The calls to put an end to the ninth amendment bill, does not start or stop with Oscar Sabido. Attorney Arthur Saldivar says although many Belizeans may find government control of utilities acceptable, how the bill seeks to bring about that control is appalling. The bill calls for amending sections two and sixty-nine of the […]
Arthur Saldivar’s objections were heralded by Hubert Elrington, another attorney that often speaks out on constitutional issues. Elrington sat at his side in a joint interview and put the proposed amendment into further context. He said that if passed, the National Assembly is going to have power that will exceed that of the constitution. Whoever […]
A French national remains in police custody tonight after pulling a practical joke in mid-air during a flight from the United States en route to Belize. Delta Flight 4345 carrying a total of seventy-one passengers arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport shortly after eleven o’clock this morning carrying what officials believed to be an […]
More compelling stories are surfacing about persons who have been defrauded of their properties. There are the well known cases of businessmen Israel “Pie Marin”, William and Jimmy Quinto as well as US senator David Hale and Canadian national Andre Jervais, who had titles to land but later found out that it was not the […]
Councilor Wayne Usher is a known ally of Mayor Zenaida Moya Flowers. The council has gone from one controversy to the other in its current term, but Usher is making an early bid for re-election. We usually don’t cover the campaigns of individual councilors, but we were there when he announced his candidacy today. Usher […]
“Cyaa Tek it Nuh More” is the locally produced movie made over the past year by a group of Belizeans who had access to a semi-functional video camera. The group entered their first production into the Belize International Film Festival 2011 and won an award for being the most promising local talent. As part of […]
A frightening constitutional amendment, the ninth such, was tabled in the House of Representatives this morning for a first reading. It is by far, the most radical and far reaching amendment that any government in Belize has ever tabled. It appears that the Government of Prime Minister Barrow is intent on passing this amendment that […]
The amendment is a radical departure from the current Constitution and is likely to be the subject of heated debates and challenges in Courts by human rights advocates, the Bar Association and others. In the bid to entrench ownership of the utilities in the government hands, the Prime Minister resorted to nationalist fervor to sell […]
Before the prime minister introduced the constitutional amendment, the House sitting opened with an unusual sight and it came from area rep, Marcel Cardona, who has been banished to a seat on the opposition side. During the last sitting of the House on July fourth, a member of the gallery, an avid supporter of the […]
Turning to electricity, a delegation of officials from the recent government-acquired Belize Electricity Limited met with senior executives of Comision Federal de Electricidad of Mexico to negotiate new terms of a new agreement for the purchase of energy from the state-owned company. Led by former Prime Minister turned government advisor Manuel Esquivel and B.E.L.’s C.E.O., […]
Earlier in the week we told you about Bahdi “Bob” Bounahra, the Belizean who made waves internationally at the World Series of Poker and secured a spot among the finest players, raking in at one point nine million chips from Costa Rica’s John Hewitt. This year is Bounahra’s seventh year playing in the No Limit […]
This Friday, the government is convening a sitting of the House of Representatives. It is a special sitting at which the Prime Minister will get House approval to change the constitution to entrench control of utilities. Firstly, having nationalized and then re-nationalized Telemedia in a span of twenty-two months and nationalized Belize Electricity Limited a […]
New information has become available to News Five about the purchase of a government vehicle by Justice Denys Barrow. The former justice resigned from government In January of this year to pursue private practice. He has already signed up to represent the government in the Telemedia legal battles along with Lois Young. A copy of […]
Jeffrey Locke was tagged as the new Chief Executive Officer of Belize Electricity Limited on June twenty-first to replace Lynn Young when B.E.L. was nationalized. According to a B.E.L. release, Locke’s appointment is now official. The release says Locke has twenty years experience in the energy industry having taken up various positions at Shell Belize […]
A young first time mother from Ladyville buried her newborn son earlier this week after what she described as a horrific experience at the hospital. The nineteen year old went into premature labor this past weekend, only twenty-two weeks into her pregnancy. And while she did not want to appear on camera, the Ladyville resident […]
Visually impaired children from across the country have been participating in the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired Summer Camp. It is the fifteenth anniversary of the camp, and every year since its inception, the children engage in a number of activities from field trips to visual arts. Earlier today, the BCVI held an all […]
Restore Belize has organized its first camp for troubled youths in an area that is prone to violence. The CYDP and other community organizations are partnering with Restore Belize. A total of eight teams will be participating in the friendly basketball games. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting A friendly game of basketball […]
On the night of June eighth, a line squall known locally as a freak storm, sent winds of over fifty miles per hour though the Belize District. Weather forecasters said those who experienced it, felt tropical storm force winds. That strength was displayed when it knocked down a SMART communications tower on Raccoon Street extension […]
It lay quietly under the news radar until it was casually revealed in a newspaper interview about two weeks ago by B.T.L. Chairman, Net Vasquez. We’re talking about the fact that the Central Bank of Belize has purchased twenty million dollars worth of shares in B.T.L. because no one else was buying. But did Central […]
The other hot button issue is Preventive Detention. It is a measure that was first withdrawn due to considerable opposition by the man on the street. In its incarnation in May of this year, there were still objections by many as well as by organizations such as the Human’s Rights Commission and the Opposition. It […]
Before the measure which could have seen citizens detained for up to twenty one days without being charged was set aside, the People’s United Party sent the PM a notice regarding preventive detention. Barrow’s response was that it’s a procedural issue in which the minimum time for consideration is ninety days. But now, it may […]
By a vote of sixty-one to thirty, the Belize Chamber of Commerce ratified a resolution on Friday July fifteenth calling on government to respect the rule of law and that in respect of compulsory acquisitions; persons must be quickly and adequately compensated. That resolution was hastily rejected by the Prime Minister. With uncharacteristic brevity, the […]
On Tuesday morning, Lord Michael Ashcroft discussed a number of issues in a one hour interview for our morning show that was broadcast live from Miami. Following the show, the station was flooded with requests for a repeat of the Open Your Eyes show since only the government’s perspective had been heard regarding the acquisitions […]
Lord Ashcroft also drew an analogy in respect of the nationalization of Telemedia. He compared it to the forced acquisition of a house, its value reduced and no compensation is paid to the previous owners. Here is how he put it. Lord Michael Ashcroft “Just imagine that you’ve got a nice house by the side […]
Honduras’ Banco Atlántida’s interest in a buyout of Belize Sugar Industries was revealed earlier this year. In January representatives of the Honduran bank visited the factory at Tower Hill in Orange Walk along with experts in factory and field work. With millions of dollars in loans owed to I.N.G. and First Caribbean Bank, a buyout […]
