It is not often we lead this newscast with news that does not originate in Belize, but when the most powerful country in the world is on the brink of a crisis… Belize needs to pay attention. In case you haven’t noticed, the race for the U.S. presidency is currently unresolved as officials in the […]
More and more Belizeans are visiting the island nation of Cuba, for tourism as well as to cultivate ties in government and business. Last week a delegation visited Havana to talk trade…and News Five’s William Neal was there. William Neal, Reporting Adversity is often the breeding ground for new, creative ideas. It can be argued […]
Fifteen thousand dollars worth of food, medical supplies, and assorted items have been given to the hurricane victims of the Orange Walk and Corozal districts. The donation, which is a gift from the Belize Friendship Association of Los Angeles, California, was presented to Deputy Prime Minister, Johnny Briceno by BFA’s Vice Chairman, Gilbert Marin. In […]
Belize was represented among sixty-four countries at Cuba’s 2000 Trade Exposition. The twenty-three-member business team was headed by Minister of Budget Management and Trade Ralph Fonseca. Belize’s Ambassador to Cuba Amalia Mai-Rancharan along with Derrick Nisbet of BELTRAIDE facilitated the team in mounting a display of Belizean products and meetings with market representatives from all […]
Offers of relief continue to come in from abroad in the wake of Hurricane Keith. The government of Switzerland announced a fifty thousand U.S. dollar contribution through the International Federation of the Red Cross and the United States will be sending an additional two hundred and thirty-two thousand U.S. dollars through the Pan American Health […]
Assistance in the wake of Hurricane Keith has come from far and wide…and today it came in person from a continent with which Belize has historical roots. A delegation from Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, arrived in Belize on Sunday. Since then, the visitors have been busy meeting with government officials and fellow Nigerians who […]
A barge will journey out to San Pedro and Caye Caulker Thursday carrying twenty portable generators, while a truck will hit the roads of the Belize and Orange Walk districts with blankets and plastic sheeting for needy residents. The materials were this morning donated to NEMO’s National Emergency Co-ordinator Anthony Sylvester by Japanese Ambassador Masashi […]
The Belize Defence Force will be receiving continued assistance from the government of the United Kingdom. The Ministry of National Security announced that for the current financial year, Britain will be providing a total of eight hundred and sixteen thousand Belize dollars in aid. Much of that will go for training of BDF personnel as […]
With villages in the Belize and Orange Walk districts waiting for floodwaters to recede, and rebuilding efforts proceeding feverishly at San Pedro and Caye Caulker, the post hurricane focus has now shifted to longer-term economic recovery. Late last week Budget Minister Ralph Fonseca and Central Bank Governor Keith Arnold traveled to Washington, D.C. for discussions […]
In news of more immediate aid the LG Electronics Corporation, a huge South Korean industrial conglomerate, has donated twenty thousand dollars to relief efforts. The cheque was presented on Friday to Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Briceno. Meanwhile, the government of Japan has agreed to supply emergency materials in the form of generators, plastic sheeting and […]
She probably never imagined that her inaugural address to the OAS would concern a natural disaster, but such are the worlds of diplomacy and weather. On Wednesday in Washington D.C. Ambassador Lisa Shoman made her debut at the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States by accepting a forty thousand U.S. dollar cheque for […]
Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu and her hundred strong delegation left Belize this morning, but not before making it clear that relations between her new government and Belize are, if anything, even stronger than in the past. In a press conference held Thursday night Prime Minister Said Musa made his clearest commitment to date that […]
Diplomats and politicians are experts in the art of talking much but saying little. And while the fast paced tour of Cayo by Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu did little to change that impression, by the time she settled in at the Radisson on Thursday night, she was ready to reveal a little bit more […]
She is not a head of state, but visiting Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu got the royal treatment as she arrived for a whirlwind 24-hour visit. News Five’s camera was on hand to document the visit, the first foreign mission by the recently elected Lu, who is the highest ranking Taiwanese official to visit Belize. […]
It has only been 11 years since Belize established relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, and in that short span of time, the dynamic Asian power has become Belize’s most important financial angel. On Thursday morning the highest-ranking Taiwanese official to ever visit Belize, Vice President Annette Lu, will arrive with a 90-person […]
A number of foreign countries were represented at Tuesday night’s ceremony and many more diplomats arrived today to help celebrate Belize’s independence. One special visitor who will not arrive until Friday is Mexico’s Minister of Defence, General Enrique Cervantes, who will be hosted by Belize’s Minister of National Security, Jorge Espat. The aim of the […]
The timing of the visit was a coincidence, but the mid celebration arrival of a high level Guatemalan delegation along with two facilitators for the peace process had the Ministry of Foreign Affairs–not to mention the press corps–working overtime today. The first piece of news to emerge from the airport’s VIP lounge was that of […]
For his part the Guatemalan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs told journalists that a major concern of his government is the easing of tensions along the border. Ramiro Ordonez, Guatemalan Vice Foreign Minister “We believe that it is the objective of the military of both nations to maintain the peace, tranquility and security of the […]
While the diplomats were all smiles, and hostilities seemed to melt as fast as a snow cone at the Agricultural Show, nobody in the room was foolish enough to believe that a settlement of the century and a half old dispute would be easy. The reality of negotiations dictates that there be give and take […]
Two people who are neither Guatemalan nor Belizean, but will have a major impact on the negotiations are the facilitators, one nominated by each of the two parties to the dispute. Guatemala has appointed well-known U.S. international lawyer, Paul Reichler, while Belize has chosen veteran diplomat and former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal. The […]
Had it not been for the United Nations special millennium summit, the season’s big diplomatic event would have been the convening of the 54th General Assembly. But with 160 of the world’s leaders speaking their minds last week, today’s opening received less than top billing. It did offer a chance to see some new faces, […]
While the Deputy Prime Minister is flexing his diplomatic muscles at the UN another nation’s deputy leader will soon be visiting Belize. In this case Taiwan’s number two man is a lady. Vice President of the Republic of China, Annette Lu, will arrive for a short overnight visit on September 28th as part of a […]
The relationship between Belizeans residing here at home and those who live abroad is an often complicated one. There was a time, for example, when thousands of Belizeans were dependent on a monthly cheque from stateside relatives to keep them in rice and beans, not to mention the latest fashion. And while that source of […]
While Belizeans at home prepare to party at the Barracks, those living in Miami will be doing their thing at the mall. “A touch of Belize 2000″…a first ever exposition promoting the country, will be held on September 16th at the upscale Aventura Mall. Headed by Teddy Gonzalez, the event is designed to promote tourism […]
After a hectic few days at the United Nations Prime Minister Said Musa is off to California. His three-day visit will be a busy one and includes encounters with Belizeans residing in the Golden State and a meeting with the Mayor of Los Angeles, as well as a reception hosted by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. […]
