The Belize Defence Force is having its annual family open day on Saturday. It’s an annual event for family of the force and the public to see some of the work that takes place inside Price Barracks. According to Warrant Officer Class Two Ciego Cayetano, it’s an event that no one should miss. Ciego Cayetano, […]
On the heels of recent resignations, today the opposition got a boost when former U.D.P. area representative, Marcel Cardona threw his weight behind the P.U.P. candidate in Orange Walk East. Things between the U.D.P. and Cardona went downhill early in the administration of Dean Barrow over a NICH contract. Cardona was sent to the back […]
Cardona explained that the dissolution of the National Assembly last Friday has freed him from the restrictions of Section Fifty-Nine of the Belize Constitution which effectively prevented him from voting against government in the House of Representatives. Marcel Cardona “Since the Prime Minister announced the holding of early General Elections simultaneously with the holding of […]
Cardona, in quoting PM Dean Barrow prior to taking office in 2008, recalled that the U.D.P.’s position on nepotism and corruption was one of zero tolerance; however, he said, Barrow has since reneged on that commitment to the people of Belize. Cardona then went on to cite numerous instances of purported nepotism and cronyism within […]
There’s a developing story tonight, concerning Caleb Orosco, the president of UNIBAM, who is seeking to have section fifty-three of the criminal code declared unconstitutional. Orosco was assaulted this afternoon at the corner of Dean and West Streets in Belize City. Someone hurled a bottle at Orosco, breaking two of his teeth. Orosco has made […]
The body of a Belizean man was found floating on the Mexican side of the Rio Hondo on Tuesday morning. According to the Quintana Roo Journal, forty-five year old Victor Moses Diaz of La Union Village spotted something floating in the water at around six a.m. Diaz alerted the police and the body was recovered. […]
The illegal extraction of rosewood remains on the front burner. On the heels of reports that a highly connected company from the north was exporting the rosewood, on January twenty-fourth Cabinet decided that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will be conducting a stock survey and evaluation to verify the numbers of the remaining […]
On Tuesday night we reported that Corozal resident, Jorge Escalante, had received a letter from the Housing & Planning Department stating that a loan he had paid off years ago was written off in the recent house mortgage write-offs. Since that news, a number of other reports and letters have surfaced from persons who never […]
It’s political season and on the campaign trail today we caught up with Dolores Balderamos Garcia as she prepares for the March seventh elections. Dolores is a former area representative and minister of government. She is among four women on the P.U.P. ballot for the upcoming general elections. In Belize Rural Central, a constituency which […]
In the 2012 elections, there is a burst of independent candidates in the political arena. While the polls have been showing that they are not a factor, their numbers have been on the increase. This morning in San Ignacio, Marcel Bedran, a businessman threw his hat in the ring. Bedran will face the incumbent, Salvador […]
Remember the write-offs from the Ministry of Housing last year? About sixty million dollars were written off in delinquent loans, but tonight News Five has obtained copies of letters issued by Housing and Planning Department in December that are raising serious questions. Corozal resident, Jorge Escalante is the recipient of one such letter, informing him […]
Twenty-three Conejo Villagers were fired by U.S. Capital Energy, the company that his hoping to strike oil in the southern most part of the country. The mass firings came soon after village leaders became aware that the oil company was illegally conducting groundwork pertaining to seismic testing on lands protected by a court judgment. U.S […]
Another issue that is simmering is the referendum. Over twenty-thousand signatures were collected to propel a vote on oil exploration. Eighteen thousand were required but last week, the Elections Boundaries Commission said eight thousand had been rejected since the signatures could not be verified because of poor penmanship. The signatures were presented to the Governor […]
The intention of the Coalition was to have the referendum on March seventh to coincide with the elections. But at a press conference last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow out rightly rejected the poll. Dean Barrow [File: February 1st, 2012] “I assume of course that the verification exercise that the chief elections officer is doing […]
There is a gigantic shift in the P.U.P. today. If it could be measured on the Richter scale, strong tremors would have been felt in both the Albert and Lake Independence Divisions. Both are considered P.U.P. strongholds and safe seats but Mark Espat has stepped down along with his brother-in-law Cordel Hyde. The latest resignation […]
With just about four weeks before the General Elections there is no time to waste and the Leader of the Opposition promptly introduced his candidates to the media. David Craig, a face from the Barry Bowen empire, is known publically for being the corporate face of the Coca Cola Spelling Bee. For a few years […]
Yolanda Schakron is inheriting, for the most part, the Lake I executive committee but she may still have to make a few changes. She has received support from most members and they will stand by her through Election Day. Party Leader Francis Fonseca said the Belizeans for Justice Founding member would make a smooth transition […]
Earlier in the newscast, we showed you the replacements for the P.U.P. Albert and Lake I. Divisions. And though the faces are fresh, the P.U.P. still faces criticism for the past. Catch phrases like Superbond, G7, Old Guard and New Guard have stuck to the Opposition much the same way Retrenchment and nepotism have stuck […]
Down south, the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management today confirmed that twenty three employees from the village of Conejo have been fired from US Capital Energy. While the company did not have a license to explore in the Conejo area, it had began seismic testing and according to a SATIIM release, U.S Capital Energy […]
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations kicked off in London today. It was full of pageantry and color to mark the sixty year reign of Queen Elizabeth. The Queen renewed her commitment of service to the Commonwealth and along with other members of the royal family she will be undertaking numerous activities. On March second and […]
Tonight the People’s United Party is suffering another shock; a second standard bearer has withdrawn in one week and its four weeks to the March seventh general elections. Last Friday, Anthony Mahler stepped down from the Caribbean Shores Division and this morning Cordel Hyde via a press release, announced that he will not seek re-election […]
This afternoon, News Five sat down with the leader of the opposition, Francis Fonseca. Fonseca, who took over the leadership last October, has been hit with the worst blow in modern political history coming from within his own party in the run up to the general elections. Fonseca was taking the resignation in stride and […]
So tonight the People’s United Party is in search for a new standard bearer for the Lake Independence constituency, a party stronghold in the past three elections. Fonseca says it is likely that Mark Espat will also step down. Francis Fonseca, Party Leader, P.U.P. “There was some level of anticipation regarding this decision. I had […]
The other big news this week was the rejection of signatures collected by the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage for an oil referendum. On Thursday News Five spoke to Oceana’s Vice-President for Belize, Audrey Matura Shepherd about the rejection of eight thousand signatures that were needed to push the referendum on offshore drilling. Shepherd […]
She is one of three women on the opposition slate for the March seventh general elections. Carolyn Trench-Sandiford is also a deputy leader of the People’s United Party. In the tide that swept across the opposition in the last election, she lost, but this time around she says the powerful area representative in the Collet […]
