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The controversy surrounding Portico’s Definitive Agreement continues to be a fluid issue. Prime Minister John Briceño gave the media a long-awaited interview today, on his thirtieth anniversary as a senior parliamentarian. It came after a meeting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan where a number of issues were tabled. And Portico was again, at […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Unfazed by Senate Inquiry into Portico’s Definitive Agreement
Also during today’s House Meeting, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, responded to a question asked by the Leader of the Opposition in respect of the Environmental Compliance Plan granted to Portico Enterprises Limited by the Department of Environment. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development “The Port of Magical [Belize] project was granted […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Is Portico in Violation of its Environmental Compliance Plan?
In his response to the Opposition Leader, Minister Habet provided a chronology that ended with him publicly stating that Portico is not in violation of its Environmental Compliance Plan. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development “On April 11th, 2023, the company also submitted to the DOE the management plan for the Antillean manatee which […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Minister of Sustainable Development Explains Portico’s ECP
Former Minister of Agriculture Godwin Hulse has emerged victorious in a lawsuit against the Briceño administration. Hulse took the government to court following the Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of Government Assets in 2021. The commission, led by Senior Counsel Andrew Marshalleck, accused Hulse of wrong doing while he was a minister of government. […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Speaks on Costly Court Ruling
As we’ve reported, Anthony Sylvestre is the new Attorney General. He replaces Magali Marin-Young, who had expressed intent to return to private practice. Sylvestre has held several positions on committees and boards, including the Board of Trustees of the University of Belize, on the Belize Advisory Council on the Guatemalan Claim, and the Income and […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM on New AG: Aside from his Impressive Resume, He’s a Man for Others
The Christian Workers Union met with stevedores today at its headquarters in Belize City to discuss the way forward in respect of the latest developments amid the labor dispute with the Port of Belize Limited. While the waterfront workers gathered with their representatives, Labor Minister Oscar Requeña also addressed the issue in parliament, providing a […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Minister of Labor Weighs in on C.W.U./P.B.L. Trade Dispute
But what’s the genesis of the trade dispute and wasn’t it previously settled by the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal? For more context, from government’s perspective, Minister Requeña also outlined a sequence of events that culminated with the ESAT ruling on the issue in the first instance. Oscar Requeña, Minister of Labor “The reported dispute […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on A Timeline on Recent Developments Between C.W.U. and P.B.L.
The Redistricting Task Force has presented a report to the Elections and Boundaries Commission. That document is complete with proposals for how Belize’s electoral landscape should look. But serious concerns are already being raised by the Leader of the Opposition after copies of the document were leaked. Today, Moses “Shyne” Barrow rose to share his thoughts […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Shyne Disallowed from Talking About Redistricting in the House
Recent power outages caused by C.F.E. being overwhelmed by greater supply demands in Mexico is an increasing concern for Belizeans. But all is not lost for Belize and its growing power demands. Today the Prime Minister briefed the media on a couple of short-term measures that Belize Electricity Limited will undertake to be a little […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Speaks on B.E.L Measures to Address Power Issues
In Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, it was agreed that government will be expanding the list of goods that are subject to regulation under the Supplies Control Act. An additional thirty-four items have been included on that list, many of which will be price controlled. This morning, Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia provide additional details on […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Government Expands Basic Food Basket
Another issue that was brought up during today’s House Sitting is the prolonged absence of Queen’s Square Area Representative Denise “Sista B” Barrow. Barrow, who has been a fixture in the Queen’s Square Constituency for several decades, is a no-show in the House of Representatives. Today, the PM had the exact number of absences for […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Sista B Misses Twenty-eight House Meeting in Succession
Prime Minister John Briceño rose to speak of amendments to portions of the legislation that will ensure that Belize is prepared for the external assessment that it is undergoing, to be compliant with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. C-FATF is in the process of assessing each member country on its cooperation on countering money-laundering […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Speaks on Amending the Legislation to Be C-FATF-compliant
Today the House moved to repeal Section forty-six A and seventy-three A of the Laws of Belize that criminalize the spread of H.I.V.-AIDS. The twenty-two-year-old statute holds H.I.V.-positive individuals criminally responsible for any risk of transmission, including from mother to child. Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos Garcia, supports the repeal of the Bill, pointing to […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Punitive H.I.V-AIDS Laws Repealed
The second annual Belize International Music and Food Festival takes place on July twenty-ninth and thirtieth at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex in Belize City. For some time now, you have been hearing of the international artists that have made the cut and will be a part of this year’s festivities, and on Wednesday, the […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 55 Belizean Artists, DJs Make Line Up for BIMFF2.0
The Department of Youth Services hosted a graduation ceremony today for two hundred and forty youths who successfully completed nine months of learning with the Belize National Youth Training Institute. These individuals have been engaged in virtual and in-person sessions on cell phone repair, small engine repair, hospitality and on-the-job training. It is the third […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 240 Youths Graduate from Belize National Youth Training Institute
Aside from quality textile, Mikado is known for its friendly and dedicated staff. Some of them have been with the company for more than a decade. But the bright side of this story is not just the longstanding business that has consistently served its customers, it’s about the special employees that have been with them […]
Written on June 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The Bright Side of Hiring Special Needs Workers
Two days after well-known Orange Walk jockey Anthony Deras was chopped and stabbed to death by two of his nephews, police have formally arrested and charged nineteen-year-old Myron Betancourt and a seventeen-year-old jointly for the crime of murder. Deras, a forty-seven-year-old employee of the Orange Walk Town Council, was involved in an altercation with the […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Nephews Charged for Chopping/Stabbing Murder of Uncle
The family of Iran “Basco” Jones is preparing for his funeral after they positively identified him as the murder victim who was found in Biscayne Village on Saturday afternoon. The corpse was callously dumped in a shallow grave off a feeder road and was detected by someone who was going hunting in the area. On […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Iran “Basco” Jones to be Laid to Rest; Baby Due October
Twenty-three-year-old Rayford Mejia has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the murder of Police Constable Osbourne Martinez. That decision was handed down in the courtroom of Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft earlier today. Mejia won’t be eligible for parole until after serving twenty-five years of his sentence. PC Martinez, who was […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Convicted Cop Killer, Rayford Mejia, Gets Life Sentence
On Wednesday, in the Corozal Magistrate’s Court, a pair of police officers, Isaias Sanchez and Rosario Romero, were cleared of serious charges following instructions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw charges of manslaughter by negligence against them. This is in respective of the death of twenty-year-old Derrick Uh, who perished […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Two Officers Walk in Negligent Death of Derrick Uh
Port Loyola Area Representative Gilroy Usher Senior and his son, who bears his namesake, appeared in court before the Chief Magistrate. Gilroy Usher Junior has been charged with damage to property after he allegedly damaged shutters, as well as a glass door, at his father’s place of business. A family dispute resulted in criminal charges […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Gilroy Usher Sr. Takes Gilroy Usher Jr. to Court
A letter from Morales and Company, the law firm representing Portico Enterprises Limited, has been sent to Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai. This is in respect of an alleged breach of the conditions of an Environmental Compliance Plan granted to Stake Bank for the construction of Port Coral. The correspondence refers to an appearance on […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Portico Seeks Revocation of Stake Bank’s Environmental Clearance
The Briceño administration has been grappling with the global impact of inflation since the beginning of the year and established a cabinet sub-committee back in March to address a number of issues, including price gouging. Following the creation of that taskforce, the Supplies Control Amendment Bill was also taken to the House of Representatives. Meetings […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Agriculture Minister Gives Update on Supplies Control Act
When the media caught up with Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai today, we asked for an update on the dispute within the sugar industry in the north. A.S.R./B.S.I. is taking the issue of now having to apply for export permits to the court and a task force, led by Minister of Home Affairs and New […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Agriculture Minister Gives Update on Sugar Impasse
As we’ve been reporting, the Elections and Boundaries Commission will present a final recommendation for the redistricting exercise to cabinet on July fourteenth. At this stage, the major political parties are reviewing the proposed changes. We understand that there will be two additional seats, following the redrawing of boundaries for several constituencies. There are reports […]
Written on June 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Will Orange Walk South be Split in Two? Area Rep Reacts
