i Mèrdia 3:30pm Telsell 4:00pm Video Zoo 5:00pm Solo ta sali pa nos tur 6:00pm Bonochi Kòrsou 7:00pm TeleDeporte 7:30pm Lifestyle with Chari 8:00pm TeleNotisia 9:00pm Wega di Number Kòrsou 9:10pm Partisipashon di Morto 9:15pm Pagina Sosial Giro Bank 9:30pm Ban Papia di Salú 10:30pm TBA 11:00pm TeleNotisia (r)

TV-CARIB (local)Channel 10 WTN

Tuesday, March 17 6:30am Facing the Day 7:00am TV-Carib Informer (r) 7:20am AVS News (r) 7:40am Noticias en Español (r) 12:05pm Viewpoint PJD2 5:00pm Playtime 6:30pm Caribbean Sports 7:00pm In Depth with Andrew Bishop 7:30pm Fitness with Bella 8:00pm TV-Carib Informer 8:20pm AVS News 8:40pm Dcomm 9:00pm Live Lottery Drawings 10:00pm Noticias en Español

Tigers are seen in a cage during a media tour organised by circus workers union, to show animals from some circuses that have already shut, in a town called Tizayuca, near Mexico City March 9, 2015.

TIZAYUCA, Mexico--Mexico is searching for homes for at least 2,000 ti-gers, elephants, giraffes, ze-bras and other exotic beasts that will soon be banned from the country’s circuses. Circus owners are wor-ried about the fate of their animals, which they say are too expensive to keep once the ban kicks in, while gov-ernment and zoo officials are grappling with myriad difficulties in relocating animals raised to perform tricks under the big top. The prohibition does not take effect until July 8, but many circuses have already shut down. The legislation stipulates that such ani-mals should evolve in their natural habitat and aims to avoid animal cruelty that civil organizations have long lobbied against.

“We are waiting for a re-sponse from the govern-ment about what will hap-pen to our animals,” said Armando Cedeno, presi-dent of the national associ-ation of circus owners and artists. Cedeno estimates there are around 4,000 cir-cus animals in Mexico, dou-ble the government’s tally. In Tizayuca, near Mexico City, 45-year-old animal tamer Bruno Raffo begins his work day at 7:30 a.m., tending to 13 tigers in his charge. It costs 3,000 Mexi-can pesos ($194) daily just to feed the tigers, he said, and there are also his own salary and bills from spe-cialized veterinarians for periodic check-ups. Hundreds of circus work-ers have been laid off, but Raffo is sticking around, for now. “I’m going to

stay here with the animals to see what can be done,” said Raffo, whose arms are laced with scratch marks from a lifetime working with the giant cats. Several circus owners have properties in the area. Nearby, jaguars, zebras, horses, and camels languish in cages next to trailers filled with circus equip-ment. An official from Profepa, the federal agency for en-vironmental protection, said the government was evaluating which facilities can take the animals. But zoo officials do not see any easy alternatives for Raffo’s tigers and others like them. Juan Arturo Rivera, Mexico City’s director of zoos and wildlife, said it was “not feasible” to add so many new animals that were raised in a different environment and maintain decent living conditions for them. Privately owned zoos have offered to help but also say the transition would be challenging. “It depends in great measure on the physi-cal and mental condition of the individual (animals) themselves, to be able to adapt,” said Frank Carlos Camacho, director of Afri-cam Safari. Located in the central city of Puebla, the zoo allows visitors to ob-serve wild animals roaming the park from the safety of their cars. While conservation pro-grams are well-informed about zoo animals’ genetic, medical and family histo-ries, he said, “little or noth-ing is known about circus animals.”

AUSTIN, Texas--Paul Walk-er’s final appearance in the street-racing franchise “Fast & Furious” left a pre-view audience teary-eyed at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival for the first public screening of the last film the actor made before he died in a car crash. In the film, Vin Diesel’s character says “those who are lost go on in the hearts of the living” and that was how it felt for many fans attend-ing the midnight screening on Sunday. “Furious 7”, out in theaters on April 3, is Walker’s last appearance as law-enforcement of-ficer Brian O’Connor. The 40-year-old died as a pas-senger in a one-car crash in Santa Clarita, California, in

November 2013. Before the screening, the film’s producer Neal Moritz appealed to viewers not to reveal what becomes of Walker’s character in the franchise, which has grossed more than $2 billion glob-ally. “We honestly lost a dear friend, brother, comrade, while we were making this movie,” Moritz said. “When we decided we were going to continue this movie, we were determined to honour his legacy and our love for him.” Walker had completed most of his scenes before his death, but Comcast Corp-owned Universal Pic-tures was forced to put pro-duction on hold to figure out how to continue film-ing without him. Walker’s brothers stepped in for a few remaining scenes, which make a seamless transition in the completed film. Walker’s character Brian

appears within the first 15 minutes as a settled family man, but he’s restless for the underworld of crime, illegal street racing and heists led by Diesel’s Dominic. The plot, filled with one-liners, sees Diesel, Walker and co-stars Tyrese Gibson, Lu-dacris and Michelle Rodri-guez take on a villain (Jason Statham) in cities across the world. Despite Walker’s death, filmmakers did not shy away from the turbulent storyline of “Furious 7” in which his character, along with the rest of the cast, are thrown into high-octane, life-threatening situations. In one scene, all five drive cars out of an airplane and parachute into a mountain-top race. The film ended with a trib-ute to Walker, closing with the words “For Paul” writ-ten in black against a white backdrop.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 43People

Italian designers Domenico Dolce (R) and Stefano Gabbana acknowledge the applause at the end of D&G Spring/Summer 2012 women’s collection show during Milan Fashion Week in this September 22, 2011 fi le photo.

Models present creations by French designer Nicolas Ghesquiere as part of his Autumn/Winter 2015/2016 women’s ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week March 11, 2015.

L O N D O N - - O u t r a g e d celebrities tore into Ital-ian fashion designers Do-menico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana on Monday af-ter Dolce described chil-dren born to gay couples through fertility treatment as “synthetic”. Pop super-star Elton John, leading the chorus of criticism, called for a boycott of the brand on Sunday. Victoria Beckham, a for-mer Dolce and Gabbana ambassador, offered John sympathy on Monday, sending a “message of love” to the singer, his husband partner David Furnish and their two sons Zachary and Elijah, and to “all the beau-tiful IVF babies”. Rock star Courtney Love accused the Italian pair of “senseless bigotry”. But Gabbana dug his heels in, saying they were entitled to their opinion and calling John a fascist. An industry expert doubt-ed any boycott call would have any effect. Concetta Lanciaux, a luxury industry consultant and former ad-viser to Bernard Arnault, CEO and founder of luxury group LVMH, said she did not think John’s boycott demand would have an im-pact on D&G’s sales. “Consumers understand the humour of Domeni-co and Stefano, who are known for their wit. In ad-dition, new consumers, even if they do not agree with the statement, like to think we live in a free world where people still can ex-press their feelings and opinions,” she said. The furore erupted after Italian magazine Panorama

quoted Sicilian-born Dolce as criticising fertility treat-ment and same-sex parent-ing. “You are born and you have a father and a mother. Or at least it should be like this, that’s why I am not convinced by chemical children, synthetic babies, wombs for rent,” Dolce said. John responded angrily, vowing to never wear Dolce and Gabbana clothes again. “How dare you refer to my beautiful children as ‘syn-thetic’. And shame on you for wagging your judgmen-tal little fi ngers at IVF ... Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions,” John said. Friends and celebrities

from the acting, fashion and music world rallied to the cause. Love said in her tweet: “Just round up all my Dolce & Gabbana pieces, I want to burn them ... boy-cott senseless bigotry!” Singer Ricky Martin, who is gay and has twin sons by a surrogate mother, wrote: “Your voices are too pow-erful to be spreading too much hate. Wake up, it’s 2015. Love yourself guys.” Screenwriter Ryan Mur-phy, who created the TV show Glee and also has a child via a surrogate with his husband, said: “These designers’ horrifying views are never in fashion. Their clothes are as ugly as their hate.”

PARIS--France’s govern-ment is likely to back a bill banning excessively thin fashion models as well as po-tentially fi ning the modelling agency or fashion house that hires them and sending the agents to jail, the health min-ister said on Monday. Style-conscious France, with its fashion and luxury indus-tries worth tens of billions of euros (dollars), would join Italy, Spain and Israel which all adopted laws against too-thin models on catwalks or in advertising campaigns in early 2013. “It’s important for fashion models to say that they need to eat well and take care of their health, especially for young women who look to

the models as an aesthetic ideal,” Health Minister Marisol Touraine told BFM TV on Monday. With major health legisla-tion coming up for debate in parliament on March 17, Touraine said the Social-ist government was likely to back two amendments relat-ing to models’ weight. The law would enforce regular weight checks and fi nes of up to 75,000 euros ($79,000) for any breaches, with up to six months in jail for staff involved, Socialist lawmaker Olivier Veran, who wrote the amendments, told Le Paris-ien. Models would have to pre-sent a medical certifi cate showing a Body Mass Index

(BMI) of at least 18, about 55 kg (121 lb) for a height of 1.75 metres (5.7 feet), before being hired for a job and for a few weeks afterwards, he said. The bill’s amendments also propose penalties for any-thing made public that could be seen as encouraging ex-treme thinness, notably pro-anorexia websites that glorify unhealthy lifestyles. In 2007, Isabelle Caro, an anorexic 28-year-old for-mer French fashion model, died after posing for a pho-tographic campaign to raise awareness about the illness. Some 30-40,000 people in France suffer from anorexia, most of them teenagers, said Veran, who is a doctor.

BANGKOK--Thai land ’ s military government warned women on Monday against posting ‘selfi e’ photos of the lower half of their breasts - a social media trend that has

gone viral - saying their ac-tions could violate the coun-try’s computer crime laws. Thailand’s 2007 Computer Crimes Act bans any materi-al that causes “damage to the

country’s security or causes public panic” or “any ob-scene computer data which is accessible to the public”. The culture ministry said offenders faced up to fi ve years in jail, but did not say how they would identify the culprits. “When people take these ‘underboob selfi es’ no one can see their faces,” min-istry spokesman Anandha Chouchoti told Reuters. “So it’s like, we don’t know who these belong to, and it encourages others to do the same. “We can only warn people to not take it up. They are inappropriate actions.” The ministry has long been criticized for being overzeal-ous in its censorship of fi lms, music, television and some Western cultural practices in an attempt to preserve tra-ditional values of a country that is also infamous of its raunchy night life.

ISLAMABAD--A Pakistani motorcyclist has been arrested in the eastern city of Lahore after police caught him riding naked along a busy road, days after a video of his exploits went viral on social media. Police got word on Saturday that Shehroz Khan, 20, was riding naked once again on Lahore’s Main Boulevard. They blocked the road from all sides and Khan was fl agged down and arrested, police said on Monday. “We arrested Shehroz on Saturday for overspeeding, vio-lating traffi c rules and for revealing his private organs in public,” police offi cer Zulfi qar Butt said. “He’s still in police custody though all three offences are bailable.” Khan, who goes by the nickname “Rocket”, had bet his friends he could pull off the nude stunt, media said. TV channels showed footage of a naked Khan doing a wheelie in the city centre while scores of cheering friends followed on their bikes.

44 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Sports

SUCKER GARDEN--Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls are the Motorworld and Jeep Ladies Basketball Champi-ons. Lava Girls swept past Thunder in three games of the best of five series to capture first place at Mel-ford Hazel Sport and Rec-reation Center Sunday. Game three of the competition organized by Walichi Basketball Asso-ciation was a game. With lava Girls up 2-0 Thunder came out firing and led by 11 points at the first break. Lava Girls upped the de-

Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls celebrating winning the Motorworld and Jeep Ladies Basketball Cham-pionship organized by Walichi Basketball Association.

fence and went onto out-score Thunder 21-7 in the second and third quarters. Thunder came alive in the fourth, but Lava Girls were able to hold on for a 26-25 win and the championship. Claudia Fleming lead the winning effort with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Chan-tel Hodge had 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Thunder. Friday Lava Girls took game two 34-29. Fleming led with 17 points, eight re-bounds, two assists and two

steals. Chantel Hodge had 23 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and an assist for Thunderz. Lava Girls won the first game 57-32 March 6. Fleming was named the Finals Most Valuable Play-er leading her team to vic-tory with an average of 13 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 as-sists and 2.3 steals. Lorenzo Gomez, Mar-keting Officer at the main sponsor Motorworld was on hand to present the trophies and congratulate both teams.

Ruby Labega won the RBC St. Maarten Little League Primary School Baseball Championship. Ruby Labega defeated Genevieve de Weever 5-1 at the Stadium on Pond Island Friday. On hand at the trophy presentations were (l) Lisandra Havertong the RBC Simpson Bay branch manager and (r) Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts--Captain of the Leeward Islands Hur-ricanes Devon Thomas guided his team to a sat-isfying four-wicket win over the Jamaica Fran-chise at the Warner Park Stadium in St. Kitts, yes-terday. Chasing 163 to gain full points in the match, Thomas produced an outstanding display of batsmanship to help his team register its first win after eight rounds of matches.Scores in the match, Ja-maica 175 and 274, the Hurricanes 285 and 168 for six. Thomas who is from Antigua and Leeward Islands U19 Captain Jeremiah Louis from St. Kitts started the final day on 78 and 10 respective-ly, with the understand-ing that they needed just 26 more runs and four wickets in hand. Thomas played aggres-sively and confidently in pursuit of the target while Louis played cau-tiously to add eight runs to his overnight tally. Thomas finished the match in emphatic fash-ion with a massive six and then a four to com-plete the win. The vic-tory was achieved in less than one hour of play in the morning. The win was set up nicely in the first in-nings when St. Maarten Sherwin Peters batted superbly for 136 off 213 balls which included 21fours and one six in the first innings. He spent 262 minutes at the crease for his first centu-ry at the first-class level. Thomas contributed 65 off 105 deliveries with seven fours and one six. Fast bowler Gavin Tonge with four for 34 in 10.5 overs and off spin-ner Rakheem Cornwall with three for 54 in 15 overs were also key play-ers in the win. For the Jamaicans, Da-mion Jacobs grabbed noteworthy figures of seven for 54 for 31.1 overs. The win was also sweet revenge for the Hurri-canes whose game plans were derailed after the ball went missing dur-ing the tea interval in

Jamaica. A misfortune which the coach Ridley Jacobs opined was will-ing fully orchestrated to take away the advantage his team enjoyed at that period of the match. In other matches which ended yesterday, Guy-ana Jaguars and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force played to a tame draw at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The scores

in that match were Guy-ana 291 and 266 for five declared, Red Force 340 and 99 for three. In Barbados, the home team and the Windward Islands Volcanoes con-test ended in a draw also. Barbados scored 480 and 167 for five de-clared, the Volcanoes replied with 416 and 101 for six.

LOS ANGELES-- The Atlanta Hawks have blindsided the National Basketball Association this season, surging to the top of the standings with a selfless style as refreshing as their emer-gence. No one considered the Hawks (52-14) a title contender before the season’s start, but here they are leading the Eastern Conference by a comfortable margin and a half-game from the best mark in basket-ball ahead of Monday’s game in Sacramento. What has set them apart is how they work together. “It’s a beautiful group, no one really cares who gets the shine,” Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague told Reuters prior to his team’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. “Coach (Mike Buden-holzer) has done a great job of getting guys that fit (together). “When you have that on the floor it’s hard to beat.” The Hawks have cer-tainly proven that, ar-riving as a true con-tender with a 19-game win streak that began in December and included a perfect record in the month of January. Now the season’s sur-prise package are head-ing toward their first division, and regular season conference titles since 1994. The Hawks are not without star power, sending four players to February’s All-Star Game in Teague, Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver

and Al Horford. But the All-Star selections were as much a nod to the team’s success as they were individual honors. “We’re not like every other team, we don’t have superstars,” said Hawks guard Dennis Schroder. “We’re shar-ing the ball like no one else.” Atlanta move the ball and play hard-nosed de-fense in a manner that is reminiscent of the reign-ing NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. That makes sense con-sidering Budenholzer spent 18 years with the Spurs as a video coor-dinator and assistant coach before being hired by Atlanta prior to the 2013-14 season. Budenholzer’s struc-ture helped the team reach the playoffs before a first-round exit last season and has allowed them to stay above front office turmoil. The Hawks ownership has reportedly agreed to sell their stakes in the team following racially insensitive remarks found in emails from co-owner Bruce Levenson, and general manager Danny Ferry who is on a leave of absence. On the court, the Hawks are sold on Budenholzer who used to share stories about his time with five-time champions Gregg Popovich and Tim Dun-can. He does not do that much anymore as the team is carving out their own story; one where every player enjoys a lead role.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 45Sports

that in the past we have let opportunities slip by us. Hopefully we’d have learned from the mistakes that previous sides have made at events like this. “And by all means we want to avoid that happening to us but at the end of the day, we just want to play good cricket if the opportunity arises.” South Africa have never won a knockout match in six World Cups, their three trips to the semi-fi nals com-ing when the last four was decided by round robin groups. They have had their fair share of bad luck too, most notably when the method of calculating targets af-ter overs were lost to rain

robbed them of the chance of a victory over England in the Sydney semi-fi nal in 1992. “In 1992, I was 16-years-old,” Domingo chortled when asked whether it was a motivation. “There’s nothing we can do about what happened in 1992, all our energy is fo-cused on what we need to do leading into this game.” Domingo said he had been trying to get the squad to focus on more recent suc-cesses when they were in pressure situations. “When the pressure points come, to really focus hard on our strategies and our thinking, on what’s made us successful over the last year, on what helped us

beat Sri Lanka when we toured there eight months ago,” he said. South African hopes of a maiden world title took something of a dent after defeats to India and Paki-stan in the pool stage but Domingo thinks a big per-formance is coming. “We’ve spoken long and hard about playing the big games, the big moments, well,” he said. “The guys are really up for peaking for the latter stages of the competition. “We’ve eased our way towards it, we probably haven’t played the brand of cricket we’ve wanted to, I’m expecting that to hap-pen on Wednesday.”

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Jayson Nix (57) doubles during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field in Florida. Orioles clobbered Phillies 16-4. In other games Red Sox squeezed past Mets 4-3, Braves and Astros drew 2-2, Cardinals bested Tigers 1-0, Royals beat Indians 6-5, Reds hammered Giants 10-4, Padres whacked Cubs 7-0, Angels soared over Rangers 5-3, D’backs beat White Sox 6-2 and Dodgers defeated A’s 10-5. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports.)

NEW YORK-- Major League Baseball commis-sioner Rob Manfred said on Monday he had received a formal request from Pete Rose asking that his lifetime ban for gambling on baseball games be lifted. Manfred told reporters at the Dodgers’ spring train-ing camp in Arizona that he would consider Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader’s request “on its merits.” “I want to make sure I un-derstand all of the details of the Dowd Report and Com-missioner Giamatti’s deci-sion and the agreement that was ultimately reached,” Manfred said after a routine meeting with Dodgers play-ers, according to mlb.com. “I want to hear what Pete

has to say, and I’ll make a de-cision once I’ve done that.” Rose, 73, played from 1963 to 1986, amassing 4,256 hits, still the major league record. Three years after he retired, Rose agreed to a permanent ban from baseball in 1989 amid accusations he gambled on games while playing and managing for the Cincinnati Reds. Rose denied for nearly 15 years that he gambled on baseball, the game’s cardinal sin since 1919 when mem-bers of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the World Series. He fi nally admitted in his 2004 autobiography to mak-ing baseball wagers when he was manager of the Reds but insisted he never bet against his team.

Gaining reinstatement could be the fi rst step to Rose reaching the Hall of Fame. In 1991, the Hall voted to ban players on the permanently ineligible list from induction. “I don’t think people should read any disposition into what I’m saying about this. I see it as a really simple thing. He’s made a request,” Man-fred said. “Part of my obligations un-der the major league consti-tution is to deal with those requests, and I’ll deal with it.” Manfred, who has been making routine rounds of spring training camps in Florida and Arizona, said the subject of Rose’s standing has been among the more frequent questions he has fi elded from players.

SOUTH AFRICA

ENGLAND-- Fans of Eng-lish Championship high-fl yers Brentford bemoaning the imminent departure of manager Mark Warburton might want to check the Danish league table before condemning the surprise decision by their owner. Having stepped out of the shadows of much-bigger domestic rivals, FC Midtjyl-land are nine points clear at the top thanks to the ‘Mon-eyball Method’ that Mat-thew Benham, owner of both sides, wants to bring to the London club. His game plan, akin to that used by the Oakland Athletics baseball team immortalised in the best-selling book and hit movie ‘Moneyball’, has proved a huge success in Denmark and Benham sees no rea-son why it cannot work in England. Warburton led Brentford, who are known as The Bees, to promotion last season and now they are in with a fi ghting chance of making the top fl ight for the fi rst time since 1947. His reward was to be told last month that even if he led the club to an improb-able but enormously lucra-tive promotion to the Pre-mier League he would not be allowed to stick around come the end of the cam-paign. Benham made it clear he wanted a more ‘Moneyball’ approach run through a di-rector of football whereas Warburton did not. Brentford issued a state-ment saying the club would introduce a new recruit-ment structure “using a mixture of traditional scouting and other tools in-cluding mathematical mod-elling”. The decision was greeted with incredulity by fans and pundits but in Denmark it came as less of a shock be-cause Benham’s other club are enjoying unprecedent-ed success. Confi dent Chairman “If Midtjylland are the most improved team at the end of the season I would be very happy,” chairman Rasmus Ankersen told Reuters in an interview, “and if we are the most im-proved team I’m confi dent we will also fi nish top of the league.” The former Midtjylland player, whose top-fl ight ca-reer was effectively ended

by a serious knee injury 15 minutes into his senior de-but, explained how his side could outperform rivals like free-spending FC Co-penhagen. “We do quite a few things differently but the two main things are the statisti-cal analysis and the way we approach talent develop-ment,” said Ankersen. The new numbers-based regime was implemented when Benham bought a majority shareholding in Midtjylland in July 2014. The Danish club and, to a lesser degree, Brentford, are run along similar lines and although Ankersen ac-knowledges the human ele-ment is important in terms of running the club, the stats are key. “The data is not perfect but I think it’s less imper-fect than the human judge-ment. It’s got to be a com-bination all the time,” he added. “You’ve got to know where human judgement has a role to play and you’ve got to know what part of the process the data has a role to play in.” With a limited budget, analysis is particularly im-portant when it comes to recruitment. “We use the data to fi nd undervalued players in un-dervalued markets and we also do a lot in terms of de-velopment. More than 50 percent of our starting XI players are from the acad-emy,” said Ankersen. “The data will not tell us who to pick but it will tell us where to look. You’ve got to know what data can do for you and what data cannot do for you.” More Randomness Ankersen added that sta-

tistical analysis is used in almost every aspect of the team’s preparations, from recruitment and training to what they do on the pitch and why. “There is more random-ness in football compared to many other sports like basketball or handball,” he said. “The fewer goals there is in a sport, the more impact random events like the ref-eree making a mistake or the ball hitting the post and going out instead of in, the more impact those events will have. “That means that, statis-tically, the best team wins less often than in hand-ball or basketball. Foot-ball coaches tend to say the league table never lies whereas we would say the league table almost always lies.” The Midtjylland formula has proved a winning one though. “We have identifi ed met-rics that we know statisti-cally work over time,” said the 31-year-old Ankersen. “I can’t say in detail what we look at but it comes down to the number of dan-gerous situations we create and the number of danger-ous situations we prevent the opponent from creat-ing.” Ankersen said the project has so far only scraped the tip of the iceberg and that ultimately the club would like to combine the free-fl owing football beloved by the Danes with a pragmatic statistical approach. “We have an idea about how we would like to play but we don’t only look at that from a romantic point of view,” he explained. “We look for where the ineffi -ciencies are.”

Continued from page 48

46 THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015Sports

Sampdoria’s goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano makes a save against AS Roma during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Olympic stadium in Rome March 16. Sampdoria won 2-0.

MILAN, March 16 (Reuters) - Fiorentina piled on the mis-ery for AC Milan by scoring twice in the last 10 minutes as they came from behind to win 2-1 and put more pres-sure on Filippo Inzaghi’s team on Monday. Second-placed AS Roma’s dismal form continued with a 2-0 loss at home to Sampdo-ria, keeping them 14 points behind leaders Juventus, and a superb brace from Felipe Anderson gave Lazio a 2-0 win at Torino which took them clear of Napoli in third. Fiorentina’s winning goal came after chaotic scenes at the Artemio Franchi sta-dium where the referee went off injured and the teams

kept playing before he had been replaced, apparently unaware there was nobody in charge of the match. In driving rain, Mattia Destro put Milan ahead against the run of play when he diverted Giacomo Bon-aventura’s shot into the net from 12 metres in the 56th minute. Milan, who conceded a 95th minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Verona in their previous game, held on until Gonzalo Rodriguez headed in Joaquin’s cross with seven minutes left. Referee Carmine Russo was replaced by the fourth of-ficial amid confusion shortly afterwards.

Milan, joint 10th with 35 points from 27 games, ap-peared to lose concentration and allowed Joaquin to score the winner with another header in the 89th minute. Milan coach Inzaghi, whose future is the subject of spec-ulation after almost every draw or defeat, left the pitch looking thoroughly soaked and miserable, although af-terwards he said he was en-couraged. “This evening, I’ve seen my Milan again, we went back to playing the way we can. I’m disappointed but we have to remember the perfor-mance,” he said. Referring to his future, he said: “I don’t need reassur-ing, I have a contract and the club will make its considera-tions.” The seven-times European champions have won two out of 11 league games since the winter break. Roma, who have drawn eight and won one in their last 10 league games, were left in danger of losing sec-ond place after being jeered off by a sparse crowd follow-ing their first home league defeat of the season. They have 50 points, while Lazio are on 49 in third fol-lowed by Napoli (46) and Fiorentina and Sampdoria (45). The top two qualify for the Champions League group stage and third place earns a place in the playoff round. Roma dominated the first but fell behind when Lor-enzo De Silvestri turned in a Samuel Eto’o cross on the hour, then Luis Muriel scored the second after the Roma defence had failed to clear the ball. Roma had Seydou Keita sent off shortly afterwards, as the Malian was booked for dissent and then again for ironically applauding the referee.

Bubba Watson hits his shot out of a bunker in this file photo.

AUGUSTA - Masters cham-pion Bubba Watson could join elite company with a suc-cessful title defense at Au-gusta National next month but said on Monday world number one Rory McIlroy will face more pressure at the year’s first major. Watson, 36, will be gunning to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win con-secutive green jackets and could join the likes of Sam Snead and Gary Player by becoming the sixth three-times Masters winner. Nicklaus holds the record with six. “I don’t have any pressure,” Watson, who also won at Au-gusta in 2012, told reporters on a conference call. “I’ve already got two jackets. “Obviously, I think he (McIlroy) would have more pressure than me, because

look at the talent he has and the records he could beat when he gets older.” McIlroy, 25, will arrive at the fabled golf course seek-ing a Masters crown to com-plete a career grand slam. Victory for the Northern Irishman would make him the seventh career grand slam winner following Woods, Nicklaus, Player, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen. He would become second youngest to achieve the feat behind Woods, who was 24 when he completed his set by winning the 2000 British Open with a record 19-under score at St. Andrews. Watson said McIlroy has loads of time to reach the milestone but would be keen to finish the quest after win-ning the British Open and PGA Championship in the last two majors of 2014.

“I don’t call it pressure at all from McIlroy. I call it an ac-complishment he’s trying to do,” explained Watson. “He’s got years, he’s got his whole life to try to win the Masters, but obviously ... he’s going to put pressure on him-self.” As for the history he could make himself during the April 9-12 tournament, Wat-son said having won the Mas-ters twice already exceeded his dreams. “Who cares about three times, let’s just talk about twice,” said the Bagdad, Florida, native. “I’m from a small town, a guy named Bubba, never had a lesson. “I just see it as what a dream it is to play on the PGA Tour, somehow now got two Mas-ters jackets. Pretty wild and pretty crazy stuff.”

NEW YORK-- Minnesota looked to be at the front of the line to get a Major League Soccer team after commissioner Don Garber said on Monday that he is in ‘advanced talks’ with inves-tors in the city. Bill McGuire, former chair-man of UnitedHealth Group and owner of second tier club Minnesota United has been pushing hard for Minnesota to be at the head of the next wave of expansion in MLS. “We are in advanced discus-sions with Bill McGuire and his partners in Minnesota to bring a Major League Soccer expansion club to the Twin Cities and are particularly excited about their plans for a new soccer-specific sta-dium that will serve as the club’s home,” Garber said in a statement. “We remain on track to an-

nounce the next MLS expan-sion market in the next 30-45 days, though no specific date for an announcement has been set,” he added. MLS grew to 20 clubs this season with Orlando City and New York City FC both joining the league. Two more clubs, Atlanta and a second Los Angeles team, will enter MLS in 2017. MLS had previously said that the current wave of new clubs would stop at 24 teams but Garber said the league was already looking beyond that number. “Over the course of 2015, we plan to evaluate potential expansion beyond 24 clubs,” he said. “Expansion continues to be a priority for Major League Soccer. We have all wit-nessed the resounding suc-cess that Orlando City SC

and New York City FC have experienced,” added Garber Former England captain David Beckham is working to bring a team to Miami al-though he has yet to meet the league’s demand for a cen-trally located new stadium. Garber noted that there was no shortage of investors looking to bring teams to other cities. “During the past several months, we have conducted expansion meetings with representatives from Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Sac-ramento and visited all three markets. We have also met with representatives from San Antonio and St. Louis. We recently announced that Las Vegas is no longer being considered for this round of expansion,” he said.

INDIAN WELLS, California- Andy Murray recovered from a surprising second-set stutter to beat Phillipp Kohls-chreiber 6-1 3-6 6-1 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday. Seemingly in total control after breezing through the opening set in just 25 minutes at a sun-drenched Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Scot was broken after a mara-thon eighth game in the second as Kohlschreiber levelled the contest. However, it was then back to business in the third for Murray as he broke the German’s serve in the second and fourth games before sealing victory in a little under two hours when his opponent hit a forehand wide. “Towards the end of the second set there were a lot of long games and he was creating a lot of opportunities,” fourth-seed Murray said. “He definitely started to return better. “The game where I got broken, I played a few poor shots as well. He capitalised on that. It can happen in these con-ditions where it’s so lively that you can miss-time a few balls ... if your footwork and your movement isn’t quite as it should be. “But apart from that, I thought I played a good match against a tough opponent who I think plays well in these conditions. It was a good win for me.” Murray, who battled past Kohlschreiber after a five-set marathon in their most recent meeting at last year’s French Open, will next face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who beat Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4. In other matches, fifth-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori fought back to beat Spanish left-hander Fernando Ver-dasco 6-7(6) 6-1 6-4 while big-serving American John Isner powered past South African Kevin Anderson 7-6(6) 6-2.

THE DAILY HERALD, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 47Sports

zukic, Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres have been off colour and Atletico have failed to score in three consecutive away games in La Liga for the first time since Simeone took over at the end of 2011. Leverkusen, by contrast, have racked up 11 goals without reply in winning their last five games in all competitions, including Fri-day’s 4-0 drubbing of VfB Stuttgart. Simeone said breaking out of defence swiftly would be one of the keys to Tuesday’s

clash at the Calderon. “We need to shake off their pressuring quickly when they are trying to win back the ball,” Simeone said. “They know very well how to disrupt play and hold you up,” added the former Ar-gentina captain. “That’s what happened in Germany. They stopped our attacks quickly with fouls and we couldn’t de-velop our vertical game. If we don’t take the ball for-ward quickly we will have problems.”

CHAMPIONS

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Bafetimbi Gomis of Swansea City in action in the Barclays Premier League at Liberty Stadium Monday. Liverpool won 1-0.

LONDON-- Midfielder Jor-dan Henderson’s fluke sec-ond-half goal kept Liverpool firmly in contention for a Premier League top-four fin-ish with a 1-0 win at Swansea City on Monday. Liverpool got lucky on 68 minutes when Jordi Amat slid in ahead of Hender-son to try and clear but the ball ricocheted back off the England international and looped over Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski. Victory took in-form Liver-pool to within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United, who they host on Sunday. Chelsea lead on 64, ahead of Manchester City (58) and then Arsenal (57) and United (56). Since losing to United at Old Trafford in mid-Decem-ber, a defeat which left Liv-erpool languishing in 11th place, Brendan Rodgers’ side have won 10 and drawn three in the league. “It was a great pass from Daniel (Sturridge). It was a little bit fortunate, but you’ve got to be in the right posi-tions to score,” Henderson, who scored for a third con-secutive league game, told Sky Sports. “It’s a great result. We were very disappointed with our first half. The gaffer had a few words to say. I felt we passed the ball a lot better in the second and were solid at the back.” Liverpool were indebted to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for keeping out Swansea in a first half shaded by the Welsh side and Rodgers praised the Belgian international, who was dropped for poor form earlier in the season. “There’s no doubt Simon Mignolet’s back to his best. We needed him in the first half. He’s been excellent. Clearly now, you see his confidence, along with the team’s, he said. Mignolet made a fine-one-handed save to deny Swan-

sea striker Bafetimbi Gomis who was cleared to play fol-lowing his collapse at Totten-ham Hotspur in his side’s last league game on March 4. He was also equal to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s curling effort but Liverpool improved after the break. Phillipe Coutinho forced

Fabianski to keep out his low shot from Raheem Ster-ling’s cutback and after Hen-derson had scored Swansea never seriously threatened to equalise. Sturridge went close to a second goal late on but rolled a shot against the post in stoppage time.

Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey during training ahead of their Champions League match.

ENGLAND-- Arsenal be-lieve they can become the first team in Champions League history to overturn a two-goal deficit away from home when they play Monaco on Tuesday with a last eight place at stake, manager Arsene Wenger said. The Londoners were beat-en 3-1 at the Emirates and must match the principality side and net at least three times at the Stade Louis II. Ajax Amsterdam, in 1969, were the last team in the European Cup, excluding qualifiers, to overturn a two-goal margin after los-ing the first leg at home.

“Monaco is in a very strong position, but we have experience, the desire and the belief we can do it, so let’s give everything to do it,” Wenger told a news conference. “We want to give every-thing to have the greatest performance on the pitch. If we did not believe we could do it, we would not be here.” Defender Per Mertesack-er added: “We have to show a different face, but you need to embrace challenge. “They have a good side but we are confident and we want to put things right. “We are coming out of a

great week, with two im-portant wins and we have a good level of confidence.” Since their dismal perfor-mance in the home leg on Feb. 25 Arsenal have won four successive games, in-cluding an impressive FA Cup quarter-final victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal have travelled without injured winger Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and the ill Tomas Rosicky but Brazilian defender Ga-briel, who has missed the last two games with a ham-string strain, has made the trip to the south of France.

NEW YORK-- The New York Cosmos have arranged a sporting step in the move toward normalising rela-tions with Cuba by an-nouncing on Monday a June 2 match in Havana against the Cuba national soccer team. Three months after Presi-dent Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Cas-tro vowed to restore diplo-matic ties severed 54 years ago, the Cosmos announced plans to be the first U.S. professional soccer club team to play in Cuba since 1978. “We had several trips to Washington, my colleagues met with the State Depart-ment officials responsible and they’ve been truly fan-tastic, a lot of support,” said Seamus O’Brien, chairman of the North American Soc-cer League club. Attending the news confer-ence in midtown Manhat-

tan were U.S. Congressmen Charles Rangel and Grego-ry Meeks. O’Brien, who in Decem-ber announced the signing of Spanish star Raul to the second incarnation of the Cosmos, said Cuba would be the 42nd country they will play in after recent trips to Hong Kong and El Salva-dor. “It’s not just what you do in your own country. It’s a global game,” said O’Brien. “It’s a global economy and we want to be a part of it.” The Cosmos and the NASL reformed in 2013 af-ter the league was shuttered in 1984. Cuban national coach Walter Benitez said it was a privilege to play against the Cosmos, who became a worldwide draw in the 1970s with players like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chi-naglia and Carlos Alberto. “This will be a historical

match and we will enjoy it,” Benitez said through a translator, adding that he is looking forward to “a com-petitive match that will sup-port our efforts to get to the next level.” Cuba, where baseball reigns as the national sport, has been growing as a soc-cer country, claiming their first Caribbean Cup in 2012 after defeating 10-times winner Trinidad & Tobago, and reached quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2013. O’Brien said the team planned on chartering a plane to travel to Cuba for the match, which will be tel-evised. “We are planning at the moment to go down on Sun-day, have full training Mon-day, light training Tuesday, the game’s on Tuesday night and come back Wednes-day.”

NEW YORK-- Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka will undergo a knee procedure to address sore-ness, ESPN.com reported Monday. According to the report, it is not clear how long Ibaka will be sidelined following the clean-out procedure, and the team hopes he will be ready for the postseason. Cavaliers LeBron James tweaked his right knee in the second half of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win Sunday night but was expected to play Monday against the Miami Heat. The star forward received treatment Monday and said he hoped the injury wouldn’t sideline him for his return to Mi-ami, and coach David Blatt said later Monday that James was expected to start. Waeeiors The Golden State Warriors recalled forward James Michael McAdoo from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Devel-opment League on Monday. McAdoo, who signed with Golden State for the remainder of the season on Feb. 19, has appeared in five games with the Warriors, averaging 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.4 minutes.

Continued from page 48


© GRAPHIC NEWS

LAST 16, 2ND LEG – MAR 17 Form W D L

Sources: UEFA, Infostrada Sports Picture: Getty Images †Away goals

Arsene Wenger Arsenal managerReturns to Monaco for first time since leaving asmanager 21 years ago, hoping his team can overturntwo-goal deficit to claim first quarter-final berth since 2010

FormGoals for / against7 / 2 16 / 11

Head-to-head

MONACO v ARSENALStade Louis II

1st leg result: 3-1

FIRST LEG STATISTICS

Shots on targetShots wide

PassesCrosses

Possession

73

3131

46%

49

4508

54%

Drawn 0Won 1 Won 0

FormGoals for / against14 / 4 8 / 4

Head-to-headDrawn 2

ATLETICO v LEVERKUSENEstadio Vicente Calderon

1st leg result: 0-1

Won 0 Won 1

FIRST LEG STATISTICS

Shots on targetShots wide

PassesCrosses

Possession

34

1484

37%

33

4454

63%

KNOCKOUT WOESDefensive frailties havebeen a major concern forArsenal in recent seasons

2014

2013

2012

2011

BayernBayernAC MilanBarcelona

Lost 1-3†Lost 3-3

Lost 3-4

Lost 3-4

MANAGERIAL EXPERIENCEMatches in Champions League*

Arsene Wenger

Carlo Ancelotti

Jose Mourinho

Mircea Lucescu

Josep Guardiola

120

96

137

161

68*Coaches currently

in competition

MADRID-- The return of midfi elder Koke could be crucial to Atletico Madrid’s hopes of overturning a 1-0 defi cit to Bayer Leverkusen in Tuesday’s Champions League last 16, second leg, coach Diego Simeone said on Monday. A Spain international and one of Atletico’s most creative infl uences, Koke missed last month’s fi rst leg defeat in Germany due to injury but has featured in Atletico’s last three outings in La Liga. The 23-year-old, who scored in this month’s 1-1

draw at home to Valencia, is also a dead ball specialist and the Spanish champions have netted a host of goals from his corners and free kicks. “He is one of those all-round midfi elders who is gifted at reading the game, he knows how to play in dif-ferent positions in the cen-tre and he has very good peripheral vision,” Sime-one told a news conference. “When he is on top form, he allows us to play with speed. Not because he is fast himself but because his vision allows us to play that

way.” Atletico, last season’s beaten fi nalists, have been struggling for goals in re-cent weeks and have only scored once in their last four outings in all competi-tions. Elimination on Tuesday would almost certainly rob them of their last chance of silverware this term as they are out of the King’s Cup and slipped nine points be-hind La Liga leaders Bar-celona after Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate at Espanyol. Forwards Mario Mand-


Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) during her match against CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) at the BNP Pari-bas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. Bouchard used her potent forehand to great effect as she demolished Vandeweghe 6-3 6-2. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.)

INDIAN WELLS, Cali-fornia-- Fourth seed Caro-line Wozniacki became the biggest name to fall by the wayside in the women’s event at the BNP Paribas Open when she was ousted 6-4 6-4 by Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic on Monday. Wozniacki, champion at Indian Wells in 2011, had overwhelmed Bencic 6-0 6-0 in their only previous meeting in Istanbul last year but it was a very differ-ent story at the California desert venue as the Dane struggled for consistency. “Honestly, it was two com-pletely different matches,” Wozniacki told reporters after being broken twice in the opening set and once in the second at a sun-bathed Indian Wells Tennis Gar-den. “I went out there to-day and I didn’t play well at all. “She was steady. She took the ball early as normal, and she served pretty de-cently, but I didn’t put three balls in play today. She only had to put balls back in my court.” Bencic, who celebrated her 18th birthday at In-dian Wells last week, was delighted to clinch her fi rst victory over a top-fi ve player. “In Istanbul I had maybe too much respect and I was

afraid, nervous,” said the Swiss, who gave notice of her potential by reaching last year’s U.S. Open quar-ter-fi nals. “Today I really had a good game plan. I did what I had to do.” It was plain sailing, howev-er, for sixth-seeded Canadi-an Eugenie Bouchard who used her potent forehand to great effect as she de-molished American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3 6-2. The 21-year-old broke an error-prone Vandeweghe once in the opening set and twice in the second to com-plete a one-sided victory in just over an hour on the

showpiece stadium court. Bouchard, who reached the last four in Australia and France as well as the Wimbledon fi nal in 2014, hit 13 winners against her hard-hitting opponent and appropriately ended the match with a crunching forehand winner down the line. “I felt very solid today, and I think that’s important against a player who can have big weapons,” said the Canadian world num-ber seven told reporters. “I kind of told myself to be ready for anything.”

SYDNEY-- If South Africa do end up choking in the latter stages of the World Cup, it will not be because of any tension fi ltering down from their coach. Russell Domingo could not have presented a more relaxed demeanour than he did in front of the media on Monday, two days before their quarter-fi nal clash with Sri Lanka. The 40-year-old was clearly expecting questions about South Africa’s his-tory of crumbling under

pressure in the knockout stages of tournaments and one reporter had barely started to speak before he interjected. “Choking! It’s choking! It’s taken you four minutes, that’s a bit slow,” he roared. “It’s been part of South African cricket for quite some time, every time we get to these events it’s go-ing to be questioned,” he added when the laughter had died down. “We’ve faced the fact


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