Police have still not been able to crack the murder of Denroy Nicolas in Punta Gorda. Nicholas was shot and killed as he exited his mother’s house to go into his room. His life was cut short the night before he was to appear in court. As his family grieves, they are preparing to lay […]
The U.D.P.’s leadership race is getting tense and the party appears to be hopelessly fractured. Scheduled for February ninth, John Saldivar and Patrick Faber will go head-to-head to become the next U.D.P. leader and hold over the reins of government if the Prime Minister of Belize steps down before the term of the government expires. […]
Jumoke Castro, son of U.D.P. Minister Edmond Castro, failed to explain his December 2019 Facebook vile comments that attracted widespread condemnation and disgust. Castro attacked Plus TV’s Sashta Wade with the threat of gang rape. Castro, who is a public officer attached to the Belize Tax Service, was placed on administrative leave after a complaint […]
The trial of Lev Dermen in Utah is attracting attention in many countries, including Belize, because one witness has named a local government official and says he has text messages to corroborate what he will tell the court to prove that Dermen was involved in money laundering on an international scale. As arguments begin, critical […]
A group of at-risk young men and women headed to the Wagner’s Facility for a firsthand experience of life behind prison walls. There they heard from the teenaged inmates on the harsh realities of incarceration. The visit is part of a programme at different high schools to discourage negativity and crime; and instead, chart a […]
After being in prison since 2013, Paul Smith walked today from the charge of murder. Smith was accused of the April 2013 murder of Frank Neal, but in the court today, the prosecution entered a nolle prosequi due to lack of evidence. Justice Marilyn Williams then ordered the release of Smith. Neal was executed on […]
Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is yet to render a decision where a claim against the Government of Belize, in respect of the Petrocaribe fund, is concerned. That judgment was to have been handed down on January twentieth, but the CJ took ill last week and the matter was postponed. Chief Justice Benjamin attended the celebration […]
There was a slight increase in consumer prices in the month of December 2019 when compared to December 2018. The All-Items Consumer Price Index rose slightly by point two percent in the basic basket of selected goods and services. According to the figures from the Statistical Institute of Belize, reductions in prices for fuel, rent […]
A more severe drought has been forecasted for 2020 and it is expected that the extended dry weather may once again have adverse effects on the New River. In light of the catastrophe that resulted in a massive fish kill along that waterway last year in the north, a taskforce led by the Department of […]
The Corozal Town Council’s garbage collecting woes will soon come to an end. The council will soon acquire two garbage trucks, courtesy of the Japan Embassy. The official grant contract signing ceremony was held on Tuesday between the council and the embassy for one hundred and ninety-nine thousand U.S. dollars. According to Mayor Rigoberto Vellos, […]
Belize’s very own Julio Chub was awarded the 2019 Disney Conservation Hero award. Chub is the Liaison Officer of Ya’axché Conservation Trust and is regarded as a community-oriented conservation hero who has committed the past two decades of his life to conservation and community empowerment in southern Belize. The award recognizes local citizens for their […]
The Department of the Environment, in partnership with the Belize Bureau of Standards, is hosting a seminar to establish a collective benchmark for use of the term biodegradable in respect of local standards. This morning, dozens of participants from the private sector attended the second day of the workshop to learn more about the various […]
With thirty years of industrial experience in plastics and packaging, Kelvin Okamoto, C.E.O. of Gen3Bio, was invited as a guest speaker to address the issue of biodegradability. He commented favourably on Belize’s move toward adopting biodegradability standards. Kelvin Okamoto, Chief Executive Officer, Gen3Bio “It’s great that Belize is willing to take these steps. Based […]
The Southern Workers Union has received its trade union certification. The S.W.U. is now certified as a bargaining agent for employees of the Dangriga Town Council. The union is made up of thirty-three members and is led by President Glen Lewis. Today, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development, along with the Tripartite […]
The National Agriculture and Trade Show will be held on May first, second and third of this year. The annual event will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year with the theme, “Innovations in Technology – Driving a Climate Resilient and Competitive Agriculture and Food Sector.” A press release issued today, announcing the dates, says […]
The Ministry of Health has issued a release outlining the steps taken to monitor all epidemiological information and surveillance activities in relation to the coronavirus. Officials have since met with airport authorities and relevant stakeholders to review screening methods and processes to be implemented in the event of any suspected case. The release says that […]
As the trial of American Armenian national Lev Dermen enters its second day in the U.S. courts, in Belize, the matter is getting plenty attention because of its implications to a sitting government minister. The question in everyone’s mind is about the contents of the messages shared between Dermen’s former business partner, Jacob Kingston and […]
Musa says that if the messages or any other documents prove some level of criminality, public pressure will be applied on Commissioner of Police Chester Williams to launch a criminal investigation and seek prosecution of those involved. Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores “If the evidence comes which I suspect it will in the […]
By this afternoon, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte responded to Caribbean Shores Area Representative Kareem Musa, despite not being in receipt of the letter in reference to Minister of National Security John Saldivar. The AG minced no words, calling the notion of invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, under these circumstances, absolutely impractical. According to Peyrefitte, […]
Attorney General Peyrefitte says that even if he were to proceed with such a request to obtain the names of the government ministers from U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the bureaucracy of that process would take significantly longer than waiting for the trial to commence and simply paying close attention to Jacob Kingston‘s testimony. […]
The man in the eye of the storm here in Belize is John Birchman Saldivar. The Minister of National Security took to social media today saying that he stands proud. He said that, “Imagine the amount of people who are conspiring from outside my Party and from inside my Party to see me fail. Naw […]
Jury selection continued today in the District Court in Utah, where Lev Dermen is facing up to ten charges relating to money laundering in a case brought against him by the U.S. for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service of five hundred and eleven million dollars. The prosecution has worked out a plea deal with one […]
The B.N.T.U. and the Ministry of Education are at odds again. In the latest round, the B.N.T.U. says they have no favourable responses from the ministry to the list of pending issues. According to the B.N.T.U., there has been no consultation and the ministry has simply informed them that they intended to make changes to […]
According to Doctor Babb, the Ministry is committed in consulting with the union to avoid any escalation of tensions. Dr. Carol Babb, Chief Education Officer “We are willing to meet and discuss with the union and all managing authority once we heard back from the SolGen’s office. Nothing is written as a final decision. […]
As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, there was a huge scare in Caye Caulker on Monday night when reports spread like wildfire that a visiting Chinese national was experiencing the symptoms of the novel virus. The reports were dispelled by this morning, when information from the Ministry of Heath, confirmed that the visitor had […]
