This morning, the courts took a break from court proceedings and instead the judiciary participated in the JURIST project which is the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening Project. A cross-section of stakeholders also participated in the two-day workshop. Funded by the Canadian Government, JURIST is being implemented in the region to improve the administration of […]
The Chief Justice says that one project that has had success in the Court of Appeal involves backlog elimination. The initiative is still in progress and involves case management methods and the streamlining of the appeal process. Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize “We hope that the next project initiative would be the development […]
Born out of a social research known as the Gayle Report, conducted in Belize over six years ago, Like A Bushfire was officially launched at the Image Factory this morning. The book which focuses on inner city violence was co-written by several authors, including anthropologist Doctor Herbert Gayle and education officer Nelma Mortis. The social […]
In 2013, Cubola Productions approached the research team with an idea to compile the results of the Gayle Report into book form. It has been three years since and the result is long in the making. With all the resources and time invested in the project, Dr. Gayle says that the work is a labor […]
Belize Water Services Limited has announced a partnership with Restore Belize’s “I am Belize” Scholarship Program, as well as the Belize National Sports Council. BWS has pledged to assist with funding for the annual academic initiative by making available a total of forty thousand dollars to be disbursed over the course of the next four […]
Each of the various representatives, including Roger Bradley and Ritchel Dominguez, described their respective programs. The ‘I am Belize’ Scholarship Program began several years ago and was primarily funded through the B.N.E. Trust Fund. Meanwhile it is the first time Belize is hosting the CODICADER Games. In accepting the contributions of BWS, an overview of […]
The Fisher of the Year Award Ceremony was held in Belize City this morning to acknowledge fisher folks, men and women, who have been outstanding in their effort to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries. The event was held at the Coastal Zone Training Room where representatives from the Wildlife Conservation Society, as well as other stakeholder […]
Guadalupe Lampella has been a fisherwoman for over forty-five years. She was selected as the Outstanding Fisher Folk for 2016 after meeting the criteria of participating in the decision-making process, assuming her responsibility for sustainability and contributing to food security. Guadalupe Lampella, Outstanding Fisher Folk 2016 “I have to say first of all that […]
On Monday evening, Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie, accompanied by Special Branch head Marco Vidal, called a press conference purportedly to brief the media on the detention of nineteen members of the Ahmad family from Hattieville last week Monday. It’s a curious case. The Muslim family was part of a major, organized sweep which targeted […]
Six homes raided in a coordinated sweep, a Muslim family detained by Police, all electronic items seized and surely scrutinized, a warrant presented based on probable cause of a Conspiracy to Damage Property and Conspiracy to Commit Murder. It all sounds like the stuff of a Tom Clancy novel. Actually, it also sounds like a […]
A massive cleanup campaign to remove a substantial amount of debris in the wake of an overnight fire in San Pedro continued this morning. The flames eviscerated eleven buildings after midnight on Sunday, leaving eighty-eight persons homeless in what is quite possibly the worst fire in the island’s history. A team of volunteers arrived at […]
On the ground in San Pedro, the District Emergency Management Organization continues its efforts to return a sense of normalcy to the area hardest hit by the fire. Since Monday, the organization has been coordinating with other agencies to provide relief for the displaced families. That initiative includes the collection of funds to assist with […]
What is the future of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? That’s the question conservationists are asking in light of international attention focused on the vulnerability of the barrier reef. According to an announcement from the World Wildlife Fund, a World Heritage Committee has released a draft decision pertaining […]
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will convene in Istanbul, Turkey in July to debate the status of some of the most extraordinary natural places on the planet. This includes the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. Earlier this year, WWF called for greater protection of the barrier reef from harmful industrial activities such as oil, gas […]
As we told you earlier, the arbitration award is in and no matter how it’s spun, it’s bad news for G.O.B. – about three hundred and fifty million dollars-worth of bad news. That’s surely going to bring some serious scrutiny down on a very recent decision by the S.S.B. to look into buying B.T.L. shares […]
Brackett today sent out a call to the S.S.B. to halt any transaction with G.O.B. where the shares are concerned, at least until there is much more consultation and much more light shone on the pros and cons of the deal. Geovanni Brackett, President, COLA “This administration has had hundreds of millions of dollars […]
On Monday Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie also spoke about Police presence in Punta Gorda. There have been two murders recently and while Police have arraigned two persons for the first in San Benito Poite, it has highlighted the remote location of the communities and the effect that has on Police response. First, though, the […]
It’s a question that has been raised in the past – can civilians take photographs and video of Police Officers while they are conducting their duties? It was raised again Monday because of an incident in which a Police officer photographed during an operation allegedly forced the photographer, a reporter, to delete the photos. Commissioner […]
In March of last year, Moses Sulph entered into an agreement with an individual to order a number of items which would later be purchased upon delivery. When the products arrived the customer was unable to pay her bill because she was reportedly strapped for cash. Sulph, a trader, agreed to a payment plan with […]
For the past two days, the Ministry of Education has been hosting a conference on Cyber Security. The awareness workshop opened dialogue with principals of secondary schools, IT teachers, parents, board members, primary and secondary school counselors as well as students about virtual hazards. Cyber security is essentially the policies that individuals and in this […]
Cyber bullying, the release of nudes and sex tapes on social media platforms have become a concern in Belize, exposing the lack of personal securities. But according to the professionals, the intervention starts at home. Parents must be vigilant with their children on the use of electronic devices. Cleveland Thomas and Doctor Kay Xuereb of […]
On Monday, June twentieth, Police rounded up nineteen members of the Ahmad family from six different homes in Hattieville. The homes were searched and documents, weapons and electronic items were seized by the Police. Interestingly, the family was released ten hours after without being informed of why they were detained in the first place. The […]
Still not revealing anything, Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie explained that he is satisfied that the investigation, search and seizure were conducted within the parameters of the law. That will be a matter for the Court to decide, since the Commissioner says he has already gotten a letter from an attorney representing the Ahmad family. […]
Today, the top brass of the Belize Police Department gathered to pay tribute to seven officers – four of them involved in the bizarre shootout in front of the Queen Street Police Station last week. Three men – Corporal Brian Miller, Corporal Joel Grinage and PC Criston Moore received their awards for bravery at the […]
One police officer who certainly won’t be receiving any awards of distinction anytime soon is Detective Constable Urbie Alamilla. Alamilla was charged criminally last week for discharging his weapon in a bar while allegedly under the influence. Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie says that while cops are human, cops who do wrong are an embarrassment […]
