The Christian Workers Union and the Port of Belize have made some progress in respect of their negotiations towards a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Reducing the number of stevedores by one person per gang, however, is another contentious matter that is bubbling below the surface. It is an issue that the union, as well as its […]
In respect of a tribunal to be put together to oversee the concerns of both parties, letters are being sent out to the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, as well as the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to select persons who will form the panel. The extension, says Doctor Carla Barnett, will also […]
A thirty-one-year-old Salvadoran national is accused of raping his five-year-old step-daughter on Monday night while she was left with him at their house in San Pedro. The step father was arraigned today in Belize City before Magistrate Emerson Banner who told him that no plea will be taken because the offence is of an indictable […]
The National Committee for Families and Children has joined the public outrage in condemning the disturbing rape report, saying that “our children need our help.” In a release, the N.C.F.C. states that the children remain under attack by those who should be in the position of keeping them safe. The N.C.F.C. says it has been […]
Twenty-six-year-old Japhet Bennett was released from the Belize Central Prison on Wednesday afternoon after a life sentence handed down to him at the age of sixteen was quashed by the Caribbean Court of Justice. Bennett was accused and subsequently convicted of the murder of Ellis ‘Peppa Gacho’ Meighan, who was shot and killed in Belize […]
Shooting victim, Kevin Thomas, clung to life for less than two days. But tonight the raffle man, as he is known, is dead. Thomas was shot multiple times on Monday night while standing in front of a store on the Yarborough Road. The bullets penetrated his abdomen and head and though he underwent surgery at […]
There is an alarming report coming out of San Pedro Town, today. A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped at the hands of her step-father who is in custody and has been charged with rape of a child. He is a thirty-one-year-old Salvadoran National. The child’s mother visited the San Pedro Police Station on Tuesday morning […]
A notice of intended industrial action to come into effect on Friday remains intact, despite a lengthy meeting between the Christian Workers Union and the Port of Belize Limited. The ongoing negotiations are in respect of working hours and remuneration for stevedores who are presently working in excess of fifteen hours in some instances. Since […]
Chief Executive Officer Arturo ‘Tux’ Vasquez has been at the helm of the company since the Port of Belize went into receivership in 2012. Despite the hostilities between P.B.L. and the stevedores, he says that progress has been made during this latest round of talks with the Christian Workers Union which is yet to submit […]
Progress was reached by both parties in the matter of outstanding salary increases which have been due to stevedores since 2015. According to Hyde, the agreement is important since it is an act of goodwill on the part of the union and the port to make good on that promise. Vasquez also said that the […]
The Caribbean Court of Justice today also delivered a judgment partly against Titan International Securities which launched a lawsuit against the Government of Belize after its offices on Coney Drive were raided on September ninth, 2014. The C.C.J. affirmed the Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside a four-point four-six million U.S. dollars award in […]
The son of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Noel Leal Junior, was executed and his Ladyville house ransacked likely by his killer over the weekend. Leal Junior was shot once to the back of his head inside his vehicle in an isolated area in the Mahogany Heights community on the George Price Highway. The thirty-three-year–old Ladyville […]
Tonight, Kevin Thomas, a popular raffle man, is fighting to stay alive at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital having undergone various rounds of surgery. Thomas was shot multiple times on the head and abdomen while at a Chinese Store in the Yarborough area. His alleged attacker waylaid him before letting loose a volley of bullets. […]
Prior to the shooting of Kevin Thomas, there was another act of gun violence over the extended weekend. Around one-thirty on Monday afternoon, in the vicinity of Belize Water Services Limited, forty-nine-year-old Elroy Saldano was fired upon by a lone gunman as he rode a bicycle in the direction of Central American Boulevard. According to […]
A pair of Guatemalan lawmen is in hot water for having crossed over into Belizean territory over the weekend with a concealed weapon inside their vehicle. Police officers Juan Garcia Palma and Armando Hub Pop were busted inside the Benque Viejo Free Zone on Saturday afternoon in possession of an Uzi submachine gun with matching […]
Turning to political news…In August, the People’s United Party’s Southern Caucus announced that it will vote against taking the Belize/Guatemala dispute for resolution to the International Court of Justice. The caucus’ stance is based on a notion that the southern section of the country stands to lose the most if the I.C.J. rules in favor […]
As of next week, P.U.P. Leader John Briceño will embark on a nationwide ‘listening’ tour. It’s his way of getting to know how the party’s standard bearers, area representatives, and supporters feel about taking Guatemala’s maritime, insular and territorial claim to the International Court of Justice for final resolution. Briceño will visit all thirty-one constituencies, […]
Foreign Affairs Minister, Wilfred Elrington, has come under heavy criticism for the nature of the ministry’s I.C.J. Referendum Campaign. On April tenth, 2019 voters will head to the polls and answer one of the most important questions in Belize’s history: “should the Guatemala’s claim be taken to the I.C.J. for final resolution?” From the unofficial […]
There was a fatal shooting in San Pedro on Thursday night. Two brothers Julian and Armando Trapp were among a group of friends when they came under fire. The Trapp brothers had just ordered food at a local restaurant on the island when they came under attack. Julian was hit many times and died inside […]
Orange Walk Police have made some progress in the murder investigation of twenty-one-year-old Jose “Duffy” Medina. Accompanied by an attorney, one of the persons wanted for questioning handed himself over to police today. That individual we are told is an associated of the Back-A-Town Crips Gang and is known to police. Going into the extended […]
The Caribbean Court of Justice has ordered the Government of Belize to repay businessman David Gegg more than four hundred thousand dollars plus six percent simple interest per annum which amounts to more than half a million Belize dollars. The ruling was handed down in favour of Cruise Solutions Limited and Discovery Expeditions Limited, companies […]
The C.C.J.’s ruling sets a precedent which other tour operators may want to rely on. Of note is that operators such as Yhony Rosado, who operates Cavetubing.com, also had troubles with the GST department after he was assessed for more than half a million dollars in taxes. In today’s judgment, the C.C.J. concluded that while […]
British national, Roger Wallis, appeared before Justice Adolph Lucas this afternoon on a bail application. The sixty-three-year-old businessman is accused of the attempted kidnapping of an eight-year old Belmopan boy who he allegedly attempted to force into his white van. The prosecution had initially not opposed bail last week, but today Justice Lucas reviewed the […]
Also appearing before Justice Lucas was thirty-year-old Magdiel Ceas, charged for the unlawful sexual assault of a missing girl half his age. Ceas is originally from San Jose Village, Orange Walk, but has been living in Placencia for some time now as a construction worker. On October eighth, he was charged for the crime in […]
The Belize National Teachers Union and the Ministry of Education are at a crossroads once again. Their latest disagreement involves the re-categorization of hardship allowances and time-off to collect salary. When the union called a press conference two weeks ago, its executive had received a letter from the ministry for further discussions on the matter. […]
