The decriminalization of marijuana, specific quantities of the drug, is a topic that is once again at the forefront of public discourse. The issue was raised on Monday by the National Evangelical Association of Belize during its annual general meeting. It was among several presentations made before an audience of about a hundred and fifty […]
According to President Lance Lewis, while alcoholism is an issue youths are facing, it was not discussed at today’s gathering. The concern with decriminalizing marijuana, says Lewis, is a more pressing matter that the association is firmly against. Lance Lewis, President, NEAB “We did not discuss alcohol but we discussed marijuana and we see […]
The People’s United Party weighed into the debate today with a very strongly worded release and position. It made reference to an assertion by Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales to the Guatemalan media on Saturday that all of the Sarstoon belongs to Guatemala. The P.U.P. stated that it (quote) categorically rejects the specious claim […]
Maya Island Air Cessna Flight two, twenty-two with seven passengers on board was forced to abort its flight and make an emergency landing at the Municipal Airstrip just a couple minutes after it took off en route to San Pedro on Thursday evening. We’ve been following the reports since Thursday night, but were only able […]
A group of four fishermen, returning from camp near Colson Caye this morning, is lucky to have returned to safe harbor earlier today after drifting outside of the barrier reef. The men were heading home ahead of this weekend’s cold front when their vessel began experiencing mechanical difficulties. Despite signaling for help from a passing […]
If you’re one of those movie buffs who love gritty drama with a very real twist, you may want to take a look at a hit called Time is Money. You won’t find it online to stream or download, and you won’t find it at Ron-G to buy, even in a bootleg version. That’s because […]
While new opposition senators are yet to be named, a parliamentary caucus has been arranged for Monday during which it is expected that names will be fielded. The opposition can appoint three senators and there are discussions to replace senators Patrick Andrews, Anthony Sylvestre and Lisa Shoman. In respect of the party’s finances, a brief […]
Fake cops and fake driver’s licenses; while the Belize Police Department grapples with the issue of impersonators perpetrating crimes in the name of the law, the Orange Walk Town Council is under siege by fraudsters forging their driver’s licenses. The sham was initially detected in San Pedro where the local traffic department noticed several discrepancies […]
San Pedro Police are also investigating a widespread forgery ring – specifically fake Orange Walk drivers’ licenses. From what we’ve been able to determine, these persons purchase forged licenses, with the objective of renewing them legitimately – exchanging fake for real, so to speak. And it would probably have worked, except that a vigilant transport […]
Primary school students at St. John’s Vianney Primary School were ecstatic this morning when they were allowed onto a new playground. The swings, seesaw and slide are a donation from the Rotary Club of Edmonton, Canada. Members of the organization volunteered their time to paint and set up the various components of the set and […]
The GREAT program funded by the U.S. government has become an important element in the work of the police department. It first started in the City and has now spread to the districts as an effective way to prevent violence among youths. Today, another group of police officers completed their training and will be deployed […]
Telecommunications giant B.T.L. colluded with registered game show company Mek Mi Rich to steal entrepreneur Curtis Swasey’s concept and use it as their own. That’s the bombshell handed down by Justice Courtney Abel in a decision which took more than an hour to read. In a nutshell – in 2012 Swasey signed an agreement with […]
So why did the Justice refer to the victory as Pyrrhic? Well…probably because even though Swasey won a total vindication on all his claims, he was only awarded twenty-five thousand dollars in damages. The Judge almost seemed apologetic in stating that he could find no evidence in what was provided by the claimant to base […]
The Governor General, Sir Colville Young, administered the oath today at Belize House in Belmopan, to put in effect the appointment of the Ombudsman and Contractor General. Lionel Arzu is now on his second term as Ombudsman while Godwin Arzu was sworn-in for this third term as Contractor General. Also present for the signing were […]
The Football Federation of Belize is deeply divided tonight and its president Ruperto Vicente is under threat from his own executive. On Thursday night in Belmopan, three executive members made a move to suspend the embattled Vicente who was elected to the post four years ago. They claim he is taking unilateral decisions which do […]
While F.F.B. President Ruperto Vicente is preparing to run against members of his existing administration, the trio of executives opposing his presidency maintains that it is the final opportunity to have him deposed from his office. Vicente is telling them in no uncertain terms to relinquish their posts if they are unhappy with the way […]
Today, members of the Bar and the Bench gathered at the Belize Biltmore Plaza for a forum of sorts. It was dubbed a law conference, but the focus wasn’t law, legal matters or the judiciary. Convened by the Bar Association, the session was entitled – The Belize Guatemala Border Dispute – When and How Do […]
There is a critical backlog in the justice system and while it’s nothing new, it seems to be getting much worse. It has become commonplace for accused criminals to spend up to five years on remand before their Court session is called. As you can imagine, that causes no end of problem at every level […]
In September 2014 Government moved legislation to amend the Legal Profession Act. That legislation removed mandatory membership in the Bar Association and paved the way for attorneys to form or join a new Association…or not. The amendment was sparked by a period of hostilities between then Attorney-General Wilfred Elrington and the Bar Association, which he […]
Reporter Duane Moody and I are among a group of regional media personnel who will be participating in a Media Law Workshop to be held in Barbados which is funded by the Canadian Government. The two-day event is entitled Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice). A release from the organizers says IMPACT […]
Also discussed during today’s gathering was the Director of Public Prosecution’s decision to proceed with legal action against the Santa Cruz Thirteen. They were arrested and detained last year for unlawfully imprisoning Rupert Myles who is occupying a portion of land at the ancient Maya city of Uxbenka. Mis provided an update to that situation. […]
There is trouble brewing at the government owned Belize Telemedia Limited. This afternoon during their lunch break, dozens of staffers, members of the Belize Communication Workers Union, assembled outside of the Esquivel Telecom Center, the company’s headquarters on Saint Thomas Street. They met for approximately thirty minutes to discuss a range of issues affecting workers […]
According to the economist, CDF’s directives come from sessions such as those recently held in Belize where keen attention is paid to the needs of lesser developed countries. Isani Cayetano “You’re in Belize on a working visit that goes along with the recent CARICOM Heads of Government, the intersessional meeting. Can you speak to […]
An independent study shows that about six percent of newborns are not formally registered and that presents difficulties for the individuals later on in life, especially in accessing health care and education. But there is another side to that coin because a number of Belizeans in bordering towns are registered locally, as well as across […]
If you’ve visited the Vital Statistics Unit recently to request a birth certificate, a marriage license or even a death certificate then you would be quite familiar with the apparent chaos at the Hydes Lane office. The perennial complaint is that files are haphazardly deposited and employees of that department are largely inefficient in accessing […]
