On Wednesday, the Belize Hotel Association met; today its partners in the industry, the Belize Tourism Industry and Association, held its thirty-fourth biannual general meeting in Belmopan. Stakeholders met at the George Price Centre where they were updated on the progress of several initiatives over the past six months, as well as new projects that […]
The tourism industry in Belize took a hit after U.S. doctor Gary Swank was murdered while vacationing on the island. Cabinet anticipated an adverse effect that could possibly cripple San Pedro’s economy and decided to meet urgently in order to design a crime prevention strategy for the island. After Doctor Swank and tour guide Mario […]
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service, with the support from the Regional Center of Promotion for MSME, closed its first Female Entrepreneurship Programme with a graduation ceremony today in Belize City. The goal is to improve and strengthen women’s leadership skills, economic empowerment, and business development skills. The participants represent the spa and wellness, creative […]
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development partnered with UNICEF to host a national children’s consultation on disaster risk reduction. The event is part of a bigger initiative that is finding solutions to support children who may be adversely affected by traumatic experiences such as natural and manmade disasters. As a part […]
Today, the United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with the UNDOC, concluded a two-day workshop with municipal leaders. The workshop is part of a strengthening of nation systems for the implementation of the UNCAC. According to U.N.D.P. representative Aldo Garcia, this event seeks to build the capacity and advocate for anti-corruption strategies at municipal levels. […]
According to the P.U.P.’s Kareem Musa, the government has been silent on the matter because the pile of documents which indicates B.T.L.’s true financial standing, is a huge political blow to the Barrow administration. Musa pointed out that after acquiring the company for more than half a billion dollars, B.T.L. invested tens of millions of […]
P.U.P. Leader John Briceño has written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow with regards to B.T.L.’s reported G.S.T. debt. In the letter, Briceño tells P.M. Barrow that since B.T.L. is majority owned by the people, the public is entitled to a full and frank disclosure. Briceño asks Barrow, who is also the Minister of Finance, for […]
The Public Utilities Commission made its Final Decision in respect of the 2019 Annual Review Proceeding for electricity rates and the news is that rates will remain the same at forty one cents per kilowatt hour for July first 2019 to June thirtieth 2020. Despite the high cost of power, Belize Electricity Limited decided not […]
The second round of village council elections took place on Sunday across the country and both political parties are claiming victory. A total of forty-six villages participated and according to the P.U.P., one hundred and fifty-five of its candidates were elected compared to the one hundred and thirty-two U.D.P. candidates who won. The U.D.P., on […]
Hoteliers were joined by other stakeholders at the Belize Biltmore Plaza to take stock of the tourism industry as well as to find new ways to enhance business in a highly competitive market. While tourism numbers have been setting records, there is still room for hoteliers to adopt new strategies to grow business by attracting […]
We take a break from crime to report that Health C.E.O., Doctor Ramon Figueroa, is said to be on is way out. Reports of his anticipated departure are circulating in the Ministry of Health. From what we have gathered, Doctor Figueroa’s untimely departure from the ministry has to do with Minister of Health, Pablo Marin. […]
Working documents leaked to the media show a fifty million dollars G.S.T. debt reportedly owed by state-owned Belize Telemedia Limited. The documents surfaced last week and it showed that between 2011 and 2017, B.T.L. racked up tens of millions of dollars in taxes. The company has refused the allegation, saying that it continues to be […]
The disclosure of the documents came on the day that the Senate debated and ratified the Tax Administration and Procedure Bill. The bill contains several components ultimately designed to increase government revenue. As part of the new law, companies, managers and financial officers responsible for ensuring that a company keeps up with its taxes, can […]
The new S.S.B. contribution and reform scheme came into effect on Monday. The Social Security Board embarked in a two-year consultation process where the private sector, the Opposition, Cabinet, and other stakeholders were brief on why it was important to reform the scheme. The restructuring will be phased out over three years with incremental changes […]
The United Nations Commission of Human Rights held a short ceremony on Monday for twenty-three asylum seekers who completed the English as a Second Language course. The UNHCR offers asylum seekers the opportunity to take E.S.L. classes in an effort to help them integrate into their new communities. Here’s more in the following story. […]
There has been no further communication from Belize Telemedia Limited since last week. On Wednesday, News Five first reported on leaked documents which purportedly showed that B.T.L. owes the government millions of dollars in backed up general sales tax. In total, the government company is said to owe close to fifty million dollars in taxes […]
Retired British national Phillip Crabtree drowned in Placencia overnight on Thursday. The body of the fifty-eight-year-old was retrieved from the sea sometime before six o’clock on Friday morning and an autopsy conducted on his body confirms that he died from asphyxia due to drowning. While the body was observed with a cut wound over the […]
The new social security contribution and pension rates came into effect today. The number of persons retiring is growing annually, pushing the Social Security Fund closer to the ‘period of equilibrium’ where total income equals total expenditure. In order to avoid a financial crash, a reform was approved where revenue is higher than the cost […]
The incident over the weekend involving homophobic insults hurled at PC Ralph Gillett, along with him being rendered unconscious via a chokehold, has sparked a polarizing debate. Persons like the Special Envoy for Women and Children Kim Simplis Barrow are questioning whether the chokehold was necessary or a clear show of excessive force by the […]
It’s summer and that means that students are being enrolled in summer programmes across the country. For one week, sixty students between the ages of eight and twelve will be housed at the Ladyville Technical High School in the Belize District learning various life skills and disciplines while engaging in sporting activities. It culminates with […]
There is a huge development tonight regarding the top job at Belize Telemedia Limited. And that is that Rochus Schreiber has tendered his resignation as the Chief Executive Officer for B.T.L. Schreiber’s resignation was confirmed through an “employee bulletin” which was issued by B.T.L.’s Human Resources Department. The bulletin states that Schreiber, and we quote […]
Still on B.T.L., records obtained by our newsroom, show that Belize Telemedia Limited owes the Government of Belize tens of millions of dollars in unpaid General Sales Tax. According to Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, the G.S.T. Department is currently conducting an audit of the company’s financial records, but B.T.L.’s Chairman, Nestor Vasquez, vehemently says that […]
Financial Secretary Joseph Waight has admitted that there are problems with regards to the reporting of financial facts by finance officers across government ministries and departments. This has been a complaint that the Auditor General has been making for several years in her annual report. The inadequate performance by finance officers, accounting clerks has resulted […]
Earlier in the month, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced a settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Atlantic International Bank Limited, describing it as a ‘win for Belize’. The settlement comes after Atlantic International was named in a claim in the US and formed part of the FTC’s investigation in what is described as the […]
Lead scammer Andris Pukke along with several associates, promised clients a lush piece of land equipped with world class amenities on a fourteen thousand-acre property in southern Belize. It’s a scam that played out over the course of several years and according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, the Central Bank received no evidence of the […]
