Smith says that by early next month two new justices, Barbadian Christopher Blackman and Belizean Mansel Thurton, will be added to the court to bring it to full strength. We are not certain whether that number includes recently suspended justice George Meerabux, but Bar Association President Derek Courtenay brought us up to date on where […]
It’s that time of year when soaring temperatures and cool clear waters combine to attract large numbers of Belizeans to bathe in the nation’s numerous rivers. Unfortunately the fun is sometimes marred by tragedy. On Friday afternoon fifteen-year-old Colwin Flowers Junior, a student at Belmopan Comprehensive School, went swimming with a friend behind the Nazarene […]
If you haven’t been out on the Western Highway in the last month or so you will have missed a radical transformation in the landscape around mile eight. Where once stood only scattered trees and overgrown grass, the makings of a new community are taking shape. Jose Sanchez reports. Jose Sanchez, Reporting The houses are […]
The transition of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital from direct government control to semi-autonomous status will take effect on April first. Today the Public Service Union met with management and senior staff of the K.H.M.H. as well as CEOs in the Ministries of Health and Public Service to discuss how the change will effect the […]
Nearly one hundred union members working at the Port Authority will finally receive salary increments. This morning another round was fought in the long running battle between the Port Authority and representatives of the Christian Workers Union, and while the union claims to have received some low blows, in the end at least some agreement […]
In other news from the frontier we are reliably informed that action will soon be taken to remove illegal Guatemalan residents from a settlement they now inhabit in Belize. Under an agreement with the Guatemalan government a team from the International Organisation on Migration will conduct a survey of the community at Edwards Central in […]
If you own a cellular phone or make calls to a cellular subscriber of the non-prepaid variety, you will soon see a dramatic reduction in your monthly bill. Belize Telecommunications Ltd. has announced that effective May first, the per minute rate will drop by twenty percent from eighty-five cents to seventy cents. Likewise, the discounted […]
Intense negotiations had been going on for a number of weeks, but today the contract was finally signed, sealed and delivered. The Water and Sewerage Authority is no more and in its place stands a private company, majority owned by foreign investors. The deal is part of government’s overall plan to divest itself of functions […]
Negotiations between the Christian Workers Union and the Belize Ports Authority over wages and benefits for some seventy-five port workers are still at an impasse. Unionised workers called us out to the port on Thursday to complain that their two percent lump sum payment for April first to December thirty-first and their five percent increase […]
Close to seventy participants representing the Banana Growers Association, government, banana workers, trade unions and NGOs gathered at the Radisson this morning to find a way to avoid what appears to be a dismal future for one of Belize’s most important exports. Ann-Marie Williams reports. Ann-Marie Williams Today’s forum was sparked by “Fruit of Their […]
It’s a long running dispute that seems to boil over into public protest every few months. Today the Port employees belonging to the Christian Workers Union were once again on the march. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting Some one hundred Port Authority workers are up in arms. They say their collective bargaining agreement for salary increases and […]
Belize Electricity Limited today received the bad news that Mexico will not be able to supply prime time electricity until April 4th. The disabled 484 megawatt Merida Three plant was supposed to be up and running by Friday, and the delay will mean that Belize’s energy situation will be touch and go for the next […]
Most of the city’s worst fires have occurred on the south side of the Haulover Creek, but the old capital’s single fire station is located on the north side. That situation is being corrected as today the ground floor was poured as part of a ceremony marking the construction of a new substation on Dolphin […]
The lush resort and its nearby caves is among the closest natural attractions to Belize City. As a result, Jaguar Paw is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. That popularity proved its undoing, however, as conflict over rights of access has resulted in a closing of the caves. Jose Sanchez “Along the foothills […]
It looks like things will be touch and go for B.E.L., at least until the end of the week. That’s when Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission says its big plant in Merida will be back in operation and able to sell Belize much needed energy. B.E.L. has been forced to rely on the Mollejon hydro plant […]
Officials of Belize Electricity Limited are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, as a generating plant failure in Mexico continues to deprive Belize of badly needed power. Since Tuesday the nation has been forced to rely on the Mollejon hydro plant in Cayo and eight diesel units spread around the country to […]
The body of a drowning victim has been recovered from the Belize River. On Thursday police found the corpse, identified as thirty-five year old Dennis Lockwood of Sandhill, lodged along the bank. Lockwood had been missing since Tuesday when he was seen by his cousin trying to swim across the river near Baker’s Ranch. A […]
There’s good news and bad new tonight from Belize Electricity Limited. The good news is that despite the cut off of Mexican electricity caused by a plant failure, B.E.L. has been able to cope with the emergency without resorting to widespread blackouts. The bad news is that the Mexican current is still not online and […]
A Sandhill resident is missing and presumed drowned in the Belize River. Thirty-five year old Dennis Lockwood, also known as “Ching” and his cousin Brannon Rosalez were looking for herbs along the riverbank behind Baker’s Ranch on Wednesday afternoon, when they decided to swim to the other side. Both men entered the current, but Rosalez […]
General elections may not be held until 2003, but one hundred and ninety-two villages and communities are preparing to cast their ballots for council elections during the next few weeks. Rural communities make up a large portion of the voting population and Information Officer in the Ministry of Rural Development, Andy Palacio, says that the […]
The case couldn’t have been made better had it been scripted in Hollywood. Yesterday’s message from B.E.L., based on a survey showing skyrocketing electricity rates around the Caribbean Islands, was that Belize should not rely on imported petroleum for its power needs. Today’s lesson, based on a massive generating failure in Mexico, is that we […]
It’s an industry that is a study in contradiction. While bringing in almost thirty-eight million U.S. dollars in foreign exchange, that money is divided among only nine farmers. It employs several thousand workers, but most of them have been imported from the neighbouring republics. And although it receives massive subsidies from Europe, those employees are […]
While Belize struggles to improve the level of health care, the one eventuality that the system finds difficult to deal with is that of a catastrophic accident. Fortunately when all hope seems lost, there are some good folks and organisations ready to step forward. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting It is every child’s dream to go to […]
While scientists search for a cure or an effective vaccine, experts continue to stress that the best weapon in the war against AIDS is education. Ann-Marie Williams reports from the front lines. Ann-Marie Williams “The first in a series of billboard campaigns which reminds us of our collective responsibility in fighting the deadly disease AIDS […]
The Ministry of Health along with the Women’s Department has compiled information on domestic violence through reports it receives from the Police’s Family Violence Unit. The Domestic Violence Surveillance Data reveals what most people already suspect: men are usually the aggressors in the home. Dr. Jorge Polanco, Deputy Director, Health Services “There’s a module to […]
