March twenty-first was Jose Marin’s last day as Managing Director of the newly minted National Bank of Belize. The career banker was hired and flaunted as the integrity figurehead of the bank. The worst fear of a skeptical public was that the bank would be used as a political grab-tub, and Marin should have been […]
In the past week, News Five has received multiple reports indicating that extra-duty payments for at least five hundred Police Officers have been delayed. We went digging for answers, and discovered that for payment purposes, the country is broken down into two zones. Payments for Policemen from the southern and western formations are handled in […]
The efforts of fire prevention is about to get easier for firefighters. This afternoon, the National Fire Service received a fleet of eleven motorcycles which will be used by personnel to disseminate information on precautionary measures to avert fire mishaps. Duane Moody was on hand and files this report. Duane Moody, Reporting The National […]
There is a report tonight that a small single engine plane has crashed in the Spanish Lookout area. Details have been slow in coming in but police confirm that the remnants of the plane were found on a dirt road about three miles from the Guatemalan border in the Spanish Lookout Community. What we were […]
Last week, our friends at PGTV reported that a container of rosewood was detected near Trio Village and taken to Big Falls Port ready to be exported. While there is a moratorium in place, government officials told News Five that the rosewood was allowed under the 2013 amnesty program. Well tonight, there is another report […]
The issue did not make it in the Minister’s presentation during the budget debate, but today the People’s United Party wrote Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, for an update on the proposed amendments to the Firearms Act and Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act. Writing as legal advisor to the P.U.P., Attorney and Senator, […]
As we’ve told you, most of the budget debate never touched on the budget, but there was plenty of entertainment. On the opposition side, there was a lot of ‘call elections if you’re bad…’ while on the government side there was an equal amount of – ‘we will win every seat in every corner of […]
Today parliamentarians from constituencies countrywide gathered to debate the 2014 – 2015 Budget, presented by Prime Minister Dean Barrow two weeks ago. It’s titled Bettering People, Building Belize – A Budget for All. PM Barrow has referred to it as a good news budget, perhaps the best yet. As has become tradition, every member on […]
It was reported on social media over the weekend that Minister of Education, Patrick Faber had damaged the windshield of his wife’s vehicle. The incident happened on Gill Street, where Faber’s wife, Krishna, resides with her mother since the couple separated last year. Faber reportedly had gone to see her after a social event to […]
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action….The organization says that they are providing the public with the final resort to have former Minister of State Elvin Penner, before a court to be questioned in respect to the immigration scandal that continues to stink to high heavens. On February twenty-seventh, COLA went to the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court […]
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize called for a boycott of Bowen and Bowen products today after the recent termination of thirteen employees from the company. The employees were challenging new terms of employment and absented themselves from work for two days saying they were sick. The boycott, however, did not appear to hold […]
Butane prices are up once again. The Belize Bureau of Standards has approved the increase effective Thursday. The new controlled price for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) depends on the supplier. Butane imported by Belize Gas Limited and Western Gas Company Limited from PEMEX in Mexico will see a one-dollar increase across the board in every […]
With that issue on the political backburner for the time being, the P.U.P. is concentrating on forging ahead in unity, or as much unity as possible in any political party. So today when P.U.P. leader Francis Fonseca made the official announcement of the new senators, it was with a happy heart and smiles all around. […]
Early this morning, members of several high-intensity, elite units of the Police, B.D.F. and Coast Guard descended on the island of San Pedro. It is part of an operation to restore order to the island in a hurry, with as much impact to the criminal element as possible. From what News Five has been able […]
The matter of whether the unfounded Guatemalan claim over Belize’s sovereign territory should be adjudicated in the International Court of Justice was to have been decided during joint referenda on October sixth, 2013. However, four months shy of the fixed date, Guatemala rescinded from participating in the vote, stating instead that Belize’s Referendum Act creates […]
Stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, a cross-section of government, as well as other non-governmental organizations, including the National AIDS Commission, gathered at the Biltmore this morning to review the achievements of the Program for Strengthening the Central American Response to HIV. PASCA, as it is known, is a five-year project spearheaded by USAID. The […]
The Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela held a press conference this morning to update the local media on the current state of affairs of that country, in the wake of an attempt by the opposition to ouster President Nicolas Maduro from political office. The effort to destabilize the government and cause social upheaval through […]
Thomas Vincent Ramos, founder of Garifuna Settlement Day, is widely regarded as one of our many national heroes. While he is remembered during the month of November when Garinagu in Belize and abroad celebrate the arrival of their ancestors to the shores of Belize almost two centuries ago, master sculptor Stephen Okeke has immortalized Ramos […]
The People’s United Party will be holding a press briefing on Thursday to announce the appointment of two new senators. From what we can gather unofficially, Attorney at law, Anthony Sylvestre Junior, the legal advisor to the People’s United Party, will be formally named senator. Sylvestre has filled in as Senator when the substantive senators […]
The status of a criminal investigation at the Immigration Department remains somewhat in limbo following an order of Mandamus against Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie. The ruling was time sensitive since both summary offences used in procuring the order had periods of limitation which have since expired. An investigation commenced, and since then DPP Cheryl-Lyn […]
As Hulse confirmed, all three passport officers who were on suspension since September have been reinstated by the Services Commission. That is…despite specific recommendations by Director of Immigration Maria Marin to terminate them. But while those officers were dragged through the mud of public scrutiny and tribunal, two officers in the Nationality Section are not […]
The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage says its supports SATIIM’s efforts to stop any oil drilling activities by US Capital Energy Limited in the Sarstoon Temash National Park. A release issued late this evening from the Coalition says that while SATIIM and the communities have acted in good faith and continue to await […]
There is the threat of a countrywide boycott of all Bowen & Bowen products this Friday, spearheaded by the Belize Energy Workers Union in solidarity with former employees of the company, who were recently terminated from their posts as deliverymen. According to a release issued by the BEWU, the circumstance surrounding the action taken by […]
Sixteen year old Zipporah Taylor, a fourth form student at Edward P. Yorke High School is the most recent winner of the Do Di Rait Ting Award. During a brief ceremony this morning at the institution, Taylor was formally recognized by the Belize Police Department for turning her academic life around. According to the honor […]
Payanam, in the Dravidian language of Tamil, means journey. It is also the name of a photo exhibit that will be launched at the Image Factory on Friday. The collection of images depicting the people, places and cultural diversity of India was compiled by photographer Rajah Biswanath who, over the course of a twenty-two day […]
