Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
Justice turns down Rhett Fuller extradition appeal...
This afternoon businessman Rhett Fuller was escorted by his wife and authorities from the Appeals Court to a waiting police vehicle... to once again be remanded to custody, as a result of his extradition appeal being dismissed. And while Fuller had no comment, his attorney Eamon Courtenay, who has been through the highs and lows of the last twenty years with Fuller, expressed disappointment at the ruling of Justices Carey, Mottley and Morrison... but optimism that the next move will be successful.
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for Rhett Fuller “On a personal basis, I am very disappointed in the results. On a personal level I think Mr. Fuller has lived through hell the last twenty years. There have been these allegations against him, this request. Unfortunately, the prejudice and the abuse, I think the court feels they don’t have jurisdiction to hear it. Now we can make those representations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for him to make a decision as to whether he is going to send a Belizean to the United States for trial in the circumstances which exist in respect of Rhett. I think It’s very important for us to remember that the basis of this entire this request extradition by the United States is based on a lie. They lied to the minister when they initiated these proceedings against Mr. Fuller and we’ll be making that point to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The United States knew that he was here, the United States tried to get him involved in drug trafficking, their D.E.A agent, Mr. Harpman came to him and took him with Broaster to the police station and tried to get him to be a agent for them to get somebody involve for drug trafficking. They didn’t disclose that to the minister, they didn’t tell the minister that they came and set him up with an uzi and planted an uzi on him to get him into prison. It is a disgraceful thing that they have put this man through. And I think that Minister Elrington, when he considers these issues, is going to come down on the side of Rhett Fuller and decide that it really is unjust and unfair for all these things to have happened to him. We are not saying that if he is wanted for an offence he should not go. What we are saying is so much time has passed that what has happened is that the whole thing has become prejudicial to him and oppressive. People are concerned that the Americans have brought agents here already to take him out; I’m certain that that’s not going to happen. We have a letter already from a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had written when he was in office that there will be no surrender of Mr. Fuller until the proceedings are complete and the proceedings are not complete, so he cannot be spirited out of here by any American agents and I sincerely hope the Americans don’t try that.”
And as Courtenay is quick the point out, this is just another round in the continuing battle to free Fuller of the allegations in connection with the 1990 killing of Florida resident, Larry Miller in the U.S. Courtenay says he and his client have plans to appeal to the Minister and are gearing up for the Privy Council if needs be. And as for the concern that the Foreign Minister, to whom the appeal is to be lodged, and the Attorney General, who is representing the United State’s interests are one and the same, Courtenay hopes that Wilfred Elrington will be able to strike a balance.
Eamon Courtenay “We hope that Minister Elrington will be able to divorce himself from the fact that his office is representing the United States of America and understand that the discretion that he has to make is a discretion that balances the national interests on one hand and on the other hand the interest of Mr. Fuller, who is at this stage still innocent.”
Kendra Griffith
“What is the process to the appeal to the minister?”
Eamon Courtenay “Well, that’s a very interesting one. I also made the point to the Court of Appeal that there is nothing set out to the law for that process. The law doesn’t provide anything what happens is that the Chief Magistrate should have made a report to the minister, and I take it that we are going to be given a copy of that report for us to make comments and representations in addition to that on behalf of Rhett. I will be in touch with the minister very early next week to find out from him what is the procedure that he is going to put in this place so that this can be done and we just assume and we have to be prepare if he were to say I think he still should be surrendered, then we are going to challenge that decision in court. We shouldn’t forget that Mr. Fuller also has a right to appeal to the Privy Council. A person who I would describe as perhaps the world’s greatest extradition lawyer, Ed Fitzgerald Q.C. has already said that he is going to take up the appeal. We also have Julian Knowles from Matrix Chambers, another leading—in fact, Julian has written books on extradition. I have briefed these guys on this case and they were actually trying to get down here to be apart of the team on the appeal but they had conflicts there but we are going to go to the Privy Council with this, so the fight has just began.”
Courtenay says he will apply for bail for his client early next week. Fuller has been out on bail since 2000.
…And says no to government in referendum case
Fuller wasn’t the only one to get bad news from the Appeals Court. Today the Government of Belize’s constitutional amendments received the second blow when Justices Sosa, Mottley and Carey, dismissed an appeal of Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh’s ruling. On July twenty-eighth the C.J. granted Alberto Vellos, Dorla Dawson, Yasmin Shoman, and Darrel Carter judicial review of the government’s decision to amend the Referendum Act before holding a referendum. In handing down their judgments today, the justices took the CJ’s ruling even further to say that the government should have held consultations with the electorate before taking the matter to parliament... and that the bill must now be submitted to the electorate. An obviously pleased Lisa Shoman, attorney for the respondents, commented after the ruling saying it’s a victory for everyone.
Lisa Shoman, Attorney for Albert Vellos et al. “Major victory, not for me or my team, but also for the citizens of Belize and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the claimants who were brave enough to put their names forward and step out and say on behalf on all Belizean citizens that what was happening was not right and that the referendum should be held in respect of the fundamental rights and freedom. Bare in mind, however, the law has been changed and so should this government or any other government choose to put in changes to our fundamental rights and freedom at the moment as the law stands, they don’t have to call referendum on that. I am obviously very gratified that we did win this part of the matter that we were brought to court for. As you know, the Chief Justice gave a ruling saying that the referendum should be held and the government chose to appeal that decision. Today the Court of Appeal has upheld the Court of Justice’s decision and in fact, even gone a bit further and now say the referendum must be held with regard to the purposed amendments that the Prime Minister was putting forward as apart of the sixth constitution Amendment Bill having to do with fundamental rights and freedoms.”
Kendra Griffith
“So what do you expect would happen now?”
Lisa Shoman “Well, I would expect that either the referendum is held or those proposed amendments which have to do with fundamental rights and freedom are going to be abandoned.”
The amendments were passed during the August twenty-second meeting of the House of Representatives. At the sitting, however, Prime Minister Dean Barrow told the gathering that quote “If the Court of Appeal says it agrees with the Chief Justice and we must hold a referendum, notwithstanding that it will make no difference to the law, we will do so because we are obliged to respect the courts of this country.”
In February, Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh ruled against the Government of Belize, calling their proposed amendment to section seventeen of the constitution incompatible with the basic structure of the supreme document as it makes access to the court unavailable.
Louie Ganzie appeal also denied
And while Alberto Vellos et al were celebrating their victory, Louis Gentle aka “Louie Ganzie” was being remanded to prison to serve out his life sentence. This morning, Ganzie’s appeal was dismissed by Justices Sosa, Mottle, and Carey. He was convicted of the murder of his ex-common law wife Takeisha Sutherland, which occurred on January third, 2007. In handing down their ruling, the Justices noted that Ganzie utilized the services of both a private counsel and legal aid. They wondered about the propriety of it since legal aid is reserved for those who cannot afford an attorney and the justices said that this situation may need to be looked into.
16 year old murdered; 4 gun shots to the head
In the deadly and dangerous streets of Belize City, another person’s life was cut short. This time, it is a minor who months ago had a quick brush in the grenade explosion on Mayflower Street. The sixteen year old was confined to a wheelchair for some time but last night he ran out of luck. Jose Sanchez reports. Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Sometime after ten on Thursday night, sixteen year old Sharife Smith was murdered. Another sixteen year old known as Harris who was riding with him on Ground Dove Street said that a man approached them and shot Smith in the face. And according to Harris, even after that gunshot on the face, he and Smith both ran in separate directions. Family members from Mayflower Street say that Smith could not be found so they went looking for him.
Cousin of Sharife Smith “The time I get up is about minutes to four, but dehn done get up like bout one and gone search and come back. Minutes to four den I get up and mek we walk down di boulevard ketch wah taxi right. And dah so when all ah we get up, we jump eena wah police vehicle. Bout seven, eight ah we jump eena wah police and dehn ker we back ah Jane Usher. Wah young man, he come out and he start to help we. He gone by—wah dread man. He gone and when time he get up… he seh afta di banging he get up but he neva si nothing right and dah so he ker we mek we end up di gone and mek we end up di look. Di bally weh di bally reach yah so, way up to ih neck, dah so he find ah, you understand me.”
His body was found in the middle of a bushy lot on Jabaroo Street, off Jane Usher Boulevard. He had four gunshot wounds to the left side of his head. Sharife Smith had recently recovered from injuries he received during the May eighteenth, 2008 grenade explosion on Mayflower Street.
Jose Sanchez
“How badly was he injured from the grenade explosion?”
Cousin of Sharife Smith “Ih get like seventy-two holes, yoh understand me. Spend eena wheelchair like three months but I thank to the father right, ih alive but now ih gone. Ih lost and forgotten, you understand me.”
The Mayflower area is where the Conscious Youth Development Program director met Sharife and worked with him to change his lifestyle.
Edward Broaster, C.Y.D.P. “We have been working with him and his mother Marsha Smith to try and develop him to be productive and also to get him back in school.”
Jose Sanchez
“What sort of programs you had him involved in?
Edward Broaster “We had him involved in conflict resolution and management skills training, lifeskills developmental training and the last program that he was involved with us is the mediation program in Toledo where we had mediation between him and another group of young men.”
Jose Sanchez
“So is it safe to say he is a tough kid with a troubled past?”
Edward Broaster “He was a troubled youth, yes. For a little while it looked as if though he was trying to make that turn but I guess given the environment he was in, he didn’t have the positive support that was needed to keep him going and to make that complete change.”
Marsha Smith, Mother, Sharife Smith “Well, I know I love him. Ih mek mi happy, ih mek mi sad some days cause ih noh listen but… honestly to God, I’d never swear fi ah. So, like I seh, I noh know weh happen but mi son ih dah mi wah good boy. I think dah God choice. If dah even gun or bullet, whatever ketch ah and I know dah shot, dehn shot ah, dah god work. He tek ah fi wah reason; probably ih mi di stress mi too much which in I doubt because thanks to C.Y.D.P. dehn did wah good job wid ah wid my help, di family; everybody try talk to ah and ih straighten up wah lot. I never believe dis mi wah happen but especially dat ih slow down, ih happen so I can’t vex.”
Jose Sanchez
“You have other kids to look out for?”
Marsha Smith “Yes, but like I seh I lef it to God, di police dehn, I hope dehn do dehn job and no lotta excitement and scenery because we noh into den deh and di family dah wah strong family. So I’m hurt, I’m crying, but I’m smiling and God know weh he do probably dah di best thing. So I wah contninue go dah mi lee church and do mi lee mischievous act but I wah enjoy mi life so yoh know what, God be with us all.”
Jose Sanchez
“The young man who was with him at the time of his death or shooting, was in one of the programs?”
Edward Broaster “The young man that was with him also was being engaged with regards to conflict resolution and mediating different conflicts that they both had with other groups, yes.”
Jose Sanchez
“Were they from the same set or lived in rival areas?”
Edward Broaster “Well, they lived in different communities but they became friends with each other, I can say that.”
Sharife Smith’s friend has been detained by the police for possession of an unlicensed firearm; a nine millimeter caliber gun which had no bullets in its clip. This afternoon police recovered a nine millimeter shell at the scene. The youth is now a suspect in the murder.
Edward Broaster “We are doing our own investigation as well because we need to know if there is any other group involved and we need to stem off any retaliation that may occur from this incident. I can say that the violence being perpetrated at this time is being done by younger persons; juveniles. We’re going to have a juvenile summit pretty soon to address the matter of juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime. If we don’t address it we would be continuing to circle around a ring and recycling young teens to other offenders and we need to stop the cycle.”
Marsha Smith “Mothers, like if I never seh dis earlier, I wah seh dis now. I never know this is the way unnu feel when unnu lose unnu son at gun point. But now dat I feel di pain unnu feel mothers, we still have to kneel down and pray and get together and stop this. It could stop.”
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
…And the family of the accused says he’s innocent
The Plues Street youth who was detained after the murder of Sharife Smith was charged today for Keeping an Unlicensed Firearm Without a Gun License when he appeared in Family Court today and was sent to Boot Camp until May fourth. Late this evening, a concerned family member came by our studios to say that the sixteen year old is innocent.
Jose Sanchez
“How do you know your family member didn’t commit this crime?
Voice of: Relative of detained 16 yr. old. “Because wah Lady come soon this morning and di lady tell we she see when di police shot di boy and di boy run eena di bush and then dehn drive off and gone and left di boy weh mih deh wit ah. Den after dat, dehn deh round and round with gun, deh all eena di yard and all about di place. Den dehn gone di young man, he just mih di come home, get enna ih house. He just mih di knock fi mek dehn let ah in and then when dehn come, dehn tell di young man “Da weh yoh di dodge, da weh yoh di dodge?”. He she he noh di dodge because he mih half black-up but he neva dat nice. So he tell dehn he neva dat nice, so he tell dehn “I noh eena da violence world” like dat, so dehn—I tell ah mek ih gone inside and ih gone inside. So when yoh look dehn come back da night, well I haffi goh ker dis young man because dis young man—we haffi detain ah fi wah shooting weh gone on, like dat.”
Jose Sanchez
“The police said they found him with a fire arm so they have to charge him for that”
Voice of: Relative of Detained 16 yr. old. “Well as far as I know, ih neva had no fire arm. As far as we know because da three a we mih deh deh, ih neva had no firearms.”
Jose Sanchez
“The person who told you gave you this story about someone else committing the murder. Have you told this person to go to the police? Has that person gone to make a statement?”
Voice of: Relative of detained 16 yr. old. “I tell dehn but ah tell yo people fraid due to weh dehn di come kill yo and kill yo, when dehn know you know something, dehn come kill yo.”
The youth pleaded guilty to the charge of keeping a firearm without a gun license, but Magistrate Alberta Perez did not accept his guilty plea because a parent or guardian was not present and he was also not represented by an attorney.
Seven year old killed in traffic accident
Sharife Smith was not the only youth to lose his life over the past twenty-four hours. A child was also tragically killed in an accident that occurred this afternoon. Seven year old Elias Suarez attended the Ladyville Seventh Day Adventist School, located at the corner of Hecker and Perez Roads. Classes ended at twelve and Suarez rode on his bicycle onto Hecker Road where he was knocked down by a truck being driven by Johan Niekony a Mennonite from the Cayo Area. He was killed instantly. The police investigation is ongoing and residents as well as family members are concerned that accidents in the area are becoming a regular occurrence.
Sgt. Solomon Marin, Ladyville Police “At about twelve- twenty-five p.m., based on a report of a traffic accident on Perez Road, police visit the scene where they saw the lifeless body of a young Hispanic male person about seven years. His bicycle was nearby and a truck hit him. Investigations into the matter was about twelve- twenty p.m. one, Johan Niekony was driving his truck on Perez road from the direction of Mirage Woodinto the Bella Vista Area, that is a west to easterly direction and the young man, Elias Suarez, was riding a black Nankon bicycle in the same direction as the truck and apparently he got knocked down.”
Cheryl Henry, Lives Near Accident Scene “I just came in from school and I came to open up the van and the same time I heard a bunch of children screaming and when I look up I saw the little boy on the ground.”
Jose Sanchez
“And that’s when your neighbor went over?”
Cheryl Henry “Yes, he went over and he went and saw him and then he came back and told me that how the little boy was dead already.”
Jose Sanchez
“And he put a sheet and cover him up?”
Cheryl Henry “No, nobody didn’t faas with the body.”
Jose Sanchez
“Now, I understand that—is this first time an accident has occurred on the street concerning kids?”
Cheryl Henry “No, I think two accidents so far happened already in less than two years in on street with same school children.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you think maybe they need speed bumps on the street?”
Cheryl Henry “Well, I don’t know if that will work because we have two speed bumps already and the vehicle still—some of them just speed across the bumps, so it doesn’t really work.”
Jose Sanchez
“What needs to be done? What can be done to help the situation?”
Cheryl Henry “I believe they need to have—maybe the police could come since this is the only school, on this street and then when the highway is closed off they re-direct the traffic to this back street. So I think if the police would come out, maybe two of them, you know just to be along or to patrol while the school is over that would be better.”
Hubert Frazer, friend of Suarez family “My deepest concern is the fact that we have speed bumps there but people when they see kids, especial on bicycles or walking on the street, as a certified driver should always use your initiative and think because the fact if you as a if you see a ball coming out on the road, there’s a child behind it. It’s the same way when a child is on a bicycle, that child can be gazing and go into your lane, if you are going to the proper speed which would be almost next to zero until you past the children, you should safe guard the children first, safety first. So, what I get from this is that the child tried to cross the street and in that process, the guy just knocked him down and ran over him with the front wheel first and then with the rare wheel. I don’t know if it’s the left or right side, but doing that you should always stop, as a driver stop. Think, that’s a life. It’s not the first one.”
Jose Sanchez
“How is his the family coping?”
Hubert Frazer “Bwai, coping is not the word, my brother. The mom right now is devastated because of the fact that it’s her baby, seven year old Eli.”
The postmortem for Elias Suarez is scheduled for tomorrow.
Jealousy may be have been motive for cop’s murder
Two murders that happened earlier this week remain unresolved. Police have detained one person and are looking for other persons of interest in connection with the shooting death of Police Constable Wiener Denis. Denis was shot dead in the Salvapan area of Belmopan around two twenty-five on Thursday afternoon; he had just left home and was riding his bicycle when he was fatally shot. And today police were searching for the motive behind his murder. Marion Ali reports from Belmopan.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The Police Department’s flag at the Belmopan headquarters was flying at half mast today in respect of one of their own, twenty-six year old Police Constable Wiener Denis who was shot dead on Thursday. The officer was enjoying a day off from work when someone pounced on him, robbing him of the chance of ever seeing his second child enter this world.
Marion Ali “Reports are that P.C. Denis had just left his home on Suriname Street and was riding here on Cemetery Road when a man riding another bicycle behind him shot him. Denis, it is reported, dropped his bicycle and ran to that nearby bakery behind me for help. Police say the motive for his killing is still uncertain.”
Superintendent Aaron Guzman, Crimes Investigations Branch “We have one person in custody. That person was picked up yesterday evening and we are following through with the investigation.”
Marion Ali
“What’s the relation between himself and Mr. Denis?”
Supt. Aaron Guzman “There’s no relation, as far as we know, between him and Mr. Denis.”
Voice of Marilyn Denis, Sister of Murdered Policeman “We hear rumors, so many rumors, so I don’t really know what happened.”
But News Five understands from residents of the area that Denis was killed by a jealous man because Denis had grown friendly with that man’s girlfriend. And while that may only be a rumor, police are depending on residents of the area to help them crack the case.
Supt. Aaron Guzman “We need to take a look at ourselves and realize that a case is not solved on its own and it is not solved solely by the police because rarely it is incidents occur when police are present so it is that we need for persons who may have seen something to give their statement so that we can make a proper case.”
Meanwhile, family members of the fallen officer are still in shock over what has happened.
Voice of Marilyn Denis “I don’t know that he had enemies, so I don’t know nothing. I just know that my brother is gone and that he’s gone forever. I won’t see him again. I just saw him Wednesday and by Thursday he’s already dead and it’s very unbelievable. I still cannot believe that my brother is dead.”
P.C. Denis will be laid to rest on Monday. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
Police have recovered a nine millimeter expended shell from the scene.
Grandmother says she knows who killed 12 year old
In the other case, Belmopan police also have on their hands the mysterious death of twelve year old Saida Noemi Godoy Veliz of Frank’s Eddy Village that occurred on Tuesday night. And while police have still not charged anyone in connection with her death, they are looking at the possibility of charging more than one man. But while they review their case and search for clues, the little girl’s grandmother, Antonia Garrido, is irate that the man she believes is guilty of murdering the standard four student is still free to roam the village.
Antonia Garrido, Grandmother of Deceased “He took her fifteen days ago at six-thirty on a Friday and was sending her text messages on the cellular phone that I had and she responded but it was in English so I didn’t understand. His sister was here and she wouldn’t leave. But I want to meet her so I can ask her questions, the same questions that I asked her in front of her father. Recently, he gave a teacher a ride to the village and he asked the teacher how the girls were behaving in school and he said more or less. When they stopped by the water pump, my grand-daughter was there and he asked the teacher how she was behaving and that he had heard that she had boyfriends and she even has a boyfriend from Cotton Tree. It is a sin if there is no justice against these people because he will continue doing bad things to the village.”
“I sent my grand-daughter out at six-thirty he was in the taxi and three people saw them when they left. I sent her because I wanted a man to fix my light because a lady from a nearby village, San Mateo, would come to the house for prayers. I sent her out and then her mother went to sell cilantro and tried to look for her. And then, Mansie went and they told me that Saida could not be found. I went and on my return a man, named Randy asked me who I was looking for and if it was for Saida because “Iguana” took her. He took her in the car, put her in the car, in the area of the clinic.”
Supt. Aaron Guzman, C.I.B. “It may be that we look at following up on maybe not necessarily the murder charge but maybe some other charge on one or two persons. There may be several offenses that may have been committed. It may be that maybe the circumstances of her leaving the house or residence, there could be a charge or charges levied on different persons, which eventually led up to the child being killed. We will work on each and every instance and there may be separate charges preferred against one person or different persons.”
Meanwhile, there are persistent reports that two key persons named in separate murders have fled the country. In reference to the perplexing case of the Chinese mastermind who allegedly ordered the murder of one of his own in Orange Walk March fourteenth, News Five tried to get confirmation whether the Belmopan based businessman has indeed left the country. We reported earlier in the week that he had been questioned by police last weekend but was released when he gave police information that one of their own, Constable Manuel Hill, was also involved and had acted as the middle man in the contract hit.
We also could not confirm reports in the other case, that Taedron Bennett, one of the men who was freed for lack of evidence in the case of the Brannon Brothers murder trial, has left the country. Both Bennett and Joseph Kee were freed but the office of the Director of Prosecutions had indicated that the case could be recalled when the main witness, Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, was healthy to testify against the accused men.
Baby Joshua needs your help
But a Guinea Grass couple needs your help to save the life of their newborn son. Joshua Teck was born with an incomplete esophagus and is unable to be fed normally. Friends of Pediatrics has been helping the family and arranged to have the baby flown to the U.S. for medical treatment along with his mother and a nurse on a commercial flight. But the newborn required portable oxygen for the long trip and when it was time to board the plane, they were told that they could not take the oxygen tank on a commercial flight. The only option now is to travel by air ambulance, which will cost the family thousands of dollars that they can’t afford. Baby Joshua’s father, Jerome Teck, stopped by our studios today to ask the public for help in raising the funds.
Jerome Teck, Father of Joshua Teck “Ih got wah Esophageal Problem. Ih born without ih esophagus go all di way to ih stomach; ih only reach like half way and we need fi go do wah esophageal repair.”
Delahnie Bain
“Where do you need to take the baby for medical attention?”
Jerome Teck “Right dah United States, Richmond Virginia.”
Delahnie Bain “And how soon is the baby supposed to be there?”
Jerome Teck “As soon as possible because the baby is not feeding through the mouth; ih feeding through the vein. And then di baby di lose weight and I noh want si my baby get maaga so I try si what I could do fi di baby fi mek ih get normal.”
Delahnie Bain “And how much money do you need to raise for the trip?”
Jerome Teck “Twenty-five thousand. We can’t get through with the plane and we need some big help fi mek di baby reach deh so fast. And dah problem dehn give wi and so dat’s why I mi di try come dah Channel Five TV station fi try get help as soon as possible because dah wah emergency and we need di baby fi go like Monday because dehn cancel di trip and dah due to weh di plane noh want use di oxygen and dehn noh want portable oxygen.”
The Teck family can be contacted through Friends of Pediatrics.
P.M. Barrow heads to Costa Rica to meet U.S. V.P. Biden
In news from G.O.B., it was announced today that Prime Minister Dean Barrow will be traveling to Costa Rica this Sunday where he will be joining Central American presidents for a meeting with the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. The meeting with Biden has to do with the upcoming Summit of the Americas to be held in Trinidad and Tobago from April seventeenth to nineteenth, which will be attended by U.S. President Obama, the leaders of the entire hemisphere and Canada, except for Cuba that is not part of the grouping. Since the D.P.M, Gaspar Vega will also travel to Costa Rica, Minister Erwin Contreras will be watching over the country until Tuesday March thirty-first.
Turn off your light for earth hour this Saturday
But before the Central Americans huddle with the U.S., the world is being asked to turn off the lights this Saturday for one hour as a part of the annual Earth Hour Initiative. With climate change becoming a growing concern, Earth Hour is aimed at reaching out to communities to take small steps to mitigate the effects of the global phenomenon. The project started in 2007 as an agreement between World Wildlife Fund and Sidney Australia; two million persons participated in its first year. In 2008, the effort spread and people from thirty-five countries and three hundred and seventy cities turned off their lights. Climate Change Officer at the W.W.F., Nadia Bood, appeared on Open Your Eyes this morning along with U.B. Lecturer Doctor Elma Kay to talk about the initiative and she told us that this year the number of participants is even higher.
Nadia Bood, Climate Change Officer, W.W.F. “For this year we have set a benchmark of one thousand cities and we’re reaching out to at least a billion people and we’re asking them to vote and the way we hope to count the amount of people that commit to the cause would be if they sign up on to the Earth Hour webpage and vote and put your name and put the country you’re from. Up until yesterday, we had commitment from two thousand, eight hundred and forty-eight cities ad eighty-two countries, which is really good. We already surpassed the bench line for the amount of cities that we wanted—the number of cities that we had hoped would participate. But essentially what we hope to achieve by Earth Hour is the response and the voting when tallied, will be presented to world leaders at the global Climate Change Conference scheduled for December in Copenhagen, Denmark. We’re trying to appeal to these policy makers for them to put this act in place to try and combat climate change, whether it be through mitigation or adaptation.”
Dr. Elma Kay, Lecturer, University of Belize “The idea is to turn off your electric lights but I think the whole idea is to show solidarity and that you care by not using electricity. You can go above and beyond just turning off your lights, but taking out your switches.”
“The U.B. Environmental Club is spearheading the effort in Belmopan, then they will be having a torch run, they are also telling everybody on campus, they have been posting flyers, talking to people, they put up a banner at the entrance of Guanacaste. So you’ll see it; it says “Turn Off Your Electric Lights on March twenty-eighth”. Actually, in all the towns you should see these banners. Galen University is taking up the effort in San Ignacio and Benque and they’re going door-to-door getting people to sign up and in Corozal we’re having a candle light walk during the Earth Hour. In Dangriga, they are also doing efforts.”
Earth Hour is from eight-thirty to nine-thirty this Saturday night.
Safiyyah has the weekend rundown for entertainment
If you’re single and you’re at loose ends, there’s one activity that could interest you this weekend, Saffiyah has the details and more tips for a weekend of fun …
Hey, I’m Safiyyah and this is What’s Happening Belize. Well, Easter is almost here and I hope you and your friends or family already have your plans in motion. But we’re not quite there yet so let’s see what there is to do this weekend.
This Saturday night inside the Brown Sugar Marketplace there will be a dance/ concert called “Singles” and they’re calling out all the single ladies. This hug bash will feature Charlie Blacks and Mr. Program. We spoke to the artist and they had this to say...
[Charlie Black singing…
Charlie Black, Artist “Hear weh me ah seh noh, ladies just come out tomorrow twenty-eighth of March, the last Saturday of this month. The place to be; Brown Sugar Village, right. It’s my first time here performing so every girl come out and leave your boyfriends at home. It’s the party of a lifetime.”
Promoter “Fresh from Jamaica, it’s all about mi good friend Charlie Blacks, international artist. He’ll be singing his big songs like “Buddy Buddy”, “Backshot Time” so do remember all my single ladies I wanna see you out there.”
On Saturday afternoon there will be a Red Carpet World Premier of the CD/DVD called “Evolution”. This album by the artist Berne features other artist like Tanya Carter and Ras Scorpion. The Premier will be taking place at three p.m. at the Princess Hotel and Casino Screen one.
And this Sunday you and your family or friends can take a trip up to Crocland Adventure and Eco Park in Biscayne Village where they’ll be having an all day poolside party with Tagg International. So if you feel like taking a trip this weekend then you can stop by Crocland located twenty-five and a half miles on the Northern Highway.
That’s all I have for now. Look out for a lot of fun events happening next weekend, leading up to Easter. Bye!
If there’s an event that you want featured, give me a call at 625-3079. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at ten p.m.
This afternoon businessman Rhett Fuller was escorted by his wife and authorities from the Appeals Court to a waiting police vehicle... to once again be remanded to custody, as a result of his extradition appeal being dismissed. And while Fuller had no comment, his attorney Eamon Courtenay, who has been through the highs and lows of the last twenty years with Fuller, expressed disappointment at the ruling of Justices Carey, Mottley and Morrison... but optimism that the next move will be successful.
Fuller wasn’t the only one to get bad news from the Appeals Court. Today the Government of Belize’s constitutional amendments received the second blow when Justices Sosa, Mottley and Carey, dismissed an appeal of Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh’s ruling. On July twenty-eighth the C.J. granted Alberto Vellos, Dorla Dawson, Yasmin Shoman, and Darrel Carter judicial review of the government’s decision to amend the Referendum Act before holding a referendum. In handing down their judgments today, the justices took the CJ’s ruling even further to say that the government should have held consultations with the electorate before taking the matter to parliament... and that the bill must now be submitted to the electorate. An obviously pleased Lisa Shoman, attorney for the respondents, commented after the ruling saying it’s a victory for everyone.
In the deadly and dangerous streets of Belize City, another person’s life was cut short. This time, it is a minor who months ago had a quick brush in the grenade explosion on Mayflower Street. The sixteen year old was confined to a wheelchair for some time but last night he ran out of luck. Jose Sanchez reports.
Sharife Smith was not the only youth to lose his life over the past twenty-four hours. A child was also tragically killed in an accident that occurred this afternoon. Seven year old Elias Suarez attended the Ladyville Seventh Day Adventist School, located at the corner of Hecker and Perez Roads. Classes ended at twelve and Suarez rode on his bicycle onto Hecker Road where he was knocked down by a truck being driven by Johan Niekony a Mennonite from the Cayo Area. He was killed instantly. The police investigation is ongoing and residents as well as family members are concerned that accidents in the area are becoming a regular occurrence. 
Two murders that happened earlier this week remain unresolved. Police have detained one person and are looking for other persons of interest in connection with the shooting death of Police Constable Wiener Denis. Denis was shot dead in the Salvapan area of Belmopan around two twenty-five on Thursday afternoon; he had just left home and was riding his bicycle when he was fatally shot. And today police were searching for the motive behind his murder. Marion Ali reports from Belmopan.
In the other case, Belmopan police also have on their hands the mysterious death of twelve year old Saida Noemi Godoy Veliz of Frank’s Eddy Village that occurred on Tuesday night. And while police have still not charged anyone in connection with her death, they are looking at the possibility of charging more than one man. But while they review their case and search for clues, the little girl’s grandmother, Antonia Garrido, is irate that the man she believes is guilty of murdering the standard four student is still free to roam the village. 
But a Guinea Grass couple needs your help to save the life of their newborn son. Joshua Teck was born with an incomplete esophagus and is unable to be fed normally. Friends of Pediatrics has been helping the family and arranged to have the baby flown to the U.S. for medical treatment along with his mother and a nurse on a commercial flight. But the newborn required portable oxygen for the long trip and when it was time to board the plane, they were told that they could not take the oxygen tank on a commercial flight. The only option now is to travel by air ambulance, which will cost the family thousands of dollars that they can’t afford. Baby Joshua’s father, Jerome Teck, stopped by our studios today to ask the public for help in raising the funds.
But before the Central Americans huddle with the U.S., the world is being asked to turn off the lights this Saturday for one hour as a part of the annual Earth Hour Initiative. With climate change becoming a growing concern, Earth Hour is aimed at reaching out to communities to take small steps to mitigate the effects of the global phenomenon. The project started in 2007 as an agreement between World Wildlife Fund and Sidney Australia; two million persons participated in its first year. In 2008, the effort spread and people from thirty-five countries and three hundred and seventy cities turned off their lights. Climate Change Officer at the W.W.F., Nadia Bood, appeared on Open Your Eyes this morning along with U.B. Lecturer Doctor Elma Kay to talk about the initiative and she told us that this year the number of participants is even higher.
If you’re single and you’re at loose ends, there’s one activity that could interest you this weekend, Saffiyah has the details and more tips for a weekend of fun …
