WEATHER

“Paisano”, Habib Hajara, will always be remembered as an icon of Ambergris Caye. Paisano was 73-years-old when he passed away on December 30th, due to a heart attack. He was found on the street leading up to his house. He was born in Palestine (exact location – unknown) and from stories Paisano told his children, he ran away from his homeland because of problems in the country. From various accounts, it is estimated that Paisano first arrived in the Belize when he was in his mid-30’s. More

With nationwide town and city council balloting set for March first, the Election and Boundaries Commission today held a press conference to outline how preparations are going. According to Chief Elections Officer, Stuart Leslie, at the end of 2005 the number of registered voters stood at one hundred and thirty-four thousand, nine hundred and seventeen. Between that time and the Tuesday night deadline another two thousand or so new voters signed up, bringing the total electorate to around one hundred and thirty-six thousand. According to the latest census, this amounts to a healthy eighty-eight point five percent of all those Belizeans eligible to register. As for the counting of ballots, Leslie says that all efforts will be made to ensure speed and accuracy. More

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A key argument used by U.S. transnationals and the Bush administration to pass the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)—that Central American countries themselves needed and wanted the agreement—has broken down on the eve of implementation of the controversial pact. Indeed, if CAFTA is finally implemented in Central America, U.S. foreign policymakers will be living with the consequences of having forced a discredited policy on a population that widely opposes the trade agreement's provisions. It will be up to the people of Central America and the Dominican Republic, along with allies abroad, to track CAFTA's damage and demand a more democratic and just alternative that places the needs of human populations above the narrow interests of U.S. corporations such as the pharmaceutical firms. More

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The prime minister of oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago advised neighbouring nations this week not to count on the PetroCaribe oil deal with Venezuela to solve their energy needs. In response to record oil prices, 13 Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, signed the deal with the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last year. More

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The Calendar Girl Project:

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