Embattled businessman John Zabaneh has been cleared of the kingpin designation that was given to him and two others, including Dion Zabaneh, by the United States Treasury a few years ago. According to the former banana grower, his family has virtually lost everything in the wake of being blacklisted. His once thriving agribusinesses, Maya King […]
In order for Zabaneh to move on with his life, he now has to rebuild his businesses from the ground up. He says the ordeal has also taken a significant toll on his elderly mother whose Maya King banana processing company he had been managing. On the Phone: John Zabaneh, Businessman “We were reduced […]
The United Democratic Party’s Belize City Council convention is set for Sunday morning at the ITVET grounds from ten a.m. to five p.m. It is headlined by the race to succeed Mayor Darrell Bradley, between incumbent councilors Dion Leslie and Philip Willoughby, and whether any of the incumbent councilors, a total of eight, will lose […]
We caught up with Leslie at the basketball court on Flamboyant Street in Lake Independence constituency, where residents were hard at work laying plants and cleaning up the neighborhood’s basketball court. Residents told us they wanted to see more of their representatives at work and today aspirant Dion Leslie and a few helpers swung through, […]
To continue to engage at risk youths, the GREAT and Cadet Programmes have joined forces for an event they call the GREAT Cup. It will feature three sporting disciplines and will see youths from different precincts join forces for the games. It will kick off in October. Inspector Elroy Carcamo tells us more. Insp. […]
The Tyler Savery Foundation distributed close to one hundred school bags to under-privileged children. The kids were treated to a fun day at the pool at the Pickwick Club and they each received backpacks with school supplies for the new school year. We spoke with the founder, Shakera Young. She explains why she decided to […]
Great Belize Television’s Channel Five has once again emerged victorious at the annual Caribbean Broadcasting Awards Competition held on Tuesday night in Nassau, Bahamas. As many as eight coveted prizes were won in fourteen various TV categories, including Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Coverage of Disaster Risk and Best Public Service Spot. The awards were […]
Minister Heredia says that the trafficking and sale of drugs are at the heart of criminal activities on the island, but are there contradictory rules in place? At last Friday’s House Meeting, the government tabled a bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act that decriminalizes possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. But […]
Recently, further revelations were made about the land-grabbing activities of the Vega family during Gaspar Vega’s tenure as Minister of Natural Resources. Tonight, News Five can share some documents concerning land originally turned over to the Belmopan City Council under Said Musa as Prime Minister, but which ended up in the hands of Ignacio German […]
There was minimal resistance from the Opposition at last Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives to the amendment to the Town Councils Act, which allows for greater power of the municipal councils to obtain funds for capital projects. The reason ostensibly given by Prime Minister Dean Barrow for the rush-through of the bill is […]
The Government side was hard-put to defend the bill, with Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte accusing the opposition of playing politics with the issue. Dr. Carla Barnett pointed out that Government has issued no guarantee for the project and is not otherwise involved beyond the legislation. It had already done the kind of inspection necessary to […]
It is the sole province of the senate to accede to the ratification of international treaties and conventions signed by Belize in order for them to be ratified. At this morning’s meeting the senate considered three such treaties: the Protocol Amending the CARICOM Agreement on Social Security; the Amendment to Annex Three of the Agreement […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow was dismissive of statements made by the Senator for Non-Governmental Organizations, Osmany Salas, concerning the importance of re-registration to our national political system. While not engaging directly with the P.M., Salas re-emphasized that with the Guatemala I.C.J. referendum coming; Belize must get its house in order and clean up the voters’ […]
Is the Taiwanese Embassy meddling in the affairs of government? It’s a suspicion that many in the Belize Chinese Association are grappling with tonight, reportedly following a decision by the Barrow administration not to waive a sum of sixty-six thousand dollars in visa fees for a visiting group of thirty-three visually impaired Chinese performers. The […]
Reports have been circulating that the chairman of the Belize Airports Authority resigned. According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, it may have been based on concerns raised by an ex-employee, though it is not clear if these concerns have to do with misappropriation of funds. But the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation, Manuel Heredia […]
Speaking about the BAA, there have been concerns about the travel tax that was implemented, particularly so for Tropic Air, which had some regional flights that they had to suspend. The Belize Tourism Industry Association has also issued a statement because the tax does not foster development of the domestic airline. It stressed for intervention […]
Four students from across the country were awarded scholarships today courtesy of the Belize Tourism Board. They are all pursuing degrees in various areas of tourism and the overall value of the awards provided to the 2017-2018 cohort is approximately thirty-one thousand dollars. News Five’s Duane Moody was at a brief ceremony at the B.T.B. […]
They were first mentioned to Prime Minister Dean Barrow a few weeks ago, at which time he claimed not to have seen them. But one hundred and eighteen leaked documents from the Lands Department reveal another land grab by members of the family of former minister Gaspar Vega on Ramsey Caye and the Spanish Creek […]
And perhaps in acknowledgement of the continued problems in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Prime Minister Dean Barrow brought three bills to the House on Friday for first reading. The Land Utilization Amendment Bill strengthens the membership of the Land Subdivision and Utilization Authority; a second amendment to the Registered Land Act establishes the Land […]
The Belize Airports Authority was featured in a patronage scandal in 2014, when then-Minister in charge Edmond Castro was discovered to have used its funds for work in his Belize Rural North constituency. While in that instance the entire board resigned and control was transferred to Manuel Heredia Junior’s Tourism Ministry, the authority is back […]
Cayo South Area Representative and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Julius Espat, is anticipating next Monday’s meeting of the committee in Belmopan to examine, consider and ultimately report on the Auditor General’s Report for 2012-2013 tabled in the House on Friday. But Espat wants to go much further than that. He has questions of […]
Former president of the Public Service Union Eldred Neal has handed over the reins to a Belmopan-based public officer, Doreth Cayetano Obermayer, who was elected over Gerald Henry Junior by delegates at Saturday’s ninety-fifth annual general meeting at the National Agriculture Show Grounds in Belmopan. Following a mediation meeting last week, Neal apologized for incendiary […]
The National Meteorological Service is reporting that the remains of what was once Tropical Storm Harvey are expected to reach the coast of Belize or the Yucatan Peninsula early on Tuesday. It is still possible for the system to organize, but whether it does or not, expect lots of rain starting tonight and continuing through […]
Most of the United States got a rare opportunity this afternoon when they witnessed a total eclipse of the Sun. While solar eclipses generally occur twice a year, the Moon completely blocking the sun, as happens in a total eclipse, is much rarer. In Belize, as in most of the rest of North America, the […]
Belize’s certified massage therapists were busy last week developing their interpretations of a signature Belizean massage, conveying an authentic Maya spa experience. BELTRAIDE and the Belize Spa and Wellness Association organized the first ever “Maya Spa Experience Brand Competition.” The branded massage will be copyrighted and promoted extensively, with a special showcase at this year’s […]
