It has been less than two weeks since the People’s United Party introduced its slate of eleven Belize City candidates for the City Council, which the United Democratic Party has held since 2006. The team is already hard at work campaigning on the ground, hoping to convince Belize City voters to go a different route […]
Acting Prime Minister Patrick Faber told reporters on Thursday that he has yet to personally receive a letter sent two weeks ago by Leader of the Opposition John Briceño, which asked to look into the contracts tendered out by Belize Infrastructure Limited, of which he is co-chair. Briceño called for extensive details of who got […]
On Thursday, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño spared no quarter in his condemnation of Immigration Minister, Senator Godwin Hulse. He said he considered it hypocritical of Hulse to attempt to lay blame for the failures of the Immigration Department solely on public officers. But as a new set of allegations dogs the Department, Briceño […]
It appears the Caye Caulker Airstrip project will go ahead with Social Security Board funding, albeit reduced. The Belize Airports Authority is said to be receiving between three-point-five and four million dollars to re-do the runway with hot mix. The original seven-million dollar project, awarded by tendering to Imer Hernandez Development Company Limited, also called […]
There is bipartisan support for an extended investigation of Belize Jungle Experience Limited. The company is already being audited by the Supreme Audit Institution concerning monies paid for the training of German soldiers in Belize’s jungles between 2015 and 2017. For the year 2016, some thirty-six B.D.F. staff members were involved in the training under […]
It has been several years since the Belize City Council completed a mammoth undertaking to concrete as many streets as it could have, using monies that were floated through a municipal bond. Its agreement with the utility companies is that they are individually responsible for all repairs should the need for underground work arise. While […]
The Mexican Embassy is celebrating with the Garinagu of Belize. The nineteenth is two days away, but tonight the Embassy is hosting an event at the Mexican Institute in Belize City. They have collaborated with the National Garifuna Council and Luba Garifuna Museum to share the culture with the wider public. Diego Sapien of the […]
The event kicks off at seven tonight and features an exhibition that shows the art, history, clothing, tools, instruments and leaders of the Garifuna Culture. Sapien says that you can expect food, drumming and an educational presentation from tonight’s Garifuna Settlement Day celebration at the Mexican Institute. Diego Sapien, Officer in Charge of Cultural […]
The People’s United Party held a National Executive meeting at Independence Hall this morning. Among other things, the party rounded off its slate of candidates to be presented at the party’s upcoming National Convention. We are told that the convention may be moved up to January 2018 rather than November twenty-sixth, but it is still […]
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied, without explanation, a review of the Government of Belize’s case against the Belize Bank Limited in a long-standing arbitration settlement dating back to 2004. The Bank had settled with the then-P.U.P. Government to pay close to forty million Belize dollars to satisfy the debt of Universal Health Services, […]
Two weeks ago, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño revealed that the People’s United Party intended to write Prime Minister Dean Barrow asking for all the contracts awarded by Belize Infrastructure Limited, and details on the people that applied for each contract, to see who has been chosen and the reasons why that person has […]
In the same vein, it has been nearly a month since Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action and attorney Kareem Musa requested details of Imer Hernandez’s eight-million dollar contract for the redo of Fabers’ Road Extension. They requested the Ministry of Works to provide the specific contract to Hernandez, the selective tendering process employed by […]
The Government of Guatemala has once again changed the date of the referendum on attending the International Court of Justice to resolve its unfounded claim on Belize. According to Siglo Viente y Uno, the new date was announced by the Electoral Commission earlier this week and is scheduled for April fifteenth as opposed to March […]
Trienia Marie Young is the new Registrar of the Supreme Court and Registrar General of Belize. The thirty-seven-year-old former head of the Police Prosecution Branch was sworn in on Wednesday and took the oath today on her first day on the job. She will be overseeing the Supreme Court, Vital Statistics Department, BELIPO and the […]
Elvin Penner’s political career is in tatters after he was booted from Cabinet in September of 2013 over the Won Hong Kim scandal. He narrowly survived a recall drive shortly after, but was de-selected from the U.D.P. slate. Then he was the subject of hounding on criminal prosecutions by Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action. […]
Roger Tien – he was directly invited to Belize by Minister of Economic Development Erwin Contreras on the basis of making investments here. And Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse agreed to help after meeting Tien along with senior staff. He directed then-Acting Director of Immigration Maria Marin, in November of 2012, to peruse any applications by […]
At least one member of the Senate Special Select Committee, Ashley Rocke, has gone on record to say he believes that public officers are more to blame than Government ministers or anyone else for the mess that was the Immigration Department between 2011 and 2013. And while he was not about to throw his juniors […]
An initiative to strengthen food security programs has been ongoing since April 2016. Phase three of that project which involves its implementation stage was launched today in Belmopan between the Government, Mexico and the Food and Agriculture Organization. The project extends to other Central American countries. In Belize, four Roman Catholic Schools will benefit, namely, […]
Pen Cayetano wants to share the Garifuna culture with Belizeans this nineteenth. The renowned artist is opening an exhibition called ‘Legacy’ at his gallery in Dangriga. The collection of paintings will show different aspect of the Garifuna people. Cayetano told us about what you can expect from these new pieces in his latest art show. […]
It’s a major health concern that we don’t talk about enough. But this year, the World Health Organization is commemorating Antibiotics Awareness Week. It’s a global campaign to make people aware of the great dangers that exist when we misuse and overuse antibiotics. In tonight’s Healthy Living, you’ll find out more. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting When […]
After a week’s hiatus, the Senate Special Select Committee returned with Minister of Immigration and Nationality Senator Godwin Hulse facing his Senate colleagues in the chair once again. Over three and a half hours of testimony – interrupted only by loss of power at the National Assembly Building – many topics relating to Immigration then […]
That announcement came during an extensive discussion of the countries’ relations in terms of Guatemalans becoming Belizean citizens. Hulse told the Committee that previously, Guatemala simply accepted the Belizean renunciation form and passport as proof. But Guatemala has gotten stricter, requiring notification in Guatemala. Because Belize’s law requires renunciation before pursuing Belizean status, Guatemala would […]
The Minister of Immigration and Nationality, Senator Godwin Hulse, is the final authority on the granting of nationality certificates. In the Auditor General’s special report, two cases were cited of nationality certificates granted despite the persons having acquired permanent residence in too short an amount of time to have qualified for nationality and later passports. […]
In light of the many problems with recommenders for nationality and other Immigration problems, Minister Hulse readily agreed that a recommendation should be made that recommenders present themselves in person with the applicant when the application is taken in. Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator “This question of recommenders: don’t you think, based on what we […]
As noted by Minister Hulse, the case of Swedish national Peter Dahlstrom was one of those that made the news. He married the sister of Kim Simplis Barrow more than two decades ago but only applied for Belizean nationality in 2012. While he regularly visited Belize he was not resident here; but nonetheless he was […]
