Andreas Erker, 24, and Bernhard Schwaberger, 24, both tourists of Austria, are together $700 poorer after a false report on September 14 led to their being arrested and charged for possession of controlled drugs. Erker was fined separately for committing a mischievous act.

The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Expo and Trade Fair that was held over the weekend, September 13 and 14, at the SJC gym, came off without any incident of violence and was so far the biggest trade show of the year, with an estimated 17,000 people in attendance during the two days of the show. According to the Chamber of Commerce, around 5,000 more people attended the show this year than last year.

Financial crimes and money laundering issues have been very much on the front burner in recent years, and especially with the recent withdrawal of charges against two Belize City banks levied under the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act. It is, therefore, newsworthy that Alexander M. Vasilescu, Esq., the Supervisory Trial Counsel for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office, will be meeting with Belize’s enforcement agencies next week.

Marion Jones, 32, ended her 6-month prison term on Friday, September 5, when she was released from a community corrections center in San Antonio, Texas, USA. In January, Jones was also sentenced to a two-year probation after her release, with 800 hours of community service.

For most Belizeans suffering the harsh effects of cancer, the cost of treatment is so prohibitive that early death is the likely end result. In an effort to provide badly needed financial support to cancer patients, a group of Belizeans in New York have recently established the Belize Chemotherapy Organization of New York, Inc.

When the Belize Olympic team passed through Los Angeles on their way to Beijing, China, for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Belizean community certainly looked forward to hosting them during the brief layover. Preparations were made and a welcome delegation consisting of Consul General Roland Yorke, Mr. Merve Hendy, Mr. Fred Westby, Ms. Verona Burks and Ms. Kim Hernandez were in place; but regrettably, no athletes were in sight.

Belizeans in the major cities of the United States, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, have been organizing into cultural groups for some time now. In New York for the last five or so decades, the National Belize Association has spawned at least a dozen organizations, all dedicated and committed to the cause of promoting and helping Belize.

A senior British diplomat has been ordered back home from his post in Central America following allegations about his behavior at a party.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, July 17, 2008, the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow, noted that during the recent oil price negotiations between B.N.E. and the Belize Government, a high point came when big officials in the US came after the Government of Belize.

The seemingly endless legal wrangling spawned by separate efforts by the Government of Belize and the Central Bank, a statutory regulator, to investigate and to reverse the diversion of US$20 million in public funds, entered another chapter this week on Wednesday and Thursday in the courtroom of Chief Justice, Dr. Abdulai Conteh.

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has confirmed that it is levying 113 charges against First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) for “failure to report suspicious transactions” under the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act.

Prime Minister, the Hon. Dean O. Barrow, leaves Belize today, Wednesday, for New York City where he will participate in the New York Conference on the Caribbean along with other CARICOM leaders. The conference, scheduled for June 19-20, will primarily focus on education and investment, as well as facilitate engagement with the Caribbean Diaspora.

Fortis CEO, Stanley Marshall, said a rate increase is needed to ensure the company has the cash to purchase power from neighbouring Mexico.

At a meeting on May 16 in San Ignacio, Belize, sponsored by Exploring Solutions Past, the highest authorities of archaeology from Belize and Guatemala met and agreed to joint efforts in order to research and protect archaeological sites along the Adjacency Zone