A well advertised forum on the controversial Petrocaribe Loans Act and the use or abuse of the funds was scheduled to take place at the University of the West Indies this Thursday. All was in place but on the eve of the event, the UWI abruptly called it off. UWI Open Campus Head, Jane Bennett […]
The use of Petrocaribe funds remains a controversial issue. Sunday’s jaunt to Corozal Bay, organized by Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber, using Petrocaribe monies to pay for twenty-one buses to transport dozens of constituents to the north for a daylong outing, is coming under fire. Faber’s supporters gorged on tacos and pibil, drank heartily and […]
Likewise, Lizarraga shared the private sector organization’s position on the proposed amendments to the Petrocaribe Loans Act. Senator Mark Lizarraga, Representative, Private Sector “The chamber of commerce met, the executive of the chamber of commerce had several meetings with its attorneys and consulted when the proposed amendments came out and basically what they are […]
A well-known Dangriga resident is seeking public assistance for medical attention. Myrick ‘Micro’ Caliz met in an accident at the end of May and was severely injured. He has since been hospitalized at the K.H.M.H., but his family needs to get him out of the country for further treatment. His wife, Nadia Caliz, is making […]
Today, after two years of comprehensive infrastructural works, the Belize River Valley Water System was officially launched in the community of Scotland Half-moon. It’s a long awaited project which ensures that all households in nine communities of the River Valley will have total access to potable water. The funding was jointly undertaken by the Caribbean […]
A mother says that her son, twenty-one year old Ibrahim Cadogan was brutalized whilst in police custody. Vidalia Cadogan visited News Five today to tell her story. She says police were unlawful and subjected her son, Ibrahim, to unwarranted beatings. Cadogan says that on Friday her son was in Placencia visiting relatives and while he […]
An official investigation into the cause of an airplane crash near Lighthouse Reef last Tuesday, involving a Tropic Air flight destined for Roatan, Honduras remains ongoing. The inquiry is being undertaken by the Department of Civil Aviation which has teamed up with the Department of Environment to safely remove the submerged aircraft from its aquatic […]
Rogiers’ version of the subsequent rescue contrasts starkly with that of the coast guard. They reported that not only was the operation successful but that their response time was well under a half hour, having deployed assets from Calabash Caye. According to Rogiers, that account is not entirely accurate. Isani Cayetano “I was made […]
Former U.D.P. Minister and attorney Marcel Cardona is in big trouble with the General Legal Council of the Bar Association and allegedly faces the threat of a one year suspension from practicing law. The only thing is that Cardona only found out when he saw it on the news Thursday night. There is a complaint […]
Cardona says he feels that he has been denied a fundamental right by not having had the opportunity to mount a defence on his own behalf. Not only was he completely unaware of the meeting of the General Legal Council on Wednesday, but he has not been made privy to any decision of that disciplinary […]
So what’s next for Cardona? Reports from sources in the Bar Association say that indeed there was a hearing and a recommendation to suspend him for a year. He told us today that if that is so, he will fight the decision. But any fight will only come after he receives official notification. Marcel […]
The Department of Civil Aviation is proceeding with an official probe into a plane crash earlier this week involving a Tropic Air flight en route to the Bay Islands of Honduras. The investigation is set to continue as soon as the submerged aircraft is removed from the crash site. To do so requires a joint […]
As we reported in the wake of the accident, it is the second aircraft from Tropic’s fleet to plunge into the Caribbean Sea since December of last year. We asked Garbutt if this poses any concerns to stakeholders in the aviation industry. His response, it is still safer to fly than to traverse the local […]
On Wednesday morning, all three men were returned to the mainland after spending the night at Blackbird Caye. They were then summoned by the Department of Civil Aviation to assist with a preliminary investigation. According to Garbutt, the accounts provided by the pilot and his passengers seem to check out, however, they are conducting an […]
Two weeks ago the Sugar Cane Production Committee made a decision to review cane-farmer quotas, which resulted in a cut in a majority of them. Already faced with the prospect of cane left standing in the fields because of the shortened season, the decision was unpopular, to put it mildly. The Sugar Industry Control Board […]
Danny Conorquie was murdered in the line of duty back on September twenty-fifth, 2014. No one has ever been charged and as far as we know the Conorquie family is yet to settle compensation with the government. But who did it? There is reason to believe that Guatemalan nationals who operate wantonly in the area […]
On this Friday, we dig into our archives and flash way back with a 1994 story about the old prison. As you may know, that prison was located in the heart of the city, where the Museum of Belize now sits. Parts of the structure were retained for the museum and now serve as a […]
A special ceremony was held earlier today to honor ten brave officers of the Belize National Coast Guard who were involved in a standoff with the Guatemalan navy. That confrontation took place on the Sarstoon Island where a forward operating base is being constructed. It started on Thursday and concluded on Friday and according to […]
Present for the occasion was Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, who commended the officers for their bravery in the face of adversity. John Saldivar, Minister of National Security “Short but very significant ceremony. A ceremony to acknowledge the bravery and courage in a situation of great odds of ten of the members of […]
There is no doubt a shortage of magistrates and just on the brink of that situation, a magistrate was suspended from duty for one month effective this past Tuesday. While shortage would raise eyebrows, as far as we know the suspension of a magistrate is big news and we could not find another similar case […]
Transparency and accountability on how the Petrocaribe monies are spent have become the rallying cry in many sectors. Just recently, residents of the Caribbean Shores were among those who enjoyed the sweets of the Petrocaribe funds, via the Mother’s Day Cheer. This morning Mayor Darrell Bradley confirmed that he did receive funds. But did Bradley […]
Another issue addressed by the Mayor had to do with claims that there is a lack of transparency and accountability at the City Council. Earlier this week, Deputy Party Leader of the People’s United Party, Julius Espat, said that the city is not getting bang for its buck as it relates to the cementing some […]
Belize, according to a recent CDB survey, is nationally ranked at one hundred and nineteen when it comes to the ease of doing business. The barriers of doing business easily are said to be cultural and institutional. But the culture of an organization cannot be changed overnight and Mayor Darrell Bradley gave an example with […]
Interestingly, Tropic Air has remained fairly tightlipped about the incident, not offering much by way of a brief release on the company’s Facebook page. On the other hand, Borland told the media that the rescue operation was not as challenging and, with assistance from the Belize Audubon Society; they were able to quickly locate the […]
This morning, when we spoke to the Foreign Minister, we also raised the issue of a statement he made some time ago that angered various sectors of the population. It has to do with the term “artificial borders,” which the minister had used to describe our borders, which are under dispute by Guatemala. Elrington explains […]
