Since the beginning of the year, a number of police officers have died of natural causes and concerns are being raised about the physical wellbeing of the men and women of law enforcement. While they all participate in a program that ensures the financial security of their loved ones in the event of tragedy, ComPol […]
The Belize Tourism Industry Association was established thirty-one years ago to represent the sector’s developers and service providers. It has presided over the explosion of the tourism industry into Belize’s leading industry, providing jobs to at least a quarter of the population and bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign exchange. But even […]
‘How di Krismus di come?’ It’s a favourite question of the press at this time of the year for consumers darting in and out of the shops looking for top deals. But if you ask the shopkeepers themselves, they’ll tell you it has been a rough 2016, and they hold little hope for what is […]
The Senate met for its latest session today at the National Assembly in Belmopan with a full agenda. Thirteen motions were tabled for debate and consideration, of which ten were particularly significant. The Upper House was asked to ratify both the original Special Agreement between Belize and Guatemala, formalizing the process of potentially resolving the […]
Senator Courtenay went on to attack what he called “salami sausage diplomacy” – the piecemeal offerings by the Government on the Guatemala issue, starting with the ratification of the Special Agreement and Protocol and moving on to the Referendum Act. Courtenay also bruited the possibility of Constitutional amendments and amendments to the Maritime Areas Act, […]
The Integrity Commission was finally named today. The names of Marilyn Williams for Chairman; Armead Gabourel; Lisbeth Delgado; Wilmot Simmons; Nestor Vasquez; Melissa Balderamos Mahler and Claudet Grinage have been submitted to participate in the Commission for a period of two years from December first, 2016. Quite a few of the names are well known […]
New chair Marilyn Williams is being appointed in her capacity as an attorney, as provided for by law, while Nestor Vasquez is being appointed in his capacity as an accountant by trade. But that latter appointment had most of the upper chamber agog. In addition to his many conflicts of interest, the Prime Minister, with […]
Also debated before the Senate today is the resolution authorizing the accession by Belize to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Belize is nine days away from the formal ratification of the UNCAC, but the last major hurdle is confirmation by the Senate. While the Government of Belize has indicated that it was disposed […]
A working group has been established to smooth the path to ratification. That group has planned a number of events leading up to the actual signing of the Convention on December ninth at the Prime Minister’s Belize City office. It features membership from Government and the Private Sector, but not the Opposition, which lead Senator, […]
Figures were released today by the Statistical Institute of Belize that confirm a gloomy economy picture in this fashion: exports are down, prices are up and thousands have joined the unemployment lines. According to SIB, for the third quarter of 2016, production by the main industries declined by more than twenty percent. News Five’s Isani […]
Police are tonight investigating the landing of an aircraft, presumably a drug plane, overnight in the vicinity of La Democracia, Belize District. Officers at the Hattieville substation were notified of a suspicious airplane hovering in an area off the Coastal Road. By the time they were able to make contact with an anti-narcotics team and […]
The coordinated response involving a trio of law enforcement agencies was fairly swift, but not fast enough to arrest the ensuing activity. So, was their reaction timely enough? That’s what we asked ACP Broaster, who said that they did not know the exact location of the landing strip. Isani Cayetano “Do you believe that […]
Employees of the Chateau Caribbean are picking up the pieces in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the iconic restaurant. While most people are preparing for the Christmas, scores of employees have been left jobless. Official investigations are ongoing, but a long-serving employee of the Chateau provides gripping details of what went awfully wrong […]
And tonight’s question is: Do you believe Belizean tour operators should be allowed access to Harvest Caye Cruise Port? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com
A memorial attended by world leaders to reflect on the life and death of celebrated Cuban leader Fidel Castro is taking place at this time in Havana, Cuba. Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington are attending on Belize’s behalf. But many in the world over are remembering Fidel in […]
Ahead of this evening’s memorial ceremony, millions of Cubans have been paying their respects to Fidel Castro where his body lies in state in Havana. World leaders have also been paying tribute. Two such leaders are President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia, whose countries also subscribe to similar policies as Castro’s […]
Stakeholders from the public and private sectors are drafting a strategy which they will present to government to ensure the national security and defense of the country. The document focuses on the traditional sense of security, but also the integration of best practices for the economy, health and education. Today, a second round of consultation […]
One of the oldest buildings in the Old Capital was consumed by fire on Sunday morning. Thick smoke billowed into the sky and was visible from a distance away as residents came out in numbers and watched in disbelief as a fire swept through the wooden structure of the historic colonial building. Hours later, only […]
Destruction by fire in the city was not only limited to the Chateau Caribbean. Just under seven hours before, Police also reported a house fire at a residence on West Collet Canal where the upper flat of a two storey wooden building was destroyed. The homeowner insists she left nothing open that would have caused […]
There was a third fire which caused a family of five to spend the weekend with relatives in Ladyville. The place they called home went up in flames just after six o’clock on Friday night. Delvorine Reyes and her four children were not at home and they lost everything in the blaze. News Five’s Duane […]
A consignment of a little over fifty thousand pounds of green ham, uncured meat, that was reportedly brought in from Miami after being rejected in Ecuador is sitting at the western border tonight. The shipment is under quarantine by the Belize Agricultural and Health Authority. The name of the importer is unconfirmed, but we know […]
Since the Supreme Court decision in favor of the Belize National Teachers Union last Monday, the Ministry of Education has been silent about the processing of salaries for the month of November. Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin ruled that government cannot dock the wages of teachers who participated in an eleven-day strike in October, until the […]
Comandante Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution in the 1950’s, who became the longest-serving leader with unbroken service in the Americas, died late Friday at the age of ninety. An immediate cause of death was not released with the official announcement by President Raul Castro, but Fidel had been in poor health since 2008. Described […]
Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow has penned official condolences to the President of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz, on the passing of his brother, Comandante Fidel Castro. World leaders will be attending a tribute ceremony in Havana on Tuesday. Belize will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred […]
The Barrow Administration has agreed to reduce the referendum threshold from sixty percent to fifty percent plus one, by amending the existing Referendum Act. That decision comes ahead of a Senate meeting to be held next Wednesday during which upper parliament is expected to endorse the special agreement on taking the Guatemalan claim to the […]
