Photographs were made available to News Five today showing six ledgers strewn on the ground in front of the office of Vital Statistics in Belize City. The ledgers contain information of voters and the photos were taken this morning. Now, the binders were traced to Clarence Williams of Offspring Booking Services of the Lake Independence area. Surprisingly, Williams […]
Today, the U.S. Embassy in Belize released a four-minute video message called “The Truth about Venezuela.” Chargé d’Affaires Keith Gilges talks about what the U.S. sees as facts and fiction in the ongoing political unrest and economic turmoil in Venezuela. The future of this once oil-rich country hangs in the balance as food and medicine […]
A survey is being conducted simultaneously by the Referendum Unit, running parallel to the public awareness campaign. According to Ambassador Alexis Rosado, the poll serves to ensure the satisfaction of participants in the education process. Alexis Rosado, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala “We have people going around the country, volunteers who have been getting feedback […]
UNICEF is hosting a one week train the trainers for security forces. The weeklong sessions are being used to share techniques and knowledge on children’s rights with police officers and B.D.F. soldiers. The idea is to get officers to respect the rights of children, who come in conflict with the law. UNICEF says that the […]
Consultant Joshua Dankoff says the training in children’s rights and the law is important for security forces. He says that there are many instances where the training can prove to be quite valuable in getting children to cooperate and to respect their rights. The training can also help to strengthen officers’ work so that cases […]
The Belize National Teachers’ Union is holding an I.C.J. forum on Friday. The forum will take place at the auditorium of the University of Belize. According to National President, Senator Elena Smith, teachers will hear speakers from both sides. It is expected presentations will be enlightening and leave the teachers with enough facts to make […]
And tonight to end the news, a heart-warming story of a Belize City resident studying at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Melissa Hamilton met her pen friend after losing contact with her for over thirteen years. Hamilton is studying overseas and is pursuing a master’s degree. Back when she was in standard […]
Across the country, the YES Campaign organized by the Referendum Unit has been carrying out a propaganda blitz, promoting a ‘YES’ vote on April tenth referendum day. Aside from the media rounds, billboards and posters have been erected at prominent locations. There is one of Philip Goldson, another of former Prime Minister Said Musa along […]
The anticipated expert opinion on the Guatemala claim to Belize is now available. The Bar Association commissioned and is now in receipt of the opinion from a Caribbean expert on international law. The highly respected attorney and professor, Stephen Vasciannie was scheduled to present his opinion publicly, but since he will not be available in […]
There is unease at the Social Security Board. This is according to the Christian Workers Union. This morning staff members who are union members participated in an in-office protest across the country. The staff is not happy with what it describes as “the uncertainty that now permeates the staff of Belize’s Social Security Board.” Staff […]
The C.W.U. is also expressing concern on another matter relating to the S.S.B. According to the C.W.U., a letter sent to the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry by C.E.O. Doctor Colin Young in January 2019, speaks of the S.S.B.’s efficiency measures for the time period of 2019-2025. The letter speaks of an item labeled […]
The union is also at odds with the S.S.B. over a complaint by one of their own. Ella Waight, who is the C.W.U.’s Deputy Chief Representative, is alleging that she is being victimized, but S.S.B.’s C.E.O. Young denies this allegation. Waight says that she has been employed at the S.S.B. for nineteen years with five […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar commenced a tour of the south this weekend, beginning with a trip to Barranco Village and the Sarstoon River on Friday. The ministry is proposing to build a forward operating base in the village. And along with a delegation of government officials, Minister Saldivar held several meetings, including a […]
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams hosted a public meeting in Punta Gorda on Friday evening to discuss the concerns of residents in the wake of an increase in crime and violence in that southern municipality. The meeting was held several days after the homicides of Oscar Humes and Kevin Moro, who were both shot and […]
Well-known Derek Aikman died over the weekend at the age of fifty-nine. A colourful personality, Aikman rose to prominence with the United Democratic Party in 1984 when in a major upset, he unseated former Prime Minister George Price in the Freetown Division. But in 1992, Aikman was declared bankrupt and expelled from the House. He […]
On Thursday, Salvapan resident Nicolasa Cus and her family were left without a roof over their heads after the house they were living in for several years was dismantled. Residents took to social media to complain that the treatment of Cus was inhumane since the children continue to be left exposed to the elements. The […]
A small protest was held today in front of The Inspiration Centre where the Elections & Boundaries Department was meeting with monitors for the upcoming Referendum on April tenth. Leading the group was Patrick Rogers of the Belize Peace Movement which includes a number of small political parties. The movement was not invited to appoint […]
The Peace Movement is also calling on Prime Minister Dean Barrow to back off from the judiciary. The organization is responding to comments made by P.M. Barrow with respect to a sitting judge. During the Prime Minister’s Forum in February, P.M. Barrow accused Justice Courtenay Abel of treating crown counsels slightingly and dismissively. The Peace […]
With forty more days to go until Referendum Day on April tenth, today the Elections and Boundaries Department met with organizations who are represented in that National Assembly. The department is trying to tie up the logistics inside the three hundred and sixty counting stations. The Chief Elections Officer says she wants to ensure transparency […]
The Elections and Boundaries Department is gearing up for referendum day. The Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai today told the media that section six of the Referendum Act states that a referendum shall be conducted similarly to an election. So according to Tamai, the I.C.J. referendum process on April tenth will involve returning officers, elections […]
Tamai was asked a number of issues in respect of Referendum day. Earlier this week she said on Open Your Eyes that two thousand and five hundred plus persons have been disallowed from voting but that number, is ‘not a whole lot of persons’. According to Tamai, those persons on the disallowed list can still […]
The Elections and Boundaries Department has begun issuing Voter ID cards for persons who registered in April 2018. According to Josephine Tamai,ID cards will also be distributed by Elections and Boundaries personnel at the polling stations on Referendum Day. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “The distribution started today for those that were approved for the […]
During these coming months, bush fires are common across the country. Today the Fire Department shared tips on how you can help to prevent these fires from causing loss of life and property. They say it is important that you maintain your immediate surroundings cut low to the ground and to exercise caution when there […]
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service, through support from the Regional Center of Promotion for MSME (CENPROMYPE) and funds from the U.S. State Department, launched a project called the Female Entrepreneurship Program. The program, which is a first of its kind for Belize, is designed exclusively for women to improve and strengthen their leadership […]
Earlier in the month, the teachers at Bishop Martin High School in Orange Walk Town staged a sit out as a way to force the administration to address thorny issues affecting some teachers. As we reported previously, seven teachers were having difficulties in regularizing their employment status at the school. Until that matter is sorted […]
