Nasley Sommerville, the former administrator of the Southern Regional Hospital, was a no show at a scheduled Public Services Commission hearing today in Belmopan. Sommerville was named prominently in an audit of the Southern Region which pointed to the misappropriation of over three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. It is alleged that Sommerville, over the […]
Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Benjamin Ho arrived in the Jewel last Thursday and on Monday presented his credentials to the Governor General to Belize. It is the second time in twenty years that Ho has been deployed on diplomatic mission and since 1998; it is his first trip back to Belize. Ambassador […]
Each year, through the sponsorship of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), approximately two hundred volunteer groups from various universities in Taiwan are sent abroad to assist communities in public and private sector initiatives. On Sunday, for the fourth year consecutively, a group of twelve students from the National Tsing Hua University in […]
Germany recently beat out Argentina to emerge victorious in the 2014 World Cup – a dream of football federations across the world and certainly one for Belize. Every journey has to start somewhere, and the Football Federation of Belize is partnering with FIFA to provide expert training for coaches across the country. German football instructor […]
It is summer so camps are popping up all over the place. By all accounts one of most popular is organized by the Belize Defense Force and hundreds of youths register to participate. They are learning a number of disciplines from taekwondo, to jungle survival and football and then there is music. Duane Moody was […]
At this time a search party is combing the area of Freetown Sibun near Hattieville looking for Chairman Kevin Carcamo. Carcamo is employed as a linesman by an oil company doing geophysical work and on Sunday he set out to work but has been heard from since. The search party includes residents of the village, […]
A caretaker of Cotton Tree Village lost his life at the start of the weekend when he drowned inside a fishpond at Fresh Catch Farm in La Democracia on Friday evening. Fifty-seven-year-old Thomas Garcia, a Guatemalan national, reportedly went swimming in one of several freshwater pools when he submerged and did not resurface. According to […]
There is no sign of flexibility in the current bagasse impasse between B.S.I. and the B.S.C.F.A. Cane farmers met in San Roman, Corozal District, on Sunday to decide on a way forward where the payment for bagasse is concerned. With the farmers opening request at ten dollars per ton, and BSI refusing to back away […]
Between the end of 2012 and April 2014, several employees of the B.S.C.F.A. collaborated to steal money from the association. They did it by targeting the payroll system and paying themselves increased salaries. It was a prolonged scheme, to the tune of about seventy-eight thousand dollars stolen in just over a year. On Sunday, the […]
In other news…Inter-American Development Bank’s President Luis Alberto Moreno was in the country briefly today. He met in Belmopan with Prime Minister Dean Barrow during which the bank’s activities, portfolio as well as future projects were discussed. The Bank is shifting its focus and targeting education, tourism, transport, trade and tax policies. According to […]
The Rosado family struck back today on allegations made by a co-founder of the Ariel Rosado Memorial Foundation. The board of directors hosted a press conference this afternoon to clarify assertions that have been made in the media by Bruce Sanchez Senior. The Rosado and Sanchez families are at loggerheads over the management of funds […]
Rosado also set the record straight on how it came to be that he and his wife began signing checks on behalf of the foundation. Dr. Alvaro Rosado, Founder, Ariel Rosado Memorial Foundation “When we met the board instructed me to go to the bank and get the signatories changed so that we could […]
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is meeting on Sunday at the Escuela Secundaria Mexico school grounds to discuss, among other issues, a position on a recent counterproposal made by Belize Sugar Industries on a payment for bagasse. In its initial offer, the B.S.C.F.A. was seeking a payment of ten dollars per ton of cane. […]
According to Ortega, they have requested to see BELCOGEN’s books in order to come up with a practical formula but that request has fallen on deaf ears. Isani Cayetano “B.S.I. is saying that your request or demand for ten dollars per ton of cane is unreasonable and is not sustainable over a long term […]
Fifty-five scholarships were awarded this morning to worthy students based on criteria of academic performances as well as financial needs. The recipients came from all over the country and converged at the Biltmore Plaza where they were all smiles at the opportunity to further their studies. They were all deserving of the scholarships and in […]
Antonette Pilgrim, of the Belize Cancer Society of California, is currently in the country. She spoke to News Five today about a month long series of activities involving cancer awareness that is taking place around the country. Pilgrim is collaborating with the Belize Cancer Society in organizing cancer boutiques in various districts to update women […]
Earlier this month, there was a massive fire on San Pedro, in the Boca Del Rio area of the island. The inferno gutted up to eight structures within three properties and displaced some sixty-six residents—thirty-two of which are school-aged minors. Various organizations along with the San Pedro Town Council have been aiding the families with […]
The Ariel Rosado Memorial Education Foundation prided itself on Wednesday when it granted thirty scholarships to deserving students. But an internal problem at the Foundation has gone public and the situation is likely to get nastier. Doctor Alvaro Rosado, President of the Foundation named after his deceased son Ariel, told the media that a co-founder […]
Sanchez Senior also provided copies of two cheques that were deposited into Alvaro Rosado’s personal account and showed some receipts to substantiate payments made without his knowledge. While the Sanchez’s have been invited to view an audit report on the foundation’s finances, Sanchez Senior says that he is not interested. The matter is before the […]
Today, the Belize Biltmore Plaza was the site of a very high-profile, high-powered economic forum, under the theme – Strengthening Partnership for Growth. It’s the third of its kind, an initiative to strengthen the collaboration between the public and private sectors in Belize. Industry stakeholders, big business operators, bankers, financial experts, entrepreneurs and government officials […]
The latest statistics on unemployment in Belize, released a few weeks ago by the Statistical Institute, shows an increase in joblessness in the districts. The only increase in employment was in Belize City, a result of the ongoing city infrastructure projects. The dialogue between the public and private sectors is focused on driving the economy […]
In January 2014 the Occupational Safety and Health Bill was tabled in the House of Representatives. For the unions who pushed the bill, the road was a long one, and success was hard fought. But the fight isn’t over yet. The bill is focused on the safety and protection of workers, and the reality is […]
There’s good news coming out of the tourism industry tonight. According to the latest figures from the B.T.B., overnight and cruise arrivals have gone up in every month this year compared to 2013. Overnight arrivals from January to June 2014 went up from one hundred and sixty-six thousand, three hundred and five to one hundred […]
Assistant Commissioner of Police Dezerie Phillips is the second woman to take the helm of the Eastern Division. Her new posting was announced last week, and she joined fellow officers who received promotions at Wednesday’s ceremony. It’s a difficult job, but nothing new to Phillips who has been second in command at the Eastern Division […]
The Belize Solid Waste Management Project is in full swing at the moment. It addresses various processes, including the creation of waste, collection, transfer and disposal, as well as the reprocessing and treatment of waste. Since its implementation mid-2013, the western corridor of the country has been retrofitted with transfer stations and also a state-of-the-art […]
