It has been and continues to be a practice of the Belize Police Department, whenever queried about the results of an investigation into a serious crime, to state that the file is with the Director of Public Prosecutions. All failure to charge, then, or delay in charging, is laid at the doorstep of the D.P.P. […]
On Thursday, the Belize Chamber of Commerce issued a release on the continued impasse in the sugar cane industry. It’s been criticized in some sectors because it doesn’t seem to take any strong position. Today, Chamber President Arturo Vasquez says that the release is not at all ambiguous and he feels that the chamber has […]
This afternoon, forty exhausted soldiers who are being pushed to the limits of their endurance completed in day-two of the Coast Guard’s Best Warrior Competition. There are five teams of eight members each, selected from the Coast Guard and the Belize Defence Force, which must undergo an intensive round of exercises designed to test their […]
While the Chamber spoke earlier about the sugar impasse, another discussion which has seen some rebirth is the issue of the thirteenth Senator, a commitment by the United Democratic Party at one point. It was an immensely popular campaign promise because it enhances transparency and accountability and allows the Senate valuable oversight capacity. Along with […]
The power of one point eight billion….that’s the global population of youths under the age of twenty-five years. The United Nations Population Fund believes that young people have the power in their hands to foster development and curb poverty. This morning, the UN agency launched the State of the World Population Report which that young […]
Recently, the B.T.B. announced that the number of visitors to the jewel had exceeded forecasts and had reached a million even before the tradition spike at the end of the year. That is good news for the industry, because the high season which is about to start, is expected to bring another boost in visitors. […]
Late this evening, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a release in respect of the impasse in the sugar industry involving a proposal by B.S.I./A.S.R. to bypass the elected Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and to deal directly with farmers. As it stands tonight, the association has given the Sugar Industry Control Board […]
Joeth ‘Chyna’ Pratt has been reported missing since November fourth when she disappeared from work at Cisco Construction Ltd. earlier that afternoon. A dedicated team of colleagues has scoured Medina Bank where the company truck she was driving that day had been discovered sometime later. Pratt, a resident of Lord’s Bank, is a former inmate […]
Honduran beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado and her sister Sofia were laid to rest near their hometown of Santa Barbara today. The tragic story of jealousy and murder has caught the attention of many Belizeans who watched nineteen year old Maria take to the stage for the Costa Maya pageant in San Pedro in […]
Across the country, Garifuna Settlement Day is commemorated on November nineteenth. Today, on the eve of national celebrations, Garifuna communities in Central America are launching a regional project which aims to strengthen the food security of the Garifuna people through the recovery of traditional production, as well as the promotion of local agribusiness. Five communities, […]
In many remote areas and villages, potable water is still unavailable due to the lack of infrastructure or water systems. For years, residents of the village of Sarteneja in the Corozal District have been clamoring for potable water as well as for a functioning water board. Following elections earlier this year, the Government through a […]
The CARICOM Single Market and Economy was adopted by the CARICOM Heads of State to allow the free movement of goods and services, labour, as well as a common trade policy, among member states. The Department of Immigration is charged with the administration of the free movement of people. In 2012, twenty-eight immigration officers were […]
Belize, along with the rest of the world, is commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1989, a special commitment was made to all children through the adoption of the CRC. The milestone is being recognized and celebrated universally but is the world […]
Despite significant progress in achieving the objectives set out under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Belize falls nominally short of a hundred percent birth registration. Likewise, great strides have been made to minimize the number of babies being born with HIV infection. According to UNICEF’s country representative Ivan Yerovi, those are just […]
Among various initiatives undertaken at the national level is a move by local governments to have their municipalities recognized as child-friendly. In Belize City, there was a recent ceremony to launch the countrywide effort. According to Yerovi, it will take more than just a speech declaring that a town or city is suitable for children. […]
A generous shipment of wheelchairs has arrived in the country for distribution countrywide. The first batch is being delivered in Belize City where the need is the highest throughout the country. The gift is from four different Rotary Clubs of Canada to the local Rotary Clubs. A ceremony was held on Thursday at Cisco Construction […]
Senior Counsel Rodwell Williams, representing B.T.L., laid out the fundamental principle behind B.T.L.’s move to terminate the agreement. He says that Speednet purchased the service for private use then turned around and made it available to its subscribers. Rodwell Williams, Attorney for BTL “It is a dispute that has to do primarily with […]
Another resignation was announced today at the B.T.B. where a number of senior officers have demitted office in recent times. Today, Director of Marketing and Industry Relations, Alyssa Carnegie, joined the list resigning from her post after two years of service. Her resignation takes effect as of December twelfth. In a release issued today, Director […]
The B.T.B. announced today that it had reached its one million mark in tourist arrivals in the country. According to the release, one million eighteen thousand seven hundred and five visitors have arrived as of October 2014. Another bit of good news in the industry is that tour operators are tonight breathing a collective sigh […]
Business process outsourcing is one of Belize’s fastest growing industries. Thousands of Belizeans have gained jobs from the outsourcing of customer service and other chores of business, primarily from the United States. But tonight, a new BPO abruptly closed its doors and fired thirty employees. Accutel BPO was established in May and hired its first […]
The employees say this turn of events has hurt not only their financial standing, but also their job prospects. And as a check with the Companies Registry reveals, their employment apparently no longer exists. Another person who wants a word with Castillo is Todd Ingram, the proprietor of Zeus International Business Center on Calle Al […]
For three days, educators will be discussing the institutional development of tertiary education in the region with emphasis on quality assurance. The occasion is the annual conference of CANQATE, a regional organization, which promotes three principles: public education and advocacy, synergy and harmonization as well as training and technical capacity building. Duane Moody reports. […]
It is not far-fetched to speculate that the mandate from the farmers may include agitation of some form, leading up to industrial action. The industry is volatile, the labour intensive, and the farmers passionate about the lifeblood of the north. At the start of the last crop, BSI gave an undertaking in good faith to […]
Speednet Communications Ltd., the parent company for Smart, filed an application for an injunction against Belize Telemedia Limited in the Supreme Court of Belize earlier today. The application for a court order became necessary after B.T.L. served Speednet with a notice of termination of service via certain links to take effect as of Friday, November […]
The House of Representatives is meeting next Tuesday in a special session where it is expected that the ruling United Democratic Party will be tabling the Petrocaribe loan motion for a second reading. Government is seeking the house’s approval for loans totaling approximately two hundred and forty million dollars from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. […]
