On Monday, the second Friends for Conservation and Development Ranger training program concluded at the Chiquibul. The week long program was conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology and the Forest Department, with the successful participation of fourteen rangers from FCD, four from the Forest Department and two from the Institute. This is the […]
But while the tourists in the vehicular accident were slightly injured, that wasn’t the case for two other visitors to Belize. On Sunday, twenty-seven year old Australian tourist Patrick Leslie Jaccound died at the K.H.M.H. while receiving treatment for injuries he sustained on five days earlier. According to police, Jaccound was socializing with friends on […]
Two Belizeans, Milin Vasquez from Orange Walk Town and Hugo Casanova from Corozal District have been in a Mexican jail since February 2013 after they were allegedly busted by Mexican authorities. The duo was reportedly in the company of notorious Mexican dealer, Carlos Cabanas Catzin, known as the Monster, when they were found with two […]
There was a freak accident on Saturday evening on Mahogany Street in Belize City. Sometime around six-thirty that day, a metal gate near a newly built perimeter fence at the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence Compound fell atop a three year old girl, playing in the yard. Brianna Timmons is the daughter of the librarian […]
Earlier you heard the farewell from FCIB’s Country Manager, Glen Smith. At the close of business a few hours ago, the official transfer of assets from FCIB to Heritage Bank got underway. In downtown Belize City, a team of workmen toiled diligently at FCIB’s Albert Street branch, removing boxes of files from that building, as […]
While Heritage Bank is embarking on an automation process to ensure that the changeover is easy, customers of FCIB are being asked to make certain that their new credit and debit cards are activated by Monday. Steven Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank “The transition is intended to be seamless that as little involvement from […]
So what will become of FCIB’s infrastructures in the various districts. According to Duncan, a majority of those buildings will be used to expand Heritage’s operations where necessary, including the downtown location once home to FCIB’s flagship office. Steven Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank “First Caribbean owned three of the branches they have and […]
CIBC First Caribbean International Bank in its final act of social responsibility, made a contribution of fifteen thousand five hundred dollars to nine organizations in the city. Today at its local headquarters on Albert Street, executives of the bank handed over the cheques to Anglican Cathedral College, the Belize Red Cross, Belize City No Limit […]
There have been two suicides in the West recently, young persons who took their own lives. There are organizations which deal with depression and other related factors, but as we found out, the Police Department in Cayo is also taking the initiative to step up. The Department acts as investigators in any incident, but they […]
Across the country, Community Policing has taken root, and it has become the rule rather than the exception. Just around Christmas time the San Ignacio Police Formation received twenty-four new officers, and a new program called the Community Oriented Policing Program. The officers were dispatched to twelve zones, six in San Ignacio and six in […]
Suicides are not reported in our newscasts as a matter of policy, except in rare cases. Recently, there have been two cases of a pair of young girls in the Cayo District, which have raised alarm bells. Suicides, theoretically, are not often random. In fact, a majority of those who take their own lives often […]
This Saturday at Price Barracks in Ladyville, the Belize Defense Force will host its annual B.D.F. Day in celebration of its thirty-eighth anniversary. The event allows for the public, as well as the families of the officers, to get an insight into the life of a soldier. Activities for the entire family, as well as […]
According to data from the Belize Kidney Association, they have recorded to date that one hundred and twenty-two persons have passed away due to kidney failure. There are currently one hundred and five persons in need of dialysis treatment. A number of these persons are receiving treatment, but the remaining patients are in dire need […]
And this news, if you have been experiencing problems with the B.T.L. service, the company confirmed today that its prepaid short code system is facing significant issues. B.T.L. says the system went down on Sunday due to its primary and backup servers. As a result, the short code to check credit balances or buy text […]
There is a major development today in respect of the allegation against investor Bradley Paumen, the owner of Dark Night, who is accused of ordering hits against four people. And even if it may seem coincidental, indications are that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has pulled the plug on Dark Night Cave Tubing Tours. As we’ve […]
After his arraignment, Paumen was successful in renewing his tour operator’s license despite being served notice by B.T.B. that they were aware that Dark Night was operating without a valid license since the beginning of the year. The B.T.B. says that Paumen’s indictment has nothing to do with his ability to satisfy the necessary requirements […]
And did B.T.B. have a role in the acquisition by Paumen of the controversial piece of land or the co-management agreement presently in place with the National Institute of Culture and History? Its immediate responsibility, according to Javier Paredes, has nothing to do with the issuance of land or co-management agreements. And he asserts that […]
The unsolved murder of ABC producer Anne Swaney, an American tourist who was killed while vacationing in Belize on January fifteenth, is another black eye for the country. Not only are the circumstances surrounding her death baffling, but Belize has been receiving a lot of negative international publicity in the wake of the homicide. So, […]
The National Sports Council in past years has been an organization which we know is there, but we’d be hard pressed to say what it’s done for sporting in the country. With the shifting of portfolios post general election, the former Minister of Sports, Herman Longsworth has moved on and so has the former National […]
Czech national Martin Muzikant is on lock down tonight after appearing in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on a string of immigration offences. He was busted on Sunday afternoon in Orange Walk Town, almost two years after being expelled from Belize for unlawful possession of a passport. Muzikant, who also goes by the name Petr […]
COLA’s fear, according to President Geovanni Brackett, is that in the wake of the Nanes Schnitzer debacle and the recent murder of Anne Swaney, Belize will only be getting another black eye if the Muzikant matter is not handled properly. Geovanni Brackett, President, COLA “Why we are concerned about it is that right now […]
Twenty-eight Cubans who have been incarcerated at the Belize Central Prison are free. The order was signed today and the directive sent to Prison officials. It is expected that the twenty-eight will now join the mass movement towards the promised-land in the north. Thanks to the ‘wet foot dry foot’ legislation, as soon as they […]
We also asked Elrington about a settlement which has been discovered on the Belize side of the border with Guatemala. The revelation was made by Commander of the B.D.F. Brigadier General David Jones. Jones claims that it is a small settlement about sixteen meters inside the border near San Valentin. While Elrington had not been […]
And on the subject of Belize – Guatemala relations, Elrington updated us on a Mixed Commission meeting held last Friday. That high-level session was attended by both Foreign Ministers, Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales, and featured the usual array of topics on the way to establishing closer ties between the countries. Wilfred Elrington, Minister […]
Last week in the House, the Leader of the Opposition, Francis Fonseca complained about the inactivity and ineffectiveness of Ombudsman Lionel Arzu saying he did not enjoy the confidence of the people. Fonseca said he could not support the extension of his contract. Notwithstanding, the Ombudsman got busy today; he signed off a Memorandum of […]
