The High Court is currently hearing the claim involving Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton and former United Democratic Party Secretary General Philippa Bailey. The claim was brought by former Opposition Leader, Moses “Shyne” Barrow. This court hearing comes days after the general election, in which Barrow lost his Mesopotamia seat to his UDP opponent, Lee Mark Chang.
Barrow’s attorney, Christopher Malcolm, argues that an extraordinary general meeting held by the UDP lacked proper authorisation. Drawing from a similar Jamaican case, Malcolm contends that the meeting’s notice and the subsequent appointment of a new committee were invalid due to lack of executive authority.
According to Malcolm, no evidence has been provided to validate the voter eligibility for the October 20th “unity convention” that named Panton as the new interim leader of the party, along with a new executive committee.
The defence, represented by King Counsel Peter Knox, focused on the delegates’ rights to vote, asserting that this right cannot be denied.
The case is expected to conclude with Justice Hondora reserving a ruling at a later date.
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of seeking a third term in office, despite the constitutional limitation set by the 22nd Amendment. Trump stated that “there are methods” to circumvent the two-term restriction.
Trump suggested one possibility where Vice President JD Vance could run in 2028, then step down, allowing Trump to assume the presidency. While Trump didn’t elaborate on other strategies, he insisted he was “not joking.”
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, prohibits any person from being elected president more than twice. Legal experts have pointed out that such an approach could violate constitutional provisions, with Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller clarifying that Trump could not serve as vice president if he were ineligible for the presidency under the 22nd Amendment.
The proposal to amend the 22nd Amendment, introduced by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, would allow for non-consecutive terms but faces significant political and legal hurdles, CNN reported.
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, who served two consecutive terms, would not be eligible for a third term under Rep. Andy Ogles’ proposed amendment. Only Trump, who won in 2016 and 2024 but lost in 2020, could potentially benefit from such a change. However, not all Republicans support altering the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Trump added the idea was premature, stating he is “focused on the current.”
Police are investigating the fatal murder of 20-year-old Santiago Garcia. The incident occurred in Pomona Village on Sunday night at around 9 p.m.
According to police reports, Garcia’s stepfather, Jason Sharp, had asked Santiago to pick him up and take him to buy marijuana from a man known as “Soap”.
At “Soap’s” yard, Santiago was attacked by another man. Sharp rushed to assist but was soon involved in the struggle. As Santiago stepped back, he collapsed to the ground.
A police officer was injured early this morning during an attempted murder at the Fire Night Club, located on Mile 11 Phillip Goldson Highway in Belize District.
Police reports indicate that at around 12:50 a.m., Corporal Manuel Chub and another police officer were conducting checks at the nightclub when they were alerted to a man on a motorcycle, armed with a firearm and a knife.
Chub approached the man and ordered him to raise his hands. When he did so, the suspect pulled out a 9mm pistol and fired multiple shots, injuring Chub. The suspect fled towards the Burrell Boom Junction, where police personnel from the Belize River Valley pursued him. During the chase, the suspect opened fire on the police vehicle, damaging the hood and windshield before he was eventually apprehended.
The suspect was identified as 36-year-old fisherman Stanley Flowers from Crooked Tree Village. Flowers was arrested after the chase, and a 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol, along with expended shells, was recovered.
Flowers suffered abrasions and was admitted to the hospital in stable condition, along with Chub.
A fire broke out this afternoon on Mayflower Street in Belize City. The fire destroyed a wooden and zinc structure. Shana Tillett, one of the residents, was notified of the fire while at work and returned to find her home burnt down.
Firefighters were seen on the grounds trying to control the fire.
The family suspects that the fire may have been accidentally set by a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia. According to Tillet, the family had taken him in in an effort to help him.
The family of more than six has lost everything in the blaze. Those wishing to assist can contact Shana Tillett at 602-4520.
Pastor Loyd Stanford of Queen Street Baptist Church provided an update on the church’s recovery and rebuilding efforts following the recent fire. He confirmed that the cleanup of the building went smoothly, with significant assistance from members of the Belize City Council, who helped for two days. The local community rallied together to clear the debris, and Stanford said that the congregation is fully committed to rebuilding the church.
A week ago, on March 21, a fire destroyed the historic church in Belize City, leaving the congregation and the Baptist Association of Belize in mourning. The fire started around 4:45 a.m. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the church was completely burnt down. The nearby Queen Street Baptist School also suffered water damage. Founded in 1822, the church was a beloved landmark.
Stanford told News 5 today that the new Queen Street Baptist Church will feature modern changes and is expected to cost around 2.2 million dollars. He added that an engineer was consulted, and the estimated figure provided was an initial assessment. The engineer recommended that the new structure be built stronger and modernised. A more precise estimate will be given once final project details are completed.
Stanford said that while many members and supporters are hopeful that the new building will be up and finished in 9 months time, he called it “an unrealistic expectation”. He explained that the preparatory work is still ongoing, and the funds required for construction will need to be raised through the efforts of the church, its members, and supporters.
Gyannah Vasquez, a member of Troop 27 Santa Elena Jaguar Scouts, has become the “first-ever Scout in Belize to earn the prestigious Bird Watching Badge.”
The Belize Audubon Society announced her achievement on social media, congratulating her “on making history”. It added, “Gyannah’s dedication, patience, and passion for Belize’s incredible birdlife are truly inspiring.”
“The badge is a collaboration between the Scout Association of Belize and Belize Audubon Society and is one of the most challenging to achieve,” the Belize Audubon Society said in its congratulatory post. “We applaud this amazing milestone and look forward to seeing where her birding journey takes her next.”
Frontline healthcare workers at the Northern Regional Hospital received a donation of 14,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gowns.
The donation was presented this morning by Prime Minister John Briceño and the Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard.
Felix Rhaburn, regional health manager, confirmed the donation, stating, “The PM office received 14,000 PPE gowns from the diaspora… He handed over to the minister of health and wellness.”
He added that the donated gowns will “be used across the services by healthcare workers” for the needed protection against infectious pathogens while on duty.
A university nearly three times the size of Belmopan, the capital of Belize, is proposing to build a Harry Potter-inspired campus on Belizean soil.
According to its website, the Ultimate Business University (UBU) envisions a sprawling campus that will feature 3,000 student rooms, 300 rooms for teaching assistants, and 835 employee bungalows.
UBU’s proposed campus layout would feature 280 acres designated for manufacturing, 2 acres for wellness centres, a golf course, a 120-acre vineyard, and over 1,500 acres of farmland meant to cultivate vegetables, hemp, gluten-free lupin beans, and even cacao. All of this and more would sit within a 20,000-acre Hogwarts-like university campus.
While this ambitious project may seem like a major investment, UBU claims on its website that it “will become self-sustainable within 3 to 5 years by generating more than $100 million through programmes such as our Dive Programmes, Dance, Art and Caribbean Music Festivals, agricultural production as well as honey, cocoa, coffee, clothing and many other products we will manufacture.”
According to UBU, this plan is achievable because “students will launch their own business within the first 30 days of being on campus.” The university would start its operations with 1,000 students, which would be the equivalent of 1,000 businesses launching within the first month.
Of those first 1,000 students, it’s likely that none will be Belizeans because the founder made it clear that this project is not intended for locals.
According to the founder, UBU is an “educational programme for kids who are living on the streets in the U.S.” The founder claims the university will offer full scholarships and relocate U.S. students who are “emancipated by a judge and moved to Belize.”
This focus on U.S. students may be disheartening for Belizean students who dream of attending a state-of-the-art university without leaving the country. However, UBU argues that its presence in Belize would still benefit the local community by creating thousands of jobs.
Despite the grand plans, the project has remained in limbo for a long time. It still has yet to secure the proper paperwork and official recognition. On January 28, Belize’s Ministry of Education (MOE) issued a warning notice regarding UBU. The MOE stated that it “wishes to inform the general public to exercise caution regarding an entity named ‘The Ultimate Business University’, which claims to be registered as an educational institution operating within Belize.”
The ministry added in its notice that “this institution is neither legally registered nor authorised to operate as an educational institution in Belize and that it has no official affiliation or recognition from the Ministry of Education.”
Over 2 months have passed since the warning notice, and UBU has not yet made any official statements on its social media platforms or website addressing the issue.
The website remains active and accessible for anybody to learn more about it, but with no official recognition from the MOE, the question hanging here is whether this dream university is real or if it is too good to be true.
After months of gathering input from over 6,690 Belizeans, the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) is nearing the completion of its report, which includes 167 recommendations. The 129-page document, titled Compilation of PCC Recommendations, is the culmination of the PCC’s Public Outreach and Education Campaign that ran from June 2023 to May 2024.
The process has brought up mixed reactions from various stakeholder groups. Caleb Orozco, Executive Director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), expressed strong concerns, stating, “These recommendations do not bring peace nor security or welcome all of us as full citizens of this country.” He further criticized the recommendations for “threatening women’s health and dignity, controlling young people’s freedom of expression, erasing the concerns of persons with diverse abilities, and centering white supremacy and white Christian nationalist views.”
The PCC, in its statement, pointed out the need for additional consultations and has provided stakeholders with a 30-day review period from March 26 to April 26, 2025.
The Commission has urged stakeholders to carefully review and evaluate the recommendations and submit official responses by April 30, 2025, to contribute to the final report.
