Today, it was a very sombre gathering which listened to that explosive recording released by the Cervantes family. The call came in on the night of October eighth. Vilma Cervantes answered, and the call was put on speaker and recorded on her daughter’s phone. The caller, whom Cervantes swears is Castillo, promises to call back […]
P.U.P. Party Leader Francis Fonseca was present at the memorial today to give support to the family. The release of the recording came as a surprise to him as well, since he hadn’t been warned about the allegations. We asked him for his reaction after the memorial. Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader “Shocked, shocked and […]
A Belize City family today received keys to a new home on Jane Usher Boulevard thanks to a donation from the Rotary Club of Belize. The Thompson family has for quite some time been struggling with financial hardships and the dream of owning a home remained rather distant. The local chapter of the Rotary Club, […]
The Chetumal Chamber of Commerce, Service and Tourism in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico held a trade mission to Belize today where they aimed to identify potential buyers and suppliers of an array of products and services, as well as investment opportunities. The session provided an opportunity for the local business community to establish […]
The People’s United Party has lashed out at government for hundreds of millions of dollars of Petrocaribe funds received from Venezuela, and an unconfirmed amount spent with no official accounting. The crux of the matter is that government never sought the approval of the National Assembly to get the loan from Alba Petrocaribe, much less […]
In early September, an allegation was made by a popular Justice of the Peace, Grace Flowers of Belize City, that her nephew, Armani Bailey, was picked up by a group of police officers and taken to mile four on the George Price Highway. There, the cops allegedly beat up Bailey and attempted to drown him […]
When last we heard from activist, Yaya Marin Coleman, she was protesting solo in front of the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan for awarding a contract to a Guatemalan company to construct a forward operating base at Hunting Caye. This morning, Yaya was at it again today…this time, she took on the cause on behalf of […]
Dia de los Muertos is a truly Mexican tradition that has spread to other countries; the event was celebrated today at the Mexican Institute. Day of the Dead, as it translates to, is a special and ancient ritual in which family and friends lovingly remember their departed relatives. On this occasion, the Institute is hosting […]
On Thursday, the Ministry of National Security hosted a press conference to speak on important security issues. But the hungry lot that the media is, we also wanted to know about those Petrocaribe funds which have been the subject of so much contention, controversy and even legal action. Prime Minister Barrow has told us what […]
Financial Secretary Joe Waight, who really is responsible for accounting for how the money is spent, supports the Prime Minister’s position. He says that not only will they release details on those projects shortly, but they are willing to put the list on their website for full accessibility and scrutiny. Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary […]
The Mayor of Belize City can boast a total of about one hundred and thirty streets cemented and upgraded in what has been an unprecedented city infrastructure program. That makes residents happy, but the happiness doesn’t come with blinders. We say that because some of those newly cemented streets are already breaking apart, and it’s […]
More than one year ago, the Government of Belize proudly opened the newly upgraded, spiffy Memorial Park in Belize City. It boasted modern booths for vendors, in an architectural style which we were assured was innovative and visionary, as well as a stylish bandstand. It was allegedly done at a cost of over three million […]
In the event of national disasters or catastrophes, the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, is expected to take the helm. But when those disasters are confined to Belize City, the City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, is structured to take control. The entity is run out of City Hall, and meets every month to discuss disaster […]
Coming off weeks of almost incessant reports and allegations of Police brutality, most of them against the Gang Suppression Unit, some good news was overdue, and we got it. The Eastern Division today help open days in all four of their precincts stretched across the city. It’s an innovative concept which seeks to bridge the […]
A mind as medicine workshop will be held on Saturday at the Center for Yoga and Healing Arts. “Mind as Medicine” is a concept developed by Health Education, Doctor Mark Pirtle that characterizes all chronic illnesses as being stress-related. His theory is that the mind and the body are the best pharmacy and claims that […]
One hundred and eighty million dollars of the Petrocaribe Funds are unspent. The Prime Minister will use part of that money to pay for the helicopters, since government’s coffers are bulging with those monies, in his own words. There’s no doubt that the purchase would be for a good cause – there are few better […]
Of course, there is the matter of the claim which has been filed by Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Julius Espat. In addition to seeking declarations the money was obtained unlawfully and thus is being used unlawfully, Espat is also seeking an injunction restraining the P.M. from spending the monies until he is given […]
Eight companies which submitted bids for the provision of energy to the national grid were recently shortlisted by the Public Utilities Company. One company which wasn’t…submitted a proposal using the cohune shell to generate electricity. Today, the Prime Minister was asked about it, and he reiterated that the selection by the P.U.C. is transparent and […]
Two other companies which did make the cut became the subject of a testy exchange this afternoon. The first is SS Energy Limited, owned by the Guatemalan based Santander Group which operates Green Tropics in Belize. The second is Southern Renewable Energy. The Prime Minister’s son Anwar allegedly has an interest in that company. Barrow […]
The cost of fuel in Belize has dominated the airwaves in the past couple weeks. Actually it’s not exactly the cost – which has been consistently high for years now. It’s the fact the price per barrel of oil has been down for some time now, and continues to fall. Every single time the price […]
On October twenty-fourth News Five brought you the terribly tragic case of Benque resident Yanie Cu. Cu was badly injured in a collision with a vehicle driven at the time by Deputy Commissioner of Police. His family struggled to get him medical care in Guatemala, and all that he seemed able to look forward to […]
A few more hours to go, but effective midnight the prices of butane imported into the country by the main suppliers are going up by two dollars across the country. The new controlled price for LPG imported from Mexico by Belize Gas Limited and Western Gas company is one hundred and fifteen dollars for a […]
The rains keep coming down and the streets of Belize City keep flooding. It’s an accepted thing because we know it WILL happen, but that doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Owners of small vehicles, for example, face the risk of stalling on streets with as much as six to eight inches of water, while traffic, already […]
The Organization of Insurance Companies, ORINCO, is the organization under which insurance companies are members. And as an initiative to reduce traffic accidents in Belize, all insurance companies will be at various locations across the city providing reflector stickers to the cyclists and motorcyclists. It is being done in collaboration with the effort being done […]
Activities leading up to the official funeral of iconic Belizean musician Paul Nabor continue in Punta Gorda Town. On Wednesday, a handful of artists took to the stage in that municipality to pay homage to the late Parandero. The following are a few highlights from last night’s event, compiled by the National Institute for Culture […]
