The government has introduced a major legal reform that now prohibits the registration of political party symbols as trademarks. The change, made official through Statutory Instrument No. 90 of 2025, was announced today by the Attorney General’s Ministry in collaboration with the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO).
The amendment closes a long-standing legal gap that allowed private individuals or unaffiliated entities to register political party logos, names, or emblems for commercial purposes.
The new rules bar BELIPO’s Registrar from accepting any trademark applications containing such political symbols.
According to the ministry, the reform represents a significant step in protecting Belize’s political heritage and democratic integrity. Under the updated rules, a “political party symbol” is broadly defined to include any insignia, emblem, flag, seal, logo, design, or name associated with a political party that has participated in elections over the past ten years.
The Attorney General’s Ministry stressed that the measure is not aimed at restricting the lawful use of trademarks in commerce. Instead, it is intended to ensure that political identity is preserved as a public good—not a private commodity.
Summer may be a time for rest, but for forty Belizean students, it’s also the start of a new academic journey. This morning, Pathlight Belize hosted a special ceremony in Belize City to celebrate its newest scholarship recipients under the Sponsorship Plus Programme.
The awards span across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, including 40 high school scholarships, 21 associate degree awards, and 8 scholarships at the bachelor’s level. The recipients were selected not only for their academic achievements but also for their financial need and long-term potential.
Pathlight Belize’s Director, Erica Clother-Joseph, explained that the programme received “over 275 applications just from primary school students transitioning into high school. From that, we were able to select 40 students across our centres in Orange Walk, Belize City, and Belmopan.”
She added that shortlisted applicants undergo a competitive process, including reading and math assessments and a panel interview. “We focus mainly on the student’s academic potential and financial need,” she added.
Pathlight’s Sponsorship Plus Programme opens doors to opportunities that would otherwise remain out of reach for many.
Just days after a global success with the movie STRAW, US media mogul Tyler Perry is now accused of sexual assault and harassment by actor Derek Dixon.
BBC reported that Dixon filed a $260 million lawsuit in Los Angeles with claims that Perry used his industry influence to create a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” while casting him in Perry’s TV shows The Oval and Ruthless.
Dixon alleges Perry promised career success but retaliated with escalating harassment and professional consequences when Dixon rejected his advances. The lawsuit states Perry warned Dixon his character would “die” if he ignored the sexual innuendos, effectively pressuring him to comply.
Perry’s lawyer dismissed the claims as a “scam” designed to extort money, asserting that the accusations will fail. Dixon describes multiple incidents, including one where Perry allegedly pinned him to a wall in a trailer and fondled him.
To escape the alleged harassment, Dixon resigned from The Oval and refused a subsequent writing position offered by Perry.
Thirteen-year-old Lissy Suntecun has been found safe after going missing earlier this week, which has brought a wave of relief to her family and the wider community. The teenager vanished on Monday afternoon after leaving school during lunchtime, prompting a frantic search effort.
With only a single lead, and that being a white pickup truck seen near the school, Lissy’s father took the investigation into his own hands. He tracked the vehicle to August Pine Ridge and alerted police, who searched a residence in the village and found Lissy alive and in the company of a relative.
“Yesterday we looked into about the car. My son went to August Pine Ridge,” said Lissy’s grandmother, Oralia Rosado. “When my son arrived in August Pine Ridge, he found the car and then he went to report to the police.”
As previously reported, Lissy had told friends that an aunt was picking her up that day. The family is now waiting for police to complete their investigation into what exactly happened.
The child is currently in police custody and is expected to be released back to her family.
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) is turning up the heat on the Government of Belize, just one day after the Public Service Union (PSU)protested at the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA). In a press conference held this morning, the NTUCB reaffirmed its support for the PSU, the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU), and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM), insisting that their calls for an 8.5% salary adjustment and minimum wage increase are being ignored.
NTUCB President Ella Waight firmly pointed out what she called political attempts to discredit union leaders.
“Union leaders are elected representatives of working people, not political pawns,” she said. “This pattern of scapegoating is a dangerous distraction from the real issues.”
Waight warned that if attacks on union leaders persist, the NTUCB will escalate the matter to the ILO’s Standards Application Committee. She said today’s briefing was intended to display union unity, counter government “propaganda,” and show that industrial action is grounded in fairness.
“Industrial action affects and ultimately benefits the wider public and reassures members and the public that union leadership is acting transparently, collectively and strategically,” Waight added.
The NTUCB, the umbrella organisation, made it clear that it is ready to act in coordination with the unions.
Erick came ashore near Punta Maldonado in western Oaxaca with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and stronger gusts. The storm had briefly reached Category 4 status before weakening slightly ahead of landfall.
According to Mexico’s national weather agency, torrential rains of up to 250 mm are forecast across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with intense rain also expected in Chiapas, Puebla, and Veracruz.
Strong winds and waves up to 10 metres are pounding coastal areas, and a storm surge of up to 3.5 metres could cause significant flooding.
Erick is expected to weaken rapidly over mountainous terrain and could dissipate by early Friday. Meanwhile, the threat of flash flooding, landslides, and overflowing rivers remains high.
Hurricane warnings remain in effect from Acapulco to Puerto Ángel.
Meanwhile, the NHC is monitoring a separate low-pressure system forming near the same region. While development is unlikely in the next 48 hours, conditions may gradually become more favourable as it moves west-northwest along the coasts of southern Mexico once more. The chance of formation over the next seven days remains low at 20%.
The clock is ticking, and pressure is building. Labor Minister Florencio Marin Jr. is back in Belize after a two-week working trip to Geneva, but he’s returned to a growing crisis. The Public Service Union has officially declared a trade dispute with the government, and they’re making sure their voices are heard. Just last week, public officers marched through the streets of Belmopan, heading straight to the Labor Office to demand action. That was on June ninth, and now a twenty-one-day countdown to possible industrial action is underway. So, what’s at stake for the Briceño administration? According to P.S.U. President Dean Flowers, the Minister of Labor is aware of the union’s position.
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“He acknowledged receiving that trade dispute and he informed us that, in accordance with the law, he will now be considering that trade dispute based on the grounds in which it was declared. He has twenty-one days to do that and within that twenty-one days he’s supposed to either identify a solution or set up a tribunal to bring the parties together to find a solution. After twenty-one days the Public Service Union and all its essential services units attached to the Public Service Union can engage in full-fledged industrial action, including strike action. And so, I want to make clear that with the declaration of that trade dispute, it simply gives the government an opportunity to know that even the essential services are now at liberty to engage in any form of industrial action that they choose to. And that would be primarily the financial sector, BTSD, customs, immigration, the petroleum sector as well, civil aviation sector, the fire department, those are essential services. We have a strategic plan which involves strategic ministries and we will disrupt services every step of the way once the Briceno administration continues with the disrespect that they are doing. Today, I have a two-day visit in the Ladyville area to engage public officers, because public officers are also, it’s important that we engage with those public officers and we’ve been doing that countrywide. We’ve been saying to our branch chairs, “Reach out to your public officers, do your departmental visits, sensitize them on the issues and let them know that they voted for this trade dispute.”
It was a tense afternoon at the Philip Goldson International Airport, where members of the Public Service Union showed up to protest right at the country’s busiest travel hub. With signs in hand and voices raised, P.S.U. members made their presence known—right where visitors were arriving. But things didn’t stay quiet for long. Union President Dean Flowers was blocked from entering the terminal, his vehicle booted, and police presence ramped up. Still, the union stood firm, using the high-traffic location to spotlight their growing frustration with the Briceño administration, especially over that long-promised eight-point-five percent salary increase. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with the following story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
This afternoon, the Public Service Union took their protest to one of the country’s busiest gateways—the Philip Goldson International Airport.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“I was requested to do some office visit at the PGIA. I am carrying out my legal responsibility as president of this union It is not my fault that the Briceno administration is afraid that the visitors of this country to be informed of the oppressive administration that he’s administering.”
It was a peaceful but pointed demonstration, aimed at making sure their message reaches far beyond the picket lines. As visitors moved through the terminals, PSU members made their presence known, using the high-traffic location to spotlight their ongoing concerns with the government.
Dean Flowers
“Their tourist dollars is going in the pockets of a concession company who’s exploiting a contract that was recently renewed. He needs to say that to the tourists, he needs to justify that. Now, ih wah deny me from pick up my people dehn because he sees me as a threat. The biggest threat is Cabinet, that is where the deals are being brokered.”
With an increase in police presence at the PGIA, Flowers and other union members were blocked from entering the airport. Nonetheless, it was a bold move aimed at drawing national, and international, attention to their ongoing trade dispute with the government. With signs in hand and voices raised, the union is making it clear: their demands aren’t going anywhere.
Glenfield Dennison
Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator
“Our president had a meeting, and we are here to show our support to our president.”
Reporter
“So the president of the PSU has had to park outside of the barrier, as you guys can see. He’s been barred from entering.”
Glenfield Dennison
“Yes, they stopped me too. Well, they tried to stop me and then I told them about unlawful detention and the senior police officers had them open the barrier.”
In the parking lot nearby, a small but determined group of public officers stood their ground—posters in hand, message loud and clear. The Public Service Union is ramping up pressure on the Briceno administration, frustrated over stalled negotiations and that elusive 8.5% salary increase.
Annisa Gonzalez
Annisa Gonzalez, 1st Vice President, P.S.U.
“As you can see, my poster, it reflects of what exactly is happening. Now, we are harassing the trade unionists and that has become an important thing in Belize. It’s important for Belizeans to recognize that we don’t have freedom of speech anymore, we don’t have freedom of expression, we don’t have freedom of congregating. Today was geared towards letting the tourists understand what’s going on in Belize. We welcome all the tourists in the country, but as such, we have a lot of things that are going on. We have multiple police presence here. I’m not sure why we have so many police presence here right now, but that is what is happening right now.”
Things escalated quickly outside Terminal One this afternoon. Members of the Public Service Union took their demonstration a step further, blocking the entrance to the terminal in a bold show of defiance. A boot was placed on a vehicle belonging to PSU President Dean Flowers, but his supporters didn’t flinch.
Dean Flowers
“I cohn pick up sohn people and dehn lock my vehicle. How di hell dehn wahn lock my vehicle and I noh di utilize dehn parking lot. Then dehn wah look pan me and tell me that I haffi goh pay fifty dollars fuh mek dehn unlock my vehicle. What do they think, that I da di tourist weh dehn di charge forty-five dollars exit tax and exploit fi dehn own benefit? Noh man!”
The Public Service Union is standing firm, and they’re not standing alone. P.S.U. President Dean Flowers says the union is staying the course in its fight for fairness, and now they’re getting backup. Utility unions and other affiliates of the NTUCB are joining forces under the ‘Save Belize Campaign,’ showing solidarity with public officers and teachers. But Flowers isn’t just talking about salaries, he’s also raising serious questions about a decades-old airport concession deal and a sharp hike in departure taxes. According to him, it’s time to hold leaders accountable.
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“We will stay the course. We have no other option but stay the course. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the utility unions who have reached out to the joint unions, who have sent their solidarity out to the unions publicly, who have met consistently over the past two weeks with the unions and who will join that ‘Save Belize Campaign with the other affiliates of the NTUCB and I want to acknowledge them this morning for that. Belize, we have an opportunity here, not simply to get equity in the public service for teachers and public officers, we have an opportunity here to hold our elected leaders accountable. We want to speak about the airport authority, the concession company. It seems that we forgot that that thirty-year concession which we couldn’t see expired two years ago. Was it renewed? And for how long was it renewed? Word is ninety-nine years. These are people who are not putting in even a cent in the airport because they are charging the departure tax now at forty-five U.S. dollars, overpricing the industry. So when the Minister of Tourism said two days ago that we did get wahn drop, of course we wahn get wah drop because unu have people who fleece di airport fi thirty years without putting in a cent, and now raising the departure tax to fund the expansion.”
The standoff continues between the Government of Belize and the Joint Union Negotiating Team, with no resolution in sight over the unions’ demand for an eight-and-a-half percent salary increase for public service workers. The government says it simply can’t afford to pay that amount upfront this fiscal year, but it’s offering to phase it in over three years. That proposal? Flatly rejected by union members, who are also raising red flags about a new five percent pension contribution for incoming public officers starting in October. Just last week, union leaders marched to the Ministry of Labor in Belmopan, formally declaring a trade dispute. So, what’s next? We spoke with the government negotiator, Senator Christopher Coye, to find out if a new offer is on the table.
Christopher Coye, Government Negotiator
“I think that’s a decision for the cabinet and Prime Minister, but ultimately we can only do what we can afford. So the finances and reviewing the finances, looking at what makes economic sense, what makes financial sense, not just for today but for tomorrow and further into the future is what we have to have a bunch of before any adjustments can be made. What is clear is that we can afford what was proposed in a second proposal.”
Reporter
“And was that, as the teachers read it, that it was including the four percent linked to the pension changes and some pension reform?”
Christopher Coye
“I think the pension reform propositions that’s been on the table, that’s been a part of the ongoing discussions between the government and the joint unions for a couple of years now. There’s been quite a bit of analysis, but what is absolutely clear, certainly what I’ve seen, is that there has been miscommunication, if not misinformation being provided to the public by the joint unions. So far as what the reform proposals constitute. There is no proposition that all existing public officers and teachers immediately have to pay five percent contribution. That’s totally inaccurate. And what is in fact the case and what is being put on as the proposition is an incremental move from non-contributory to a contributor’s pension plan. There is no non-contributory pension plan for public officers in the entirety of the Caribbean and Latin America. It’s a total anomaly that it continues to exist in Belize. But at the same time, I think the government recognizes that it has to be a process, there has to be a process both in relation to contribution rate, in relation to retirement age and in relation to the replacement rate.”
