A more than favorable outcome in the May eighth I.C.J. referendum has led many to believe that the U.D.P. government will ride the wave of an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote to a snap general election should one be called before the scheduled November 2020 timeline. In fact, Prime Minister Barrow has gone on record immediately following […]
Preparations for Belize to take its case before the International Court of Justice, in respect of the unfounded Guatemalan claim, continue to be made, following a historic referendum on May eighth. Since the people of Belize overwhelmingly voted in favor of proceeding with the territorial dispute before the world court for resolution, government has been […]
Opposition Leader John Briceño, the only member of the People’s United Party to address the amendment in the house today, spoke on the P.U.P.’s willingness to work with the Barrow administration on behalf of the country. Aside from calling for transparency and accountability, Briceño also supports the allocation of financial resources to cover all expenses […]
Ambassador Assad Shoman continues to be a key figure in Belize’s move towards resolving the age-old territorial dispute with Guatemala at the International Court of Justice. He is one of two individuals representing government that have been named as agents to supervise the handling of Belize’s case before the world court. As such, the question […]
Turning to other news….it was an exceptionally violent weekend across the country. We start the crime news with a homicide in the west. Thirty-four-year-old Clifford Anthony Matute was murdered after midnight, on Saturday morning, in Teakettle Village, Cayo. He was at home on his verandah when two men on a motorcycle appeared. One of the […]
The second murder for the weekend occurred in the Old Capital on Faber’s Road Extension. Tyrick Francis was shot and killed as he was walking home. It is believed that a gunman waylaid him and as he was about to make a left turn on to Krooman Road, he was ambushed. The blood stains on […]
A minor was knocked down and killed overnight on the Hummingbird Highway and his body discovered at dawn today. Fifteen-year-old Marvin Morales left his aunt’s house in Pomona on bicycle en route to his home in Hope Creek, but never made it to his destination. He was struck by a vehicle whose driver never stopped […]
Less than a week after the shooting death of Lindon Baldwin on Ebony Street, police arrested and charged four persons, including a minor, for the crime. This afternoon, Shawn Gibson was first to appear before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer and arraigned for murder; he was remanded to prison until July twenty-first. Shortly after, fishermen Denver […]
A well-known attorney was pulled over by the Gang Suppression Unit on Faber’s Road on Thursday morning and a search of his vehicle yielded several rounds of unlicensed ammunition. Ordinarily, it is a charge that would land the driver behind bars for an indictable offense. The fact that he was set free following the raid […]
Charges may be upgraded for Zena Armstrong, who was charged earlier this week for the manslaughter of a Corozal teen. In the wake of Sunday’s stabbing death of nineteen-year-old Ana Villanueva, her family and friends, as well as the public, took to social media to express their discontent with the instruction by the Director of […]
There was an aggravated burglary in Kings Park in the early hours of this morning. Police were called out to Leslie Street in Belize City where businesswoman Jian Hong Wu reported that she had just left her business Wong Gock Restaurant and was entering her yard when she saw three dark complexion male persons wearing […]
On Monday, government will introduce the Maritime Areas Act (Amendment) Bill during a special Sitting of the House of Representatives. In the amendment, the government will claim all of Belize’s territorial waters. The 1992 Act was crafted during negotiations between Belize and Guatemala. At the time, the Maritime Areas Act was passed in order to […]
P.U.P. Leader John Briceño confirmed today that the Prime Minister has proposed to appoint a four-member committee as the country moves forward with taking the dispute to the International Court of Justice. The committee will be comprised of Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington who acts as chair and Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, both from the government […]
Last Wednesday, the people of Belize voted in favor of taking Guatemala’s unfounded claim to the International Court of Justice. For political observers, it’s a nod of approval for the U.D.P. by the people. But for Opposition Leader John Briceño, it’s not about scoring political points. Since the results, reports have surfaced that there might […]
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat has filed separate claims before the Supreme Court against the Government of Belize. Those lawsuits are in addition to pending litigation in the high court, following a decision by the Court of Appeal on Thursday. The bench ordered that a previously dismissed matter involving the firebrand politician being thrown […]
Parliamentarians will meet on Monday for a Special Sitting of the House of Representatives. The special sitting will be to primarily amend the Maritime Areas Act. While this step was expected given the May eighth I.C.J. results, it was not until earlier in the week that government announced that Cabinet had approved the amendment. In […]
The People’s United Party is meeting on Friday to determine a position ahead of a collective vote on the proposed amendment to the Maritime Areas Act. The House of Representatives will convene a special session on Monday to table specific changes to that piece of legislation. Earlier today, we caught up with Cayo South Area […]
It made headlines back in August 2016 when opposition parliamentarian Julius Espat was physically removed from the House of Representatives on the instruction of former House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte. The incident was unprecedented as the Cayo South Area Representative was manhandled and ejected out of the building by several police officers after raising the damning […]
This afternoon, we spoke with Espat who explained that there is merit to the claim that his constitutional rights were indeed violated when he was forcefully kicked out of the House meeting that Friday. Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo South “From the day it happened, we have been confident that it was not handled […]
According to Espat, he is seeking redress in the form of compensation for the length of time that he was suspended from the House without pay. Primarily, he wants it placed on record that the decision to oust him from parliament was unconstitutional. Isani Cayetano “What remedies are you seeking or would you be […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow is nearing the end of his term as leader of the United Democratic Party. The U.D.P.’s leadership convention is expected to be held sometime before February 2020. Two hopefuls, Deputy Party Leader Patrick Faber and Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar have made it quite clear that they will contest the leadership […]
Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte lost his bid to represent Port Loyola for the U.D.P. in the upcoming general elections. Peyrefitte was defeated by former Belize City councilor Philip Willoughby. Prime Minister Dean Barrow expressed disappointment in Peyrefitte’s loss, saying that Peyrefitte’s elevation to the House would have been an appropriate promotion given his performance in […]
Chilean national Juan Espinosa SaaVerdra pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an ATM scam in Dangriga and Belize City; he was fined a total of six thousand dollars, which he met forthwith and has now been handed over to the Immigration Department for his expulsion from the country. Espinosa, along with two other South Americans, […]
Nineteen-year-old Zena Armstrong is out on bail tonight, following the stabbing death of Ana Villanueva in Corozal Town over the weekend. Armstrong was arraigned for one count of manslaughter, for which she pleaded not guilty and was given bail of eight thousand dollars. On Sunday night, the young women were involved in a fight during […]
A watchman from San Ignacio is at home recovering from injuries he sustained during an aggravated burglary at his place of work just outside of Belmopan. On Tuesday morning, Juan Garcia stood watch at a farm near mile forty-four on the George Price Highway when he came under attack by four masked, armed robbers. Garcia […]
