While there is support from government and stakeholders, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization is not as accommodating. APAMO held its sixth annual general meeting today at the headquarters of the Belize Audubon Society. After dealing with elections, twelve executive members got down to nailing two resolutions on national issues: SATIIM’s fight against U.S. […]
Another issue that is bubbling is SATIIM’s fight against U.S. Capital Energy and the government. APAMO’s general membership is consistent with the position that oil drilling in national parks is illegal. Jose Perez, Executive Director, APAMO “SATIIM has basically been addressing the issue on their own. What we are saying and agreed; the general […]
The issue of the Norwegian Cruise Line project on Harvest Caye is a done deal with the blessing of the government. A Memorandum of Understanding for the undertaking of the fifty million U.S. dollar cruise tourism development project was signed in August between the G.O.B. and NCL. There was fierce objection from local stakeholders in […]
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee held a meeting on Wednesday in Belmopan. Realistically, we should say that the government members of the PAC held a meeting, because Chairman Julius Espat and opposition member Rodwell Ferguson walked out in protest. Still, as they say, the show must go on…and it did. The four government […]
The US Southern Command has been a very friendly partner in Belizean development – in areas ranging from medical care and infrastructure assistance to training and the donation of military expertise and equipment, very often on a large scale. Perhaps Southcom is best known by the general public for its New Horizons initiatives which have […]
A lone gunman managed to deprive James Brodies and Company of over forty thousand dollars in cash over the weekend, but police now believe they have the man who carried out the heist. The suspect has been identified as twenty-four old mechanic, Sheldon Stanley Sosa, a resident of Albert Street who lives in proximity of […]
Years after it was conceived, the Stake Bank Project has been dusted off and resurrected; it was officially launched today at the Belize Biltmore Plaza as the Ocean View Grand and Stake Bank. It is a mega-million dollar development which according to businessman Mike Feinstein, of the Feinstein Group of Companies, requires an investment of […]
Today, the Public Accounts Committee held its first meeting since the call for its restructuring of its composition. Fireworks were expected as both sides declared that they would stand firm. Their positions are simple – the opposition members refuse to scrutinize Auditor General Reports dating back to 2003. They say their mandate is to look […]
While pro-tem PAC Chairman John Saldivar has said that all meetings of the PAC from now on will be open to the public, this one wasn’t. The media wasn’t even allowed into the offices of the National Assembly, much less anywhere the committee room. Prime Minister Dean Barrow had said that meetings would be public, […]
Tonight, there is some news coming from Minister of Sports Herman Longsworth on the much anticipated Marion Jones Sporting Complex. We say some news, instead of good news, because the project has been underway for years now, and it seems that every few months we get promises that it is nearing completion. We got that […]
According to Longsworth, he hopes that by the end of the year, Belizeans will be able to make use of the Marion Jones Sporting Complex, to some extent at least. As we do whenever we get a hold of Minister Longsworth, we asked about Berger Field. The complete renovation and restoration of that field started […]
At the beginning of the week, City Hall, through the Traffic Department, brought into immediate effect the removal of a number of commuter buses that did not meet specific requirements put in place to alleviate traffic in the city streets. The measure, which was initially proposed by the Belize City Council in 2009, under Mayor […]
Three of four Belizeans who are presently fighting their extradition to the United States were before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith today. They are Gary Seawell, Fakhnul Salim and Deon Bruce. The cases of Salim and Bruce were adjourned for a later date, but arguments were submitted in respect of Seawell. Attorneys Illiana Swift and […]
Government has confirmed that it will be entering into a binding agreement with Norwegian Cruise Lines for a fifty million dollar tourism development at Harvest Caye. But there’s another tourism project which is likely to stir controversy because it involves the construction of a causeway which is believed will affect the Swallow Caye Reserve, which […]
The Stake Bank Project is on the environmental table for dissection and analysis. But while the NCL project proposed for Harvest Caye in the south is very much in the headlines, it hasn’t even officially reached that point yet. And when it does, it seems that the process will be expedited, since an Environmental Impact […]
As we reported on Monday, a team of journalists and videographers from various media houses was given an exclusive tour of the Sarstoon-Temash National Park over the weekend. The purpose of the visit was to experience firsthand ongoing exploratory work conducted by U.S. Capital Energy in the vicinity of the protected area. The two-day trip […]
And our question for tonight is: Do you support changes to the composition of the Public Accounts Committee? Yes or no. 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.
Police are investigating the death of a Sand Hill resident that occurred sometime after eight p.m. on Monday. While there appears to be telltale signs of a suicide, Ladyville Police are waiting for the result of a post mortem on the body on twenty-nine year old Emir Bailey to determine whether or not he was […]
Since suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Cuba during the Jaguars’ do or die match in the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, nothing has been heard from head coach Ian Mork. In the days following Belize’s debut in the annual competition, speculations were that Mork would not be returning to coach the national […]
But there is good news in volleyball and basketball. In Guatemala City today, the Under-twenty female national volleyball team beat El Salvador in three sets to one…that places Belize six points ahead and keeps the team in the running and within reach of a medal. In today’s came Kevanna Sebastian led team Belize with twenty-points […]
The National Bank of Belize Limited was established in April 2013, and today its doors were opened to the general public in Belmopan. The state-owned bank will primarily provide concessionary credit to public officers, teachers and lower-middle income Belizeans. Suitable to the occasion, the launch was a red-carpet type affair of government leaders, public officers, […]
Last Friday and Saturday, the media was hosted by SATIIM on a trip to the Sarstoon Temash National Park to witness first-hand ongoing work by U.S. Capital Energy. On the eve of the tour, it appeared that a standoff was afoot, but the tour proceeded without trouble because SATIIM chose an alternate route to access […]
SATIIM and Mayan leaders of communities in the Sarstoon Temash National Park are waging war against the government of Belize. They feel that government is not recognizing rights which the court has ruled are theirs, over communal land. They also condemn G.O.B.’s approval of an oil exploration permit to U.S. Capital Energy. The drill site […]
Greg Ch’oc, the Executive Director of SATIIM, also used the trip to Sarstoon Temash to provide clarity to the question of whether he had resigned from the N.G.O. Speaking in Ketchi and then in English to reporters, Ch’oc said that detractors have been spreading mischief and that any decision he takes is in consultation with […]
The memorandum of understanding between the government of Belize and Norwegian Cruise Lines is a done deal, and the parties are not allowing any grass to grow under their feet. M.O.U.s are not legally binding, but contracts are, and one is very much in the works. Despite much opposition to and many concerns about the […]
