In forming an alliance with Taiwan, Mainland China officially severed ties with Belize, and despite the notion of being diplomatically cordial with both nations, PM Barrow says you can’t have your cake and eat it. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “One of the points I want to make is that you can’t have it both […]
As we reported earlier this week, the United Democratic Party is hosting its National Leadership Convention on February ninth, 2020. It’s less than six months away and the two candidates the two front-runners, Patrick Faber and John Saldivar, have been visiting different parts of the country to rally support. Some of the persons they are […]
The United Democratic Party has set a date for its National Leadership Convention. That date is Sunday, February ninth, 2020, five months from now. The date was announced during the party’s National Party Council meeting which was held this past Saturday. The convention will take place at the Belize Civic Center where Deputy Prime Minister […]
A delegation of Belizean politicians, including Caribbean Shores Area Representative Kareem Musa and Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold, returned from a visit to Mainland China over the weekend. While they may not have gotten official permission to travel in their respective capacities as members of the People’s United Party, the trip has managed to stir political […]
When asked if he would have accepted the offer to travel to China, considering the storm that it has since created, Musa did not shy away from reaffirming his position on the issue. Reporter “In hindsight, would you still have gone?” Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores “Yes, I would have gone regardless […]
The governing party this afternoon sent out a release making assertions that the visit by the parliamentarian and delegation was a ploy by the People’s United Party to bolster its coffers for the upcoming general elections. The visit has stirred controversy because of the cosy relations with Taiwan, which has been funding hundreds of projects […]
The matter of N.H.I. funds for the construction of a one point six million-dollar Central Medical Stores Building in Belmopan is still in the news tonight. Last Friday, different explanations were provided by the Financial Secretary and the C.E.O. of the Social Security Board which manages the N.H.I. funds about the grant for purposes not […]
The once powerful Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources has been keeping a low profile. Gaspar Vega has missed countless meetings of the House of Representatives on behalf of the people of Orange Walk North, who elected him to represent them. Vega, it is known, did not take too well a demotion from […]
Round five of the village council elections took place in four districts: Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize and Cayo, where sparks flew among opposing party supporters and candidates. The People’s United Party is claiming victory, saying that ninety of its candidates were victorious. According to the P.U.P.’s figures, the party won thirteen of the twenty-six participating […]
The P.U.P. has fired off a press release highly critical of the Financial Intelligence Unit, following the issuance of a statement today. The P.U.P. condemns the F.I.U.’s attempt to extricate itself from the Sanctuary Bay debacle, which it says the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is convinced it involves some level of collusion between the highest […]
The Sanctuary Bay scam is back in the news tonight. First, there is a response from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission which tells News Five that the matter is still under litigation following statements made that there is a settlement after a damming report was made to a U.S. bankruptcy court, throwing not stones, but […]
In November 2012, former C.E.O. in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mike Singh, told the Sanctuary Bay investors that the Belizean government stood committed to help develop the project. During today’s press conference, the P.U.P.’s Kareem Musa produced a 2011 memorandum, not seen before, which reportedly offers Eco Futures Belize Limited—one of the many […]
In the multitude of documents, the F.T.C. points out that the Financial Intelligence Unit was warned by then Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre, via email, of an ongoing investigation into massive violations of our Foreign Exchange Regulations by the principals and developers of the S.R.W.R. real estate project. That email was sent to the then […]
The allegations made by the Federal Trade Commission against Prime Minister Dean Barrow are so damning that the Prime Minister hired his law firm, Barrow and Williams, to warn that any re-broadcast, re-publication or repeating of F.T.C.’s allegations against him may result in civil action. Musa views the letter as an attack on the fourth estate, […]
And the Prime Minister has made good on his warning. Barrow and Williams has written Vaughn Gill, host of the P.U.P.’s media organ Positive Vibes Radio. The letter speaks of statements made by Gill on The Whip Talk Show on several occasions in which he made allegations against PM Barrow, concerning the Sanctuary Bay scam. […]
In a recent statement made on social media, Minister of National Security John Saldivar spoke on crime and perception. The minister said that murder, burglary, theft, and robbery all declined between January and June of this year when compared to last year. The violence in the past days, however, has added to the growing number […]
Round four of the village council elections took place this past weekend. It saw the election of thirty-five new village councils across the country. But there seems to be a fundamental issue between both political parties. Both the P.U.P. and the U.D.P. are and have been claiming victory since the first round. Today, P.U.P. Leader […]
Another round of village council elections was held this past Sunday. According to a P.U.P. issued release, this round saw elections in thirty-five villages across the country. The release states that the P.U.P. won twenty villages, while the U.D.P. won fourteen and the Independent won one village during this fourth round. Week five of the […]
After the Prime Minister’s press conference, the People’s United Party fired a press release describing the PM’s conference as an attempt to clear the air. The P.U.P. says that Barrow “hastily convened a press conference to deal with the exposure in the U.S. court where he and some of his ministers were accused of possible […]
Round three of the village council elections was held on Sunday. Forty-three villages countrywide participated with thousands of persons electing representatives from both major political parties and independent candidates to the village councils. Elections in the villages were not always seen as political but now both political parties are reporting gains in the rural communities. […]
Opposition Leader John Briceño has written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, requesting the results of the ongoing audit by the Department of General Sales Tax of B.T.L.’s financials. Briceño is also asking the P.M. for a copy of a letter purportedly sent by B.T.L. Chair Nestor Vasquez to Financial Secretary Joseph Waight seeking G.S.T. waiver […]
The second round of village council elections took place on Sunday across the country and both political parties are claiming victory. A total of forty-six villages participated and according to the P.U.P., one hundred and fifty-five of its candidates were elected compared to the one hundred and thirty-two U.D.P. candidates who won. The U.D.P., on […]
The New York Daily News is reporting that the recent murder of American doctor, Gary Swank, is deterring tourists from traveling to Belize. In fact, the head of the Belize Hotel Association Ted Tejeda today noted the cancellations following the murder. Dr. Swank was fatally shot along with San Pedro Tour guide Mario Graniel while […]
On Sunday the United Democratic Party held its convention in the Caribbean Shores constituency. Former Senate President Lee Mark Chang bested opponent, Leila Peyrefitte by three hundred votes. Before the convention, it was expected that Peyrefitte would have been favoured given her presence in the constituency during the I.C.J. referendum campaign. As you know, the […]
Information to News Five is that B.T.L. Chair Net Vasquez wrote to Financial Secretary asking for a write-off. Joseph Waight says he has not seen a letter. We attempted several times to get in contact with Acting Commissioner of GST, Evan Brown but all our attempts have proved futile. We did manage to ask Cabinet […]
