A resident from Guinea Grass Village has received regional recognition for uplifting himself and his family by starting a business. In 2008, Javier Basto started selling plantain chips to his friends and neighbors; he now owns the Basto & Sons product line, which includes cassava chips and churros. The small business made a hundred and […]
With gun violence and other crimes so prevalent on the streets, chances are you may have seen or heard BERT. That’s the Belize Emergency Response Team that responds instantly to victims of violence or patients who need to get to the medical facilities at a flash. BERT hosted an open day at its headquarters today […]
Expo Belize marketplace is a traditional feature in the September calendar. This year the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry reports that eighteen thousand visitors filed into the ITVET compound for the two day event. While consumers were looking for deals, the BCCI was judging the most impressive booths. The top award went to Karl […]
It was a big week for the Belize Camping Experience. Aside from the recognition for having second best booth at the expo, its Harvest for Kids Project turned out to be a huge success. With the help of generous farmers, the organization harvested a total of forty acres of corn; twenty in Banana Bank on […]
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is asking the public to assist in locating the family of Emmanuel Espinosa, the patient seen in this picture. Espinosa was admitted to ward this past Thursday. Relatives are asked to call KHMH at 501-223-1548 or 223-5648 as soon as possible.
The Central America Travel Market is the largest tourism trade show in this region. It provides the opportunity for tourism service providers from the seven countries in Central America, including Belize, to market themselves to hundreds of wholesalers from across the globe. The event is held annually and is hosted in a different Central American […]
Attorney General, Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, was deployed to San Ignacio on Wednesday night to cool down temperatures of residents, who have been protesting a recent upsurge in crime and violence in the Cayo District. The crowd overflowed the ITVET building where the public meeting was being held. Among the topics covered, were the removal of […]
There was a total shutdown today of the business community in San Ignacio. By any measure, it was a monumental success and after Wednesday night’s disastrous public meeting with the attorney general, residents came out in full force to support the anti-crime demonstration. They were joined by UB, Galen and Sacred Heart students. The community’s […]
Within hours that the demonstration fizzled, government was quick to act and with the speed of light, a promised pickup truck was delivered to the San Ignacio police. The new pickup comes as part of a pledge made by the Ministry of National Security to meet the demands of the people. While the vehicle is […]
There’s another situation that is building up. Belizean passports are not the only hot commodities being sought by foreigners seeking a new identity. Years ago, the Government of Belize actually implemented an economic citizen program, which was viewed as the bucket sale of passports. While it legitimized what was once an illegal activity, the recent […]
As you’ve heard by now, the Investment Committee of the Social Security Board (S.S.B.) has approved a fifteen million dollar investment in the government owned Belize Electricity Limited. As soon as that came to light, attorneys for Fortis, the previous owner who is challenging the nationalization, gave notice that Fortis will be heading to court […]
Aside from participating in anti-crime initiatives, the University of Belize is involved in other social activities. Over the weekend, the UB students took the lead with primary school students in a cleanup campaign that started in the area of the lighthouse and spread to other areas of the city. And in the process, the younger […]
The Social Security Investment Committee, last Friday, approved a substantial investment to Belize Electricity Limited. The investment of fifteen million dollars got the nod to rescue the government owned utility company which experienced a two million dollar loss in the first quarter of this year. When the government took over the company from Fortis, it […]
According to S.S.B. executives, B.E.L. is need of operating capital and the S.S.B. has excess liquidity in reserves. Jose Sanchez “How fast would we see those funds being transferred for the debentures?” Doug Singh, Chainman, S.S.B. “There is a legal process that Social Security has to undertake. Once the investment committee has made […]
This coming Thursday, businesses in Cayo will be closing down in protest of recent murders and other violence in the district. The B.N.T.U. Cayo branch late this afternoon said it will be cancelling classes in solidarity with organizers of the shutdown. Twenty-two primary and high schools will be getting time of to participate in Thursday’s […]
Due to increased violent crime in the country, the United States Embassy of Belize has issued a security warning to its citizens who are either on holiday or living in Belize. The note specifically addresses an increase in sexual assaults and robberies. It says quote “The crime threat in Belize is high. Random and organized […]
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, under the presidency of Giovanni Brackett, held press conference this morning to discuss a range of current social and political issues affecting the country. While the head table presented a number of concerns, including crime and violence, as well as land ownership and internet penetration, it failed to […]
A forensic ballistic system donated by the Canadian government will be inaugurated this Friday. Coinciding with that event will be a visit by Canada’s minister of state of Foreign Affairs, Diane Ablonczy. Between today and Sunday, Ablonczy will be in Guatemala and Belize to strengthen relationships with both countries and to reinforce the Canadian commitment […]
World Mental Health Day was first celebrated internationally twenty years ago and locally, this year activities were held throughout the country in observance of the day. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of world disability and by 2030 it is expected to be the largest contributor […]
Heading west, a business shutdown is being planned for Thursday by a coalition of neighborhood watch groups called the Solidarity for Peace Movement. If all goes according to plan, most of the business community will be closed for the day to protest the wave of crime and the recent murder of Suzenne Martinez. Simultaneously, two […]
The unions and the government have been negotiating for years and earlier today the government agreed to a long list of allowances when they signed off an agreement on part of what the unions had initially proposed. For the past four years, joint negotiations have been ongoing between the Public Service Union, Belize National Teacher’s […]
While it has already been a long and rocky road, the negotiations are still not over. Public Service Union President, Marvin Blades says the signing of the partial agreement simply shows the progress, but there are several issues remaining on the table. But ministers Faber and Gibson also committed today to ensuring that it won’t […]
In an age of continuous technological advances, there are still many persons and households that don’t have basic internet access. Over the next few days, a Caribbean Information and Communications Technology Roadshow will be reaching out to those groups as well as the tech savvy to highlight the benefits of ICT. The road show also […]
The theme for the event is “Harnessing the Power of Innovation – the engine for ICT enabled Caribbean development”. But Doctor Colin Young acknowledges that Belize is behind in technology when compared to other countries in the region. Both Young and Bernadette Lewis, CTU’s Secretary General agree that affordability, particularly for internet access, is going […]
The Ministry of Public Service announced in July that a thorough review of public service allowances would be carried out. That process has been ongoing and its purpose is to trim the fat off the one point five million dollars that the ministry pays in allowances each month. All ministries and departments were required to […]
