SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in collaboration with the National Sports Institute (NSI) is happy to announce to all Sport, Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle Businesses on the island that the registration drive for the EXPO Section of its 4^th Annual Sports Open House is now open.

The theme of this year’s event is #SPORTSMATTER. The Open House is set to take place on Friday August 24^th and Saturday August 25^th, 2018 at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex.

The main goal of the Open House is to stimulate and educate the community of the importance of Sports as well as promote clean eating and healthy living. The field of Raoul Illidge will be transformed into an Expo venue where sports organizations and businesses can interact with the general public, give out information, exhibit, demonstrate, promote, register potential members and even sell their products or services to the persons in attendance.

This year, the Open House will also include the Creative Industries to exhibit and display art forms such as dance, gymnastics, theatre (to name a few). Additionally, there will be celebrity races, mini workout sessions, a football grudge match (amongst other activities) for the public to enjoy at no cost.

The first day of the Open house (August 24^th, 2018) will be geared towards the elementary and high schools on the island. Fifth and sixth graders from the elementary schools as well as first and second formers of the High Schools will be bussed to the Open House and taken on a tour through the Open House between the hours of 8 am and 1pm.  

On the second day (August 25^th, 2018) the Open House will be open to the entire community of St. Maarten and will commence at 1:00pm sharp and end at 6:00pm.

Therefore Sport, Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle business are encouraged not to miss this great opportunity to participate in this super event which can help bring awareness to your business and brand.

For this year’s event, the registration fee has been waived for businesses willing to participate in the Open House. However, businesses that will display/sell food will have to ensure that they are in possession of the proper documentation for food handling etc.

Interested businesses can submit their information (name of business, contact information) to the National Sport Institute at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Deadline for Registration is July 2^nd, 2018.

The Open House is executed by the Department of Sport in collaboration with the National Sports Institute (NSI), the Division of Educational Innovations (DEI), The St. Maarten Sports Olympic Federation (SMSOF) and the National Sports Organizations (NSO).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the National Sport Institute at 721-542-2039 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also contact Mr. James Busby at the Department of Sport (DoS) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Dutch police dealt with 350 incidents involving fake weapons in the first five months of this year, the AD said on Monday. This is a ‘slight rise’ compared with last year, according to a police press release.

On Wednesday, for example, a 14-year-old boy was picked up in Zoetermeer with a fake gun and a week ago, police drew their weapons when another youth was seen walking around with a replica pistol in Voorburg, the AD said.

There have also been incidents in Eindhoven, Breda and Waalre in recent days. ‘These replicas are often impossible to distinguish from the real thing,’ the police statement said.

‘This is certainly the case for the officer on the street who has to take a split-second decision whether or not to intervene.’ The police on Monday launched an 11-day campaign to warn people about the dangers presented by replica guns. (DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb has commented on the decision by anti-Islam campaign group Pegida to call off a protest outside a mosque in the port city, saying every message has the right to be heard.

‘Every message, no matter how poisonous the message is, should have the right to be expressed,’ Aboutaleb is reported as saying in a speech at an Iftar meal on Sunday. Iftar is the meal which Muslims eat to break their ramadan fast.

Pegida had planned to hold ‘pork barbecues’ outside several mosques across the country but the demonstrations were banned in Utrecht, The Hague, Arnhem and Gouda.

Aboutaleb had given the green light to the protest but a bus carrying about 20 Pegida supporters turned back after hearing that several hundred people had gathered for a counter-demonstration.

The Rotterdam mayor also spoke about how he had been put under religious and moral pressure to ban the demo. ‘It went so far that the Turkish minister of foreign affairs tried to teach me a lesson about my Islamic identity,’ he said.

‘It is going too far if a foreign state, which is a long way away, tries to teach the mayor of Rotterdam about Dutch law and how I should apply it.’ The fact that the Pegida message was not heard, is a sign of intolerance, not winning, he said.

Earlier, locals had surrounded the mosque where the protest was due to take place with a wall of flowers. (DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - The impact of the 2017 hurricane season on member states of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) was reviewed at a two day After Action Review (AAR) meeting on May 28 and 29.

During this meeting, health representatives from the impacted countries of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) also developed a plan for improving health response in the Caribbean region.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Petrona Davies welcomed the participants and stated that as one of the hardest hit jurisdictions, it was most fitting that the workshop was convened in the BVI where participants could witness firsthand, not only the lingering effects, but also the incipient challenges arising from complex issues that BVI residents have been forced to confront on an unprecedented scale, such as debris management and housing recovery.

Davies explained, “For the health sector, the landscape in which we are operating is changing, and we must continually adapt in order to meet evolving needs but there are some things that remain constant, such as our longstanding relationship with PAHO.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to acknowledge PAHO’s sterling contributions to the people of the Virgin Islands and the region in our disaster relief and recovery efforts.”

Head of the PAHO Team and Regional Health Advisor Dr. Dana van Alphen spoke about the importance of the After Action Review.

She said, “This is an opportunity to speak openly as a group to identify the issues that arose and to capture the things that worked well.  We have to learn from our mistakes and be in a position to address the coordination challenges as well as arrive at consensus on how to move forward and prepare for what may affect us in the future.”

Dr. van Alphen called for greater focus on early recovery.  She highlighted the importance of having a thorough rapid assessment to guide the recovery process and to alleviate the confusion that is usually seen in this phase.

She said, “Many priorities emerge following a disaster but we must depend on the data that is captured in the rapid assessment phase to guide these priorities.  Some of these priorities are difficult to achieve.  

“Debris Management is one of the most challenging areas to address.  The resources are primarily in the private sector and they are not cheap.  A plan to engage the private sector and to finance this aspect is critical.  This is not a function to be performed by a single government entity.  It must be seen as a cross ministry approach and a major activity needed to achieve early recovery outcomes.”

The After Action Review meeting allowed for various presentations to be delivered including the experience of a well-known Non-Government Organisation, Americares that works to improve health for affected people.  They provided significant support to Dominica post Maria.

The meeting also accommodated presentations from impacted islands.  The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) presented on the ‘Building Back Better Process’ and the connections with a SMART Approach which provide a methodology for connecting resiliency, environmental protection and health. DDM officials also led a panel discussion on logistics and relief distribution.

The meeting is expected to capture a number of recommendations on mobilisation of medical response teams, building capacity to undertake preliminary health sector assessments and the provision of financial and human resources to countries that have been significantly affected and require assistance to initiate effective coordination efforts.

One of the main outcomes of the meeting, facilitated by PAHO in collaboration with the DDM, was a discussion and a plan for preparing for the 2018 Hurricane Season.

The AAR meeting will be followed by a meeting of Health Disaster Coordinators which will be held in Barbados in two weeks.