The Bain debate continues unabated, with heated arguments for and against the firing of the UWI Professor last week Tuesday. Bain has received tremendous support from many organizations, and today, former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding chimed in. Writing as a guest columnist in the Gleaner, Golding says that he is saddened at the treatment, […]
There is also much support for the decision to terminate Professor Brendan Bain, and not all of it is coming from the gay lobby. One of Bain’s colleagues at UWI, Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, has issued a statement claiming that the termination is not about academic freedom, or even the substance of Bain’s testimony. Antoine […]
This morning at the Toledo District Education Center, instructors from the local ITVET, as well as Belize National Teachers’ Union President Luke Palacio, along with ITVET’s Board of Governance met with embattled manager Allen Genus in an effort to reach an agreeable solution to an ongoing rift within the school’s administration. Genus is being asked […]
According to Vernon, following the ministry’s decision they will proceed with the investigation and it is anticipated that Genus’ employment falls under the Public Service Commission’s Handbook. Via Phone: Michael Vernon, Instructor, ITVET “What we basically believe is that as soon as we get the word from ministry itself under which mandate presently governs […]
Leader of the People’s United Party Fonseca told us he got the news early Monday morning. Marcial Mes served as the P.U.P. Area Representative for Toledo West from 1998 to 2008 as a part of the P.U.P. Administration of Prime Minister Said Musa. Mes was the Minister of Rural Development and Culture, and later a […]
On May nineteenth, a case brought against Minister of State Edmond Castro was thrown out by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. The case had been filed by Belize Rural North resident, Trevor Vernon, who claimed that Castro had breached the court of conduct when he received checks from the Belize Airports Authority for his political and […]
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Prime Minister Dean Barrow in a defamation suit brought against opinionated attorney Arthur Saldivar for disparaging remarks he reportedly made in 2011. Those comments, made on-air during one of his many talk show calls, are costing Saldivar dearly. Justice Courtney Abel handed down judgment in what […]
The lump sum was to have been settled on Monday; however, Saldivar has indicated that he will appeal the judgment. When asked why he did not appear in court to testify in the matter, the outspoken lawyer says that he was never served any papers asking him to appear before the bench. Arthur Saldivar, […]
News Five has reported extensively on two comprehensive audits which point to large-scale financial irregularities and misuse of public funds – one for the Southern Regional Hospital and the other for the Central Health Region. There’s also the matter of two ongoing disputes at the Ministry of Health – one between Health C.E.O., Peter Allen, […]
The proposed reappointment of Court of Appeal Justice Samuel Awich by the Prime Minister is facing opposition. The Justice’s contract ended on May fifteenth, and Prime Minister Dean Barrow has decided to extend it for another eight years, until Awich turns seventy-five. These appointments are generally done after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, […]
Disgraced former Minister of State Elvin Penner will be back in court on Thursday, the defendant in a private prosecution brought by COLA. But Penner’s appearance before Lady Justice may be short-lived. That’s because the efforts of COLA to secure evidence in government hands have been stonewalled at every turn – from the Attorney-General to […]
In the aftermath of the termination of Dr. Brendan Bain’s contract, as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Program at the University of the West Indies, there has been a rash of protests across the region, particularly in Jamaica and Belize where avid supporters of the professor have taken to the streets to demonstrate. […]
The Bain discussion continues to rage, with almost frenzied submissions from both sides of the argument. Today, P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca told News Five that the ‘homosexuality’ issue, for lack of a better term, has different layers and must always be approached rationally, respectfully and with observance of the rule of law. He cautioned that […]
While Fonseca advises respect and rational discussion, activist Audrey Matura-Shepherd is more direct. The outspoken attorney was a guest on OYE this morning and condemned the move to oust Professor Bain, in no uncertain terms. She called it an outright hit orchestrated by the LGBT extremists, stating that instead of rebutting the evidence presented by […]
University of the West Indies Professor, Brendan Bain was terminated on Tuesday of this week in Jamaica under pressure brought on by advocacy groups who claimed they had lost confidence in Bain. The professor appeared as an expert witness in the Belize Supreme Court in the case brought by UNIBAM challenging Section fifty-three of the […]
There is a rare development tonight to our story earlier this week on government’s intention to re-appoint Justice Samuel Awich to the Belize Court of Appeal. We say rare because it is unusual that a judge would not receive the full support of the judiciary to his tenure. As we reported on Wednesday, Government intends […]
Tensions are running high tonight between the government and the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association. That’s because government has taken out an injunction to prevent the organization from planting corn on some twenty-nine acres of buffer land in the Harmonyville Community. The Lands Department and BGYEA have been at odds since its founding members managed […]
According to BGYEA, the private investor, Samuel Patton, has since backed out of doing business with them, but the issue remains that they have already purchased the corn seeds that were to be planted and there are still no access roads to plots of land in Harmonyville. So the next step, according to the grassroots […]
As we told you on Tuesday, the death of Santana resident Maurice Young highlighted a critical need in the rural communities on the old Northern Road. Crime in those areas is not exactly rampant, but residents say it is escalating. There is a police station in Maskall, but no police officer. That’s because the interior […]
On August twenty-sixth 2013 the Auditor-General of Belize was notified that there were credible reports of misuse of public funds at the Central Health Region. Four days later an audit team commenced an investigation which concluded on October first, 2013. News Five has received a copy of the detailed audit report with recommendations. It is […]
The Harvest Caye Tourism Development Project off the coast of Placencia, a multimillion dollar initiative by Norwegian Cruise Line, is mired in controversy although it already has the full support of Cabinet. Environmentalists, as well as other tourism stakeholders including the Belize Tourism Industry Association, have raised major concerns about its overall feasibility because it […]
King is already lobbying for the spoils. As the proprietor of Brinks Security, he has submitted a proposal to Norwegian for a security contract. When asked if his position as a Minister of State poses a conflict of interest, King says that it’s his entitlement as a Belizean businessman to tender a bid for the […]
On Tuesday, Professor Brendan Bain was sacked from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, following a call by various advocacy groups to have him removed from his post after providing expert testimony in the UNIBAM challenge. The Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches has issued a release expressing its dismay with the manner in […]
Meanwhile, Belize Action has organized a peaceful demonstration for Friday at midday in protest of Professor Bain’s removal. According to Pastor Scott Stirm, despite Bain’s stellar career as a renowned expert in the study of HIV/AIDS, offering expert testimony has made him a target of the LGBT community. Pastor Scott Stirm, Belize Action “This […]
An eighty-three year old woman who lived alone died in an inferno when her house was set on fire. She lived alone and could not get out of harm’s way. Her demise highlights the situation faced by many elderly persons who also live in extreme poverty. Today, the National Council on Ageing launched a moving […]
