According to Senior Counsel Shoman, the 1859 Treaty serves as somewhat of a default setting and says that the argument in the Joint Legal Opinion is premature and flawed. Lisa Shoman, Attorney/Former Foreign Minister “One thing they have not considered is that Schedule One absolutely and completely references the 1859 Treaty at 1A. So […]
Despite its imminence, there are those who argue that the I.C.J. referendum is not binding and it’s merely a consultative process. One of the final cases heard before the Privy Council prior to Belize adopting the Caribbean Court of Justice as its final appellate jurisdiction, was the Vellos case where the idea of the binding […]
On Monday, the People’s United Party picketed the Vital Stats Office in downtown Belize City, criticizing the government department for the many hiccups and hurdles in accessing its services. The unit remains under heavy scrutiny particularly by the Opposition as supporters go through the re-registration process ahead of the April tenth referendum. In the wake […]
It has been three years since the Ya’axche Conservation Trust has been attempting to get the attention of the Lands Department to address the serious issues plaguing the Trio Farmers Cacao Growers Association. According to its executive director, the illegal activities near the reserve have been threatening their livelihood. Christina Garcia says that they have […]
The Ministry of Health unveiled a human resources health strategic plan. The plan is to ensure that there is equitable distribution of appropriately and skilled workers in the health sector. The need to focus on the human resources is to offer stronger support to achieve health outcomes in Belize – and by extension help to […]
The publication of a list of forty-two priests with ‘credible and substantiated’ allegation of sexual abuse against a child by the Richmond Diocese includes the name of Father Oliver Smalls. The Belizean priest has been removed from ministry and will no longer administer in public in the Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan, following the […]
All roads led west this morning as a convoy of police vehicles made its way to an undisclosed location where a huge haul of drugs was incinerated. It’s part of a routine destruction process where a mass of seized narcotics is ferried to a remote area and done away with. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. […]
Ten years ago, on December eighth, 2008 the Foreign Ministers of Belize and Guatemala signed, at OAS headquarters, the Special Agreement between Guatemala and Belize to submit the territorial, insular and maritime claim of Guatemala to the International Court of Justice. Minister Wilfred Elrington signed on behalf of the country while the then Minister of […]
According to Attorney Anthony Sylvestre, since the Special Agreement commits Belize to hold a referendum with the intention to settle the dispute at the I.C.J. which will rule on Belize’s boundaries and borders, such agreement needs to two-thirds majority approval from the National Assembly. Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney “Until and unless the provisions or the […]
With fifty more days to go until the April tenth I.C.J. Referendum, government still has the opportunity to take the Special Agreement to the House. Kareem Musa, Attorney “The beauty of all of it is that April tenth 2019 is not a date set on stone. So the Prime Minister and the government need […]
If you have ever been to the Vital Statistics Unit, you probably have experienced the frustration that comes along with that visit. People from every single district have been complaining of not only the snail-like process but basic and serious errors on documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates. But recently, members […]
At a recent press conference FECTAB President, Yhony Rosado raised concerns on two issues he says that Belize City tour guides would feel the negative effects of. According to Rosado, tour guides in the Old Capital will be negatively impacted by the introduction of a foreign tour company and the redirection of Norwegian Cruise Line’s […]
Earlier this month, a woman lost her life jumping the barriers in the middle of the Philip Goldson Highway. The pedestrian, Marlena Mortis, was knocked down and killed as she tried to get to the other side of the highway. Residents in the area have complained bitterly about the lack of consideration for pedestrians who […]
For years, complaints against the Vital Statistics Unit have been mounting. In December 2018, former Prime Minister Said Musa told parliament that there are many wrongs at the unit where even rodents were eating documents. Musa said that what is happening in the Vital Statistics Department poses a serious threat to the democratic system of […]
Today, the government signed a nineteen million dollar contract with Imer Hernandez Development Company Ltd to rehabilitate roughly ten miles of the George Price Highway, starting at Blackman Eddy Village and ending at the roundabout in Santa Elena, Cayo. These upgrades, according to the Ministry of Works, are being paid for through a loan from […]
The Opposition, People’s United Party, is outraged at today’s contract signing between Imer Hernandez, and Minister of Works, Rene Montero. The contract is for ten miles of road on the George Price Highway and has a value of more than nineteen million dollars. The P.U.P. says that its outrage is based on the many contracts […]
Today, C.E.O. Errol Gentle told the media that at the end of last year they had to request additional funds for some of the rehabilitation works being done on the highway. He says they need additional monies because they have undertaken massive works to ensure that the highway meets international standards – but they have […]
And if you are wondering when the works will begin on the coastal road, C.E.O. Errol Gentle says preliminary studies have started and once that is complete they will be able to do a design and from there a tendering process will begin. He told the media today that there are also works coming for […]
And if you are wondering when the works will begin on the coastal road, C.E.O. Errol Gentle says preliminary studies have started and once that is complete they will be able to do a design and from there a tendering process will begin. He told the media today that there are also works coming for […]
It’s the Year of the Earth Pig on the traditional Chinese calendar and over the weekend, the local Chinese community held a grand event at the SCA Compound to celebrate with Belizean friends. In attendance were representatives from various private and public stakeholders, including members of the Belize City Council, Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber […]
This afternoon, a population of a little over four hundred primary school students gathered on the compound at Wesley Lower School where there has been an endless rash of break-ins since December. They got together in the schoolyard for a brief ceremony during which Albert Area Representative Tracey Panton and the General Manager of Tropicana […]
Financial Secretary Joseph Waight says that his office has received notice that Paulette Elrington has resigned from her post with the Foreign Service. Waight told reporters today that Elrington willingly resigned her position and that becomes effective this month. He says that monies will be paid to Elrington up until that period. Here’s how he […]
As many as five individual lawsuits are presently before the Supreme Court where various tour operators are taking legal action against the Government of Belize via the Department of General Sales Tax. Jaguar Ventures, Hugh Parkey’s Belize Dive Connection, Chukka Belize and Daylight & Dark Night Cave Adventures have all filed suit, following a recent […]
It is believed that the cumulative sum that the claimants are seeking is in the seven-figure range, slightly below ten million dollars. While Financial Secretary Joseph Waight did not elaborate on the matter which is presently before Justice Courtney Abel, he does anticipate that the ruling of the high court will affirm government’s recent action […]
Many nationals from Central American countries over the years have migrated to Belize for better opportunities, some running from different issues. A snapshot of Belize’s current population would show that thousands of persons, be it economic migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants have taken habitation in the Jewel. Thousands have gone on to play important […]
