Former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca is dead. The retired People’s United Party politician, served two terms as mayor and a total of sixteen years in active politics, took his own life sometime around two this afternoon in the bathroom at his residence in Stuart’s Alley. He was the first mayor to be directly elected […]
Treasury Department Second Class Clerk David Enriquez was charged last week for theft. The police say that he diverted monies, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, meant for Toledo Community College into accounts to which he had access. But tonight the plot thickens. News Five has been able to confirm with Principal of TCC, Harriet […]
Enriquez had been on remand for the bold Treasury theft since last week, but this afternoon he was granted bail by Supreme Court Judge Troadio Gonzalez after the prosecution registered no objection but left it to the discretion of the Court. Another man who was charged for handling stolen goods, Francis Palacio, also received bail […]
It may have cruised under the radar at the Prime Minister’s press conference on Wednesday, but the fact that the churches are getting in on the Petrocaribe bounty is significant. At the last Senate meeting, church representative Father Noel Leslie rejected the Petrocaribe Bill. But Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it clear that notwithstanding that […]
There is some good news for consumers because beginning July first, 2015 to June thirtieth 2016; electricity rates are to go down to thirty-five cents per kilo watt hour to all customers. The Public Utilities Commission announced the reduction in tariffs today after reviewing a request by Belize Electricity Limited. While B.E.L. requested a reduction […]
Two weeks ago, about forty workers at the Santander Green Tropics facility staged a small protest at the compound, citing chronic concerns which they say remained unaddressed by management. Over five hundred Belizeans are employed at the company, so those concerns prompted a visit by the Labour Department. Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams told News Five […]
According to Williams, and this is certainly not the first time this complaint has been ventilated, workers feel that they are not being given access to lucrative employment. They feel that the company favours the hiring of foreigners, many brought in from Guatemala, to do the jobs which pay more. That complaint has prompted the […]
So why aren’t Belizeans getting access to the higher paying jobs which require special skills? Well, because not many Belizeans have those skills. It’s as simple as that. Our vocational schools simple do not offer the level of certification required by the company. Williams says that this Santander ship has sailed where that is concerned, […]
The Statistical Institute of Belize released the latest stats on consumer price index and external trade for the month of March. According to SIB, consumer prices were down one percent last month; so when compared to March 2014, goods and services were one percent cheaper. Food prices also saw a drop, including eggs, red kidney […]
Last Thursday, a retired English couple came forward in the media to express frustration over a land swindle in Caye Caulker which has resulted in the devaluation of their beachfront property. Sydney and Anna Higgins bought a parcel of land on the northern part of the island several years ago, only to find out that […]
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has settled a court case with Benque Viejo del Carmen Town-based book publishers, BRC Printing Limited. The dispute goes back to June of 2014 when the Ministry signed a contract to purchase four hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars of educational books from BRC for the 2014-2015 school year. […]
This afternoon in a bail application heard by Justice Troadio Gonzalez of the Supreme Court, two young men were granted bail for the offense of rape. They are James Andrews and Jose David Gomez. Both were ordered to surrender all travelling documents before they could post bail. They were also ordered not to interfere with […]
Ten years ago, the government of Belize ratified several environmental management conventions and address, through international assistance and programs, issues of chemical and waste management. Three phases have been accomplished since 2005 and those initiatives have placed processes and protocols in place to manage chemicals in the country. Today at the Radisson Fort George, the […]
Another component of the project will include the closure of the dumpsite and the construction of a transfer station at Burrell Boom. But when you hear chemical waste, it brings to mind the disposal of hazardous wastes. We’ve seen in the past where medical facilities have not been properly disposing hazardous waste. According to Alegria, […]
On Friday, in Belize as well as in many other countries, the Labour Day holiday will be held to honor workers. From time to time, we hear about employee- employer issues, but there are countless other cases that are not broadcast. Some issues may be minor infractions and others may be huge offenses that end […]
The Precinct Two Police Officers, through their community policing, have been working on the ground to engage residents. From one on one interaction to group efforts, the police say they have been making sure to involve the community they operate in. So, over the past few months, they have been looking at activities and ways […]
Tourism is a top foreign exchange earner and is also one of the largest contributors to Belize’s Gross Domestic Product, the GDP. Roughly speaking, it accounts for twenty-five percent of GDP, directly contributing over six hundred million dollars annually. According to the Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism, one in every four Belizeans […]
Okay Ladies, it’s time to pull out those cosmetic bags and look over the products on your night stand. If you’ve had skin problems on your face; the culprit may very well be one of your favorite beauty products. Tonight on Healthy Living we discuss some important hygiene practices for your face and make up. […]
The Prime Minister took on a number of issues this morning at a press conference that started at ten and continued until about twelve-twenty. P.M. Dean Barrow spoke on a myriad of national issues that have been on the headlines for days. There is the Petrocaribe Loan Act, which has become one of the most […]
Now for policy matters, the Bank of America has withdrawn as corresponding bank to the Belize Bank. The PM explained that there has been nothing awry and that the government is in full support of the bank. Furthermore, the Central Bank will be assisting with wire transfer so there is no need to panic. […]
In past three or four years, the large U.S. Banks and some European Banks have been facing some of the largest fines in the history of banking. Those fines, according to Lyndon Guiseppi, the Executive Chairman of Belize Bank, relate primarily to the banks being sanctioned for doing business in jurisdictions or in countries with […]
At least half an hour of the two-hour long press conference this morning was dedicated to Petrocaribe, the controversial project which spawned the controversial Loans Act and Bill. The Opposition has led the charge to declare the government’s use of the funds without approval from the House as illegal…from the very start. Prime Minister Barrow […]
The matter of the illegality is still before the courts, but where the outcry from the Opposition, VIP, church, business sector and unions is concerned, the Prime Minister isn’t at all concerned, and neither is he ambiguous where Petrocaribe is concerned. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Petrocaribe and its bountiful infrastructural, social assistance and job […]
Amidst all that was said about Petrocaribe this morning, there were only a couple things we hadn’t heard before. One is that those glorious monies will be rolling down south to citrus farmers, and we’ll have more on that later in our newscast. The other is that the Petrocaribe monies from the start of this […]
As we mentioned earlier, Petrocaribe monies will be used to bail out C.P.B.L. It’s not the first time the company is being assisted, so to speak, by government. In fact it happened just last year when U.D.P. insider, Doug Singh, was placed at the helm. But the company is in trouble again, and apparently have […]
