The first hearing of the Special Senate Select Committee for 2017 was hosted at the National Assembly, Belmopan. Sitting before the six-member panel was senior official of the Immigration Department, Maria Marin. Marin, now the Director for the Refugee Department in the Ministry, served as deputy and acting director of the Immigration Department in 2012 […]
According to Marin, she was swamped with research on the Won Hong Kim matter and concurrent investigations of the Department internally and by Police. She asked her subordinates to check with either the Ministry, in some cases, or the C.E.O. to help the auditors get what they wanted to review. But the Audit Report recalls […]
The Committee also tried to question Marin on the various approvals for visas, passports and nationalities in 2012 and 2013, when she was deputy and then holding over as acting director, but she stated that she could only really speak to those done in 2013. She went on to clarify what powers she held in […]
Nominations have been closed for the selection of a thirteenth member of the Senate. The United Democratic Party first proposed it in 2008 as a counter to a fully elected Senate, but Prime Minister Dean Barrow refused for several years to sign the prevailing sections of the Constitutional amendment into law, fearing worsened gridlock in […]
Dorian Pakeman and Alfonso Noble are both highly connected U.D.P. loyalists. Pakeman in March and Noble in December of 2016 knocked down and killed two men in separate incidents. Now, these fatal RTAs have garnered just about enough, or too much attention, because of how they have been handled so far. We’ve heard of the […]
Regional Commander of the Rural Eastern Division, ACP Edward Broaster, pulled out all the stops to reward some of the Police Officers who work under his jurisdiction. Today, he recognized those who stood out above the rest for 2016. They all received plaques and cash. The cash given out was a donation made by businessmen […]
Six murders in four days have taken some by surprise, while others were not so shocked by the spike in the homicides. And on Tuesday night, you heard the top brass in the Police Department talk about what they are going to do for the next few months to curb the gun violence, particularly in […]
Just now you heard Minister of Police Aragon speak on the short term methods they are implementing to cut the sharp increase in killings since the start of the New Year. He told us that his Ministry has undertaken a comprehensive plan which will be a national crime strategy. Aragon said that the plan is […]
Across the country, teachers were not in classrooms in response to a call from the Belize National Teachers Union. The latest dispute between the B.N.T.U. and the Ministry of Education involves the resumption of classes as the union continues with its planned absence from classrooms until January ninth. While mediation is pending over salaries and […]
There’s some good news to report tonight amid all the crime…With the Miss Universe 2017 pageant just weeks away in Philippines, Rebecca Rath, our Miss Belize, left earlier today to continue preparing in the United States before heading out to Manila, where the competition will be held. Rath has been a favorite among the delegates […]
Heading over to Belmopan…the first order of official business at Belize House this morning was the swearing-in of Michael Peyrefitte as Attorney General. Peyrefitte took the oath before Governor General Colville Young succeeding Vanessa Retreage who was appointed AG in 2015. As House speaker, Laura Longsworth has been named to replace Peyrefitte.
There’s another reason to celebrate. The first baby to be born this year is baby Kelsey Garnett. She was delivered at twelve on Sunday morning weighing seven pounds six ounces. She was born at the K.H.M.H. to a sixteen year old mother. As is customary, the parents were gifted with baby supplies from the San […]
The US Embassy has issued a bulletin seeking information on the whereabouts of U.S. national Raymond Samuel McLeod Junior, who is wanted in connection with the murder of Krystal Mitchell in San Diego on June tenth, 2016. McLeod, who is also known as RJ, is believed to be in Belize and was last seen in […]
2016 is drawing to a close as one of the bloodiest years in recent times. Most murders remain unsolved as did a string of homicides that occurred between 1998 and 2000, which we revisit tonight. As many as five primary school girls from Belize City were viciously murdered. There was a common thread in the […]
The Prime Minister’s annual New Year’s message is being aired elsewhere in this newscast. PM Barrow highlights the achievements of his government throughout the course of the calendar year and also sheds light on various socioeconomic challenges. While 2016 has had its ups and downs, the past twelve months have seen a contraction in the […]
The highlights of the message also include a recap of several achievements by way of social reform, particularly the appointment of the Integrity Commission, the signing of the United Nations Anti-Corruption Convention and a date being set for the Thirteenth Senator Law; all points that were demanded by teachers during their strike in October. […]
Forty-eight-year-old Carol Parham and her three grandchildren were handed the keys to a new house this morning, after living in a not-so-great condition for some time. In three days, the property on Fuller’s Alley was filled, and construction began for what the family can now call home. News Five’s Duane Moody and intern Maria-Isabel Reneau […]
As we bid farewell to 2016 and reflect on all the trials and triumphs over the past twelve months, we look forward to a fruitful year. With God as the anchor in our lives anything is possible. Tonight, we end our final newscast for the year with a thoughtful message from Canon Leroy Flowers on […]
With New Year’s Eve just hours away, everyone starts making their resolutions – a tradition where a person makes a promise to themselves to fulfill throughout the year. Whether it is to lose weight or to be a better person, the pledge differs with each individual. So today in downtown Belize City, News Five’s Duane […]
Last week, you heard ACP Edward Broaster say that they were waiting for lab results from the national forensic lab in the Pakeman-Dawson case. ACP Broaster was hopeful that they would have gotten something last week, but today when he was asked he said that the report is still not forthcoming and that is holding […]
A total of sixteen persons were injured in five separate traffic accidents over the Christmas weekend. Of these, twelve were involved in two separate accidents in the Orange Walk District. On Christmas Eve, the first of these two accidents claimed the life of a minor, Benjamin Krahn of Shipyard. Seventeen-year-old Benjamin, a mechanic, and his […]
Is the Belize National Teachers Union alone in its face-off with the Ministry of Education over the resumption of classes in January? The Belize Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, led by Chairperson Omar Longsworth, is the most recent group to call on teachers and students to return to school next Tuesday. The BAPSS is […]
According to Longsworth, there are no indications from secondary school teachers that they will be absent from work on Tuesday. In the interest of high school students who will be sitting exams in the second semester, the BAPSS chair is asking that the issue be resolved quickly. Isani Cayetano “I take it that the […]
It has been six weeks since five families were wiped out by a fire in a hidden corner of Trio village, Toledo District. The incident appears to be linked to a land dispute involving over fifteen thousand acres of land located four miles outside of the community. So far, the company that claims the land […]
It was Simone Biles’ last day in Belize and after a week of enjoying all that the country has to offer, her last activity was to have an open talk with young athletes and students. The nineteen-year-old gymnast spoke about her experience in the world of sports and her journey as a successful gold medalist. […]
