“...there is no way in hell I would remove Mr. Elrington for something like this,” PM Barrow told Channel 7... Two of Belize’s leading attorneys—one of them a legal advisor of the Dean Barrow administration; the other an ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs—have gone on record to say that Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, the current Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, was wrong in calling Belize’s border with Guatemala “artificial” in the context of the ongoing territorial dispute between the countries – a dispute that the Organization of American States (OAS) has recommended should be settled at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Caribbean company explores... Belize, particularly the Cayo District, is being explored for its store of precious metals, such as gold and silver, as well as lead and other associated metals—tin and zinc. How much of these metals are buried underneath the surface of the Chiquibul area in western Belize is uncertain, but a letter dated August 15, 1978, made available to our newspaper recently, suggests that there may be more “wealth untold” in The Jewel than Belizeans know.

Senator Hulse says Elrington “needs to offer a clear statement on this matter and inform the OAS accordingly, requesting them to issue another press statement with the clarification.” Barrow: Elrington’s statement that Belize-Guatemala border is artificial was “unfortunate”

“I do not trust you all” -- Miss Emma... Still holding ministerial talks over their territorial dispute, Belize and Guatemala met in Washington, DC, USA, on Wednesday, and reports coming out of the Organization of American States (OAS), which hosted the meeting, indicate that a “high level” working group will be set up by ambassadors of both countries to address cross-border concerns.

The scandal-rocked City Hall has had one heck of a year in 2009, with allegations of the under-depositing scandal which have led to criminal charges being levied against Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers and her finance team, as well as the untimely passing of the former Director of Finance, Dwain Davis.

“They will fight like the devil, but Telemedia is equally prepared to fight them.” - Prime Minister Barrow... The court ruling “is telling BTL to break the law, by telling BTL to do something the PUC does not approve of.” – PUC chairman John Avery to Amandala

“All around us, fish stocks are disappearing. Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica all have their eyes on our prize. The volume of traps on just one of these boats far outnumbers the traps that presently exist in the entire town of Punta Gorda.” – Wil Maheia

Ashcroft’s bank threatens to put an end to BTL... The nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has turned nasty with a move by the Michael Ashcroft camp to shut down BTL through a procedure set out in the Companies Act that allows for a bank to instigate the winding up of a company unable to pay its debts—a $45 million loan now running a $50 million tab, according to Ashcroft’s British Caribbean Bank (BCB) in the Turks and Caicos, sister company of Belize Bank in Belize.

Keith Arnold, former Central Bank governor and ex-chair of BTL, asks court to void Telemedia nationalization... Claim filed in the name of BTL Workers Trust, but BTL workers not onboard

As the KHMH Commission of Inquiry begins, recently completed audit report cites numerous questionable activities at hospital and Ministry of Health, involving senior officials and employees... The long-awaited Commission of Inquiry into the process for procurement of pharmaceutical and medical supplies at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) began this morning in Belize City with the reading of the recently completed general audit report into the record.

British Caribbean Bank and Belize Bank sue for $58 million... There is more contention over the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) as we go to press tonight, and it centers on recent reports of lawsuits by two Michael Ashcroft banks to recover $58 million from the government-controlled BTL and its affiliate, Sunshine Holdings Trust, as well as claims that the government has wrongly taken on the private sector debts.

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.

In Sunday night darkness, Right Now, Tio John collide off North Ambergris Caye…. Right Now’s assistant captain dead, skipper critical; captain of Tio John alleges Right Now had no lights on

Retired public servant died of internal problems; delayed surgery caused complications... The family of the late Luis Rodriguez, 77, an official of the Forestry Department until his premature retirement due to an on-the-job accident, is in mourning after his untimely passing around 8:45 Wednesday morning at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City.