Also included in the lengthy Cabinet release is word that disgraced former Minister of State Elvin Penner will be stripped of his government vehicle. He has had it, and enjoyed that and all other financial perks of his political position, since September when the Won Hong Kim passport scandal broke. He will now be required […]
Teachers held their largest rally to date in San Ignacio last Friday, and it was also the most focused, on the Prime Minister and his Minister of Education Patrick Faber. Belize National Teachers Union executives were angered by comments in the House of Representatives two days prior to the rally, and voiced that displeasure freely, […]
The Prime Minister wasn’t quite finished there. He then turned to the issue of the salary adjustment, because he maintains that for teachers, it’s really all about the money despite what they say. The quantum of that adjustment has remained somewhat vague, though according to the PM, it’s somewhere around three percent. Barrow claims that […]
Councilor Eric Chang has been in the hot seat in respect of the immigration scandal. Chang allegedly had a role in the passport issued to Won Hong Kim, the South Korean fugitive. Chang was in Taipei when the scandal broke. Kim, who was in a jail at the same time in Taipei, had obtained Belizean […]
Cabinet has issued its official proclamation on the Castro check situation, basically exonerating the U.D.P. Minister of State from all-wrongdoing, but asking the BAA Board to resign. But today, Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley was not as forgiving. Bradley says that the issuing of checks by the BAA to Minister of State Edmond Castro was […]
And from City Hall to Central Government, where Bradley has set his sights…the young politician has stated that he will throw his hat into the ring for higher office. He conceded today that it will be difficult because of his responsibilities to City Hall, his private practice and his family. But he’s already gotten his […]
Scholarships for Taiwan generally attract scores of applicants; aside from earning a degree it provides students with the chance of learning Mandarin. This year, high school and sixth form students intend to apply; that group will be narrowed down to twenty or so who will actually be awarded the scholarships. News Five’s Duane Moody covered […]
The University of Belize came under scrutiny last year because its president, Doctor Cary Fraser, resigned effective the end of the academic year 2014, but then took leave. There has been no explanation so far as to Fraser’s future with the national university, but on Saturday, UB held its eighteenth commencement exercise at the Belmopan […]
The Golden Citizens Electricity Bill Pay Award – it’s an initiative put in place by B.E.L. in 2011 to benefit golden citizens all over the country. It all started with one act of kindness in the Customer Service section of the company, and from that came a program which really makes a big difference. The […]
Scoops ice cream was once an all time favorite where family and friends went for a special treat. Well that simply delicious and decadent ice cream is back at its original location on Eve Street but it is under the label of the Ice Cream Shoppe. Aside from the name, everything is much the same […]
Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, Edmond Castro, has been in the hot seat for some time. But this time, he came under fire after Belize Airports Authority cheques surfaced, along with the allegations that the statutory body had been playing a second role as the Minister’s cash cow. At the House meeting […]
Last Friday, we reported that a parcel of land used as a park in the Orange Walk East Constituency had ended up in the hands of the politically connected Aragon family. The issue had been brewing for some time, but with one member of the Aragon clan, Elodio Aragon Junior, running in a convention for […]
According to the Aragon family, a smear campaign was prompted from within the U.D.P. camp by the constituency caretaker; Orlando “Landy” Burns, in an effort to hurt the political career of Elodio Aragon Junior. Aragon Junior will be running against David Constanza for the spot as the U.D.P. standard bearer for the East constituency. So […]
The biggest setback for the industry, according to Ortega, is still the deplorable condition of the sugar roads in a number of areas. So farmers are taking matters into their own hands and are filling huge craters to make roads accessible to the cane fields. Ortega is also asking the government to restart the works […]
While the sugar industry is up and running, there is trouble in the citrus industry tonight after a delay of payment to growers by the Citrus Products of Belize Limited. The payment is only a week late at this point, but there is concern over the future, since CPBL is in somewhat of a cash […]
Last week Wednesday, Norwegian Cruise Lines executives were part of a consultation process in Independence, seeking input on the Environmental Impact Assessment for their proposed cruise tourism port on Harvest Caye. Residents lashed out at the EIA, claiming that it was full of errors and premises based on old and inaccurate data. The mood was […]
Earlier today when we spoke to Elodio Aragon Junior, the U.D.P. political aspirant for Orange Walk East, we also questioned him about the reports that he had been using government resources to run his campaign. Aragon was deputy commissioner of the Police Department and in line for the top job when he stepped down to […]
The Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association (B.F.C.A.) on Friday was presented with a Sony laptop computer and accessories as well as significant fisheries publications. The donation is part of the Implementing the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy which fosters the positioning and engaging of fisherfolk organizations. It also aims to improve the quality of life of […]
This morning teachers from the Cayo District Branch of the Belize National Teachers Union gathered at the Macal Park in San Ignacio. This is the fourth of ten peaceful protests planned by the union as it seeks to be heard on the salary adjustment and other pressing issues. Today’s gathering is the first since the […]
Three passport officers are still on suspension for their alleged involvement in the Won Hong Kim passport scandal. There has been no public disclosure of evidence against them, or indeed of their particular roles, but they were sent on suspension less than two weeks after the scandal broke. Those public officers, Sharon Neal, Erwin Robinson […]
Minister Hulse also commented on the report compiled by the Department of Immigration on the nationality section. News Five broke the story of the Won Hong Kim report, which was finished more than three months ago on October fourth, 2013. That document makes very specific reference to how the system was compromised, offers a direct […]
Smoke billowed from the mills at the Tower Hill Factory. Long and at last, at ten this morning, delivery of sugar cane began in earnest. The 2014 season is delayed by eight weeks and the horrible road conditions are making a very bad situation worse for farmers who are unable to access their cane fields. […]
Minister of State Edmond Castro and the Belize Airports Authority—a politician and his personal piggy bank… The story of cheques drawn on the BAA’s account and made out to Castro, his friends and family and to pay his personal and political debts is a sordid one. The story broke wide open on News Five on […]
Did Edmond Castro cross the line when he used his authority as Minister in charge of the Belize Airports Authority to get his hands on public monies? Prime Minister Dean Barrow says he didn’t, at least not legally. But legalese aside, corruption is corruption, and the court of public perception has already judged Castro fit […]
And for more comment, News Five also went to the man who, at least before he walked the hallowed halls of government, was an anti-corruption champion and a relentless warrior against wrongdoing. Minister Godwin Hulse didn’t deign to give his opinion on the Castro check controversy, but he did spend some time trying to explain […]
