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Minister Hyde then spoke of another incident of clear land fraud. According to Hyde, the victim this time was a man named Florencio Talbert, and the alleged perpetrator was the former C.E.O. of the Ministry of Works, Errol Gentle. Hyde told the House that Gentle reportedly acquired lands in the Mountain Pine Ridge area in […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Minister Hyde Names Former MoW C.E.O. Errol Gentle in Land Scam
Minister Hyde then revealed that the investigation into the Lands Department uncovered the unthinkable; something he says he would have never thought would have been done. In these challenging times of COVID-19, Hyde says that the land compensation budget ballooned with the then Barrow Administration issuing out fifteen million dollars in compensation in September alone. […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Land Compensation Budget “Busted” By Former G.O.B.
The repossession of government assets from past ministers continues. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development, formerly the Ministry of Works, is pursuing the recovery of missing inventory. Earlier today, at mile three and a half on the George Price Highway, the police retrieved heavy equipment from former Minister Anthony Boots Martinez’s property. A bitumen batching plant, […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Maintaining order in the House of Representatives, amid the constant verbal exchanges across the floor, has always been a challenge. Despite being regarded as the honorable house, Parliament has long been the venue for heated interactions between the government and its opposition. Today was no different, even though it was the first working session since […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on House Speaker Val is in Control!
On the heels of a stunning defeat at the polls on November eleventh last year, it was expected that all U.D.P. appointed chairpersons on various statutory bodies, including the executives of the Belize Tourism Board, would step down as the respectable course of action. Director of Tourism Karen Bevans, who signed a five-year contract to […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Perusing the Director of Tourism’s Plum Contract
We got a chance to ask Prime Minister John Briceño about Bevans’ contract today. Bevans has threatened, through Barrow and Williams law firm, to sue Prime Minister John Briceño for defaming her in a previous media interview when talking about her contract. Briceño is sticking to his guns, telling Bevans that she does not want […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Does Karen Bevans Have the ‘Guts” to Sue PM John Briceño?
Much of today’s proceedings within the National Assembly Chambers were statements by ministers. It was until two in the afternoon that the House moved into the day’s business, starting with introducing the Good Governance in Belize Motion 2021. In the evening, the Briceño introduced the two general revenue supplementary bills. These bills, according to Prime […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on General Revenue Supplementary Bill Introduced
But the Briceño administration is facing a financial dilemma. As the PM said in his New Year address, the government ‘bruk.’ A ballooning wage bill burdens the fiscal budget. In fact, the wage bill and the pension bill together are eighty percent of the country’s billion dollars budget. Briceño says that there are no retrenchment […]
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Comments Off on Ballooning Wage Bill Briceño’s Burden
The most recent COVID-19 prevention measures outlined in Statutory Instrument 175 included a fifty percent capacity on all public transportation. Bus owners immediately voiced their discontent with the decision as it was simply not feasible for them to maintain their runs. The compromise made then was to allow for seventy-five percent capacity per bus. But […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Bus Operators Lobbying for 100% Capacity
Shaw says that in this first meeting with the new minister, they discussed a range of issues that are central to the survival of the bus transport industry. Among those issues were road permits, bus schedules, and parking, but at the heart of the conversation was the issue of subsidies for bus operators. You’ll recall […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Estelle Leslie is the first woman to ascend to Comptroller’s post, a singular seat in the Customs and Excise Department. In 1988, when she began as an entry-level officer, Leslie dreamt of someday rising to the highest rank. Today, thirty-two years later, she has accomplished that feat. The journey to get here was not easy. […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Estelle Leslie is Belize’s First Woman Comptroller of Customs
The Belize Airports Authority has a new seven-member board of directors. Ricardo Martin is the newly appointed chairman of the board of the B.A.A. A press release from the Belize Airports Authority says that Martin brings years of experience and leadership skills that will (Quote) “ensure the prosperity of the B.A.A. by collectively directing the […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on B.A.A. Appoints New Board of Directors
Attorney Estevan Perera was sworn as the Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission in July 2020 under the Barrow Administration. He is a known U.D.P. supporter who has also served on various boards, including the Social Security Board, Belize Water Services, and the Belize Liquor License Board. And like several other political appointees, Perera […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Briceño Calls on Steve Perera to Resign
Who sits as the head of the elections and boundaries commission is important to the ruling administration as in less than two months, voters will be returning to the polls for the municipal elections. As we reported on Thursday, well-known athlete Kaya Cattouse has submitted an application to the People’s United Party’s executive for a […]
Written on January 8, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Mayor Bernard Wagner Seeking Re-election, but Who Will Make Up His Slate?
Reflecting on the completion of his term, Mayor Wagner acknowledges that the economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic did impact the councils’ ability to fulfill its manifesto promises. According to Wagner, he feels they get to about eighty to ninety percent. He says that this third year was primarily crisis management, but that […]
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Comments Off on Belize City Mayor on Fulfilling his Manifesto
The new Miss Universe Belize will be crowned on Saturday at three p.m. during a live virtual event right here on Channel Five. Like so many other traditions during the pandemic, the selection process had to be modified. Instead of a pageant, fifteen hopefuls applied via a casting call held in November 2020. And now […]
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Comments Off on Destinee Arnold’s Farewell as Miss Universe Belize
They just released the latest crime statistics for 2020. Now the Belize Crime Observatory wants to recognize outstanding journalists. The media competition is an extension of a data training workshop that the organization held last February. According to Adele Ramos, the Technical Coordinator of the B.C.O., the purpose is to recognize journalists for their work […]
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Comments Off on A Media Award Competition
The inaugural sitting of the House of Representatives, led by Prime Minister John Briceño, is being held this Friday. Several bills will be tabled for the first reading, including a proposed piece of legislation that will empower the Central Bank of Belize to provide for emergency programs and facilities. This is in the context of […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Inaugural Meeting of the New House of Representatives is Nigh Upon Us
On Wednesday, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing Julius Espat detailed the allegations of misuse of resources by former Minister Rene Montero. He also shed light on the ongoing review of high-cost public buildings initiated under the previous administration. Viewers will recall that the Belize Infrastructure Limited, B.I.L., was the special purpose vehicle under the previous administration […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on New Treasury Building, How Much will It Really Cost?
An assessment of the recently constructed Foreign Affairs headquarters, the Leigh Richardson Building in Belmopan continues. The new administration is concerned about the value for money. As it stands, the structure, built at the cost of several million dollars, is not designed to meet the foreign ministry’s everyday needs or the office of foreign trade. […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Assessment of New Foreign Affairs Building Ongoing
A decision on who will succeed Colin Griffith as the next Comptroller of Customs is yet to be determined by the Ministry of Finance. While senior customs officers Ian Haylock and Estelle Leslie have interviewed for the post, an announcement is pending. Until then, the Customs and Excise Department’s outgoing head has been granted a […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Still No Word on Who’s the Next Comptroller of Customs
The U.S. Embassy in Belize has issued a statement on the deadly events at the Capitol on Wednesday. Chargé d’Affaires Keith Gilges, in speaking about American democracy, said, quote, it was tested again yesterday by the assault on the Capitol. The U.S. Congress carried out its duties as enshrined in the Constitution to certify the […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on G.O.B. Condemns Failed Coup Attempt of U.S. Congress
The Cante Family in San Felipe Village is advised to request financial compensation after the family’s patriarch was mistakenly buried as a John Doe in another village without the family. Late Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Health and Wellness issued a statement clarifying the mishandling and erroneous release of Fernando Cante’s corpse at the Northern […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on M.o.H.W. Encourages Cante Family to Ask for Money as Compensation for Body Mix Up
The Belize Police Department has a new board. On Wednesday, an election was held to elect the new representatives. Two slates contested the election – one was led by the former president Corporal Eldon Arzu, and Sergeant Jermaine Hyde led the other. Following the elections, Hyde’s slate was victorious. He trumped Arzu by almost double […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The Police Association Elects a New Board
Municipal elections are just under two months away and slowly, the major political parties are announcing members of their slates in different municipalities. Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner has already indicated that he will be seeking re-election; the United Democratic Party is yet to reveal its slate for Belize City. One councilor hopeful who on […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Kaya Cattouse for Councillor for Belize City
