On Saturday the traditional handing over of the leadership of the thirty-nine Maya villages took place in Punta Gorda, Toledo. In total, seventy-eight First Alcaldes and Deputy Alcaldes were elected to serve their respective communities. Among is the elected Alcaldes is Juanita Ical of Medina Bank Village. While Ical is not the first woman Alcalde […]
A recent telephone survey is pointing to an increasing number of persons who are against taking the claim to the I.C.J. for final resolution. Cabinet today endorsed a YES vote, while the Opposition party is to take a formal position soon. On Monday, a new N.G.O. was formed to push for a YES vote. Now, […]
Belize National Climate Change Office is responsible for the coordination of Belize’s national, regional and international response to Climate Change. This entails some sensitization, as well as reporting on and implementation of climate action programmes. Some of these programmes tie in to Belize’s Nationally Determined Contributions which are plans to reduce greenhouse gases that are […]
The CARICOM IMPACS, with support from the European Development Fund have been working with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to implement the Advanced Cargo Information Systems in the CARICOM member states. ACIS will first be piloted in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada where they have already enacted legislation for the system […]
A meeting in Santa Cruz Village, Stann Creek, got tense among residents over the village’s land expansion project. In 2017, one hundred acres of land were identified to grow the village. Six-hundred and sixty-three lots have been marked and residents from the village and those from Placencia and Seine Bight say they have been paying […]
The primary purpose of the meeting was to address allegations of political interference. Chairman, Christopher Budna and Vincent Scott are alleging that U.D.P. Stann Creek West Standard Bearer, Ivan Williams, is forcibly injecting himself in the project as a means to take control of it. Williams has denied this allegation, saying that he is trying […]
If you’ve been at the Philip Goldson International Airport on a Saturday then you might have noticed the long lines of international visitors attempting to enter the country. The snaking lines have been having an effect on passengers who have connecting flights to the islands. So what’s causing the long delays and processing? In December […]
A new N.G.O. has been formed, primarily for the I.C.J. It is called Citizens for the Defence of Sovereignty and one of its members is Assad Shoman, a YES proponent for the I.C.J. Shoman issued a release today to say that the objective is to “embrace and promote the concept of sovereignty of peoples and […]
Philip Willoughby is the U.D.P. standard bearer for Port Loyola going into the 2020 General Elections. Willoughby is getting a head start and hosting consultations with the constituents and working to address a number of their concerns. Those issues include land, crime, and infrastructure. Today, he told us he has the blessings of the sitting […]
It has been over two months since he defeated Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, AC Castillo and former deputy mayor Dean Samuels and went on to win his bid for the Port. Willoughby told us that he is working to make his mark on the community to ensure that they see him as a worthy candidate […]
If you want to vote in the Belize-Guatemala Referendum on April tenth of this year, the Elections and Boundaries Department says that the last day to register is March tenth. The department is reminding electors that to be registered, you must visit their office in your district. Anyone with a valid voter I.D. card issued […]
Global statistics indicate that there are more than two hundred million international migrants who have decided to leave their birth country in search of a better life. Migration is one of the significant instruments for globalization and here at home; for every Belizeans who leaves the country, an undocumented migrant enters. There are over three […]
A significant event in the city today was a mock referendum on taking the Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice. It all happened at Saint Catherine’s Academy and we partnered with the high school for the event as part of our I.C.J. series. Now, preparations began since last year and culminated today with […]
Over the years, the number of children who come in contact with the law has increased. Fundamental challenges exist in properly dealing with these types of cases; challenges such as a properly educated staff and adequate infrastructure to house a child-friendly space. With this in mind, efforts by UNICEF and other entities were made to […]
The relationship between the media and the Belize Police Department is a mutually beneficial arrangement where information is provided to the press in exchange for coverage of the department’s outreach activities. With a new commander at the helm, it is expected that the rapport between both parties will only grow stronger. Unlike his predecessor, ComPol […]
Residents of Sarteneja Village are recipients of a new health clinic courtesy of the Government of Belize. The health facility comes at a cost of more than eight hundred thousand dollars and is expected to improve access to basic primary healthcare services for about two thousand men, women, and children in the village. Residents will […]
A similar inauguration was held this morning in San Pedro-Cristo Rey Village. The health centre is expected to benefit some one thousand four hundred residents. The investments in the primary healthcare facilities are part of Belize’s strategic direction towards improving universal access and coverage to health among the most vulnerable populations. Minister Marin says that the centers will […]
The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat, is putting together separate reports to be presented before the National Assembly in the coming weeks. While a single document was expected to be submitted as a final copy, a difference of opinion over details contained within the chairman’s report has prompted a […]
Despite being notified that some members of the Public Accounts Committee would not attend the last session, Chairman Espat reportedly went ahead and called a meeting for January tenth. Deputy Prime Minister Faber explains what took place in the wake of that decision. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister “He knew fully well that we […]
Years after a court ruling, preliminary discussions on the development of legislative principles on Maya land and associated rights were held during a two-day training in Punta Gorda. The sessions were facilitated by the Toledo Maya Land Rights Commission and saw the participation of indigenous people, the solicitor general, representatives from the Department of Lands, […]
There are a number of road works taking place in Orange Walk. It is part of the town council’s street infrastructure project for that northern municipality. As Mayor Kevin Bernard told News Five recently, there are both contract works and individual paving of streets undertaken by the council itself. The road works will improve the […]
Bernard is also the P.U.P. standard bearer for the Orange Walk East constituency. He has also been working on a skills training programme that is being offered to single models across the division. Bernard says that the entrepreneurial training is to help the thirty-plus persons into becoming independent. According to Bernard, during his campaign, this […]
With Commissioner Chester Williams now at the helm of law enforcement, he inherits the never-ending challenge of fighting crime and violence. The complement of officers within the department is larger than it has ever been, owing to several recruitments during Whylie’s time as the top cop. But is there the political will on the part […]
Since Cabinet announced on November twenty-seventh that the prime minister will remain in office until 2020, there has been an unusual silence within the United Democratic Party concerning its leadership succession. Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber may have anticipated a turn in the driver’s seat as head of government, following the PM’s initial plan to […]
Faber’s intention to one day lead the United Democratic Party and the country is no secret. But he also says that the prime minister’s choice to remain in office for the remainder of his third term does not breach any rule that the party has set. Patrick Faber, Acting Prime Minister “I want to […]
