He was arrested on drug related charges in Jamaica in January and later extradited to the United States but tonight the family of Duane Seawell has launched a legal challenge to the chain of events, asserting that as a Belizean, the accused should have been deported to Belize to face extradition here. Through their attorneys […]
On Saturday, twenty-nine Nigerian professionals were hosted at the Princess Hotel for an orientation session prior to taking up positions in Belize’s healthcare system and the Ministry of Natural Resources. The volunteers form part of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps Scheme that the African country and Belize signed back in 1991. On Saturday, that bilateral […]
On January first, Belize assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the Central American Integration System, SICA. From the get-go Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Courtenay, maintained that his government would use the opportunity to bridge the gap between Central America and CARICOM. Today, after numerous meetings and discussions, the diplomats made a significant […]
The notion of Belize being both a Caribbean and Central American nation is a culturally fascinating proposition … but it sure makes our tiny diplomatic corps work overtime. What I’m referring to is our membership in both English speaking CARICOM and Spanish speaking SICA. This week it was Belize’s turn to take over the rotating […]
In the country this week are tourism representatives from across Central America. The purpose of their visit is to discuss and approve the Tourism Semester Plan, which Belize will be spearheading as part of our responsibilities as Pro Tem President of SICA, the Central American Integration System. This afternoon Minister of Tourism Godfrey Smith officially […]
Cuban medical professionals started coming to Belize in 1999 through a cooperation agreement between the two countries. Since then, the visiting doctors and nurses have treated tens of thousands of Belizeans throughout the length and breadth of the country. And it’s a practice that is going to continue, at least for the next three years, […]
Member countries of the Central American Integration System are meeting in Belize this week to hold regional information sessions regarding the work of the secretariat. At the end of the month, Belize will accept the pro tem presidency of the organisation and officials will use today and tomorrow to update their Belizean counterparts on the […]
The nation’s tourism industry–particularly its constituents in the Cayo District–received some good news today. It took the form of an update in the U.S. government’s travel advisory on Belize. The new release acknowledges the efforts of government and private sector to prevent robberies in the Mountain Pine Ridge and Chiquibul areas, pointing to increased police […]
Around this time of the year, politicians, priests and everyone in between publish or broadcast a New Year’s message. While the statements are acknowledged, few become newsworthy. But as News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports, this year the Prime Minister has dropped a bombshell on the Belizean people. Prime Minister Said Musa
Belize will be represented at the summit of the Central American Integration System this weekend in Costa Rica by Deputy Prime Minister John Brice
Well before the appearance of global terrorists, the old wooden house on the corner of Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street was an anachronism … a throwback to another era when embassies were places of refuge, not targets of suicide bombers. And while we in Belize know that no one here harbours such evil intentions, we […]
If you are watching or reading this newscast online from somewhere in the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to know who you are and where you live. That’s right, as part of a census of sorts, the Government of Belize, through its consular offices in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles and […]
Operating from its new digs in the capital city, the United States Embassy announced today that it issued its first visa from the new location on Monday. And the recipients couldn’t be more deserving. According to a press release issued today, Ambassador Robert Dieter presented Belize City residents Alta Casares and her infant son Angel […]
While on one side of the city gunmen, victims and police played out their deadly drama, across town the old capital put its best foot forward to host a diverse international gathering of people focussed on a more positive future. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has more. Janelle Chanona, Reporting With pomp and circumstance, this morning […]
And while we had the Prime Minister’s attention we asked him to explain the status of diplomat extraordinaire, Assad Shoman. Janelle Chanona, Reporting ?I needed to ask you to respond to exactly what Ambassador Assad Shoman will be doing in London. I understand there is some concern about the amount of money he is going […]
Over the next four or five days Belize will be hosting several hundred visitors from all over North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. They’re here for the forty-second annual convention of Partners of Americas. That organisation, founded in 1964, paired various U.S. states with individual countries to the south. In 1966 […]
If you were planning to obtain a visa to visit the United States in the final two weeks before the embassy closes for its move to Belmopan, you’ve got a problem. According to an official release, a computer meltdown in the consular section has meant that since Monday they have been unable to issue any […]
It was done by secret ballot but at the United Nations today voting continued for the hotly contested vacant seats in that organization’s Security Council. According to press reports from New York, Venezuela’s bid for the Latin American seat may be fading fast after the seventh round of balloting left the South American country seven […]
And rounding out the reports from the old capital courtrooms is word that today Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, the three judges of the Supreme Court and six magistrates, three from the Family Court and three from Magistrate’s Court left Belize this morning en route to Flores, Peten in Guatemala. It is understood that the judges […]
On the occasion of the sixty-first General Assembly of the United Nations, this week Belize took its traditional turn at the imposing podium to address the world on issues that we think are important. Doing the honours this year was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Eamon Courtenay. In his address Tuesday afternoon Courtenay […]
There was no advance notice, hence the lack of any meaningful coverage. But on Monday Guatemala’s newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gert Rosenthal, paid a quick visit to Belize. According to a Belize government press release, Rosenthal–he’s the one in the black suit–met with Prime Minister Said Musa, Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay and other […]
An investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office has strongly questioned the credibility of the State Department’s annual human trafficking report. According to the G.A.O., the explanations used in the rankings are “incomplete,” and “not used consistently” and the report as a whole “does not comprehensively describe compliance with the standards.” The report went on […]
In other news from Cabinet it has been confirmed that Prime Minister Said Musa has received the report of the Senate Select Committee investigating Social Security. The document was presented on Monday morning by the clerk of the National Assembly and the P.M. has committed to making his views known at an early date. Among […]
Two weeks ago, the arrest of businessman Jitendra Chawla on human trafficking charges left many in Belize’s Indian community disturbed and worried. On Wednesday night, task force coordinator Anita Zetina and Director of Public Prosecutions Kirk Anderson met with leaders to discuss the issue and more importantly, to clarify the law. Arun Hotchandani, Consul General […]
Earlier in this newscast, we spoke to community leader Arun Hotchandani regarding human trafficking. As it happens, this week the regional representative for the United Nation’s High Commission for Refugees is in Belize on a familiarization tour. According to Hoffmann, refugees should not be confused with immigrants seeking better economic opportunities. Marion Hoffmann, Regional Rep.,U.N.H.C.R. […]
