2024-07-09 - Channel 5 Belize

U.D.P. Demands Apology from Osmond Martinez Over B.D.F. Comments

With only eight days left before the Toledo East by-election, all three candidates have ramped up their campaigns. The United Democratic Party has produced an advertisement demanding an apology from P.U.P. Candidate Osmond Martinez for comments he made about the Belize Defense Force on a morning show. The ad captured Martinez saying that as a child in Toledo, members of the Belize Defense Force would go into the banana fields, rape the women and ship the men off to Guatemala. Barrow also questioned Martinez’s ability to contest an election in Belize given his dual citizenship.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I shared with the media where he said that B.D.F. soldiers raped the women in Bella Vista and chased them to the banana farm and shift the men off to Melchor. These are reprehensible lies and the U.D.P. calls on Osmond Martinez and the People’s United Party to apologize forthwith. It is deplorable, despicable that someone who wants to serve in the National Assembly would be so desperate to reduce our patriots, the B.D.F, women and men who give of themselves, risk their lives, sacrifice their families, sacrifice so much for us, they should not be involved in our politics. If they want to attack the candidate, me the party, fine we will deal with that. That is what we signed up for. We have an issue as far as him being a dual citizen. I don’t know if any of you have asked him if he renounced his Honduran nationality. I believe that is a fair question and when you ask find him next I hope you will ask him because he will not be able to sit in the House of Representative if he is. We will do him a favor and hand him a defeat on Wednesday July seventeenth anyway. But I believe it is a fair question. And certainly this gentleman Osmond Martinez is not even from Toledo East. He is registered to vote in Caribbean Shores and lives in Caribbean Shores if he could show me a light bill or a water bill because I know they were very concerned about where I live. I have a light bill and water bill. And I had mih bed and mih fridge everything at one of my residencies located in Mesopotamia. Osmond Martinez cannot say the same. He is from Caribbean Shores. So the fact that we have a candidate the P.U.P. candidate that is not from Toledo east. He tries to create this fairytale story of growing up on the banana farms and now he is here to rescue Toledo east.”

U.D.P. Says Dennis “Desho” Is Best for Toledo East

Opposition Leader Barrow also shared why the party believes that its candidate, Dennis “Desho” Williams is the best person to represent the people of Toledo East in parliament. In essence, Barrow contends that Williams is a son of the soil.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“Dennis “Desho” Williams is a son of the soil. He has worked, lived, his entire life in Toledo East, Punta Gorda and he has paid his dues as a campaigner, ground commander, standard bearer and hopefully now the next area rep of Toledo East. There is no mistaken his loyalty, no mistaken his commitment to Toledo East and the people in Toledo East knows him. I was blown away by how he interacted with the people in the villages as much as the people in town. He has been doing his work over the last twenty years. But certainly, as the standard bearer over the last couple years he has maintained strong relationships all throughout Toledo East. The institutional intelligence that he has as far as the needs and wants of the people can only come from someone that was there and never left. He worked for B.E.L., B.T.L., he started his own tech company. But he never left Punta Gord, Bella Vista and all the other villages. There is no one more suited to represen5t the people of Toledo East in the National Assembly than one of their own.”

Two-Time Albert Area Rep to Face Off Against Kaya Cattouse

Looking ahead to the 2025 general elections, all eyes are on Belize City Councilor Kaya Cattouse as she hits the ground in the Albert Division. Cattouse is going up against two-time area representative, Tracy Panton. So, is Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow concerned about how Panton will perform against Cattouse? We asked him.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“The honorable member from Alberts is a two-time area representative thus I would bet on her. I believe that she has to be given the benefit of the doubt, she won back-to-back, she won, while the margin was not a large margin, it was in the midst of a blue tsunami, and she held her own against a formidable candidate who had all the resources behind him. So, I don’t believe you take anybody for granted certainly Kaya is a popular councilor and thus the honorable member form Albert will just have to continue doing what she does best because, what she knows to do best has worked in Albert.”

A Preview of KTV the Remix Episode 2

Tonight at the Bliss, two contestants in this season of K.T.V. The Remix are going home, another guest judge will also be joining Andazzi and Tremett to critique this week’s performances. It all goes down live at eight p.m. and for a look at what you, our faithful viewers, can expect, we turn to production assistant Monilee Aspinall for a preview of tonight’s show.

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Jenny Lovell Laid to Rest

A mass of thanksgiving was held today at Saint Ignatius Church in Belize City for the life of Belizean legend, Jennifer Lovell, better known as Jenny Lovell. The seventy-three-year-old Mass in Blues singer, K.T.V. judge and counsellor passed away during on June twenty-seventh at her home in Belmopan. Today, family and friends of the charismatic icon gathered to pay their last respects while the Belize Defence Force band performed renditions of Onward Christian Soldier, and the Belizean and American National Anthems. Lovell served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for twenty-five years, before retiring and returning to Belize to serve her country. She was a professional mental health therapist and volunteered a lot of her time and service to the people of Belize. Known for her flavour and bubbly personality she brought to Channel Five’s K.T.V., Jenny was a popular judge and crowd pleaser with her phrase, “I love it” after the performances that she enjoyed. For those who didn’t know, Jenny was also a mainstay for the Frankie Reneau music projects. William Neal, who hosts the K.T.V. show has worked with Jenny for many years on the show and he was the M.C. before the service began, as several singers paid tribute to the memory of Jenny Lovell. We bring you snippets of the sights and sounds of the musical performances that preceded the funeral service in honour of the late Jenny Lovell.

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Brian Perriott Changes Guilty Plea in Cybercrime Case Involving Nude Photos

Brian Lee Perriott, 26, initially pleaded guilty to charges under the Cybercrime Act for circulating nude photos of a woman on Facebook. However, after three days on remand, he changed his plea to not guilty during sentencing today. Perriott, who now has legal representation from Elrington & Co. Ltd., was offered bail of $8,000 with one surety of the same amount.

The court imposed several conditions on Perriott’s bail, including a prohibition on social media engagement regarding the case and a requirement to stay 100 yards away from the victim. During the session, Prosecutor Sgt. Christopher Smith argued against the change of plea, emphasising the seriousness of the offence and the need to uphold privacy laws. Despite this, the magistrate allowed the plea change, noting the defence’s arguments and the lack of evidence suggesting Perriott is a flight risk.

Perriott had been accused of sharing nude photos of a 20-year-old woman and threatening her and her family after the relationship ended. The magistrate warned Perriott about the strict conditions of his bail and the serious consequences of any violations.

Man Charged with Abetment to Murder in Double Crime Case

In connection with the attempted murder of Andrews Muns and the murder of Clint Castillo on Saturday, July 6, 2024, police have formally arrested and charged 22-year-old Jamal James Hyde, a Belizean construction worker from the Cayo District, with two counts of abetment to murder.

Thirty-nine-year-old Castillo collapsed and died after he was shot in the face shortly before eleven on Saturday night in Cotton Tree Village.

Guyana Abolishes Preliminary Inquiries in Favour of Paper Committals

Guyana’s National Assembly recently passed the Criminal Law Procedure (Paper Committals) Bill 2024, marking a significant change in the country’s legal system by eliminating lengthy preliminary inquiries (PI). The bill, presented by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, aims to replace traditional oral preliminary inquiries with paper committals. This shift is expected to streamline judicial processes, reduce case backlogs, and alleviate the burden on the prison system.

Under the new legislation, instead of conducting oral hearings with witnesses present, paper committals will involve a review of written evidence and arguments submitted by both the prosecution and defense. This method, already in use in other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, promises efficiency and expediency, addressing issues of prolonged remand periods and ensuring fair trials within reasonable time frames.

Google Translate Adds Indigenous Languages

Google Translate has recently expanded its language offerings to include 110 new languages, among them Zapotec, Nahuatl, Maya Yucateco, and Qʼeqchiʼ. These additions reflect Mexico’s rich linguistic diversity, where 68 Indigenous languages are spoken by 7.5 million people. However, nearly 300 Indigenous languages in Mexico are at risk of disappearing.

This enhancement is significant for efforts to preserve minority languages, crucial for Mexico’s Indigenous communities. Zapotec, for instance, with over 50 distinct languages, primarily spoken in Oaxaca by approximately 425,000 people, is part of this initiative. Nahuatl, spoken by about 1.7 million Nahua people in Central Mexico, and Qʼeqchiʼ, used by the Maya people across Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, are also now supported.

Google’s expansion aims to support the world’s 1,000 most spoken languages, benefiting over 614 million speakers globally, or about 8% of the world’s population. This effort utilises advanced AI models like PaLM 2, trained on multilingual texts, which enhances translation accuracy across diverse linguistic contexts.

Currently, Google Translate supports 243 languages at varying proficiency levels, underscoring its commitment to linguistic inclusivity and accessibility worldwide.