For days we have received reports that dozens of Guatemalans students have been lining up for enrolment at Mount Carmel High School and other schools in Benque Viejo Del Carmen. For years there has been an organized program for the Guatemalan students to come to Belize to study and by the hundreds they arrive by […]
An autopsy was conducted on the body of thirty-five-year-old John Jay Rodriguez at the K.H.M.H. morgue this afternoon. The well-known musician was callously slain during a robbery attempt in Dangriga on Friday night. Rodriguez was one of several patrons inside the Havana Club at the time of the deadly shooting. While another person was also […]
There is growing concern over the findings of the IMF team released in the recent Article Four consultations. That report points to a weakening fiscal position which has proportionately increased the nation’s vulnerability. It’s not a glowing report, far from it, but government has yet to formulate an official response. The Chamber of Commerce has, […]
Patrick Faber was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister on Tuesday, and as expected, a majority of Cabinet did not show up to share in his proud moment. While not one of the members of Cabinet will admit it on the record, there is a very deep rift in the hallowed halls of government caused […]
This morning, representatives of various government, municipal and private organizations gathered for the City Emergency Management Organization’s fourth annual symposium. Timed to coincide with the start of the hurricane season, these sessions are focused on pertinent aspects of disaster-related factors and emergency response. Today, it was all about Road Safety. Mike Rudon was at the […]
A new interregional tourism campaign was unveiled simultaneously across seven Central American countries this morning. Under the banner “Central America is Yours, Enjoy it”, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, in partnership with the Belize Tourism Board and B.T.I.A., launched the campaign locally. The purpose is to encourage travel within the region by motivating […]
The participating agencies have worked closely to design special packages that aim to show the true value of tourist attractions in Central America through social media and website placements. John Burgos, Executive Director, B.T.I.A. “Looking at it on a bigger picture, the strategic, sustainable development plan of tourism which was developed for 2014-2018 consists […]
On Tuesday the National Meteorological Service of Belize hosted its fourth Climate Outlook Forum. The twice yearly session included representation from different sectors, gathered together to discuss how the forecast services provided by the Met Office works for them. Mike Rudon was in Belmopan and has the story. Mike Rudon, Reporting The Met Office’s […]
NemWil, Regent and Guardian Life Insurance….they are well-known insurance companies that have operated in Belize as agents for the Guardian Holdings Group out of the Caribbean. Now under the new brand, Guardian Group, the Trinidadian Company is making its return to the Jewel, after a six month hiatus. Providing general insurance services, the multibillion-dollar company […]
Ground was officially broken this afternoon for the expansion of Gwen Lizarraga High School. The construction of an adjoining building which is being funded by the Social Investment Fund has been green lighted by the Ministry of Education. Gwen Liz is also the only secondary school in Collet. According to Doctor Lorna McKay, a request […]
There is a new Deputy Prime Minister. He is thirty-nine year old Patrick Faber who moves up to the second most powerful man in the corridors of power in Belmopan even as he retains for now the Ministries of Education, Sports and Culture. Faber took the oath today in the presence of family, friends and […]
The Istanbul talks on the Sarstoon were held on May twenty-third, and today was the first opportunity the media has had to debrief Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington, so to speak. Much has happened since that discussion between representatives of Belize and Guatemala, including an informal agreement which may or may not have actually […]
While Guatemalan officials have not hesitated at any point to name and shame Belize, those very same Guatemalan officials have bristled whenever Belizean officials question the actions of their government. From Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales’ response to Vega in Cuba, it is clear that they were caught off guard. But did the comments create more […]
On May twenty-seventh, just days after the Istanbul talks and word of an informal agreement allowing untrammeled access to the Sarstoon, Guatemalan Armed Forces refused to allow access to News Five. But more than that, Guatemalan officials informed Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they were unhappy with G.O.B.’s release mentioning that so-called informal understanding. […]
The media was stopped by the GAF, but an expedition of P.U.P. parliamentarians and executive members who made the trip exactly one week after were not. In fact, that expedition was able to circle Sarstoon Island with not a peep from the Guatemalan military. Peace reigns in the Sarstoon, right? Well, no. What happened is […]
Earlier we reported on the ascension of Patrick Faber to Deputy Prime Minister. But will he be assigned a new portfolio now that he is officially second in command of the Barrow Administration? Traditionally, the Deputy Prime Minister holds the powerful post of Minister of Natural Resources, a designation that is second only to the […]
Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber is the only elected official within the Barrow Administration to comment on the dismal IMF report. While he admits that government is bracing for difficult times, he told the media that not only are the dark days ahead brought about by the Super Bond, but government is not taking the […]
Against the backdrop of everything happening in diplomatic halls and in the Sarstoon, has Belize’s rhetoric changed somewhat? For months all Belizeans heard out of meetings between countries was talk of peace and love and warm, happy friendship. But recently we’ve heard even Prime Minister Dean Barrow express anger and distress with what appears to […]
The Fisheries Department made a huge bust this morning of the endangered hicatee turtle. For two weeks, they have been monitoring persons of interest carrying out illegal operations in the areas of the Belize River and the Black Creek. The department intercepted a vehicle this afternoon in the Lord’s Bank area with undersized hicatee. They […]
Fisheries Officer Rigoberto Quintana says the Seguros will be charged for a number of offenses including the possession of more than three hicatees as well as for the hicatee nets. As to the hicatees, they will be donated to the Be Free Foundation in the south. Rigoberto Quintana, Fisheries Officer “We have various types […]
The family of Vanessa Champagne Paris has asked for privacy following her death on Saturday night. Born Porfelio Rodriguez Junior, he became a transgender woman years ago and transitioned to Vanessa Champagne Paris. She became a well-known member of the LGBT community, who experienced harassment and violence in the City. She made her plight known […]
On May twelfth, Belizeans Roger Plett and Rudy Friesen were taken off Belizean soil on a farm they worked in an area known as Green Hills which adjoins the Guatemalan border. Both men were taken across the border, Plett tied up and threatened, their tractor and bulldozer also taken across. Plett’s tractor was badly damaged. […]
We note that in our last conversation with the Ministry of National Security C.E.O. George Lovell, he said that police investigations confirmed Plett’s story. Lovell explained that it was in the hands of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who would deal with it through the O.A.S. and their Guatemalan counterparts. We think it’s safe to […]
So back to the Sarstoon. One of the major criticisms in that area has been that Guatemalan fisherfolk have been allowed to fish freely in Belizean waters, at times travelling as far as Barranco setting illegal gill nets. It’s a situation we’ve seen firsthand, and it hasn’t changed even with the addition of the Forward […]
World Ocean’s Day is being celebrated across the globe this Wednesday under the theme, “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet.” Locally, OCEANA Belize is commemorating this day through a Better Bag Initiative – an activity that encourages the public to use reusable bags. Across the country, stores will be giving discounts to customers who shop with these […]
