There was a fire today in Belize City but quick action by the Fire Department contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings. The fire started in the lower flat of a two-storey building on Kelly Street, which houses a business and a rental unit. Fire officials say it is too early […]
There weren’t any murders in the city over the weekend but there was an attempt on the life of a taxi man. Karl Lamb was shot around four on Saturday morning and Police say that a fifteen-year-old boy did it. Lamb told Police that he was on Gladden Street when a man who looked suspicious […]
Twenty-seven-year old Israel Perez left his home in Saint Matthews Village, Cayo District over a week ago and he has not been seen or heard from since. Perez’s family has become increasingly worried since they have also not been able to reach him by phone. The family is asking for the public’s help to locate […]
While women have been making greater appearances on the political ballot, Belize still has some way to go toward true gender equality. The Opposition People’s United Party has made greater strides than most, producing the country’s first woman parliamentarian, first female speaker, first female Cabinet Minister and a host of others. But this past weekend, […]
On Friday, a conference of Bishops of the Anglican Episcopal Churches of Central America and Mexico issued a statement on the planned cancellations of several U.S. programs for immigrants. These include Temporary Protection Status (TPS), the refugee permits for Central American minors (CAM) and the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals or DACA. The bishops condemn […]
For some time there has been talk that the country’s former chief negotiator Assad Shoman would be returning to work for the Government on the process taking the Guatemalan claim to the I.C.J. With tremendous experience as it relates to the dispute, Shoman has been meeting with government officials but the terms of his employment […]
Funding for the OAS’ office at the Adjacency Zone remains an area of concern for Belize and Guatemala, as efforts are continuous in finding monies to keep its doors open. At present, there is enough to hold over for some months, however, foreign ministers for both countries will need to seek financial aid from the […]
The Museum of Belize commemorates its sixteenth anniversary with a special exhibit of pieces from the national collection of Belize. To mark the occasion, the Museum invited students for free guided tours to learn more about the artists and what the Museum offers. Andrea Polanco tells us more. Andrea Polanco, Reporting The Museum of […]
In September, the Department of the Environment convened the first consultations with stakeholders on forming a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. Today, those consultations continued at the Biltmore Plaza, focusing on firming up whose responsibilities it will be to react first, whether by land or by sea. Environmental Officer with the Department, Maxine Monsanto, details […]
In the time period between the first and second consultations on the plan, the Petroleum Operations (Maritime Zone Moratorium) Act, 2017, was passed by the House of Representatives on December eighth and the Senate five days later. The Governor General made the formal enactment on December twenty-ninth. The new law imposes an indefinite moratorium on […]
As the March seventh elections draw closer, temperatures are running high in Cayo where the two political parties are clashing and violence is emerging. On Thursday evening, a young man alleges that he was beaten up by the campaign team led by U.D.P. mayor Earl Trapp. While he has several injuries to show, late this […]
This morning in the Chief Magistrate’s Court, a U.S. request for the extradition of attorney Andrew Bennett got underway. The extradition request contains seven counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each count carries a prison term of between two and three years in the U.S. At today’s hearing, Jenina Urbina took […]
Could the Government of Belize end up going it alone in the upcoming appeal of the August tenth, 2016 judgment of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin regarding the amendment of Section fifty-three of the Criminal Code? Following the momentous decision outlawing sexual acts other than consensual heterosexual intercourse, between man and woman, various church groups loudly […]
Earlier this week we told you about the Belizean who attended the State of the Union Address. It wasn’t a diplomat or a highly politically connected person – it was a young girl from Belize who is living undocumented in the US and has been at the forefront of the immigration fight. She is at […]
We have been continuously chronicling issues regarding the tour operators, guides and other workers in the Fort George Tourism Zone for some years now. Often we are called out to cover disputes between operators and the Tourism Board and Belize City Council, and on occasion among themselves. More recently it has involved usage of the […]
Mexico was one of the thirteen countries at Wednesday’s meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States which supported Belize and Guatemala during their appearance there. Both Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Sandra Jovel Polanco tried to rally international support for the upcoming referenda on resolving the dispute at the International Court […]
Mexico continues to count the cost of the ongoing drug war in which thousands have been killed over the years. While the annual murder rate is much smaller than Belize, the sheer numbers are larger although mostly concentrated in the north and center of the country. But more recently there has been unruly behavior at […]
Mexicans are not alone in engaging in criminality. Witness Robert Gentle, who was recently caught driving a Lincoln Navigator over the border in which cocaine was found. He tried to make a run for it and Mexican police cut his legs from under him, shooting out his tires and forcing the vehicle to crash into […]
Belize’s two cities and seven towns have been clamoring for greater autonomy. Belize City, under Darrell Bradley’s leadership, led the way with the installment of the twenty-million dollar municipal bond to fix hundreds of streets. Last year, the government amended legislation giving towns like San Ignacio and Santa Elena the ability to borrow and obtain […]
Since 2006, the United Democratic Party has, with few exceptions, been the political party in control of both central and municipal governments. The Opposition People’s United Party has held on to a few strongholds like Orange Walk Town but constantly butted heads with the governing party. But so confident are the United Democratic Party of […]
With only a few weeks to go before his tenure at City Hall comes to a close, Mayor Darrell Bradley has been announcing a number of incentives for the staff at the City Council. On Thursday we told you how one hundred and ninety five members of staff each received a free parcel of land […]
Every year since 1998, Belize has been celebrating World Wetlands Day, but even before that, in 1984, Crooked Tree was designated as a wildlife sanctuary. Crooked Tree is a waterfowl habitat, under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and is known for the annual cashew festival. To further the sustainability of the wetland, today a short-term […]
Back in May of 2017, the Audubon office in the village of Crooked Tree was burnt down in a case of arson. It is speculated that the crime was as a result of the tensions between the sanctuary manager and residents. The historic wooden structure housed maps and equipments and served as a focal point […]
The Belize City Defenders, formerly the No Limit, play their inaugural game tonight at the SCA Auditorium in Belize City. The team has undergone a complete transformation since changing ownership last year and tonight it will prove its worth against the Orange Walk Running Rebels. Despite the weather, fans of the team are encouraged to […]
Our top story tonight is a major update on the Universal Health Services matter. Both the government and the Belize Bank Limited are headed back to court in dueling applications before the Caribbean Court of Justice in March. According to the Government of Belize, there may be further delays not only in payment of the […]
