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On Thursday, the media received a rather embarrassing resignation letter from three decade politician, former U.D.P. Minister and now former Standard Bearer of Stann Creek West Melvin Hulse. The letter, allegedly penned by Hulse though released on the official U.D.P. Secretariat letterhead, claims that everything said about Mr. Barrow was a lie. The resignation letter […]
Written on June 26, 2015 | Posted in
People & Places,
Politics |
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Today Minister of Fisheries, Forests and Sustainable Development Lisel Alamilla was in the House of Representatives, surrounded by invited representatives of various conservation N.G.O.s. They were there for the passage of two bills – the new National Protected Areas System Act Bill and the amended PACT Bill. Both have drawn some measure of concern from […]
Tacos, pibil, BBQ, sand, sea, unlimited liquor and dancing to a live band….that’s how Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber does it, thanks to Petrocaribe! The politician has taken some hits for that bash – and has even been criticized by the Chamber of Commerce for spending Petrocaribe money on a one day fete. He was […]
Written on June 26, 2015 | Posted in
People & Places,
Politics |
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The United States Supreme Court ruled earlier today that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right throughout the U.S.; it is considered a historic victory for gay rights advocates. The decision, which strikes down bans against gay marriage that had previously existed in fourteen states, comes after decades of protest and litigation on behalf of the […]
According to the executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement, UNIBAM, while a legal decision is one thing, it does not necessarily deal with the issue of living with prejudice and stereotypes. Isani Cayetano “Clearly there is a long road ahead to get to where the United States is, in terms of recognizing […]
The image factory turned twenty years today and it was a perfect opportunity for the founders of the art gallery to celebrate its contributions and achievements in the art world. The celebration continues tonight with the opening of a retrospective exhibition that captures the works of various Belizean artists in the past two decades. News […]
Written on June 26, 2015 | Posted in
Art & Culture,
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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On June twenty-ninth International Fishermen’s Day will be celebrated in Belize, as well as the wider Caribbean region. The Fisheries Department and several other organizations concerned with fisheries will be hosting a series of events to observe the economic, social and cultural contributions of Belizean fishers. Two of the participating organizations shared why this recognition […]
Written on June 26, 2015 | Posted in
Economy,
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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Tonight, impassioned debate continues to dominate over the incident in Santa Cruz, Toledo in which a Creole man, Rupert Myles, was ordered detained and handcuffed by the community alcalde. That incident sparked the arrest on Wednesday of ten Maya residents and Maya Leaders Alliance spokesperson, Cristina Coc. The villagers were charged with unlawful imprisonment and […]
Following the arraignment of the group of eleven, allegations of physical abuse by personnel from the Special Patrol Unit are being refuted by Superintendent Simeon Alvarez, Officer Commanding Punta Gorda Police Formation. During an early morning raid on Santa Cruz village on Wednesday, a pair of detainees was reportedly manhandled and injured to various parts […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
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Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on PG Police Refute Allegations of Physical Abuse During Early Morning Ops
The race card, as we’ve mentioned in our coverage of this incident, is on prominent display, having been played by Rupert Myles in the wake of his detention on Saturday. His opinion that he is the victim of racial discrimination by the Mayas is a sentiment that is also echoed elsewhere in Toledo. Outside of […]
To nobody’s great surprise, Melvin Hulse is no longer the Standard Bearer for the United Democratic Party in Stann Creek West. The news came via official U.D.P. press release today, though it is couched as a personal and rather embarrassing statement from the former U.D.P. Minister turned political pariah in his party. After opening with […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
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Politics |
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There have been four shootings in less than forty-eight hours in the Old Capital. And tonight, one man is dead and two others are in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The spate of violence started on Monday, but on Wednesday night, a taxi man was fatally wounded around ten o’clock while a […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured |
1 comment
But it is likely that police will have another homicide on their hands. Sixteen year old Reuben Leslie, a student of a George Price Highway address, was shot multiple times to the right leg and the center of his forehead. According to relatives, Leslie is brain-dead and is being kept alive by a ventilator at […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured |
Comments Off on 16 Year-Old Minor is Brain Dead After Being Shot on Banak Street
As we told you earlier, Melvin Hulse has retracted comments he made about the prime minister and earlier today, he followed up with a resignation as U.D.P. standard bearer in Stann Creek West. It was not exactly unexpected because internally in the U.D.P., Hulse could no longer expect support financially or otherwise. One senior U.D.P. […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
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People & Places,
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Hulse’s departure from U.D.P. politics comes in the wake of him making very serious allegations against his Party Leader and Prime Minister. Hulse was recorded while speaking at length about that corruption. He also insulted the Prime Minister at length, stating that his ego has caused him to lose his common sense. And if that […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
People & Places,
Politics |
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The ugly situation which is now playing out in Santa Cruz, Toledo will likely not blow over. It incorporates the cloudy issue of communal land rights, religion and cultural diversity, possible state-sanctioned abuse and even racial undertones. Apart from comments by the Prime Minister on Monday, which were followed by the pre-dawn arrest of Mayan […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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The IQ at the Bliss went up today as primary school students from across the country converged for the annual national P.S.E. Award Ceremony. Top scorers were honored and walked away with plaques, computers, tablets and scholarships for their hard work and outstanding performances in the 2015 P.S.E. exams. The top scorer, thirteen year old […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Education,
People & Places |
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The situation of communal land rights is in the forefront of the news this week, and it’s brought with it a peripheral, but very serious issue. Here it is in a very small nutshell. In 2010, the Supreme Court granted communal land right to Mayans in thirty-three communities. But in 2012, and 2013, Government went […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Landowner Emilio Zabaneh on Purchasing Parcel on Communal Land
Tonight a single mother of three is facing court fines of ten thousand dollars which she must pay by November of this year or serve three years prison time. Thirty-five year old Virginia Ellis, of Neal’s Pen Road Extension, Belize City, was busted inside her home where three hundred and seventy-two grams of cannabis were found. […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Trials |
Comments Off on Single Mother Charged with Drug Trafficking
Forty-one year old Burrell Boom Driver, Eddison Dawson was arraigned this week again in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for two traffic related offenses stemming from a fatal accident that took the life of a Fresh Pond resident, Fabian Jacobo Martinez. Martinez was riding his motorcycle on the Boom Road when he was hit by […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
Trials |
Comments Off on Burrell Boom Motorist Arraigned for Manslaughter
Teenage pregnancy is a growing issue for Belize and the wider Caribbean region, and more so as the teen moms are of a younger age every year. The call for action has sounded loudly again and this time, the spouses of Heads of Government from around the Caribbean answered. Special Envoy for Women and Children […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
People & Places,
Regional / International,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on UNFPA Tackles Teenage Pregnancy Across the Caribbean
A News Five crew is in Punta Gorda tonight where the situation is a volatile one. We’ll have much more on this story later on in the newscast, but at about four o’clock this morning, the police rolled into the village of Santa Cruz, Toledo. They rounded up ten Maya residents and took them to […]
As we said, Cristina Coc and ten others were arraigned this morning in the Punta Gorda Magistrate Court following an early morning operation. Several persons in detention were reportedly injured when personnel from the Special Patrol Unit descended on their homes. Doors were allegedly knocked down and one man was said to have been punched […]
Also in the south… On Friday, Magdalena Buul came forward with a story alleging that former U.D.P. Minister of State Juan Coy sold off a forty-five acre tract of land belonging to her in San Pedro, Columbia. The title for the land was granted to Clive Ferrell, a resident of the United Kingdom who reportedly […]
Written on June 24, 2015 | Posted in
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Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Was Former U.D.P. Minister Juan Coy Selling Mayan Lands?
Did the Board of Directors of the S.S.B. approve loans to Belizean businessman and banana magnate Johnny Zabaneh? That’s the report which came out of the S.S.B. last week, and it’s of interest because in 2012, Zabaneh was sanctioned by the U.S. under the Kingpin Act, for his alleged connection to the Sinoloa Cartel and […]
