We’ve been reporting on a case of alleged sodomy inside the Belize Central Prison. An inmate, who is now out on bail, claims he was sodomized twice last month while he was locked up in the prison. The alleged perpetrator is another inmate, Kenroy Cooke, who was charged on Wednesday with two counts of unnatural […]
What about claims that the guard on duty ignored the plea for help after the first incident happened? We asked him if there was negligence on the part of the guard to whom it was reported first. C.E.O. Murillo says that there are a number of systems in place, apart from the guard on duty […]
Baltazar Sarmiento, an elderly watchman, was killed at his place of work last Saturday by a pair of thieves who broke onto the Buca Shell compound on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The sixty-one-year-old Honduran national was fatally shot once to the left temple. While the ordeal was caught on camera, police are unable to break […]
A pawn shop manager had to employ his licensed weapon to defend himself against a robbery of his establishment today. Tonight, one of the three men who tried to rob him is in hospital and two others are on the run. Around two-thirty this afternoon, thirty-six year old Dorian Usher, manager of Monica’s Pawn Shop […]
The Public Service Union has come out strongly against Auditor General Dorothy Bradley and what it calls her “dastardly administrative practices.” On Friday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow confirmed that he had been aware of the constant stream of complaints from employees at the Supreme Audit Institution against Bradley, resulting in a sick-out, and said he […]
The spanking new Belize City Center is yet to officially open its doors to the Belizean public. Amid controversy over the cost of the colossal structure is its plumbing. Over the past several weeks, concerns have been raised about the integrity and efficiency of pipes and fixtures inside the building. Critics argue that the water […]
The Ministry of Health says that its epidemiology unit is carrying out an investigation into a reported increase of severe acute respiratory infections cases at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The Ministry of Health says that children make up over seventy percent of the cases. In a release issued on Wednesday, it noted, “one of […]
2017 has been a case of the chickens coming home to roost for the Barrow government in two particular cases. In the span of two weeks in November, the Caribbean Court of Justice delivered two separate but damaging blows to the government in the matter of the settlement of Belize Telemedia Limited and Belize Bank […]
The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage is leading the congratulations for the National Assembly, whose members have adopted the Petroleum Operations (Maritime Zone Moratorium) Bill 2017. It now goes to the Governor General for his consent. But among all the plaudits are two outstanding concerns. One is how would the legislature handle a […]
As noted on Wednesday, both Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte and Leader of Government Business and former Natural Resources Minister Godwin Hulse indicate that no offshore oil licenses exist, and the government has no plans, according to Hulse and current minister Carla Barnett, to issue any. The Coalition’s press release indicates some confusion, therefore, about why […]
HelpAge Belize, in partnership with B.E.L., recognized eighty-nine-year-old Gwendolyn Sanchez of Benbow Street with the first ever “Caregiver Achievement Award.” The senior citizen and her husband raised her children, including two with special needs, for decades. The Help Age says that many of these caregivers go unnoticed and at times unsupported, as they take on […]
The Belize City Council was out and about the City spreading some more Christmas cheer. The twelve days of Christmas continued at Saint John Vianney Primary School. The Public Relations Unit of the City Council went over to hand out gifts and goody bags. City Councilor Hyacinth Latchman-Cuellar tells us more about today’s initiative and […]
No one wants to be sick during the holidays. Unfortunately, influenzas and stomach viruses are especially typical around this time of year. Tonight in Healthy Living, we look at why this is so and also what you can do to prevent it. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting If you’re a parent or teacher, you’ve probably noticed […]
There are serious questions being asked tonight about a deadly explosion which caused the loss of one life, injured many others and left properties extensively damaged. A dynamite was exploded at a quarry in Santa Elena in the proximity of a residential area, killing Canadian consultant Ronald Sutherland. According to preliminary reports, a heavier load […]
While Belize Roadway Construction is not accepting liability for damages caused by the explosion, the company is reaching out to residents of the Santa Cruz community in an effort to mitigate the financial impact of the tragedy. Through the services of attorney Rachel Juan, victims of the massive blast are being asked to assess damages […]
This morning, the Chuc family from San Ignacio spoke out about the murder of Israel Chuc. The thirty-four-year-old was discovered dead in the Branch Mouth area of San Ignacio and police initially did not suspect foul play. But a postmortem on Tuesday revealed that he was in fact murdered. Today, his family told News Five […]
Forty-three-year-old Kenroy Cooke was arraigned today in court on two counts of unnatural act and one count of harm which occurred on the twenty-fifth and twenty-ninth of November of this year. Magistrate Aretha Ford read the charges to Cooke and adjourned the case to March fourteenth 2018. Cooke, who’s already in prison on multiple charges, […]
The Senate met for its final session for 2017 this morning in Belmopan. On the agenda were four bills and two motions brought from the House of Representatives along with a few ratifications of international treaty commitments. But the big story coming out of the Upper Chamber tonight is the Opposition People’s United Party’s attempt […]
From the inception of its plan to present the Bill, the P.U.P. went on the move to lobby the social partner senators, who often prove to be the deciding factor in legislative passage in the Senate as opposed to the House. And while Senators Mark Lizarraga, Elena Smith and Osmany Salas spoke in favor of […]
After the Senate meeting, a disappointed Eamon Courtenay lamented the chance wasted by what he called ‘petty politics.’ Meanwhile, Michael Peyrefitte expanded on the suggested ‘incompetence’ of his former House colleagues, while also clarifying remarks he made in the meeting, but what he called ‘off-record.’ During the debate he seemed to suggest sotto voce that […]
A new state of the art Civic Center on Central American Boulevard was opened today for the first tour by the public. The impressive facility is said to cost the government thirty-three million dollars, complete with a FIBA certified basketball court. But with all the trappings there is one thing lacking. How will it be […]
Has the time come for repayment of ninety million-plus Belize dollars to the Belize Bank Limited in respect of the Government’s sovereign guarantee of a defaulted loan by Universal Health Services Limited? Under the Interpretation Act, the twenty-one day limit before the Bank applies for certificate to enforce the judgment expires today, Wednesday. The Bank, […]
The House of Representatives is on recess as of Friday, so even if the certificate is obtained in the coming days, its enforcement cannot be pursued until the House next meets, likely in special session. In the Senate, the Chamber of Commerce came under attack from one of its own, Senator Aldo Salazar, for its […]
There will be a Commission of Inquiry into the Universal Health Services fiasco, as agreed between the National Trade Union Congress of Belize’s executive and Prime Minister Dean Barrow during a meeting in Belize City. According to an N.T.U.C.B. press release, the Commission will cover, (Quote) “all the transactions and circumstances of the acquisition of […]
Godwin Arzu has been in the role of Contractor General since 2009 and his current two-year term expires at the end of 2017. The government has been seeking to renew his term for another two years, but the Opposition has raised objection. While the motion was passed in the House despite the intervention of Lake […]
