A ten percent salary cut will ring in the New Year for all Cabinet members. The announcement was made this morning by Prime Minister Briceño who, after weighing the effects of the economic downturn, thought it prudent to shave off a fraction of the monthly wages his ministers are collecting. Prime Minister John Briceño […]
Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat today confirmed that Doctor Marvin Manzanero has not been fired from the Ministry. Chebat says that Doctor Manzanero is at home recovering from COVID-19. Meanwhile, acting Director of Health Services Doctor Melisa Diaz Musa is taking up the lead. In fact, Chebat says that Doctor Diaz Musa will […]
Dr. Marvin Manzanero has been the Director of Health Services for several years under the previous administration. While he is at home recovering from COVID-19, his fate as D.H.S. is up in the air. Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat has confirmed that Manzanero still holds that office, however, Prime Minister John Briceño admits […]
Education Minister Francis Fonseca confirmed today that government will be paying for only three Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations per student, as oppose to the traditional six. Fonseca says that the government has been in constant dialogue with CXC which says that it is not recommended that they reduce the content coverage for their […]
The murder trial of P.C. Michelle Brown ended today in the Belize City Supreme Court after closing submissions by both the prosecution and defense before Justice Colin Williams. Justice Williams will deliver his verdict next Friday in a case that went on for almost three weeks and involved sworn testimonies from twenty prosecution witnesses. Some […]
A fire at a residence on the Flowers Bank Road on December seventh has left a family of four without a roof over their heads. Tanisha Myvett, her common-law husband and two children, lived in a two-bedroom wooden structure on the property, but while they were away, a fire broke inside the house. All that […]
The Belize Nature Conservation Foundation has awarded two more grants in its 2020 projects cycle. Two NGOs that co-manage sites in the Belize National Protected Areas System were awarded funds to strengthen the management of their sites. A brief virtual ceremony was held on Thursday to acknowledge the handing over to the awardees. News Five […]
Earlier this week, Minister of Public Utilities Rodwell Ferguson and Minister of Rural Transformation Oscar Requeña broke ground for the installation of a solar plant in Indian Creek Village, Toledo District. The groundbreaking ceremony followed a meeting convened with stakeholders to chart the way forward for the implementation of the emPOWERing Rural Electrification Project. According […]
On Thursday, Minister of National Defence and Border Security Florencio Marin and his Minister of State Oscar Mira met with villagers of San Vicente in the Toledo District. Also present in that meeting with the village council and Alcalde was Toledo West Area Representative, Minister Oscar Requeña. According to Requeña, the purpose of the meeting […]
Leonora Patnett continues to defy the odds as she reaches another milestone birthday this weekend. Over the years, we’ve shared Patnett’s wisdom and memories of life dating back more than a hundred years old – and this year as she gets ready to welcome one hundred and seven years of life, she is doing so […]
Late this evening, the Office of the Commissioner of Police confirmed that a suspected drug plane landed in southern Belize. Information was received from international counterparts of three suspect tracks coming out of South America and we can confirm tonight that one made a clandestine landing in an area of southern Belize that is not […]
While we were with the Minister of Home Affairs, we asked him how closely the government is working with regional counterparts to track and survey unknown aircrafts. Of note is that tackling narco-trafficking, including the illegal landing of drug planes and the use of Belize as a transhipment point was among the People’s United Party’s […]
There was a huge marijuana bust overnight in Belize District. A vehicle travelling on the Philip Goldson Highway was intercepted by police officers when the driver attempted to evade a checkpoint near the entrance to the Vista Del Mar community, near Manatee Lookout. Information is that a Volkswagen car was transporting a large quantity of […]
Today, Minister of National Defence and Border Security Florencio Marin and Minister of State Oscar Mira visited the village of San Vicente in the Toledo District to meet with the village council. The meeting was to address the issue between residents and B.D.F. soldiers stationed in the village. You’d recall that on November twenty-ninth, the […]
A round of bilateral meetings was held earlier today by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration Eamon Courtenay, after receiving copies of the Letters of Credence of the new Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to Belize, Erwin Rudy Archilla Falla. During the discussion, Minister Courtenay and Ambassador Archilla spoke on the impact […]
Residents near the San Pedro lagoon are up in arms over the purported sale of a property they say had been set aside for the construction of a park. The sought-after location was being pursued by the Rubio family whose matriarch had been living nearby for over twenty-five years. Each time she inquired about the […]
According to Rubio, he is unaware of who the new owner of the property is, suffice to say that they were never given first preference when it came to the purchase of the land, despite many years of effort to legally obtain it. On the Phone: Stephen Rubio, Resident, San Pedro “Well I am […]
A single mother of two is facing eviction from her home in Belize City, despite having tried her best to meet monthly rent. Deriann Augustine, a resident of Central American Boulevard, has been given notice to vacate a small wooden structure she has called home for several years. According to her, the landlord has informed […]
The Belize Police Department was the recipient of equipment to enhance the training of officers which was handed over by U.S. Chargé d’affaires, Keith Gilges. The U.S. Government is also providing a curriculum advisor who will work closely with the police academy to develop curriculum. This initiative is part of a CARSI-supported in-service training project, […]
Since Saturday, Corozal Bay Area Representative David “Dido” Vega has been hospitalized at the Belize Healthcare Partners Limited after having contracted COVID-19. Vega remains intubated and in a critical condition and today, P.U.P. colleague, Kareem Musa gave an update on his condition. Kareem Musa, P.U.P. Minister “My brother, David Dido Vega, the area representative […]
Earlier this week, we reported that Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero had tested positive for COVID-19 and has since been self-isolating. One day later, the Minister of Health and Wellness, announced that in his absence, Doctor Melissa Diaz, the Deputy Regional Manager for the Central Health Region, has been appointed as Acting Director […]
Gilbert Swaso is the new Commissioner of the Belize Port Authority. According to a release from the Government Press Office, Swaso is a renowned maritime expert and certified master marine surveyor who served twenty-four years in the Belize Defence Force. The Retired Major has also served as the Deputy Ports Commissioner and Operations Manager at […]
Fuel prices are going up for regular gasoline will increase by forty-eight cents from eight dollars and sixty-one cents to nine dollars and nine cents per gallon, while kerosene will increase by one dollar from four dollars and seventy-three cents to five dollars and seventy-three cents per gallon. The costs for premium gasoline and diesel will remain […]
If you felt the pinch of groceries and rent in October, you weren’t wrong. The Statistical Institute of Belize says that while consumer prices were down by zero point five percent in October 2020 when compared to October 2019, food and home rental costs were up. The S.I.B. says that the zero point five percent […]
Turning to external trade, the S.I.B. reports that imports are down by almost thirty percent and domestic exports are down over five percent in October 2020. Imports from January to October this year were valued at one point three billion dollars, while domestic exports stood at three hundred and twenty-five million dollars. The S.I.B. reports […]
