Following his arrest in May, it became known that he was listed as Ecuador’s most wanted in 2011 for a murder in the Guayas province. Ebanks confirms that there are allegations against him at his country of birth and explains why he changed his name in Belize. Christian Ebanks, Charged for Firearm Offences “There […]
On Saturday, representatives of the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association, BGYEA organized a ‘Plant Di Corn’ rally at Battlefield Park in Belize City. The grassroots organization is protesting an injunction from G.O.B. which prohibits them from planting corn in the buffer zone at Harmonyville. The rally also provided the stage for the emergence of the […]
The rally on Saturday was held just two days after the formation of a group called the Rod of Correction, or ROC. BGYEA is a part of that group, along with the unions and other organizations. The turnout at the rally wasn’t huge in terms of numbers, but that might have been asking too much […]
Turning to politics…The convention for the Cayo Northeast constituency was hotly contested over the weekend. Four candidates placed their names on the ballot to replace former minister of state, Elvin Penner, who disgraced himself in the passport scandal that broke in September 2013. Penner’s expulsion from the U.D.P. left the field open for Sunday’s convention. […]
Will Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley run for a second term of municipal office? That’s the question that he’s been asked much more than a few times in recent months. We can report tonight that he is still not sure, and seems to be in no real hurry to decide. According to Bradley, he’d […]
In May, an undisclosed amount of rosewood went missing from the Savannah Forest Station. It was later discovered that the rosewood, confiscated during April operations in the south by the Forest Department, was sold off at a highly preferential price to the brother of Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega. Government is remaining mum on official […]
As we told you, BGYEA took centre stage at the rally on Saturday. The group is fighting for the right to plant corn in about sixty acres designated as a buffer zone in Harmonyville. Government is just as adamant that the buffer zone is to remain, in its words, pristine. BGYEA had located an investor […]
The discussion between Valley of Peace farmers and Green Tropics is ongoing, but from all accounts there has been little progress. Ministry of Agriculture testing has indicated that damage to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of crops was a result of spraying done by Green Tropics. Green Tropics has rebutted by claiming that the […]
The hurricane season kicked off on June first, and today the City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, held a press conference at City Hall. While one purpose of the conference is to send the message that CEMO is prepared and ready to deal with any occurrence, another is to make it crystal clear that Belize City […]
While shelters are ready, they should be a last resort. CEMO has also worked on an elaborate and comprehensive evacuation plan. According to Mayor Bradley, that evacuation in the event of a natural disaster takes everything into account, including the ongoing municipal street-works. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor “In the event of a hurricane, […]
As the officers stood inside Columbus Park in front of the police station, they, as well as their relatives, were irate about the actions taken against them. The officers together made up the patrol known as the Quick Response Team (QRT). From all accounts, their track record as an operational team has been impressive; cracking […]
Oil exploration in the south remains a contentious issue, as parties for and against exploratory works within the Sarstoon Temash National Parks have strongly voiced their opinions on the matter. Despite a recent ruling by the Supreme Court reaffirming Maya customary land rights, various interpretations of the judgment have led to more confusion than clarity […]
The MCC Grounds is closed, and it will remain closed for at least the next two months. Now the MCC is the only somewhat adequate football facility in the city, so you can imagine that the decision by the Sports Council has caused some concern. But the upgrade has been long delayed and the field […]
Primary school students from across the country converged on the Countryside Park in Spanish Lookout today where the twentieth annual Coca Cola National Spelling Bee competition was hosted. A total of twelve students competed for the coveted title of champion speller and when the final word was called, a ten-year-old girl from Dangriga emerged victorious. […]
The theme for the 2014 Coca-Cola National Spelling Bee is “Go for the Goal!” and annually a banner and poster competition is held simultaneously during the finals. 2012 winners from Louisiana Government School in Orange Walk today won yet again for their banner. Teacher, Alginold Bennett, says that the banner is the product of the […]
In its second term in office, an organization called ACB, the Association of Concerned Belizeans brought pressure on the Musa administration. ACB dismantled soon after the government changed in 2008 and most if not all of their key players got contracts from the government. Today, a new organization was formed. It’s called R.O.C., for Rod […]
On Wednesday, Danini Contreras attended a teleconference session at PAHO. That in itself is no cause for cause for controversy, but in the current atmosphere at the Ministry of Health, there’s plenty of speculation and frustration. It is known that C.E.O. Peter Allen does not get along with Chief Pharmacist, Sharon Anderson. There is evidence […]
Belize City Police have detained five men in connection with the altercation which left twenty-three year old Vitalino Reyes Junior comatose for days at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. That altercation occurred last Thursday at Long Island Bar, allegedly sparked by an active and longstanding rivalry between Rosado and the Reyes families. Reyes Junior is […]
Following this morning’s press conference, News Five spoke with Kathleen Flowers, president of the Belize District branch of the Belize National Teachers Union. B.N.T.U., as the representative body of the displaced high school teachers, will have to work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that appropriate procedures are adhered to when they are […]
The Bar Association Executive has said it does not support the reappointment of Justice Samuel Awich to the Court of Appeal. The objection of the executive now extends to the full membership of the association. At a meeting held on Tuesday night, the Bar approved a rather strong resolution saying it does not support the […]
New Director of the Drug Inspectorate Danini Contreras continues to make the news. The appointment of the daughter of Minister Erwin Contreras has created major controversy in the Ministry of Health. This morning Contreras, along with Drug Inspector Marietta Enriquez, attended a brainstorming session at the offices of PAHO in Belize City. The Ministry of […]
There is confirmation tonight that after close to thirty years of employment at the Social Security Board, Enna Gonzalez has been abruptly terminated. Gonzalez, who rose to the rank of General Manager Benefits/Branch Operation was called in on Monday to the S.S.B. C.E.O.’s office and told that she was being terminated with immediate effect because […]
The GREAT program is now in its fourth year. About fifty students from various high schools are the most recent to successfully conclude the program which is carried out by the Police Department in collaboration with the US Embassy. It targets at risk youths; Duane Moody was at the ceremony this morning and has this […]
Local and international representatives of prospective energy suppliers converged on the conference room at Belize Electricity Limited today. The occasion, hosted by the Public Utilities Commission, was the formal opening of bids to supply sixty megawatts of firm energy and fifteen megawatts of renewable energy from solar or wind projects to Belize’s energy grid. Mike […]
One company which submitted a bid today is Cohune Energy Limited. They plan to use the very abundant cohune to provide energy to the national grid. Today company representative Rudolph Castillo told News Five that his project is about much more than just creating energy. Rudolph Castillo, Cohune Energy Limited “This is not just […]
