The public hearings of the Senate Special Select Committee on Immigration concluded last December after thirteen months of witness testimony interspersed with lots of drama and theatre. Now, the hard work of compiling its results into a comprehensive report with recommendations to the Immigration Department and others begins. We got an idea of what to […]
This morning at the Radisson in the city, a pair of strategies was formally introduced by the Forest Department for sustainable forest and forest fire management. The launch coincided with the presentation of SMART Technology, short for Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool. Funded by the Global Environmental Fund, both documents are geared towards promoting the […]
The Building People Movement and Belize Women’s Political Movement held their first annual policy conference. The two organizations brought women leaders together from a number of schools and organizations to discuss how they can get women recognized for their contributions and included in the historical accounts on they have shaped Belize. Dorla Bowman says that […]
Back in December, the Ministry of Works and M and M Engineering signed a contract for eleven million dollars to rehabilitate the Roaring Creek Bridge connecting the village to the capital, Belmopan, on the George Price Highway. It is part of a four-part series of rehabilitation works intended to cover the highway from Belmopan to […]
Residents of the north, particularly the villages of San Estevan, Chunox, Copper Bank and Progresso, can expect further delays as the ferries connecting the villages are still down for repair. The San Estevan Ferry which connects to cane fields in the villages of Caledonia, Buena Vista and surrounds has been down since December but according […]
The first murder victim on the island is Alfredo Cowo and tonight, a San Pedro mechanic is spending his first night behind bars at the Central Prison for that murder. But the family of William Godoy isn’t convinced that he is the killer and believes Godoy was charged to cool down tensions simmering on the […]
The barbarity of a pair of machete murders in the village of San Jose, Toledo District, has sent shockwaves across the Maya community. This act of savagery, the mutilation of teenage siblings Cricencia and Josephine Oh, are uncommon in this part of the country, as the area is widely known to be quiet and calm. […]
In light of the tragic incident, alcaldes are being reminded to make certain that the highest level of attention is paid to complaints where women and children are being violated. There is also an appeal for anyone with information that can lead to an arrest, or the solving of this monstrous crime, to please come […]
Residents of Unitedville in the Cayo District are calling on authorities to tend to an abandoned building containing a swarm of Africanized or “killer” bees which severely stung a senior citizen ten days ago. Sixty-two year old Omar Cruz was at work in his property when the swarm attacked without warning, leaving him severely injured […]
Speaking out on the issue of human trafficking recently is Belize’s Ambassador to the U.S. and permanent representative to the O.A.S., Daniel Gutierrez. This comes after the U.S. recently added Belize, along with Haiti and Samoa, to a list of nations not allowed to obtain temporary work visas of the H-Two-A and H-Two-B non-immigrant status. […]
For those still wondering if the best is yet to come going into an election year, The Economist Intelligence Unit says not quite. Its quarterly economic forecast predicts a return to form, but less than expected. Its first-quarter report says Belize continues to cope with significant internal and external pressures socially, politically and economically. While […]
In an addendum to the Economist Intelligence Unit report on Belize, the organization discusses the rise in the rate of murder in several Caribbean countries, due to gang feuds related to the drug trade and extortion. The E.I.U. cites that a disproportionate number of victims are young, low-income males and that most Caribbean countries share […]
Tonight we begin a series related to the upcoming March seventh municipal elections. We were on the campaign trail in San Pedro, where the U.D.P. Town Council has been in office for fifteen years and Mayor Daniel Guerrero is seeking a third consecutive term. If you know the island, politics is a passion and supporters […]
Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley is set to demit office in the next five weeks and is currently in the process of transitioning back to private life as an attorney. Over the past six years, he has remained at the helm of City Hall, having succeeded former Mayor Zenaida Moya. Since then, the mayor acknowledges […]
The hallmark of Bradley’s success at City Hall is perhaps the floating of the municipal bond, monies which were used to concretize over a hundred and sixty streets across the city. That project, though welcomed in some quarters, was also criticized by Bradley’s detractors who complained that the funds used to undertake the paving of […]
As we said earlier, the outgoing mayor is easing back into private life, with a renewed focus on other career interests, including his law firm. But, politics is still very much a part of his personal and professional identity. Bradley says he will use his time as a private citizen to re-strategize a political approach […]
Two Saturdays ago, a Belize City family claims it was forcibly separated at the decision of a landlord who reportedly called the Gang Suppression Unit to help evict them from their rental property on Kelly Street. Brenda Augustine, who lives and works in San Pedro Town, admits to have been behind on rent payments due […]
When you do the right thing, it pays off. Just ask Johana Ramos – the fourteen-year-old student of Maud Williams High School was recognized today with an award for her commitment to the Police Department’s ‘Du Di Rait Ting’ program. The award is for October 2017 but the first former is not slowing down with […]
There have been developments in respect of relations with Guatemala. Special Representative of the O.A.S. Secretary General for Belize-Guatemala Affairs, Magdalena Talamas, has been reassigned from her post at the Adjacency Zone, following a protest by the Guatemalan government demanding her removal. President Jimmy Morales, as well as former Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales, complained […]
Still on Guatemala…a journalist Rigoberto Escobar Lopez who claims he was assaulted on Tuesday at the adjacency zone at the western border is taking his case to the Guatemalan Human Rights Office. Escobar told the Guatemalan media that he is pressing ahead with his complaint. The reporter says in an interview that he has been […]
As many as thirty-eight persons, adults and children, have been left homeless due to raging fires in Belize City. This weekend, twenty-five artists and fifteen DJ’s are coming together in a benefit concert that will hopefully uplift the spirit of those affected as well as raise money to help them rebuild their homes. The idea […]
For the past several weeks, there has been controversy brewing over the use of the football pitch at the MCC Grounds. The sporting facility is utilized for a number of activities, including recreational football, by several unassigned teams. The wear and tear on the turf was so bad that the field was shut down for […]
Earlier this year, we reported on the concerns of some students from the University of Belize, who had completed their programs at the institution in July and December 2017, but would have to wait until June 2018 to receive their degrees. This was as a result of the U.B. making strategic changes to carry out […]
Despite the hopes of Belizean officials that Belize’s vote against the U.S. over Jerusalem at the United Nations would not have repercussions; there are two instances in which the giant to the north has taken action since. Earlier this week, Belize was among three countries removed from the temporary work visa program. Belizeans seeking agricultural […]
A six-year-old girl and her mother were separated by police on Thursday afternoon after the Belize Family Court granted an interim order of custody to the child’s father. The case was heard ex parte just hours after an adjournment had been granted due to short notice of the summons to court which the mother only […]
