Headline News Garinagu celebrate 186th anniversary Belize’s proud ethnic group celebrates arrival in The Jewel, calls for “return to roots”... The Garifuna people have had many crosses to bear, many injustices to face, and one of the toughest battles of any ethnic group in Belize to keep what is their own, in light of an increasingly globalized world encroaching on them as the British did in St. Vincent two centuries ago. advertisment   Top Stories KREM Radio celebrates 20 years On Saturday night in 1989, Belizeans first heard the sound of music just the way they liked it – pulsating punta, strutting rap and hip hop, smooth rhythm and blues – a marked change from the stuffy contemporary music played on the government-owned, heavily-censored, now-defunct Broadcasting Corporation of Belize/Radio Belize. view full story BTL threatens to pull the plug on SMART’s international calls SpeedNet Communications, owner of the SMART brand, and Belize Telemedia Limited, owner of the Digicell brand, today fired off press releases in their latest round of corporate war over agreements that the companies had signed back in 2004 for the sale of services to SMART from BTL. view full story Public auction appeared to be “private treaty:” Chief Justice Conteh C.J. quashes auction of 3 acres for $27,500 in tax arrears... Land transactions are known to be rife with opportunities for fraud and fast dealing, and a recent ruling by the Chief Justice, Dr. Abdulai Conteh, has left even the courts wondering why what should have been a straightforward and clear process has turned out to be one riddled by missteps and illegality. view full story PUC approves 10.6% increase in water bills At a press conference held Wednesday afternoon at its office in Belize City, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) announced that it had issued an initial decision in the Full Tariff Review Proceedings (for rates spanning 2010-2015) proposing an across-the-board increase of 10.6% in water bills. view full story Taxpayers acquire BTL’s $45 million debt with Belize Bank (Turks & Caicos) When the Government of Belize acquired Telemedia back in August—on incorrect claims that it would put an end to litigation with the Ashcroft group of companies—it acquired the company with two major debts: a $19.2 million loan for the acquisition of Intelco assets (this one due to GOB), and a $45 million loan (US$22.5 million) with the Belize Bank, which BTL claimed it got to purchase some shares formerly held by American Jeffrey Prosser, and also to make capital investments. view full story