The fatal shooting of thirty-year-old Dwayne Almendarez on August fifteenth, in Yo Creek Village, has resulted in a single charge of manslaughter being brought against a customs officer earlier today. Almendarez was among several passengers on a commuter bus who were involved in an altercation with B.D.F. and customs officers at a checkpoint along the […]
On Monday, we reported on the murder of thirty two year old Gilroy Martinez of Curl Thompson Street in Belize City. Martinez was shot in the head around eight on Monday when he was visiting a house in his neighborhood. All indications are that the killing is the gang related and police have been looking […]
No one has been charged for the discarding of a baby boy in the east canal of Belize City. The discovery of a dead baby with its umbilical cord still attached occurred on July twentieth; it was inside a black plastic bag and was fished out of the waterway by a sanitation worker who was […]
Figures released by the Statistical Institute of Belize show that economic activity slowed down to some extent in July. Goods and services went up slightly, while imports and exports registered a drop. The price of fuel, however, went up considerably in the past year. The rise in transport costs were attributed in large part to […]
Back to the issue of fraudulent land transactions….The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a strong release today condemning the corruption at the Ministry of Natural Resources. It says inaction by G.O.B. on the abuse of our natural and fiscal resources is no longer accepted. According to the Chamber, despite evidence of blatant abuse […]
Despite the signing of the UNCAC last December, corruption continues to be pervasive. Usher calls on all stakeholders to come together and put in place a mechanism to keep all politicians in check. On the Phone: Nikita Usher, President, BCCI “Only a few weeks ago, we saw the audit report on a few ministries […]
Following his press conference, Opposition Leader John Briceño was questioned on several other burning national issues. The United Democratic Party this past Sunday held a contested convention for the post of Mayor and councilor for the Belize City Council that resulted in Dion Leslie being elected over Philip Willoughby and seven of the incumbent councilors, […]
In Guatemala, the Constitutional Court has upheld its provisional ruling that President Jimmy Morales cannot expel Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor who leads Guatemala’s International Commission against Impunity, known as CICIG. In seeking to expel Velasquez, President Morales dismissed his Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Morales, for not following through on his order. Guatemalan prosecutors […]
Overnight on Monday, a burglary was reported at a house of worship in Belize City. Enterprising thieves broke into the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Cemetery Road and stole various electronic items which church members raised donations to acquire. This afternoon we spoke to church elder Abel Vera to find out what happened. […]
On Tuesday night, four finalists in KTV, the Remix, brought their ‘A’ game to the stage in the last round of competition to determine who will walk away with ten thousand dollars in cash. It has been a journey of ups and downs which they have taken in good strike, round by round. Tonight, we […]
It’s been weeks since the media has been invited to a meet and greet organized by the Police Department. But today, we found out from the Regional Commander for Eastern Division South, Senior Superintendent Marco Vidal, that members of the department have been meeting with residents, but that the media’s presence has been preventing the […]
There were simultaneous meet and greets taking place all over the south side of Belize City. While we caught up with Senior Superintendent Vidal on Lindo’s Alley, officers were also on the ground on Love, Pride and Sweet Avenue, and surrounding areas. Vidal says gang activities have raised alarm among residents especially with the upcoming […]
Ten youths from the Mayflower area in Belize City received their certificates in food preparation and hospitality training today after concluding a summer program with the ITVET through the Department of Youth Services Mayflower Youth Center. As we found out from Jamie Rocke, the program was requested by the residents of the Mayflower area. […]
There are more revelations tonight concerning the extent of the Vega family’s grab for land across the country. Not only was there land swapping with seemingly willing accomplices, but new documentation indicates that relatives of former deputy Prime Minister and Lands Minister Gaspar Vega engaged in alleged forgery in a land scheme involving compensation for […]
It remains to be seen how the Prime Minister and Senator Doctor Carla Barnett, who has been put in day-to-day charge of the Ministry of Natural Resources, will react to the bombshell dropped by Amy Forte and her attorneys. But in response to a sheaf of documents totaling one hundred and eighteen, which detailed another […]
For the second time in several months, a well-known Belizean artist is the victim of an armed robbery. The most recent and brazen attack occurred this morning near the Lord Ridge Cemetery in which dancehall star Dajah Young was held up at gunpoint by a robber who pounced on her as she walked along the […]
The last word on Sunday’s United Democratic Party municipal convention in Belize City goes to the vanquished Philip Willoughby. He lost out to the better-heeled Dion Leslie for the mayoral position but just made it on the list of councilors, and earned admiration from many for persevering in the face of monumental odds. Today, he […]
Even though Willoughby is not at the top of the ticket, his decision to focus his race on promoting a “softer social” side of a council appears to have some traction with both the electorate and his erstwhile opponents. The council, however, focused on infrastructural and macro-economic gains. Willoughby told us that he will continue […]
Following months of calm, the bloodbath in the month of August has resulted in eight murders. Not all, but it is considered that most of the killings are gang-related. So is a pact between the rival gangs holding? That’s questionable, but what is known is that the thriving drug trade is behind a spate of […]
The Chinese Disabled People Performing Arts Troupe departed the country earlier today, after spending a few days in Belize visiting with the local Chinese community. But their brief stay in the Jewel wasn’t without its share of controversy, as government refused to waive their visa fees. The Belize Chinese Association was up in arms following […]
Back in June the tenth general congress of the Football Federation of Belize dissolved into uncertainty as a majority of the Federation’s members decided to boycott the process, which would have included the selection of a new president and other members of the executive. Former executive member Sergio Chuc led the boycott after he was […]
Acting President Kuylen expects full quorum since the meeting was called for by members. Also on the agenda are the dismissals of general secretary Michael Blease and others. Blease was publicly replaced by Earl Jones in July. While he expects at least one challenge over those dismissals, Kuylen says it is an effort to continue […]
It has not been a good year on or off the field for Belize in football. In January, the national team was shut out of qualification for the Gold Cup, while a few weeks ago the national club champion Belmopan Bandits failed to make it past the first round of the CONCACAF League. There is […]
Nineteen-year-old Kadeem Augustine was remanded to the Belize Central Prison on Friday, after pleading guilty to harming his girlfriend. The teenager, who claims to be in love with his girlfriend, reportedly beat her up when he found out that she was not at a house where she said she would have been visiting. According to […]
Twenty-one-year-old Maximiliano Morey, a security guard of Milpa Area, Ladyville, is in hot water after making off with a vehicle from Belize Electricity Limited’s Magazine Road compound on Saturday. It is alleged that Morey took his supervisor’s D-Max pickup without permission. According to the watchman, he was under the impression that it was assigned to […]
