Back to the House of Representatives where the Defence (Amendment Bill) 2020 was also introduced. The bill amends the Defence Act to bring it into conformity with the Belize Constitution. The amendment was further prompted after News Five broke the news of serious allegations of sexual assault and rape within the Belize Defence Force. In […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Cayo South area representative Julius Espat have almost at every Sitting of the House of Representatives exchanged blows, and it got so bad, that Espat was once carried out of the National Assembly by police officers. At today’s sitting, there was some form of civility between both, but then it […]
Police on Tuesday was also exuberant about a bust in southern Belize. But as it turns out an internal investigation conducted by the Customs and Excise Department into the importation of cargo from Guatemala over the weekend has revealed that Richard Garbutt, the officer in charge of the Punta Gorda location, acted in accordance with […]
As you know, on Wednesday, there was a report that Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero had resigned. While that was promptly denied by the government via a press release, there have been lingering questions about what really transpired at the meeting of the National Oversight Committee, on Wednesday. Just before news time, we […]
As of Wednesday night, Belize registered one thousand seven hundred and nine cases of COVID-19. Six hundred and sixty five cases remain active but so far one thousand and nineteen persons have recovered. Every day there are new cases and every day persons recover. And in the past few days, the number of recovered persons […]
Also speaking out against the S.I. is attorney Audrey Matura. According to Matura, Statutory Instrument one-thirty-four has to be taken to the National Assembly to be affirmed and since that has not been done, it cannot be enforced. Matura also says that the S.I. is in contravention to the Belize constitutions which makes provisions for […]
At the start of the pandemic, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told the media that he would attempt to get the names of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 as away to prevent the spread of the virus. Today, we asked him for his view on the controversial S.I. 134. Williams says he supports […]
The argument of confidentiality and privacy, says ComPol Williams, is valid to a certain extent, but the constitution does have limitations where public health, public interest and national security are concerned. As far as stigma, the Commissioner of Police also stated that more people have come forward with their COVID-19 status than persons infected with […]
Mayflower resident Sandra Uter says that Police Commissioner Chester Williams has a vendetta against her family. According to Uter, five of her family members were detained in early June under the State of Emergency regulations. They were first sent to prison for thirty days and their imprisonment was later extended for sixty days. Uter is […]
Corporal Eldon Arzu’s challenge to the Police Association election process continued on Tuesday. It was expected that the first hearing was to be held then but the matter was adjourned to a later date. Arzu is claiming that Commissioner of Police Chester Williams failed to obey the rules of the Police Association election process. According […]
A mega million-dollar road project was opened today; it is the stretch of road that links the airport access road near Gentrac to the George Price Highway. Known as the Airport Link Road and now officially the John Smith Road, it is five miles long and worth thirty-three million dollars. At the opening today, Minister […]
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrignton met with Mexican Ambassador Carlos Quesnel Melendez, presenting him with the Key of Friendship in honour of his professional and personal accomplishments. Outgoing Ambassador Quesnel has been in Belize for five years and has been actively working on successfully achieving objectives and registering tremendous progress in the bilateral relations between […]
Trade is closely linked to diplomacy. According to the affable Ambassador, one of the most noteworthy accomplishments is the exportation of cattle to Mexico. Earlier this month two hundred and forty-one heads of cattle from Blue Creek were officially exported to Mexico. Quesnel hopes that in the years to come, trade between both countries can […]
News spread at the speed of lightening today about the purported resignation of Doctor Marvin Manzanero, the Director of Health Services, who has been the face in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It came on the heels of a very controversial amendment to the quarantine regulations penalizing the DHS if he fails to provide […]
The new statutory instrument took effect on Tuesday, but as the government said today, alternative recommendations will be made. Now, serious concerns were raised at the level of the National Oversight Committee regarding the responsibility of the Director of Health Services to surrender the names of all COVID-19 patients to the Minister of National Security. […]
The S.I. legally compels the Director of Health Services to hand over the names of all COVID-19 patients across the country giving rise to the question of doctor/patient confidentiality. According to the Attorney General, the decision to make the list compulsory came from the National Oversight Committee and Cabinet in a recent meeting. And cabinet, […]
With a limit of only ten patrons or congregants, restaurants and churches can once again reopen, however, there are clear rules that speak to licenses in order to operate such businesses in the case of restaurants. As far as churches, the AG says that a celebrant and his acolytes are allowed along with ten parishioners, […]
There is a new COVID-19 death to report tonight. But before we tell you more, let’s take a look at the latest numbers released on Tuesday night. There are thirty-four new cases out of one hundred and ninety-three tests. There are nine new cases in Corozal; fifteen in Orange Walk; seven in Belize District; one […]
Notwithstanding the mortality rate associated with COVID-19, we asked the Attorney General this morning about the rationale behind limiting restaurants and churches to ten persons while allowing buses and other forms of public transportation to carry more than ten passengers within proximity of each other. Here’s how he responded to that comparison. Michael Peyrefitte, […]
There is still no fixed date for the November general elections, aside from the fact that it will be held within the first two weeks of that month. Today, when we asked about the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, who is also the Chairman of the United Democratic Party and […]
The People’s United Party is also gearing up elections and has been launching policy documents on a number of areas. On Saturday night, the P.U.P. launched its policy for family and rolled out its Women’s Agenda as a part of their Plan Belize Manifesto. The P.U.P. says that the plan was formulated around four central […]
The launch included the input of P.U.P. women across the country, as well as standard bearers and area representatives. Caribbean Shores area rep Kareem Musa committed to championing three main areas of the plan in his constituency. Kareem Musa, Area Rep, Caribbean Shores “Three key areas of the seven point plan that I will […]
The British Government is funding the “National Media Campaign on SARS-CoV-2” to the tune of eighty thousand four hundred and ninety dollars. The informational media campaign is aimed at preventing the spread of the virus through public awareness. The money will be spent to publicize relevant information on efforts undertaken to keep Belizeans safe and […]
Former Prime Minister and eight-time P.U.P. area representative Said Musa has retired from electoral politics after a life of public service to the constituents of Fort George and the country. His departure comes as he recovers from a stroke he suffered in May. Over the four decades that he has given to the People’s United […]
To close the newscast tonight we tell you about several locations across the country, including roads, bridges and public buildings, that are being named after prominent Belizeans whose contribution to the nation’s history are noteworthy. Those persons are John Smith, a founding member of the People’s Committee which later became the People’s United Party, Clifford […]
