Tonight there is more on the death of fashion designer Ulysease Roca, who was determined to have died from multiple organ failure. The HIV patient was found dead in his home in Willows Bank Village on April nineteenth. But before passing, Roca posted an emotional live video on his Facebook in which he accused officers […]
A number of police officers have come under fire for their brutish behavior and abuses against citizens. As for the officer who videoed and ridiculed Roca while he was in detention, Chester Williams says he is being dealt with. That officer is police constable Chris Staine, who is expected to be charged internally for “an […]
Just prior to the interview with the ComPol, Chair of the National AIDS Commission, Laura Longsworth-Tucker said that she was devastated on how the case of Ulysease Roca evolved over the last few days. On Tuesday, along with the Ministry of Human Development and the Office of the Special Envoy the NAC came out against […]
Jason Shaw, Leslie Martinez, and Anthony Villamil have been charged and arraigned for the crime of Willful Oppression. The trio is accused of forcing a man and a mentally challenged woman into a sexual act at an abandoned house on Central American Boulevard. The coercion was recorded by one of the officers on his cell […]
A Special Sitting of the House of Representatives is being called for April twenty-seventy. But unlike past meetings of the House, Monday’s sitting will be only by quorum, which means the members will not be present in the chambers. The sole order of business is that government needs the approval of the House to continue […]
At eight o’clock this morning, the remains of Bishop Dorick Wright were removed from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for its final farewell. The seventy-four-year-old bishop died last week and because of the coronavirus disease, his funeral took a different form, which included a mobile procession that ended at Holy Redeemer Cathedral where he was […]
The Ministry of Health has not reported any new cases of COVID-19. But while that is encouraging news, the government will be extending the state of emergency up until the end of June. In its weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, several issues were discussed in regards to the COVID-19 crisis. One of the pointed issues […]
Minister of Investment, Trade and Commerce, Tracy Panton today confirmed that the cabinet Subcommittee for Investment is reviewing two proposed projects linked to the expansion of the Port of Belize in Port Loyola area of Belize City. On Tuesday, during a video conference by Chamberlain Consulting, it was revealed that the major development will not […]
On April eighth, Holy Saturday, Opposition Leader John Briceño appeared in a recorded statement during which he chided government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Briceño is co-chair of the National Oversight Committee, a special working group established by the Barrow administration to respond to the socioeconomic and public health issues arising from the pandemic. While […]
Six law enforcement officers have been charged for being in breach of the curfew regulations. Two police constables appeared before a magistrate on Tuesday; they were arraigned and given bail. Four members of the Belize Coast Guard, two in Punta Gorda and two in Belize City, have also been charged for breaching the curfew regulations. […]
The Belize Police Association’s President, Corporal Eldon Arzu and Commissioner of Police Chester Williams are at it again. Arzu and Williams are said to have a strained relationship and have even battled in court over the legitimacy and legality of Arzu’s presidency. Arzu recently wrote to the minister, complaining that the ComPol has refused to place […]
But police officers are yet to be held criminally charged for the vicious beating put on Alejandro Chavez, a seventy-seven-year-old resident of the San Martin community in Belmopan. The incident happened on April third when police were out on curfew patrol. The officers were reportedly pursuing two persons after eight o’clock that night. The pursuit […]
Meanwhile, in San Ignacio, two police officers were held accountable for using excessive force on Gilbardo Velasquez. Velasquez was detained for breaching curfew regulations on April nineteenth. A video of Velasquez limping out of the San Ignacio Police station was shared on social media which prompted Police Commissioner Chester Williams to direct the Professional Standard […]
The Belize City Council, like other municipal governments around the country, has been feeling the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. One of its employees, Hubert Pipersburgh was the fourth person to have contracted the virus and he was also the first patient to die from the disease. With the lockdown of the country, the council had […]
Even as City Hall has closed its doors for now because of the state of emergency, there are a number of essential services being provided, including sanitation and market vending. Other services such as the licensing of vehicles, the renewal of driver’s license and payment of taxes can be done online. Mayor Bernard Wagner says […]
Deputy Chief Education Officer Cecilia Ramirez Smith was the featured guest on today’s Ask the Experts Webcast. Students are at home doing home-based learning and so the Ministry of Education is adjusting it programmes. Smith presented further details outlining the Ministry of Education’s response and action taken for pre-primary, primary and secondary education during this […]
And continuing on the matter of education, Cecilia Ramirez Smith says that the lessons and work being given to students from the pre-primary, to high school levels must not be assessed for grades. She says that the work itself is to keep students engaged and to help reinforce important skills but not meant to be […]
While that information is for the students, there is also some news tonight for the teachers. Cecilia Ramirez Smith of the Ministry of Education announced that the processing of teachers licenses continue. She tells us more about the steps required to apply for the license during this time. Cecilia Smith, Deputy Chief Education Officer […]
…and while the ministry has called on teachers to play a critical role during this time that classes remain closed, today Cecilia Ramirez Smith says that they are also making some resources available for all teachers. Those resources include online material to offer support to help them transition to distance learning. Cecilia Smith, Deputy […]
The latest organization to reach out to persons affected by the COVID-19 is the Belize Indian Community. Today, they delivered vouchers to be issued to persons who are eligible to collect baskets of basic staples. As you know, there is a thriving Indian community in the downtown area, so a number of persons who reside […]
Ensuring that affected persons are fed during the COVID-19 pandemic is a priority. Government, N.G.O.s, the private sector as well as the religious community have been engaged in food distribution. So today, Bishop A. Moses Benguche of the Methodist Church, Belize Honduras District got a big boost for the church’s relief programmes. The bishop received […]
On April fifteenth, the importation of single-use plastics and styrofoam into Belize stopped and in three months time, local manufacturers will also stop production of these items as the country moves forward to completely phase out plastics. In January, we reported on the Environmental Protection Regulations 2020, which was signed into law to reduce plastic […]
Doctor Percival Cho outlined that while the current state of emergency has caused a hold-up for some of the work needed to be done, Belize is still expected to meet the deadline set to complete the phase out. Dr. Percival Cho, C.E.O., Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, Environment & Sustainable Development “In regards to challenges […]
The third and final day of the Placencia Ambition Forum concluded today. The Government of Belize hosted the three-day forum which brought together the Alliance of Small Island States, via the internet. The discussion focused on the central theme of increasing ambition and safeguarding the Paris Agreement. The forum also highlighted the importance of “Keeping […]
According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, COVID-19 magnifies the importance of key island priorities for the global climate change agenda. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “If left to the Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States history will absolve us. That is because we would cease the moment and tackle decisively not just the consequences […]
