But with the emotional homecoming out of the way, the question remains – how could the unthinkable have happened? How is it that a Belizean vessel carrying Belizeans could have been seized at gunpoint by Guatemalan military and taken to Livingston? Mike Rudon spoke to those on the boat and put the pieces of the […]
We’ll get to that government response in a few, but first the Captain of the Dore – Guillermo “Memo” Avila. He is the man who took the expedition to Gracias a Dios, and then made the unscheduled and unexpected journey to Livingston, Guatemala. He chose to retain the services of attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd, who gave […]
As we told you, officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Security conducted a debriefing exercise with certain members of the expedition right after arrival on Belizean land. National Security C.E.O., Colonel George Lovell, told News Five that the objective of the exercise is to establish the facts, an opportunity to get first-hand […]
Two weeks ago, a picture of Lord Michael Ashcroft and Audrey Matura Shepherd at breakfast went viral. It was all over social media, so much so that it made the local news. Although he was on business, supporters of the U.D.P. camp were speculating that his trip was about election financing for the P.U.P. That […]
In our interview, Ashcroft also spoke about his level of financial involvement, or, as we learnt, his lack of financial involvement, in Telemedia at the time of nationalization. He categorically stated that it was never about him and the government. Here’s what he had to say. Lord Michael Ashcroft “I have no shares in […]
This morning, former Immigration Minister turned public pariah, Elvin Penner, had eggs, but it wasn’t sunny side up and it wasn’t for breakfast. The former U.D.P. Minister, who was fired for his role in immigration offences primarily for facilitating a passport to a jailed South Korean fugitive, was stoned with eggs by protesters gathered in […]
And while the loss of his vehicle is surely bad news for the Mayor, there’s much more this week. On Thursday, and today, there were Court Marshalls at City Hall. They were busily marking off assets because once again, the Belize City Council is being crow-footed for being malpago. Belize Maintenance Limited is owed two […]
Chebat says that the reason for the crowfooting is that the judgment remains unpaid despite them bending over backwards to reach some sort of arrangement with Mayor Darrell Bradley. Michel Chebat, Attorney for BML “In January when the writ was filed I actually sent a copy of the writ to the Mayor and I […]
Earlier this week, small quantities of marijuana were decriminalized in Jamaica where the use of marijuana is a cultural issue. It took that country fourteen years for its parliament to reach a decision. In Belize, an effort started years ago, but it soon faded into the background. After two and a half years of research […]
According to the committee, the decriminalization of the possession of marijuana is not to be confused with the legalization of the drug. Even if it is passed into law, the sale, purchase and cultivation of marijuana is still very much a crime that carries stiff penalties. But another factor addressed by the committee before making […]
Matura-Shepherd says that the agreement will be taken to court and returned as a court order. She says that they expect implementation to go smoothly because they were very judicious in their discussions and detailed with the terms in signing off on the agreements. Matura-Shepherd told the media that with the mediation completed, the issues […]
On Wednesday night we told you about the signing of the expansion at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, and while it is a win for conservationists, who have been pushing for the expansion of the protected area, there are still concerns that the area is open and vulnerable to off-shore oil exploration. We spoke with Executive […]
Mexican Ambassador to Belize Carlos Quesnel is taking on a number of bilateral initiatives, some new and others in the pipeline. A priority area is in trade for which a number of entrepreneurs from Mexico have been making significant investments in the local tourism industry. In improving overall relations, the embassy is working to improve […]
And that partnership to strengthen the trade and investments in Belize is also being backed up with assistance to fight crime and narco-trafficking, two of the biggest challenges for the city and Ambergris Caye in recent months. Carlos Quesnel Melendez, Mexican Ambassador to Belize “As a matter of fact, this is also one of […]
It made national headlines back in February 2000 when a twenty-five man Guatemalan patrol captured a four-man B.D.F. and police patrol and accused them of illegally crossing over into Guatemalan territory. Second Lieutenant Romaldo Herrera, Lance Corporal Lucio Arana, Private Luciano Tzub and Police Constable Macedonio Sanchez were captured and put in a Guatemalan holding facility in […]
Municipal Elections are exactly one week away, and while the candidates get in their last days of campaigning, Party officials are busy ensuring that the election process is fair and transparent across the Board. And according to the People’s United Party, at least in Belize City it’s not. The P.U.P. sent off a letter to […]
There are few parks in the south side of Belize City and where they can be found, the conditions are less than ideal for use by children. So there was much celebration this morning at the Queen Square Anglican School which was gifted a full equipped playground courtesy of a Canadian Foundation working together with […]
The southern tip of San Pedro Ambergris Caye is the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Hol Chan, which is Mayan translation for “Little Channel,” was officially established as a protected area in 1987. The reserve covered only eighteen square kilometers of the rich aquatic ecosystem, but since then, it has expanded to cover over fifty-five square […]
The CSME Unit in the Ministry of Trade held a workshop in the Belize City to sensitize key front line personnel on how to handle and tap into opportunities to share their experiences and disseminate information. The Unit brought in a consultant for the Spokespersons Workshop to equip the participants, which included media personnel, students, […]
A report allegedly commissioned by Prime Minister Dean Barrow in 2014 has been making waves in the media. It’s a white paper type document on cost-cutting measures in government, and highlights areas which are regarded as wastage of public monies. It was done by a committee of seven persons headed by Francisco Zuniga. One area […]
The University of Belize has remained absolutely close-mouthed about reports that three faculty members are being accused of sexual misconduct with students at the facility. There are reports that at least one or more of those allegedly accused have departed from the institution, but again nobody in an official capacity at UB is talking. So […]
After that roundabout answer without anything concrete, we tried to press the minister for more details. The alleged UB sex scandal is only one example of various allegations of that type at different schools across the country. He joined us in sending out a call for answers. Reporter “What stops the Minister of Education […]
And since we were on the subject of inappropriate sexual conduct in schools, we did some digging into another scandal, this one at the Mopan Technical School. A male teacher is accused of sending nude pictures to at least one, and likely more students at the school. We got an update on that alarming situation […]
Today, the Ministry of Education invited the media to a breakfast where they discussed the road forward. But that was only a prelude to the real show – the distribution of tablets to University of Belize students. It’s a government initiative which was promised at the start of the year, and it was not lost […]
Those tablets cost about one million U.S. and reliable word is that it was paid for with Petrocaribe monies. We haven’t heard much about Petrocaribe lately on the local scene, though we have heard that the initiative is running into trouble because of Venezuela’s economic woes. So today, we asked the Financial Secretary for an […]
