Those shortcomings, according to Eusey, were quite a few, beginning with laws and amendments that were both antiquated. The move, he says, has been to successfully bolster the autonomy of the FIU. Eric Eusey, Director, Financial Intelligence Unit “Our deficiencies were several. First in the area of the legal, our laws were a bit […]
The Police Department held a graduation ceremony for its GREAT Program students today at the Bliss. The program, which official got underway in 2008, is operated under the umbrella of the Community Policing Unit. The initiative is used as a tool to prevent violence and its curricula is taught by law enforcement officers. Over thirty-two […]
Friday’s House meeting was cut short after the Opposition People’s United Party walked out in protest, but a lot was still said inside and outside the House. The P.U.P. used one of its questions to find out how many Guatemalans became citizens in 2014. It is all relevant because the new citizens eventually make their […]
When the P.U.P. lost its national audience in the House last Friday, they made up for it with a fiery impromptu press session outside. We’ve brought you much of what was said on a variety of critical issues including Santa Cruz and the explosive Melvin Hulse recording and resignation. But there was still more, including […]
Espat has led the Opposition’s charge where the use of Petrocaribe money is concerned. In fact, he is named as the claimant in a lawsuit seeking the Court’s judgment on the legality of spending Petrocaribe monies without first getting the approval of the House. His constant cry is that government is using the monies like […]
While Espat is concerned about the spending of Petrocaribe funds, the initiative turned ten on Monday. The milestone achievement was celebrated in grand fashion at the APBEL office in Belize City, complete with a courtesy toast and all the bells and whistles. But, the merrymaking was set against the controversy surrounding the use of the […]
The body of Mark Swaso, better known as Karm, a resident of Vista Del Mar, Ladyville was discovered this afternoon around three in the southern waters of Belize. Swaso, a fisherman and tour guide at South Water Caye, was lost out at sea for a few days. A search for Swaso turned up his body […]
But the Varela family of San Pedro is desperate and is asking for assistance in finding eighty year old businessman Leovijildo Varela, who was thrown out of a tugboat that was pulling a barge transporting butane trucks from San Pedro to the Belize City Port. The downpour on Thursday night and the heavy winds caused […]
In the midst of all the discussion on the Petrocaribe Loans Act, which the Opposition wants repealed, the Petrocaribe initiative officially celebrates its tenth anniversary. While there was much fanfare at the APBEL office in Belize City this morning, on Friday, following the special sitting of the house, PM Barrow spoke candidly with the media […]
As we told you earlier, the People’s United Party has drafted a legislation that effectively serves as an alternative to the Petrocaribe Amendment Act. While the P.U.P. took into consideration the position of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the president of the private sector organization has described the changes in the recently passed […]
Last Monday, the prime minister commented on the unlawful arrest of Rupert Myles, who was bound and shackled by villagers in Santa Cruz. Despite the unlawful detention and the subsequent prosecution of thirteen men and women, including MLA President Cristina Coc, the prime minister reiterated his position that what was done to Myles clearly violated […]
The fishing industry is said to contribute approximately three to five percent to Belize’s GDP and employs several thousand locals. At the heart of the industry stand the front line people – the fisher folks and it’s not every day that we hear they are being recognized, but today is one exception. The Wildlife Conservation […]
At the award ceremony this morning, a documentary was also launched, titled: Fishing: A Belizean Way of Life Now and Into the Future. Ralna Lewis, the lead on the project at Wildlife Conservation Society, tells us what the purpose of the documentary is. Ralna Lewis, Project Coordinator, WCS “It basically provides a comprehensive view […]
CARICOM Week started on Sunday and runs through to Friday of this week. As part of its public education, the CSME Unit within the Ministry of Trade has embarked on a number of public education activities. Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce, a panel discussion was held with Belizeans who work within the region as […]
Tonight, we have extensive coverage of a House meeting in which four significant bills were passed through their stages. But we start with certainly the most significant single event of the day’s proceedings – the Opposition walking out of the House in protest. It happened a little over one hour into the session, when Senator […]
The walk-out came as a complete surprise, and even some members on the Opposition side were unsure to leave the chambers. There was the promise of a heated debate today with the passage of the amended Petrocaribe Loans Motion. And of course, the Opposition was also expected to speak at length about the inflammatory Melvin […]
Late this evening, the P.U.P. issued a statement on the walk out. According to the Opposition, the standing orders of the House makes it clear that a Speaker can only summarily order the withdrawal of a stranger from the precinct of the National Assembly under order eighty-seven. The Opposition says that the removal of a […]
As we mentioned earlier, the amended Petrocaribe Loan Motion was pushed through its stages today, obviously without debate from the absent Opposition. Earlier in the day, before that perhaps knee-jerk decision to depart in protest, the discussion of Petrocaribe had gotten underway, as PM Barrow went to the House for a supplementary appropriations bill, outlining […]
The Opposition doesn’t want to hear about supplementary appropriations where Petrocaribe is concerned. They maintain that the government is being less than transparent and accountable where the spending of those many millions is concerned – giving only as much information as they deem necessary. P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca told the media that where the Petrocaribe […]
Also before the Opposition walkout, another sensitive and critical issue was ventilated by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. On Monday the PM took a hard line against the Mayans of Santa Cruz, and he has taken heat for it. But his stance remains unchanged. Today, in a statement from the floor, the PM reiterated that no […]
That stance has been criticized in various sectors as premature and one-sided, and today the Opposition finally weighed in, from outside the House. According to P.U.P. Leader, the position expressed by Barrow can be regarded as no less than an attempt by the government to flare up ethnic tensions in the country. Francis Fonseca, […]
Tonight, the family of San Pedro businessman Leovijildo Varela is bracing for the worse. On Thursday night, Varela and his crew were transporting three butane trucks on a tugboat from the island to the Belize City port when he was flung into the dark sea waters near the pier. The downpour in the past twenty-four […]
Exactly two weeks after a Guatemalan gunboat ran aground in Belizean waters near Glovers Reef, another maritime vessel has beached in shallow waters south of Blackadore Caye. This time, a Polaris Interceptor, one of forty-four boats in Mexico’s patrol fleet, is stranded on the mud flats and shoals near the island. Sometime in the wee […]
Back to the House Meeting…just before the Opposition walked out and with government coffers overflowing with Petrocaribe money, PM Barrow announced that it was honouring an eight percent salary increase to teachers and public officers for the second consecutive year. But G.O.B. will be spending more than seventy million dollars in three years. Prime […]
Earlier in our newscast you heard PM Dean Barrow speaking about what he called excessive force being used by Mayans to unlawfully detain a black Creole Belizean. Much has been said about that issue which exploded on Saturday, and today P.U.P. Toledo West Area Representative Oscar Requeña told the media that the incident could have […]
