Municipal elections are set for March seventh, 2018. There are nine municipalities and a whopping sixty-seven seats to fill; eleven in both Belize City and Belmopan. The U.D.P. is in a feverish pitch to have applications submitted to meet its party deadlines in the municipalities they control. Today was the deadline for applications for the […]
The World Wildlife Fund and the Belize Coalition say that Government has failed to implement promised protection for the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site. According to the WWF, this leaves the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere under threat. UNESCO had requested that G.O.B. put in measures to protect the reef and so […]
Two years ago, a spike in crime violence in Mayflower and Sibun area of Belize City saw residents seeking an initiative targeting those most susceptible on the south side. ACP Chester Williams heard the cries and he and his team developed a youth mentorship program with the aim to give the youth something positive to […]
An auspicious ceremony was held at the Belize Defense Force headquarters in Ladyville. Four pilots completed a Helicopter Conversion Training Course to fly the Taiwanese-gifted Hueys thus transitioning from the old defender aircrafts to fixed-wing to rotary aircrafts. It was a proud moment for the force as well as Commander David Jones who is looking […]
Belize joined regional efforts today to encourage testing for HIV, particularly by men. Across the country, centers were open for persons to get tested and know their status. The trends show that more women are getting tested with the number of men lagging behind. The National AIDS Commission says that it is dangerous not knowing […]
This morning, business owners and promoters gathered at City Hall to take on Mayor Bradley in open forum, following last week’s abrupt decision to enforce noise abatement regulations within the area of the entertainment strip. While the Department of the Environment has sided with the mayor, his councilors aren’t fully in support of the brash […]
The mayor also announced today that the City Council will be introducing a new trade license regime in the coming days. According to Mayor Darrell Bradley, the new system will cause a decline in revenue which local government currently collects since it standardizes the fees that are being paid by certain businesses. Bradley says payments […]
It is estimated that the municipal government stands to collect one million dollars less; monies which Mayor Bradley says will be realized through other means. One option to regain those monies is through the sale of personalized license plates which would only allow CitCo to recover half of those losses. Reporter “What is the […]
Four years ago, Belize ranked among the Tier Two nations in the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report. This year, we have been named as the worst trafficking offender in Central America, and comparable only to Haiti and Suriname in the Caribbean. The recently released report states bluntly, “The Government of Belize does not […]
ACP Chester Williams formally bid farewell to Belize City this afternoon during an official sendoff organized by his colleagues at Eastern Division South. The respected top cop assumes a new role with the Belize Police Department on July first, a desk job in Belmopan as head of the Professional Standards Branch. But it’s a controversial […]
Williams’ departure from Belize City has raised serious concerns about the fate of the existing gang truce which was struck several weeks ago with various rival groups. Those individuals have also sought the assistance of Williams and others, including Dianne Finnegan and Nuri Muhammad, in staging interventions. Today, a handful of young men from those […]
The eyesore in downtown Belize City that is the decrepit commercial center is getting a much-needed makeover in the months ahead. The long-delayed renovation project has finally been given the green light and work on the building will commence as of next week. According to Mayor Bradley, City Hall will be relocating to its new […]
As the first month of the hurricane season comes to a close and families and businesses count the daily cost of other kinds of natural disasters, one of the key questions for businesses is: are you prepared, not only for any disaster itself, but for continuing with business afterward? More than twenty local Belizean businesses […]
Immigration Officer Ady Pacheco, as we showed you on Wednesday, was extensively questioned about the process of work at the Department. In the time when she handled permanent residence, she took the rare opportunity to question why it was that it was directed that no further security checks be conducted on applicants for that service. […]
Earlier in this newscast, we told you of the U.S.’s disappointment in how Belize is handling the issue of trafficking in persons. It also came up at the Senate in the case of one Muhammad Zaghlool. In 2014, outside the time of the Auditor General’s Report, he was held in Mexico with Belizean nationality by […]
The majority of businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises, known as MSME’s. These businesses help drive the engine of an economy and provide jobs especially at the start-up level. But while they may prove innovative and creative in their ways of thinking, they often suffer from general lack of access to financing and especially […]
Recognition was given today to fisher folks for their contribution to the growth of the fishing industry, which directly benefits at least four percent of the population. Three fishermen were singled out for their leadership roles within their communities. Leobihildo Tamai has spent his life at sea; he hails from Sarteneja and is Fisher of […]
The Belize Tourism Expo organized an online forum today connecting local tourism stakeholders to international agents. The event at the Biltmore Plaza is a cost effective way to attract visitors to Belize from all over the world. It started this morning and will continue through to the early hours of Friday morning because of the […]
“Livin’ Mi Life” – it’s a Belizean produced sitcom that’s been directed and shot right here in the City. Producer Kim Vasquez, who worked on the well-known “No Matta What” series has partnered once again with Thirteen Productions and Steve Berry, who is a former professor at Howard University, to pool together local talented dramatists […]
The public hearings of the Senate Special Select Committee resumed today with Immigration Clerk Ady Pacheco reappearing before the senate panel. We will have highlights of that testimony later on, but first to a story which developed on the fringes of today’s hearing in Belmopan. Former Ministers of Immigration and Nationality Carlos Perdomo and Elvin […]
The Minister characterizes Burgess’ statements as “hearsay” without any basis or foundation. But when questioned about whether Burgess’ testimony is not helpful, he contended that the Committee ought to limit itself to what is verified in the report and not accept the “opinions” of those such as Burgess, but stick to the facts. Anthony […]
According to the Minister, he has regularly recommended both constituents and acquaintances for a variety of Government services during his time in office. In the case of visa requests, that number is minimal, and while he did not personally vet the individuals who came to him apart from the recommendation of his contacts, the onus […]
Immigration officer Ady Pacheco was the sole witness this morning. She was thoroughly grilled by the members of the Committee on various cases and scenarios resulting in improper granting of nationality, visas, and permanent residence. One such case is that of Peter Dahlstrom, the Swedish national who married a Belizean and twenty years later sought […]
Pacheco was also questioned about the case of the Harmouch family of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, who appeared to recruit a powerful ally in area representative Manuel Heredia Junior. In the case of Mohammed Harmouch, he was interviewed for nationality but was not recommended by the Officer in Charge, Gordon Wade. However, Gertrude Armstrong, […]
The Auditor General’s Report details many instances of persons being granted passports illegally. But the Audit Department’s search uncovered thousands of blank passports that were simply reported as missing or possibly stolen. Pacheco indicated that as with many things, the Department did nothing with regard to locating and restoring these important documents, which were re-introduced […]
