More News: Scroll up from here
PlusTV
Amendments to strengthen the regulatory body at the Ministry of Immigration revealed in the House
The House of Representatives met on Friday at the National Assembly. While there was a demonstration going on outside, new amendments to strengthen the regulatory body at the Ministry of Immigration were revealed. In the absence of the Former Junior Minister, Elvin Penner, whose alleged misdeeds have arguably sparked...
Accusations of illicit activities at the Ministry of Immigration brought before the House
Accusations of illicit activities at the Ministry of Immigration was the hot topic at Friday's meeting of the House of Representatives. After the Orders of the Day were executed, Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Francis Fonseca, rose and initiated a war of words that carried on for about...
Taxi Driver murdered in Salvapan
Thursday was celebrated as Halloween and someone was obviously in the spirit of the celebration as a gruesome murder was committed in Belmopan. Another Taxi man was killed, his throat slit and his body dumped in the Salvapan area of the city. This would make the third taxi driver...
Ruth Logan confident before PUP Convention despite negative publicity
A recent document has been circulating in Facebook purporting that Ruth Logan, one of the four delegates running for the PUP standard-bearer for the Belmopan constituency, was convicted for the offence of wounding in the year 2009. This might surely put Ruth Logan in a very delicate position considering...
PUP Belmopan candidates express confidence
Sunday's PUP convention which will ultimately decide who will run against the UDP titan John Saldivar for the Belmopan constituency. The convention will be held at the Belmopan Comprehensive High School grounds on Sunday, November 3rd from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Ruth Logan, Amin Hegar, Patrick Andrews and...
MLA to go to the CCJ
In July of this year the Court of Appeal issued a divided and hotly disputed decision in the counter appeals of the Maya Leaders Alliance (MLA) and Toledo Alcaldes Association (TAA) and the Government, affirming the Mayas' rights to control of communal land in the 38 Maya villages of...
Caye Caulker Chronicles
Halloween on Caye Caulker
All the island kids look forward to trick or treating because it may be the only time the parents will allow them to have lot and lots of sweets
Many characters came out on Halloween Night. From Superman to Princess Merida to Chucky. Here are some pictures of the trick 'r' treaters.
The Belize Times
PM, Penner, Castro on di run!!
When the scandal-ridden Prime Minister Dean Barrow gets up to speak at Friday's House meeting, he will put on a sad face and inform the nation that he will be taking another trip to the United States. The Prime Minister will hold his back and proclaim that his health condition (back problems) has worsened at that his medical doctors have recommended urgent treatment which may see him away for up to four months. This is not the first time that the Prime Minister will be leaving the country on autopilot and in the hands of his corrupt Cabinet ministers. He normally uses his wife's medical condition as the excuse, but now it is his health. The truth is that Prime Minister Barrow is under so much stress as a result of the growing scandals and evidence of corruption in his administration that he is running away from all of it. The Dean Barrow who is normally impenetrable, composed and in charge, is now weakened, ailing, and losing control fast. This has made him desperate and erratic. This is why last week Friday, upon his return to the country, he dodged the media by authorizing his vehicle to pick him up next to the airplane on the tarmac.
Taxpayers pay Elvin Penner's medical treatment?
Corrupt UDP representative Elvin Penner was back in the hospital for treatment this week. The disgraced politician was admitted at the private facility, Medical Associates on St. Thomas Street in Belize City, where he is getting first class treatment - something most Belizeans cannot afford or have access to under the United Democratic Party Government.
The BELIZE TIMES understands that Penner's ballooning medical bills are paid for by the Belizean people, the hard-working man and woman who pays taxes to the Government. Penner, we understand, benefits from medical insurance provided and paid for by the Government as an elected UDP representative. This is in addition to the salary, perks and other UDP created ways for official hustling.
UDP wants Castro gone
Dwight Tillett has been selected by UDP party leader to tackle Edmund Castro, the latest pariah in the government visa sandal.
The Prime Minister had fired Castro from the Cabinet when a Belizean/American woman presented to the P.M. evidence of a land/cash hustle in which thousands of dollars had been scammed and buyers got no land.
The Prime Minister, during the 2008 to 2012 government, had thereafter hand-picked Elston Wade to defrock Castro. But Castro had amassed wealth and Wade was unsuccessful.
With Castro once again dogged by impropriety and scandal, the UDP has moved once more against him. Educator, Dwight Tillett, has been selected by the UDP to clear the land of Castro.
PUP Leader pledges Free Education up to High School�re-introduces "One Laptop Per Child" initiative
People's United Party (PUP) Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca introduced two key components of the PUP's reform in education agenda when he addressed a packed hall of supporters at the convention for party units on Sunday, October 27, 2013.
Hon. Francis said that the PUP deems education as "critically important to the future of the country", therefore, one of the steps the next PUP Government will take to make education more impactful is making "education free all the way up to high school".
The low access to education continues to be an obstacle to the country's development. A recent Inter-American Development Bank report found that the gap between those who have access and those who don't has widened over the recent years. The IDB report found that while 95 percent of the primary school-aged children were attending school in 1999, the numbers have rolled back in 2009. At the high school level, more than half of Belize's secondary school-aged children remain out of school, 56 percent in 2009, with the rural communities being most affected, according to the study.
THINK ABOUT IT
JUST BEFORE GOD DESTROYS Before God destroyed the wicked city of Sodom and Gomorrah, his three angels had a discussion with Abraham. Abraham learnt the angels were on their way to totally destroy the wicked city. He asked the Lord if there were fifty righteous citizens in Sodom and Gomorrah, ...
Enough Is Enough
By G. Michael Reid The current state of affairs in Belize is appalling as the corruption in government seems to be going from terrible to atrocious. Instead of a little breeze blowing this away, there seems a tsunami, washing up and bringing more dirt to light every day. Even the best ...
50 Shades of Corruption
The Dean Barrow Government is corrupt. Dean Barrow's legacy is corruption. This he cannot escape and has publicly admitted. In a weird, UDP twilight zone, no less than four UDP ministers have also publicly agreed that the UDP is corrupt. They have admitted that the rotting stench of corruption is real. Lisel ...
SCA girls win volleyball finals game 1
The defending national female volleyball champs, the St. Catherine's Academy girls, defeated the Belize High School girls in Game 1 of the high school's volleyball championship regional finals at the Bird's Isle on Monday, October 28.
The undefeated SCA cruised past the BHS girls in 3 sets, with Xiomara Quan setting the ball for Sherika Burton, Leandra Betson and Gianna Brown to hammer kills at the net, while Karina Bernard and Nayala Tun received and served to win the 1st set 25-12.
BHS' Mia Miles, Lian Herrera and Shania Williams counterattacked furiously, scoring points on plays set by Chelsea Williams with Nour Safa and Ashonti Carr receiving and serving, but SCA's Alexis Burn
San Pedro Jr. Sailing Club wins Regatta in Bacalar
Two optimist Sailors, Jerdon Anderson and Jorge Olivarez from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, captured 1st and 3rd place respectively in the Regatta "Laguna de 7 Colores" hosted by Associacion de Veleristas president, Miguel �ngel Pani in Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
This was the first time that optimist sailors from Belize have attended a regatta outside Belize.
Anderson and Olivarez were 2 of 25 Optimist sailors racing and after 6 grueling races over 2 days. The two young sailors that are known for their hardworking attitude, showed their skill and the level of performance. Bringing home these wins made the San Pedro Junior Sailing Club (SPJSC,) San Pedranos and Belize proud.
Mr. Belize & Ms. Body Figure this Friday
The Bliss Center for the Performing Arts will be the venue for the 2013 Belize Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships featuring the Mr. Belize and Ms. Body Figure competitions.
The event will feature Men's Bodybuilding, Men's Physique, Women's Bodybuilding, Women's Figure and Bikini Fitness.
Over 18 competitors have signed up for the event, including defending champs Mr. Belize Rigo Vellos and Ms. Body Figure Gina Lovell.
Both veteran and upcoming bodybuilding athletes will be competing for the top prize.
The event starts at 7:00pm on Friday November 1st.
Police terrorize senior citizen & 6 children inside home
"Deh cudda mi kill any ah wi last night," a terrified 57 year old Carlton "Gideon" Cox told the BELIZE TIMES, referring to himself and five children who were at home on Monday night when a group of armed persons surrounded the premises.
"Gideon", as he is more familiarly known, said that about 9:30pm on Monday night, when he and his children were already in bed, he heard a loud bang on his back door. When he asked who it was, a voice responded, "dah di Police, open up!"
When Gideon looked outside, he saw the faint image of a person standing with a gun aimed at the house. He became startled and was reluctant to give entry, but when he heard a gunshot followed by another order, he got dressed and decided to open the front door. Just as he was opening the door, he heard a loud crash as a piece of board was rammed through his glass louvre window.
AMAZING GRACE - Halloween in the Kingdom
Trick or treat? As mentioned in last week's article, at the end of October we celebrate a huge event called Halloween. It's a 'living' event in the sense that it continues to evolve. Various characters are celebrated ranging from devil worshipers, witches, killers, and even demons! The children dress up ...
Education & Scholarship
By Richard Harrison I do not believe that there should be universal free education, forcing all kids to be pushed through the same corral and the state to fund all through the same system from kinder to university. However, I do believe that a child....any and every child....who achieves an average grade ...
PUP Restores Jane Usher Boulevard basketball court
On Wednesday October 16, residents of the Jane Usher Boulevard Area in the Port Loyola Division began benefiting from much needed lighting of the basketball court in the area. The lights were repaired by the PUP ...
UDP Passport/Visa Scandal�the Saga Continues
Admitted testimony from a witness who said she supplied visas for Chinese Nationals was made public through one of Belize's trustful news networks claiming that no other than the Minister of State, Edmund "Predator" Castro, is part of an Illegal racket of selling passport visas. Attorneys have said ...
CITRUS: A SLOW DEATH
By Norris Hall There is an ominous cloud looming low over the citrus valley of Pomona, the birthplace and headquarters of the citrus industry in Belize. The once emerald green citrus orchards on the rolling hillsides of the valley are disappearing. The old Mandarins in the industry have ...
Trick or treat UDP style
The UDP promised to govern with transparency, accountability and good governance. Trick or treat? Dean Barrow promised to deal with every whiff of corruption. Trick or treat? UDP politicians Mark "Casino" King, Dean "Shooter" Samuels, Denny "Nuh Mol" Grijalva, Zenaida "Underdepositor" Moya, "Hit and run" Philloughby , "Public bathroom" Yellowman and Elvin "Passport" Penner, ...
Democratic Nationalism� and the New Revolution
By C. Trench-Sandiford-Deputy Party Leader The people of Belize believe in democracy. The Constitution of Belize states this. However, democracy requires public officials to firstly be accountable, responsible and answerable to the people in the disposal of their duties. Yet among other atrocities, 13 babies have died at the KHMH, Noh Mul, our ...
WOMAN IN THE HOUSE - MORE HUSTLING
By Dolores Balderamos Garcia It came to the attention of our PUP Belize Rural Central Committee last week that a request or quotation had been submitted to the Ministry of Works for roadworks and upgrades to be done in the Hollywood area of Lord's Bank. The request/quotation had apparently come from ...
A Call For Good Governance
The Orange Walk Town Council expresses its utter discontent with the manner in which the passport and immigration scandal has been handled by government. There has been absolutely no transparency in the so-called investigation into corruption which is not only the government's business, but is everybody's business. We find ...
REFLECTIONS IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE - Public Accounts Committee - Stop the games!
By Francis W. Fonseca The People's United Party has put forward a serious, meaningful proposal to reform and restructure the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives. That proposal provides for an equitable sharing of oversight authority among the Government, Opposition, and the Social Partners (Unions/Churches/Business). The UDP Prime Minister and his ...
Why is the PM hiding from the media?
Dear Editor, I write to express total displeasure with the decision of the Prime Minister not to meet the press at the Philip Goldson International Airport on Friday October 25, after he was away for 9 days, a full week and 2 days. When the PM left the country the Immigration Scandal ...
Welcome Mr. Ambassador� but only if
Dear Pastor Wade, On your show on Monday, you made a statement concerning the new U.S. Ambassador's assignment: he will focus on the rule of law. Does this mean he is coming to us as a judge to tell us where our Judiciary is lacking? Well, we already know that. So does ...
Good bye April
Along with all of Belize we say farewell to April the Tapir, no doubt Belize's most beloved and recognised animal.
For 30 years her birthday was a media event celebrated by children across Belize.
She passed away peacefully at her home at the Belize Zoo in her sleep, in the company of the people who cared for and loved her all these years.
April's birthday was a tradition most Belizeans grew up with, and her birthday parties were an annual event on television. She was loved by children and there are very few school kids in Belize who haven't petted this docile, friendly creature. It may sound odd that a tapir could have charismas, but April had it in heaps.
So farewell April, you brought joy to many a child (and adult) and you're already missed.
And our condolences go out to the staff at the Belize Zoo - we know she was part of the family.
International Sources
Belize PM to undergo back surgery
The Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow is to undergo surgery in the United States later this month.
Barrow told reporters that he will be travelling to Los Angeles next week where he is scheduled to undergo surgery on his ailing back.
He said the surgery should alleviate at least 80 per cent of the pain he has been suffering.
The Belizean prime minister said if the operation is successful he should be back in the country by November 14.
Letter: MacAfee not an expert on Obamacare
John MacAfee invented the world's first commercial anti-virus software, selling his company for over 100 million in 2004. MacAfee became an adventure seeking playboy with land holdings in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii. MacAfee sold most of his holdings by 2008 and moved to Belize. MacAfee bragged of his drug use, using cocaine, Quaaludes, LSD, and DMT a psychedelic, according to a recent MSNBC program. The House G.O.P. demands Obamacare briefing asking for a computer expert, to come to Washington and advise the committee. The expert they invited, you guessed it, John MacAfee, to "guide our oversight and review of Obamacare".
MacAfee was a guest on Fox News listed as an expert on Obamacare.
The G.O.P., Fox News, and Mr. Hallwachs should maybe do a background check on their so called expert on Obamacare.
As Mr Hallwachs says: this is a debacle, bungle, fiasco, and a failure, to do any research of John MacAfee.
Groups want sister city ties to entail economic development
In San Pedro, Belize, 1,300 miles from here, a streetsweeper from Wilmington is at work.
San Pedro, one of Wilmington's four sister cities, received the donated vehicle in 2008, months after the mayor of the Central American city saw a streetsweeper here. She recognized it as more efficient than brooms and dustpans.
When the sweeper, Belize's first, arrived, it was heralded with a dance that closed Main Street.
Sister city relationships may be known for cultural exchanges, or even gifts such as the streetsweeper. But leaders of Wilmington's two formal sister city groups want to leverage the ceremonial relationships for economic development.
Best places to elope in the Caribbean
If your Caribbean wedding fantasy involves extreme seclusion and servants, Cayo Espanto may be your place. It's expensive - nearly $2,000 a night - but you'd be hard pressed to argue against the value. There are exactly seven private villas ringing the 4-acre islet. The villas have mahogany-paneled interiors, luxurious island-style furnishings and your own designated butler. One of the villas, Casa Ventana is built out over the translucent pale-blue water at the end of a 150-foot dock. The hotel staff will help make arrangements for you to be married on the island, or, if you prefer, make a quick trip to a Maya site on the mainland and get married in the shadow of a thousand-year-old pyramid.
Belize does require an approved license application ($100) and you must be in the country for three days before being married. You can apply in advance and get a fax of the approved application before traveling. If you want to get married in an archaeological site, apply to the Commissioner of Archaeology in Belize City by fax at least a week before your planned ceremony.
Animator's short film opens doors for bigger projects
He conceived "The OceanMaker" as another nine-minute animated film, this time with a post-apocalyptic setting in which the only water left on earth is gathered from the clouds by intrepid pilots and air pirates. Sinking his own money into the project, he bribed a team of animators to come join him for six weeks on a small island off the coast of Belize, where they attempted to complete as much of the project as they possibly could in one marathon work session.
Is the "M" Storm Forming ??
Good Morning, Caribbean and beyond!
By the looks of it, and from what I heard this morning, I would say "yes"!
There is a 10% chance of this system, which has been dumping flooding rains on
us and surrounding islands, to become the next name storm as it moves sloooowly
to the Western Caribbean. Unfortunately our friends who are traveling to
Guatemala this coming week will probably have to deal with it. Not too long ago
the correspondent from Belize wrote that a storm was predicted to go into that
area sometime this coming week. We have been having heavy rain again since
before dawn and a new Flood Alert has been issued until 9:15 a.m. These
conditions will remain through Tuesday and probably longer. I shall update
later, if possible. Have a wonderful day and may God bless us all.
Chile's Torres del Paine park named '8th Wonder of the World" by VirtualTourist
El Salvador's Santa Ana Volcano and Lake Coatepeque, Colombia's Coffee Cultural Landscape, Guatemala's Tikal National Park, Slovenia's Skocjan Caves, Mexico's Copper Canyon, Scotland's Dunnottar Castle, Belize's Great Blue Hole, Curacao's Queen Emma Bridge and Croatia's Old Town Dubrovnik are the other landmarks receiving the most votes to make up the top ten.
Government of the Bahamas : The Bahamas set to lead the CFATF in November
The Bahamas will be hosting the 38th Plenary Meeting of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) in Freeport, Grand Bahama from November 18-21, 2013.
The CFATF is an organisation of 29 states in the Caribbean basin which have agreed to implement common counter measures to address the problem of money laundering. The main objective of the CFATF is to achieve effective implementation of and compliance with the Financial Action Task Force's 40 Recommendations to prevent money laundering and to combat the financing of terrorism. Money Laundering is growing rapidly and constantly changing due to technological advances. For more than two decades, the CFATF has been conducting a number of typology exercises on money laundering with the aim of increasing awareness of the attendant risks to the region. These exercises allow for sharing of information collected by various bodies involved in combating money laundering.
8th Wonder of the World | Contest Vote Page - VirtualTourist.com
Full results