The family of a young child in Dangriga Town is tonight mourning his death, following an unfortunate incident over the weekend in which he drowned. Eight year old Adrian Lopez, a student of Sacred Heart Primary School, was reportedly swimming with friends in the North Stann Creek River when he went under. His parents, police […]
Former U.D.P. Minister of State Elvin Penner was criminally charged in Belmopan Magistrate’s Court last week. Those charges were not brought by government nor by Police, but rather by a private entity, COLA. Penner is scheduled to reappear in court on May twenty-ninth, but in the meantime, he’s got additional worries. A recall petition, launched […]
President Elect of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, arrived in the country on Friday and reportedly left on Saturday afternoon after meeting with Salvadorans living in Belize. It wasn’t exactly a state visit, since Sanchez will not take office until current president Mauricio Funes’ term ends on June first. Hundreds of Salvadorans were bussed to […]
And there is another official visit to report, though not as high profile. The United States Embassy is announcing the visit of a senior government official. He is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Caribbean and Central America in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Francisco Palmieri will be in Belize for two days and […]
The Budget debate is over, and so is the Senate discussion of the Budget. At the end of the day, the fact is that in our political system, the majority always wins regardless of dissent, no matter how credible. But there have been serious concerns raised in certain quarters. Private sector Senate Representative, Mark Lizarraga, […]
Belizean politicians have earned regional recognition in a Caribbean online blog entitled ‘Top Ten Sexist and Heterosexist Moments in Caribbean Politics.’ To be sure, it’s a dubious honour to be featured on that list…and Belize is on it twice. The list features ten random instances in which women have been the subject of sexist, derogatory […]
Anybody travelling on the George Price Highway recently would see a massive program of infrastructure works in effect. It’s all part of a wider Road Safety Program, and the primary target is to reduce accidents. A significant amount of money is being spent, and several contractors are sharing the pie. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow also spoke on this morning’s arraignment of his former cabinet minister and Cayo Northeast Area Rep., Elvin Penner. He told the media that in his estimation, the evidence to prove legal guilt against the disgraced and distanced former minister of state isn’t there. FOR VIDEO CLICK HERE. Prime Minister Dean Barrow […]
The European Union earlier this week imposed fisheries sanctions on Belize because the country has been found not to be cooperating in the fight to stop illegal fishing. The government jumped to the defense saying that all necessary steps have been taken to eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. According to the Prime Minister, the […]
The decision to remove career banker Jose Marin has left a black eye on Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s National Bank of Belize Limited. Marin lasted only half a year at the helm of the financial ship. There are differing versions given as explanation. There is Marin’s version, and then there is the political version provided […]
Jose Marin was dumped due to complaints that loans were not processed fast enough. It is said that Marin’s ouster had to do with a loan application by Grant’s C.E.O., Doctor Colin Young. The state-owned bank provides mortgage financing to first-time homeowners including public officers, teachers and lower-middle income Belizeans. But does the C.E.O., as […]
As we mentioned earlier in our newscast, the Senate met today in regular session following the Budget Debate on Monday and Tuesday. News Five wasn’t there long, but while we were we couldn’t miss private sector Senator lashing out at government with both fists, no velvet gloves in sight. According to Lizarraga, G.O.B. is deceiving […]
Since his return from a CARICOM intercessional meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines last Thursday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow has not given the media interviews. Well the press caught up with him today and asked the burning question about the high profile resignations by senior officials in the U.D.P. It started with the forced […]
The idea for the Inspiration Center was birthed in 2012 and since then Special Envoy for Women and Children Kim Simplis Barrow has been hard at work making that dream a reality. From the Inspiration Telethon to countless appearances in the media promoting the noble effort, it all came to fruition today when the doors […]
Almost one year ago, on March thirtieth 2013, Maranco Energy Belize Limited announced that it had found an encouraging oil show at its South Canal Bank number one exploration well. That never panned out, but tonight there is confirmation that Maranco has struck oil, black gold, after digging a second appraisal well as South Canal […]
More than six months ago, former Minister of State Elvin Penner was implicated in the facilitation of fraudulent Belizean nationality and a fraudulent Belizean passport for a South Korean national who was in jail in Taiwan. Six months and multiple alleged investigations after, Belizeans know nothing more than they did in September…or at least nothing […]
Since we were circling the subject of the criminal investigation of former Minister of State Elvin Penner, News Five came right out and asked National Security C.E.O., George Lovell, for a status report. In the past couple weeks we’ve done that whenever opportunity presented itself… and the answer has generally been the same. Today was […]
The status of the criminal investigation might be very much in the air at this point, but a private criminal case has been lodged against former Minister of State Elvin Penner, and that case will be heard in Belmopan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The claimant is COLA, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, and their […]
While the COLA and the D.P.P. prepare to head to court on Thursday, the status of the criminal investigation ordered by the court is still up in the air. Now, there are two other investigations…the internal investigation at the immigration department as well as another being carried out by the Auditor General, which was scheduled […]
Minister Hulse says that the files on Won Hong Kim are still missing and that has caused setbacks in the investigations. But Hulse went on a limb to protect former minister of state Elvin Penner, who he thought has already been punished for the illegality of issuing a passport to a man who never set […]
Today, the annual Caribbean ICT Road Show touched down in Belize City, as part of its countrywide awareness tour. The tour is a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Public Utilities and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union. In a nutshell, the effort is aimed at educating stakeholders in every corner of the country, […]
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 […]
