The Super Bond, as well as other external debts owed to international creditors, is also an area of concern for government given the financial crunch it has found itself in as a result of the economic shutdown. While being circumspect in response to whether Belize can continue to meets its external debt obligations, Prime Minister […]
The online portal of the Unemployed Relief Fund closed on Friday; as many as eighty-one thousand persons applied for benefits, having lost their jobs due to COVID-19 or were jobless before the virus. As of Friday, government paid out three million dollars in unemployment relief, but there are still thousands of applications to review. Today, […]
Julian Ebanks was shot and killed this morning in the Bainsville area of Hattieville Village. Ebanks was released from prison merely two weeks and had complained that his life was under threat. Just before six o’clock when Ebanks was returning to his house, someone from among a group of three men opened fire on him. […]
Three persons, including his stepfather, are detained for questioning in the mysterious drowning of a Hattieville resident. Twenty-two-year-old Nigel Welch, his stepfather and two others went to an eleven feet deep man-made pond near the Belize Central Prison; soon after, Welch drowned. Those who know Welch say he did not know how to swim so […]
There are no new cases of the COVID 19 virus, the last reported case was twelve days ago, so on Monday, the House of Representatives will be in session in Belmopan to primarily extend the state of emergency for an additional two months. During this time restrictions will be relaxed gradually and depending on the […]
With the countrywide quarantine ending on Saturday, April twenty-fifth, movements of people will be permitted, but with restrictions. Businesses such as mechanic shops, banks, and certain government offices will reopen during specific hours. Pharmacies, convenience stores and markets will be allowed to function and open from eight in the morning to seven in the night. […]
The two-week lockdown winds down at midnight on Saturday and according to the Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, public transportation will resume for essential workers who will be required to travel by land, but wearing face masks. Water taxis can also function but only for essential services and we are not yet allowed to go to […]
This Monday, a House meeting will be held to get approval for an extension of sixty days to the State of Emergency. But it does not mean that the shutdown will continue until then; it means that during that period, relaxation of certain measures will take place until there is all clear. In fact, the […]
A panoramic snapshot of the COVID-19 situation in the neighbouring state of Quintana Roo shows a growing number of cases but in the community nearest to Belize, the numbers are not as high. As of today, seven hundred and thirty-seven persons overall have tested negative for the deadly disease. Five hundred and eleven persons resulted […]
Chinese national Lee Henley Hu Xiang, who holds Belizean citizenship, remains locked up in China and the Chinese government has indicated that it will prosecute Xiang. He is accused of providing funds to “meddle” in Hong Kong affairs. Al Jazeera and news outlets from Hong Kong say that investigations by the national security agency confirmed […]
April twenty-fourth is the last Friday of the month and across the country several thousand teachers were expecting that their salaries would have been deposited in their accounts going into the weekend. But, like other public officers, they too will have to wait until next Wednesday to collect their pay. It’s only a difference of […]
In a meeting with Financial Secretary Joseph Waight back in March, assurances were given that teachers would be paid at the end of each month, notwithstanding the financial constraints. The fact that government is late with April salaries raises concern that there are challenging times ahead in respect of meeting the wage bill in its […]
Three more persons have recovered from COVID-19. This brings the number of persons who have recovered to five, leaving eleven persons still battling the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately, two Belizeans died from the virus. Eleven active cases are recovering at their homes and none is hospitalized. According to the official records, it has been ten days […]
PM Barrow says that the relaxation of the quarantine measures is because of the containment of the cluster spread of the novel corona virus. Local public transportation by land, air, and sea will resume for essential workers and essential purposes only but passengers will be required to wear face masks. According to the Prime Minister, […]
Earlier, in a recorded statement, the PM said reagents which are on order are expected this weekend. That comes on the heels of reports that health supplies ordered by Belize have been confiscated by US authorities since the US has not been able to meet its own demand. Today, News Five spoke with Director of […]
The situation in agriculture, particularly for livestock producers, is dire as thousands of heads of cattle are grazing in pastures that are quickly drying up amid the drought. The Ministry of Agriculture is working feverishly to address the frustrations of the agro-productive sector regarding a freeze in the informal trade of cattle with neighboring Guatemala. […]
The COVID-19 state of emergency, along with the abrupt closure of the unrecognized trading route at Bullet Tree Falls, has left many farmers holding on to livestock that cannot be sold outside of the country. This, notwithstanding a formal trade agreement established between Belize and Mexico, has left the industry hanging in the balance. According […]
The early closure of the conch season and the coronavirus pandemic have also had an impact of fisherfolks. While they are still allowed to harvest finfish within the non-curfew hours, many have not been able to go out to sea so have lost their source of income. The vast southern waters are problematic to patrol, […]
Tonight there is more on the death of fashion designer Ulysease Roca, who was determined to have died from multiple organ failure. The HIV patient was found dead in his home in Willows Bank Village on April nineteenth. But before passing, Roca posted an emotional live video on his Facebook in which he accused officers […]
A number of police officers have come under fire for their brutish behavior and abuses against citizens. As for the officer who videoed and ridiculed Roca while he was in detention, Chester Williams says he is being dealt with. That officer is police constable Chris Staine, who is expected to be charged internally for “an […]
Just prior to the interview with the ComPol, Chair of the National AIDS Commission, Laura Longsworth-Tucker said that she was devastated on how the case of Ulysease Roca evolved over the last few days. On Tuesday, along with the Ministry of Human Development and the Office of the Special Envoy the NAC came out against […]
Jason Shaw, Leslie Martinez, and Anthony Villamil have been charged and arraigned for the crime of Willful Oppression. The trio is accused of forcing a man and a mentally challenged woman into a sexual act at an abandoned house on Central American Boulevard. The coercion was recorded by one of the officers on his cell […]
A Special Sitting of the House of Representatives is being called for April twenty-seventy. But unlike past meetings of the House, Monday’s sitting will be only by quorum, which means the members will not be present in the chambers. The sole order of business is that government needs the approval of the House to continue […]
At eight o’clock this morning, the remains of Bishop Dorick Wright were removed from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for its final farewell. The seventy-four-year-old bishop died last week and because of the coronavirus disease, his funeral took a different form, which included a mobile procession that ended at Holy Redeemer Cathedral where he was […]
The Ministry of Health has not reported any new cases of COVID-19. But while that is encouraging news, the government will be extending the state of emergency up until the end of June. In its weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, several issues were discussed in regards to the COVID-19 crisis. One of the pointed issues […]
