RESTORE Belize was also discussed in a different forum today. C.E.O. George Lovell says that its structure is good, but it cannot be effective without good leadership. At a conference to dissect masculinity and violence, the C.E.O. of National Security spoke on the effectiveness of groups targeting crime. Lovell didn’t hold back; he says that […]
Ministry of Health officials, representatives from the Pan American Health Organization and engineers have been having technical discussions on the crisis at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. This morning, three Mexican engineers, identified by the Secretaria de Saludos Quintana Roo, Mexico arrived in country and were joined by engineer Douglas Westby of the National Engineering […]
On Monday evening, the Belize Poultry Association held its annual general meeting at the Biltmore Hotel. Producers from across the country came together for a comprehensive presentation on the state of the industry. While the chicken business continues to be the hallmark of best practices within the agro-productive sector, the aim is for Belizean produce […]
Crime was not far from the minds of senators during today’s budget debate. Indeed, much was proposed, including focusing on social reform and reining in both the police and the would-be gangsters. But the police department, according to N.G.O. Senator Osmany Salas, needs more sophisticated training to confront modern challenges. Osmany Salas, N.G.O. Senator […]
Last Thursday, Senator for Trade Unions and Civil Society, Elena Smith, was outside the National Assembly, rallying her members as president of the Belize National Teachers’ Union in the fight against crime. Today, she was inside, reviewing the performance of the education and social sectors in the last year and the plans for the coming […]
Leading the government’s response was senator and Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte. His Ministry is responsible for managing the country’s legal and judicial services and is the focal point for such things as the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Toledo Maya Land Rights Commission and other projects. Often, as in the case […]
Why are men at the center of violence and crime in Belize? A two-day conference to understand what is behind this growing trend was held in Belmopan. Organized by the University of Belize, the United Nations Development Programme, InfoSegura, and other agencies, a number of leaders of local organizations dissected the national issue on Monday […]
The fourth round of the Open Campus Council Meeting of the University of the West Indies took place today at the Starfish Jolly Beach Resort in Bolans Village, Saint Mary’s, Antigua and Barbuda. The meetings are held by the council chairpersons, including Belize’s own Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Doctor Luz Longsworth, to review the […]
Last week, the Government announced that it will phase out single use plastic bags and Styrofoam products. It is big news for the country and a first for the region. The move comes at a time when an initiative is being rolled out by the Solid Waste Management Two Project where residents are being encouraged […]
Various organizations are doing their part in calling for an end to the violence against children. Over the weekend, Light Our Hearts organized a parade and rally in the city. Families who have lost their loved ones joined the event endorsing prayers as a powerful tool to ease the grip on the pain of losing […]
The new managers of the Belize Civic Center, Apex Events Services Limited, and its parent company Apex Events Services LLC of Florida, have apparently agreed with Government on a guarantee of around eight hundred and fifty thousand to a million dollars annually to maintain the facility and ration out its use. Above that figure, there […]
Just in time for Easter and for the first time in recent memory, there is a uniform increase in fuel prices. The latest price increase takes effect at midnight tonight, just before commuters take to the highways for the Easter break. The additional General Sales Tax on kerosene has not come into effect, but prices […]
There is a report that as many as one hundred and thirty boxes of limes were imported today from Mexico, without a proper Pest Risk Analysis. The lime, however, reportedly remains with customs at the Santa Elena border because of strong objections to the importation. It follows from a report last week that the fruit […]
Late Friday evening, Prime Minister Dean Barrow wrapped up a marathon two days of debate over the 2018-2019 General Revenue and Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly. He opened the first part of his address by responding to allegations concerning the state of affairs at Belize Telemedia Limited. During his Budget presentation, Prime Minister Barrow […]
The Prime Minister spent a few minutes of his closing statement listing key investments either underway or coming soon that he says will prop up the Belizean economy. From a Four Seasons Hotel in Caye Caulker to agricultural projects in Cayo and Stann Creek District, the Prime Minister argues that there is no shortage of […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has described his 2018-2019 budget as one of consolidation. A point of pride, he said, is that the hallmarks of his administration, such as the pro-poor programs have not been touched. As for infrastructure, he offered a counter to the Opposition’s suggestion that people can’t “eat” streets and drains. Prime […]
Members of Saint John’s Credit Union Limited no longer need to travel deep into the heart of Southside to do business at the Basra Street office in Belize City. In addition to its branches in Dangriga and Belmopan, the credit union today established a new office on the Philip Goldson Highway, sharing space with UNO […]
The budget debate continued today in the House of Representatives in Belmopan as members of parliament made their contributions and up to news time, the debate continues. But we begin tonight’s newscast with troubling news from one of the main economic pillars, that is, the shrimp industry in the south. Last November, the Statistical Institute […]
The Budget Debate winds down later this evening after a wrap-up by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Once again absent was former Deputy Prime Minister and Orange Walk North area representative Gaspar Vega. But business continued, and during the debate this afternoon, Minister of Health Pablo Marin issued his first public statement on the matter of […]
At the start of today’s debate, Pickstock area representative and Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington said he is not a fan of Thursday’s demonstration outside the National Assembly. But it is not necessarily because he disagrees with the intentions of the Belize National Teachers’ Union, at least according to him. Elrington instead contends that students […]
With less than a month to go, eyes are on the voters of Guatemala, who on April fifteenth will go to the polls to decide whether they accept the International Court of Justice taking charge of the unfounded Guatemalan claim. No one is watching more closely, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington, […]
Cayo South area representative Julius Espat is chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. The Committee met last year with Auditor General Dorothy Bradley to go over the process of compiling the 2012-2013 audit report. But according to committee member Patrick Faber, the last three meetings of the Committee have been canceled. Still yet, Espat says […]
RJB Construction Limited, a company owned and operated by U.D.P. insider Romel Berges, entered into a contractual arrangement with the Belize City Council months prior to former Mayor Darrell Bradley leaving office on February twenty-eighth. The four-year agreement is for works to be done on a number of carriageways, including Raccoon and Ebony streets. The […]
Since being sworn into office on March fourteenth, Mayor Wagner has been reviewing all existing agreements between CitCo and private contractors, a majority of those deals being described as products of campaigning. He contends that the ethical course of action that his forerunner should have taken was to avoid embarking upon capital projects in the […]
The assignment of portfolios within the newly constituted Belize City Council has been finalized, with Oscar Arnold being named deputy mayor responsible for budgeting. The exercise, according to Mayor Wagner, was carefully thought out and deliberate in order to find the ideal fit for each councilor. While all ten members have been designated specific duties, […]
