The festival is set for next week and the Belizean artists are to head to New Orleans next Monday. But there’s a major hiccup because all members of TR’s band were granted visas; that is except for the lead singer himself, TR Shine. TR holds both Canadian and Belizean passports, but last week Wednesday after […]
The firestorm that erupted in the wake of inflammatory comments made by Pastor Scott Stirm about Garifuna spirituality has since died down. However, the issue is very much alive within the wider Belizean community. This morning, at a press conference held to commemorate the anniversary of the two hundred and nineteenth arrival of the Garinagu […]
The Maya land rights case over the entitlement of the indigenous community to occupy and use land communally in southern Belize remains before the high courts. Despite a landmark ruling a few years ago and a recent affirmation of that decision by the CCJ, litigations between the Maya community and the Government of Belize is […]
Aurora Saqui is a versatile Mayan woman who has taken on numerous creative roles. Today, she donned her hat as a writer and released a book on herbal remedies following on the steps of her great uncle Elijio Panti. Now, the Mayas were pretty much advanced as it relates to the use of herbs for […]
A second Belize sign, similar to the multicolored monument prominently on display at the Seashore Children’s Park in Buttonwood Bay, will be inaugurated by the Belize City Council on Wednesday. A brief ceremony is set to take place near the Baron Bliss Lighthouse at ten a.m. and finishing touches were being applied to the sign […]
Where is fourteen year old Drina Stevens? That’s the question that her mother Lavern Arzu is asking as it’s been almost a week since the second form student of Georgetown Technical High School has not returned home. Drina, a resident of Seine Bight, was seen leaving for school last week Wednesday when she got on […]
The Ministry of Health issued a release late this evening on zika which until now has been detected in Central America, the Caribbean and throughout the rest of the region. There are two suspected cases: one in the Stann Creek District and the other in the Toledo District. There is a third potential case in […]
By now, most would have heard of the controversial Panama Papers, a trove of documents leaked by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). In a nutshell, the documents taken from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca reveal the ways in which powerful individuals can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes, but interestingly no one […]
The date for a special convention to choose the First Deputy Leader of the United Democratic Party is set. Delegates from across all thirty-one constituencies are expected to cast their votes in favor of either Patrick Faber or John Saldivar come May twenty-ninth. The last Sunday in May was agreed upon by both candidates, as […]
Since both candidates threw their hats into the ring following Gaspar Vega’s departure as first deputy leader, several area representatives have come out in full support of their candidate of choice. Faber was first to openly declare his candidacy and was initially endorsed by political mentor Michael Finnegan, as well as Manuel Heredia Junior and […]
While a majority of the area representatives and standard bearers have chosen their candidate, there is one wild card remaining. That person seems to be Orange Walk North Area Representative Gaspar Vega whose seat as Deputy Party Leader is being contested. Vega has not declared his support, but does it matter to Faber? Patrick […]
Still on political news…Is perennial Mesopotamia Area Representative Michael Finnegan throwing in the towel? In the wake of his November fourth victory in the 2015 General Elections, Finnegan’s nephew Jamal ‘Shyne’ Barrow came forward to announce that he is the heir apparent for the Mesop seat sidelining former Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya, who had […]
While Finnegan has declared his unwavering support for Patrick Faber, Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez is flexing his political muscle in the other corner. This afternoon, he called a press conference to publicly support his fellow sports enthusiast John Saldivar. The pair has been rather close, sharing a camaraderie that goes back many […]
With the convention date set for May twenty-ninth, both candidates are canvassing delegates in the thirty-one constituencies. That being the case, it isn’t farfetched that Patrick Faber would have approached Boots and his delegates for their votes. Reporter “I imagine that the Honorable Patrick Faber would have put in a bid to get your […]
From 2000 to 2015 the world focused on the Millennium Development Goals – a structured framework which nations used to chart a path to development in areas like health, education, economic growth and gender equality. The MDGs have now begun the transition into the post 2015 SDGs…Sustainable Development Goals – seventeen of them. The discussion […]
The issue of imposing a nine o’clock curfew for anyone below the age of eighteen years has gained traction in all corners, including the Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation. While it has been met with objection from UNICEF, the idea of a citywide restriction on minors is one that is supported by government. […]
Deputy Mayor Dean Samuels, is he preparing to succeed “Boots” Martinez in Port Loyola? While the incumbent area representative has announced his retirement from electoral politics at the end of this term, he is grooming the three-time city councilor for a seat in central government. Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Area Representative, Port Loyola “I said […]
Over the weekend, membership of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, APAMO, participated in a working retreat to take a critical look at the role and direction necessary as co-managers of protected areas. The two-day meeting comes on the heels of an incident between the Guatemalan military and SATIIM rangers and that incident was […]
Where is Albert Johnson? The family of the woodcarver and father of two teenage daughters became concerned after a group of police officers came to their home in Belmopan, demanding that they hand over Johnson. According to the family, the officers claimed that he had escaped from police custody on Sunday after being in detention […]
The Ministry of Economic Development launched its National Growth and Sustainable Strategy earlier today, a few hours ahead of a new report by the World Bank Group which looks at opportunities and restrictions against the backdrop of the local economy. The study begins with an overview of the investment climate. Since 2004, the gross domestic […]
While tourism and agriculture have both been identified as key pillars of Belize’s economy, there is a certain nervousness when it comes to the impact of both sectors on the environment. From a business perspective, the financial sector has also been categorized as uncompromising, since it is rather difficult to access startup funding to establish […]
On a positive note where it concerns the education system, the completion rate at the primary level is significantly higher in Belize than anywhere else in Latin America. While that bodes well for children entering the education system, the same cannot be said for high school students since the dropout rate is much higher, leaving […]
Executive Director of SATIIM Froyla Tzalam has fired off an urgent letter to Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington following another incident in the Sarstoon on Tuesday. SATIIM rangers were on routine patrol of the Sarstoon-Temash National Park, bounded on the South by the Sarstoon River, when they were stopped very aggressively by a Guatemalan naval vessel. […]
In her letter to Foreign Minister Elrington, Tzalam reminds him that experience has shown that where there is no monitoring, illegal activities flourish, and SATIIM must use the Sarstoon to conduct proper management. She explains that SATIIM and the buffer communities are concerned with the increasing environmental damage in the National Park and continue to […]
While Tzalam’s letter is written to Elrington, she may need to think about addressing her concerns to Gaspar Vega, the Minister of Forests and Fisheries. SATIIM’s had a testy relationship with Vega’s predecessor Lisel Alamilla and it was under her tenure that any hope of co-managing the Sarstoon-Temash National Park fell apart. Even before the […]
