The final session of the House of Representatives for 2016 kicked off this morning in Belmopan. Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber took the reins for the first time with the Prime Minister out of the country. While the sitting was packed with Bills, most of the fireworks were reserved for the session after the adjournment. […]
Were 2012’s general elections stolen? The United Democratic Party prevailed by the slimmest of margins, winning sixteen seats to fifteen for the People’s United Party. In several constituencies, the vote was especially close; most notably, neighbouring Cayo Northeast and Cayo Central, where Elvin Penner and current Minister Rene Montero were each elected to their second […]
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat will be kept away from the precincts of the National Assembly in Belmopan for the foreseeable future. Today, he faced a warrant for his arrest should he dare to attend the meeting of the House of Representatives, the first since he was named, shamed, and drummed out in dramatic […]
While the first attempt at returning Julius Espat to his seat in the House was unsuccessful, Espat’s fellow parliamentarians seemed to miss him somewhat, as the House was largely well-behaved – or at least, more so than usual. It was either that or the Christmas spirit that convinced a bipartisan effort to resolve the impasse, […]
United Nations Convention against Corruption was signed today inside the cabinet room in Belmopan to coincide with Anti-Corruption International Day. The acting Prime Minister Patrick Faber penned the document which places Belize among the one hundred and eighty-four countries who have signed-on. UN Resident Coordinator Christian Salazar Volkmann was also present for the event. The […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow returns home this weekend following meetings with bondholders in New York to negotiate a third restructuring of the Superbond. Reports of Belize’s gloomy economic outlook have factored into the discussions and bondholders are paying close attention to proposed measures by government to steer the country through the recession. Earlier today, News […]
A decision was handed down today by the Caribbean Court of Justice that has a significant impact on the telecommunications landscape. The Public Utilities Commission suffered a major blow when it was ordered to refund Speednet Communications, the parent company of Smart, almost three million dollars after levying excessive spectrum fees on the telecoms provider […]
According to Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Torres, the company stood to lose as much as five million dollars had the CCJ upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal. As a former employee of Belize Telemedia Limited, Torres says he always understood that the fee was set at a hundred dollars per radio frequency channel. […]
While the decision has cleared Speednet from having to pay such exorbitant fees, attorney Fred Lumor, who represents the PUC, says that other telecoms providers, including B.T.L., will benefit from the ruling. The fee, based on the outcome of today’s decision, reverts the sum to fourteen hundred dollars. Fred Lumor, Attorney for Public Utilities Commission […]
The death of two year old Janeeka Campbell continues to baffle police. The toddler died on Tuesday night, but the motive for her death is still under review between police and the pathologist. Both parents say the child accidentally fell down a flight of stairs at her father’s house in Saint Matthew’s Village. She was […]
Initially, the mother was detained for questioning and the police were looking for the father, who was brought in to the Belmopan police custody on Thursday. Statements were recorded from the parents, which according to Senior Superintendent Gillett appear consistent. But police have received additional reports and Gillett believes that the Department of Human Services […]
A couple from San Ignacio is alleging police brutality at the hands of a former GSU officer. Shawn Gardener and her common-law husband are accusing the policeman of roughing them up while conducting a search on them last weekend. According to Gardener, the pair was seated next to a young woman near an establishment on […]
It has been over a month since Belizean commuters have seen bus fares go up in most of the country. They have complained that there is no justification, since fuel prices are trending down and the service provided by operators has not discernibly improved. However, Minister of Transport Edmond Castro told the House of Representatives […]
The road to the Miss Universe Pageant to be held in the Philippines started in September for Rebecca Rath. Known as Bex, the twenty-three-year-old beauty from Dangriga, has been preparing arduously to compete in the pageant to be held in Manila, against over a hundred other beauties from all over the world. She is talented, […]
