An ecumenical church service gave way to the traditional opening of the Supreme Court this morning. Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin was joined by other judges, magistrates, attorneys and others in the legal fraternity, as well as spectators, as he inspected the guard of honor that is mounted to mark the solemnity of the occasion in […]
So while the 2018 calendar is off to a solid start, what becomes of the unresolved cases from previous years for which the bar association brought pressure to bear on the Chief Justice to deliver those judgments? It’s a question that we posed to the Attorney General this morning. He says that in spite of […]
Extradition proceedings against Andrew Bennett are set to commence as soon as Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington signs a sheaf of documents presented by Solicitor General Nigel Hawke, on behalf of the United States government. The well-known attorney was a no-show at the opening of the Supreme Court earlier today, amid the scandal that has ensued […]
The Ministers of Works and Home Affairs were put on the spot in the House of Representatives on Friday by Stann Creek West area representative Rodwell Ferguson. Rene Montero was directly questioned about the explosion in the Santa Cruz area of Santa Elena Town in December, which killed a manager for Tiger Aggregates, the company […]
Following the House meeting, Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Dean Barrow appeared willing to lay all the blame on Tiger Aggregates. While he was not completely clear on the question, he insisted on two things: one, that there could be no arrangement between Belize Roadway Construction and the Works Minister and Cayo Central […]
Like most viewers on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington was watching the news when he saw the report by the Belize Territorial Volunteers’ leader Wil Maheia. Maheia was accompanying members of a youth basketball team led by Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn on a trip to Sarstoon Island when they encountered members of the Guatemalan […]
Back in December former Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay demanded that current Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington clashed over the Maritime Areas Act. Courtenay asked Elrington to reveal which legal advisors he and the government have been consulting in the U.K. who suggest that the Act should not be repealed right away, lest it offend Guatemala. Elrington […]
The spectre of loss in aid from the United States hangs over Belize and other countries, one hundred and twenty-eight in total, who voted in favour of a United Nations resolution in December. This resolution opposed the U.S. decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv, the national capital, to Jerusalem, the historic […]
The resurfacing of the Caye Caulker airstrip and additional improvements appears to be a done deal. From an initial seven-point-five million contract to Imer Hernandez Development Company Limited, the project will now cost just under four million dollars and be more limited than initially outlined. Responding to a question in the House of Representatives on […]
The United Nations Convention Against Corruption, UNCAC, was all the chatter among the unions and government’s social partners in late 2016, following the eleven-day strike effected by the Belize National Teachers Union that October. The one-year anniversary of signing on to that accord was commemorated in December and strides are being made for government to […]
Just before the Christmas holiday we reported on a blaze at the barracks on Flamboyant Street that left two families without a roof over their head. The fire department reported that a child caused that fire and a candle caused the most recent fire in Taylor’s Alley. Today Assistant Fire Chief Benisford Matura reminded the […]
The House of Representatives met today in a chilly Belmopan for the first time in 2018. The widely anticipated 2018 General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation Bill dealing with the UHS judgment was presented for first reading. This follows the arrival of the official certificate of judgment from the C.C.J. on Thursday, which sets the tab at […]
The Prime Minister repeated in greater detail his earlier sentiments from the November twenty-second press conference which seemed to present a legal basis by which Parliament could decide not to pay the judgment. He cited cases, lawyer-style, from other Commonwealth jurisdictions facing similar issues, and even suggested means in which the Crown Proceedings Act or […]
But Opposition Leader John Briceño appears unconvinced by any of it. Following the House meeting he told reporters that none of the Prime Minister’s arguments or those of the attorneys the government has paid over the years have succeeded where it counts; indeed, the only success has been to increase the debt burden. He also […]
The Prime Minister indicated that there will be at least a month’s grace period to the next House meeting when the debate takes place. In that time, the interest continues to accrue. But apart from the legal arguments, the moral question is a much easier one for the Prime Minister to respond to: in short, […]
As noted in our top story, Prime Minister Dean Barrow is going ahead with the Commission of Inquiry agreed on with the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. But before any appointments can be made and a schedule set, the Congress has to draft terms of reference for review by legal authorities. Prime Minister […]
The other major issue debated by the House today is a motion to approve a Taiwan ICDF loan to Belize Telemedia Limited for its Internet program. That loan is to cover ninety-six million dollars for a national broadband program which has already been rolled out to San Pedro. But the primary objection by the Opposition […]
In reply, with assistance from Mesopotamia representative Michael Finnegan, Prime Minister Dean Barrow attempted to show how circumstances have changed. As the P.M. said, B.T.L. is majority-owned by the government and the Social Security Board, and it is a public service. He also noted that such government guarantees are par for the course, and suggested […]
Five days into the New Year, there’s news that consumers don’t want to hear. Fuel prices are going up at midnight so hurry up to the gas station. Today, the Belize Bureau of Standards posted on its website that there will be an increase on all types of fuel, except for regular gasoline, which will […]
The Police Department is under severe pressure in the investigation of one of its own, Woman Police Constable Michelle Brown for the murder of Fareed Ahmad on December twenty-eighth. In a release issued this evening, police say that their investigation, “has unearthed no evidence that [Ahmad’s] death was a “state- ordered” execution… The Commissioner of […]
Minister Wilfred Elrington has also weighed in on the Fareed Ahmad homicide investigation. He reiterates what the lead investigator for the Professional Standards Branch indicated on Tuesday, that there is no evidence to suggest that other police officers were involved in the Ahmad’s murder. As for the troubling messages that were allegedly sent to members […]
The ceremonial opening of the Supreme Court on Monday will possibly buy Andrew Bennett additional time to lawyer up and prepare a defense ahead of extradition proceedings. That is if Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington endorses paperwork compiled by the Attorney General’s office on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Bennett is wanted by U.S. authorities […]
The Public Utilities Commission today issued a paid statement opposing news reports this week on the ongoing audit of its finances. But Prime Minister Dean Barrow as Minister of Finance is aware of the allegations being made against the Commission and spoke of what he knew today. While he is yet to see a completed […]
Heavyweight boxer Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller is on a rise to the top of boxing with his name used in the same sentence as some of the greats in the past. Maybe you’ve seen one or two fights with him in recent years, but what you may not know is that he is a Belizean-American. […]
Like many who have made resolutions to lose weight this year, some couples are planning to welcome a new baby in 2018. The health of the mother is important even before pregnancy and expecting mothers are encouraged to make early bookings to ensure a healthy baby. News Five’s Duane Moody heads over to NHI on […]
