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Lord Ashcroft Explains Waterloo Proposal

Last week, the environmental community came out swinging at the Department of Environment which granted environmental clearance to David Gegg’s Port Magical.  They said that Magical will have negative environmental impact, particularly when taken in context with other proposed cruise ship ports. Among these other projects is the Waterloo Holdings proposal.  The plans include onshore […]

Lord Ashcroft Sounds Off on Economic Issues in Belize. Is the IMF a Solution?

Lord Michael Ashcroft also spoke about the current economic crunch that Belize is facing. Ashcroft says that the government is staring down a tough decision, but one that must be made sooner rather than later.  He put the challenges in context with the unions’ position on proposed measures to say that there are options to […]

Lord Ashcroft Speaks on Belize Bank-Scotiabank Merger

At the end of March, Scotia Bank closed, ending more than fifty years in Belize as signs were taken down after the bank was acquired by Belize Bank Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of Caribbean Investment Holdings Limited.  Belize Bank is now the largest commercial bank in Belize. When he appeared on Open Your Eyes this […]

Can Legislation Help to Curb Corruption?

Can legislation help to tackle corruption in Belize while simultaneously cutting costs? That’s what Lord Michael Ashcroft suggests. He says that a key piece of regulation that protect whistleblowers could encourage an anti-corruption agenda but that legislation should also protect the whistleblowers against retaliatory actions when they report  suspected acts of corruption. Here’s how he […]

Lord Ashcroft Says Unexplained Wealth Act is Tool against Corruption

Ashcroft points out there are other tools and regulations that G.O.B. can adopt to reduce corruption.  One of the measures refers to the “Unexplained Wealth Law” or “wealth order” where if probes show that someone’s total wealth exceeds their lawfully obtained wealth, he or she will have to explain how they achieved that wealth.  Using […]

Belize Entering Third Wave of COVID-19

The number of COVID-19 cases reported over the last seven days has almost tripled when compared to the number of confirmed cases reported in the first seven days of April.  Between April first and April ninth, a total of thirty-two new cases were reported by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, while eighty-one cases were […]

Minister Chebat Responds to Nurses and P.S.U.

Public sector nurses are currently operating on a work to rule basis as a sign of solidarity with the joint union’s position on G.O.B.’s proposed wage cuts. The Nurses Association of Belize has also gone on record to say that they are prepared to take industrial action alongside the Unions if it ever comes to […]

Sinopharm Vaccines on Hold

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has acquired thousands of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from the United Arab Emirates. This donation was not met with the kind of fanfare that was seen during the handing over of previous vaccine donations.  And that may be because the Sinopharm vaccine is yet to receive approval from the World […]

M.O.H.W. Launches Vaccine Registration App

A COVID-19 Vaccination registration app was launched today. Currently, it allows people who fall under phase one, two and three to register online for an appointment to be vaccinated.  But at the moment, there are no long lines at clinics giving the vaccines and the process only takes fifteen to twenty minutes for most citizens. […]

Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change requires urgent action from all countries to build resilience against the phenomenon.  Back in 2015, the Government of Belize approved a national climate change policy and established a National Climate Change Office, which has been working on developing partnerships and getting the country the much needed assistance and support to adapt to climate […]

Climate Change & COVID-19

As Doctor Gladden shared with the media the findings of a recent assessment on the effects of climate change, we asked about the impact of COVID-19 as it relates to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change efforts.  The Chief Climate Change Officer says that both the pandemic and climate change affect vulnerable populations.   Dr. […]

Belize Wants to Talk Climate Finance & Technology at COP26 in Glasgow

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the twenty-sixth of its kind that is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow from November first to the twelfth 2021 under the presidency of the United Kingdom. Negotiating at the conference on behalf of the region, including Belize, is the […]

Lifeguard Shares Tips on Swimming

Today, Herwin Godoy Senior was laid to rest following funeral services at the Wesley Church in Belize City. Godoy Senior drowned on Sunday at the river in Grace Bank and his body was recovered Tuesday morning. One of the men who helped in the search efforts is a lifeguard. Tonight he shares not only the […]

P.S.U. Marches on Albert Street at High Noon

The Public Service Union continued its activism today with members picketing various locations across the country, including service stations down south in Stann Creek District.  They were joined in some municipalities by the Belize National Teachers Union, with whom they are allied, as part of a multilateral body that has been in discussion with the […]

Joint Unions Rejected Tiered Approach to Salary Reduction

On Friday, a letter was sent to the joint unions from the Minister of Public Service where a proposal for a tiered approach to reducing the wages of teachers and public officers was being suggested.  In that letter, Minister Henry Charles Usher puts forward the notion that the reductions can be staggered based on income […]

Unions Say Go after the Big Fish, Not Small Workers

The letter sent to the joint unions on Friday cited sections of the constitution that refer to the Governor General’s involvement in signing into force fixed salaries for those being paid from the public purse.  Flowers told News Five the Briceño administration is being unreasonable.   Isani Cayetano “Do you find it perhaps disingenuous that […]

P.S.U. Orange Walk Protest in Central Park

In Orange Walk Town, a hand full of public servants marched around the Central Park in the sweltering midday heat. There were no picket signs or anti-corruption placards being waved at that location.  Their laps around the Central Park were done with no loud singing or shouts of solidarity.  Instead, it was a quiet protest […]

Nurses Join P.S.U. Orange Walk Protest

Flanking the Orange Walk P.S.U. members in Central Park today were members of the Nurses Association of Belize.  According to President Darrell Spencer, members feel compelled to protest right now, but he assures the public they are manning their various medical stations.  He says nurses have a history of activism in Belize.   Darrell Spencer, […]

Police Association Breaks Silence on Salary Cut/Increment Freeze

Today, the Police Association called a press conference to address a letter being circulated that addresses the salary cuts and the increment freeze that will also affect police officers. While the document, addressed to the Minister of Home Affairs and copied to the Commissioner of Police, did not carry the official letterhead and signatures of […]

An Appeal to the Minister of Home Affairs

There are approximately two thousand one hundred police officers who belong to the association. While Hyde did not wish to take a position, the letter speaks to getting assistance from the ministry to offset the cut in salaries. He breaks down the realities facing police officers.   Sgt. Jermaine Hyde, Chairman, Police Association “Majority of […]

Body of Herwin Godoy is Recovered from River

This morning the body of thirty-three-year-old Herwin Godoy was recovered from the river, only about a hundred yards away from where he went down on Sunday afternoon. His body was caught in a net placed within the river at the end of the search day on Monday. Just after six o’clock this morning, the family […]

Marijuana Plantation Found, Destroyed in the South

Police have destroyed a marijuana plantation in Toledo. On Monday, they carried out an operation in San Pedro Columbia Village where they discovered two hundred mature weed plants, some of which were six feet tall.  A search of the area located a thatch shed with processed marijuana. Police destroyed the shed and drugs. No one […]

Commerce Bight Fiasco Continues

The saga involving Commerce Bight, Recological Systems Limited and the company’s investors continues with a response to several allegations that were made last week against R.S.L. and its present owners.  On Monday, Managing Director Paul Martin issued a statement refuting a number of claims that were made during a press conference hosted by siblings Abraham […]

Support for Victims of Volcano in Saint Vincent

As people across the Caribbean monitor the volcanic eruption and evacuations in Saint Vincent, regional companies are assisting victims.  This week, personnel from Sagicor donated supplies to the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines National Emergency Management Organization.  The donated items included mattresses, folding cots, blankets, face masks, water tanks and coolers.  More supplies will be […]

NCL to Return to Belize this Summer!

A regional online news source is reporting that Norwegian Cruise Line is returning to Belize at the end of the summer. The Norwegian Joy ship will be departing its home port in Montego Bay, Jamaica on August seventh and on its itinerary is a stop at the company’s Harvest Caye port off the Placencia coast […]