The House of Representatives held its first meeting for 2009 this morning… it was one of the shortest in recent memory, wrapping up just after noon. Four issues were discussed: an Environmental Protection Bill, a loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) for three and a quarter million U.S. dollars for the Solid […]
Those comments of course brought swift responses from the U.D.P., who say that the P.U.P.s are the last ones who should talk about propriety in the city council. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “I am very pleased for the opposition, I am very in fact enthralled by the fact that you actually have the member for […]
The Development Finance Corporation Bill also received its second reading this morning. The act, seeks to make new provisions for the DFC and repeal the 2000-2003 act. According to PM Barrow, it was no easy task getting a lending agency to lend them funds for the restart and the new provision as a result of […]
In September of 2008, the Customs Department made a bust on a container load of fake Marlboro cigarettes. At that time the eight hundred and fifty-five cartons were valued at over four million dollars. This past Wednesday, Customs made another bust that yielded in excess of nine hundred cartons of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes made possible […]
A former security guard who was charged with the Murder of his wife today pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Manslaughter in the Supreme Court. Justice Adolph Lucas has deferred sentencing for Cecil Gabourel for January twenty-sixth after his attorney Simeon Sampson presents a mitigation plea on his behalf. The facts, as presented by […]
A computer technician has pleaded not guilty for the jacking at National Transports office earlier this week in which over twenty thousand dollars was stolen. Nineteen year old Justine McClaren of Freetown Road was remanded until February nineteenth because the robbery was committed with a firearm. At around eight on Monday morning, two armed men […]
In another case brought before the courts today, forty year old Raymond ‘Footie’ Gongora was charged with Handling Stolen Goods. The former director of Youth for the Future and former semi-pro basketball player pleaded not guilty to the charge and was offered a bail of five thousand dollars. The incident occurred on Wednesday when Gongora […]
An alcalde in one of the southernmost villages in the country has been arrested and charged for the crime of incest. It is alleged that the man had sexual intercourse with his fourteen year old daughter sometime in August of 2008. On January thirteenth, the minor made a report of the incident and a medical […]
At the opening of the 2009 Supreme Court session on Monday, Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh lamented on the high number of cases that are thrown out of court for lack of evidence. In 2008 alone there were eighty-three “nolle prosequi” a term which the C.J. said, even though is a combination of Latin and French, […]
But why are so many victims reluctant to testify in court? Branker-Taitt says there’s a legitimate reason and that has to do with the very sensitive issue involving perpetrator and victim, particularly in sex offences. It’s a frequent problem that not only the D.P.P.’s office faces but also relevant agencies, like the Ministry of Human […]
The National A Team squared off with Honduras in that country’s capital last night in the Union Centro Americana de Fútbol (UNCAF) Nations Cup. The tournament is played every two years for the CONCACAF national teams of Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The tournament has been held since […]
The barrier reef is inarguably our most precious natural resource. The reef blocks the sea from covering coastal areas such as Belize City which is below sea level. It also provides spawning sites for many aquatic species; seafood for export and the beauty of the corals inspire visitors from all over the world to contribute […]
The Mexican Embassy is sponsoring a drawing contest that is open to all primary school children throughout the country. The competition started on Tuesday and is part of the embassy’s mission to promote mutual understanding of the history and culture of both Belize and Mexico. Doctor Gina Aguilar, one of the organizers of the contest, […]
News agencies in the U.S. are reporting tonight that a Ghanaian man connected to a smuggling ring in Belize has been convicted of smuggling East Africans to the United States. On Thursday, twenty-seven year old Mohammed Kamel Ibrahim AKA Hakim, a native of Ghana and naturalized citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to five years in […]
Earlier in the newscast we reported on the alarming number of cases that fail because of evidence tampering. In his opening speech at the Supreme Court on Monday, Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh urged the use of provisions in the law to deal with persons who threaten or intimidate witnesses and to also deal with witnesses […]
But there is one way in which prosecutors may be able to successfully present a case without depending solely on fearful or embarrassed witnesses to appear in court. Branker-Taitt points to a section of the Jamaican Evidence Act and hopes that it can be applied in Belize to help get convictions. Cheryl-Lynn Branker-Taitt, D.P.P. “There […]
It’s Friday and it’s time to map the weekend of activities. And if you want to have fun, there are two events to look out for. Safiyyah is having a birthday party and masters of the floor will be having a first audition. Hey I’m Safiyyah and this is What’s Happening Belize? This Saturday is […]
