Last week, we reported on the cuts at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where Doctors Fernando Cuellar and Amin Hegar have been terminated. Tonight, we can confirm that the National Health Insurance Programme is also suffering from budget cutbacks. Executive Chairman, Doctor Ramon Figueroa says that the budget cuts are due to the economic effects […]
A second leadership convention for the United Democratic Party is scheduled for this Sunday at the ITVET compound here in Belize City where three candidates, Patrick Faber, John Saldivar and Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, are offering themselves for party leader. Unlike the previous February tenth convention at the Civic, the fanfare, as well as the bells […]
From an operational perspective, the Belize Police Department will be deployed to the ITVET to maintain law and order on the day of the convention, however, officers will not be present in large numbers, as voting will be done systematically by district and supporters will not be allowed to congregate. Chester Williams, Commissioner of […]
The dollar fare on the well-known ‘Dalla Van’ that run in the south side of the city is soaring by as much as a hundred percent. Commuters are now paying two dollars because the vans are to exercise social distancing, which means less passengers onboard. The increase is not going down well for residents who […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the productive sector, but today poultry producers confirmed that whole chickens are not in short supply at the grocery stores. But chicken parts are and restaurants that sell the famous “fry chicken” are temporarily out of chicken parts. Producers had to shift the way they grow the bird and will […]
A ceremony was held today to recognize the quick response of alert police officers that led to the apprehension of four robbers of Scotia Bank. As you know in an early afternoon robbery last Thursday at Scotia Belama Branch, five thieves robbed a customer making a deposit of some thirty-five thousand dollars in cash and […]
In acknowledging the effort of the men and women of law enforcement, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also highlighted the fact that when officers run afoul of the law, they are also subject to disciplinary and penal measures. Today’s ceremony, though commendable, does not negate the fact that there are rogue officers in the fold. […]
The Belmopan City Council and the Public Service Union settled their almost two-year long dispute over the Hilltop property in Belmopan. As a part of the settlement, the Belmopan City Council has given the P.S.U. a one-acre property, among other commitments. You’ll recall that the P.S.U. has been leasing the Hilltop from the Belmopan City […]
Over eighty thousand persons applied for the COVID-19 Unemployment Relief, but only forty-three thousand applications were approved. Many persons, however, complained of not having received any assistance, despite receiving a text message confirming their approval; others say they only received a single disbursement of one hundred and fifty dollars over the course of the last […]
It’s been years now that the immigration scandal implicating several U.D.P. ministers, including the infamous Elvin Penner, came to light. Penner is the former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality who is accused of selling visas and facilitating the issuance of a Belizean passport for South Korean fugitive, Wong Hong Kim, who was in […]
The Christian Workers Union on Wednesday submitted a notice of strike action against the Port of Belize Limited. The staff of the P.B.L. has been protesting against a ten percent salary cut instituted by the management of the Port. The union initiated a go slow on Wednesday and has plans to go on a full-on […]
Scotia Bank Belize has made a donation today; it handed over five thousand dollars to be used for personal protective equipment to the Belize Police Department. The protective face shields will be procured through the Rotary Club of Belize and distributed to police officers. The donation comes as the country prepares for the phased reopening […]
The ten-year contract for the administration of the lottery is coming under fire from the People’s United Party. Brads Gaming Company was awarded the contract by the government last week; it runs until 2030. Today, the People’s United Party says it stinks of cronyism. The P.U.P. points to the cozy relationship between Brads and senior […]
Last week, Belize confirmed six new cases of COVID-19. The most recent patients were two Belizeans who entered the country illegally, but were placed under quarantine upon their entry. They were confirmed positive upon the second test administered, so for now the couple remains under quarantine. Last week Thursday, a woman and her two children […]
There is another report tonight of the police abuse. A man in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye is claiming that two police officers barged into his house at around eight-thirty on Monday night, beat him with his machete, tried to stab him, and threatened his life. According to Gabriel Zelaya, he was home in the DFC […]
The Commissioner of Police has complained about patrons of bars and nightclubs who are not complying with the measures in place to battle the pandemic. Chester Williams also says that police officers will no longer provide security service for these establishments as a result of the risks they pose. But what about off duty cops […]
A little over half a million Belize dollars worth of Personal Protective Equipment was donated to Belize by the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada and PAHO/WHO for the country’s COVID-19 response. The donation will primarily support infection prevention and control for healthcare personnel throughout the country. Items such as face shields, respirators, face masks […]
The staff at the Port of Belize Limited today continued their demonstration against their employer. The management at the Port has decided to cut staff salaries by ten percent due to the drop of income resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The staff, comprising members of the Christian Workers Union, are resisting the pay cut and […]
According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow the existing Boost Programme will be augmented to include persons who are now unemployed long term due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These persons will be removed from the Unemployment Relief Programme and considered for the Boost programme. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Those funds will go […]
The first phase of the Unemployment Relief Programme, as well as the pantry assistance programme, is being audited by the Auditor General and her team. Leader of the Opposition, John Briceño had called for the audit, but resigned from the COVID-19 National Oversight Committee on June tenth. With millions upon millions of dollars being disbursed by […]
The Belize Police Department’s Professional Standards Branch says there is an internal investigation into a police officer following an incident on Balam Street this past weekend in Belize City. Cops claim an off-duty fellow police officer confronted them and tried to prevent them from making an arrest. On Thursday Officer Commanding the Professional Standards Branch […]
There is an update about COVID-19 case number twenty-four in southern Belize. He’s one of the fishermen detained back in June for illegally fishing off the coast of Placencia within a marine reserve. The Honduran received a positive test almost three weeks later and that caused some alarm for persons who may have come in […]
The Belize Customs and Excise Department and the US Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection signed a memorandum of cooperation on Thursday. The agreement seeks to provide for collaboration and implementation of an information-sharing programme utilizing cargo manifests and conveyance information. The programme is expected to enhance the ability of both governments to […]
The purchase of Scotiabank Belize by Caribbean Investment Holdings Limited, the parent company of the Belize Bank, awaits regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Belize. The initial announcement was made on June twenty-second by Governor Joy Grant in a recorded statement acknowledging that the transaction is commercial in nature between two private companies and […]
The Central Bank is an autonomous body assigned to regulate the financial sector. A majority of its board, however, is made up of members who are appointed by the Minister of Finance, who is also the prime minister. While PM Barrow is on record stating that government cannot meddle in the affairs of the regulator, […]
