Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner has been facing serious criticism since deciding to lend financial assistance to needy residents via a social program at City Hall. Despite having cleared up the issue of endorsing checks to himself, many have questioned the sustainability of the mayor providing handouts to the less fortunate during a weekly clinic […]
Last year, the Social Security Board put forth a proposal for a contributions reform. The idea is to increase the contributions of employees and employers and at the same time increase the benefits. The S.S.B proposed this increase so that those who earn more than three hundred and twenty dollars weekly will not get a […]
On the Belize side, questions have been raised about how the message about the validity of Guatemala’s claim is getting out. There appears to be a disconnect between the politicians on both sides of the border and their technocratic support team at the diplomatic level. But may that possibly result in a surprise either on […]
While we know where they are coming from, where are the tourists going? Popular destinations like Placencia, San Pedro and Caye Caulker, and the San Ignacio-Benque Viejo area remain cream of the crop, but there is an even distribution for both overnight and cruise visitors according to Stephen. Jocelle Stephen, Marketing and Public Relations, […]
So what are the Board’s plans to keep the bumper figures up as tourism enters the so-called “slow season?” Stephen says the B.T.B. has been leaning on its international partners to do special presentations for outlets, including promoting the Jewel as the next great wedding and romantic adventure, and teaming up with Australia to promote […]
Would you like to be in the movies? If you’re a Belizean between the ages of eighteen and thirty, you can come out to the Mexican Institute this weekend to be cast in a film that has potential to be recognized at the renowned Cannes Film Festival. Director Yu-lene Olai-zola has chosen for her film […]
The family of Government Minister Rene Montero, according to documents, got more than three million dollars in compensation and interest for lands taken by a former administration almost two decades ago. The story broke just before the municipal elections. But what happened to the land itself? In the case of six parcels located in north […]
The primary finding of the I.N.C.S.R. states, “Belize’s drug control efforts are hampered by the same challenges faced by the rest of the country’s security sector – corruption, insufficient investigative capacity, an ineffective judicial sector, and a lack of political will.” But U.S. Embassy acting deputy chief of mission Deborah Lingwood says while there is […]
Over the past weekend, Corozal North area representative Hugo Patt held the top seat in the land as Prime Minister Dean Barrow travelled to the U.S. for medical consultations. The P.M. is expected to leave out again this weekend and so Patt was today asked about the unique experience of being number one, even for […]
News Five has received information of additional spending concerns by the former Belize City Council. According to information available, members of the Belize District Liquor Licensing and Trade Licensing Board are paid for their quarterly meetings – once every three months – but some of those persons also already get additional stipends and/or salaries for […]
As soon as Monday, you can see the management contract for the Belize Civic Center. It will be found on the website of Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL), www.bil.gov.bz, which will be launched then. But if you were expecting to find any evidence of a guarantee to the management company for profitability, think again. B.I.L. insists […]
According to the International Labour Organization, “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. In its worst forms, it includes slavery and deliberate exploitation. Belize has been identified as one of six countries to participate in a […]
The Department of Labour’s 2017 report on the worst forms of child labour found that Belize has made strides in preventing child labour through such programs as the BOOST conditional cash transfer program that rewards families for keeping children in school and immunized, as well introducing legislation. Representing her American counterparts, Acting Deputy Chief of […]
The Social Security Board’s Ride Across Belize initiative handed over thirty-five thousand dollars today. It’s the fourteenth year of the ride where monies are raised for charitable causes. The Urban Schools Gardening Programme received twenty-five thousand dollars and the Adopt A Child with a Disability received ten thousand dollars. We were at today’s handing over […]
Over fifty police officers attended a “community policing” sensitization workshop. The event was organized by the U.S. Embassy of Belize and hosted by the Belize Police Department. The officers learnt about some of the tactics and best practices being used within gang ridden communities in Los Angeles. Officer Commanding Eastern Division South shares why the […]
Washington D.C. and the states of Alabama and Idaho in the United States are as far apart culturally and politically as they are geographically. So it made for a very interesting experience for nine young Belizeans selected by the U.S. Embassy for a cultural exchange programme starting three weeks ago. On their travels across America, […]
The advancement of science and technology has improved the understanding of our body’s composition. It also helps define the markers as to what truly makes us fit and healthy. Many of us on weight loss journeys may be obsessing over the pounds on the scale, but as you’ll find out in tonight’s Healthy Living, your […]
Seven point five million Guatemalans are eligible to vote in this Sunday’s historic referendum to be held in Guatemala. On the last leg of the campaign, President Jimmy Morales has been on the ground and on the airwaves campaigning for a yes vote to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice. Last week, […]
Firings have been reported at the Punta Gorda Town Council as well as at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. In the south, News Five has learned that ten persons have been let go from the staff of the P.G. Town Council. We spoke to one of them today and he says he learned the news […]
Meanwhile, an employment crisis is unfolding at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, amid other serious issues that the national referral hospital is presently facing to do with the crumbling roof. News Five understands that there has been a string of terminations at the hospital in which a number of employees, including former city councilor Doctor […]
A senior citizen was found dead this morning inside his house in Saint Ann Village on the Maskall Road. Neighbours visited Augustine Smith’s house and found him with his face blasted open, apparently from a bullet of his shot gun. A note was discovered on the scene with a short message. Family and friends believe […]
Equipping the Belize Police Department with current law books is equally as important as providing officers with handcuffs and service weapons. In fact, the fight against crime requires that all personnel be familiar with the laws of Belize. This afternoon, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte handed over a volume of fifteen printed books containing the most […]
The set of books, says Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett, should aid officers in apprising themselves with the relevant laws in order to lay proper charges on suspected criminals. Sr. Supt. Howell Gillett, O.C., Eastern Division South “The officers could now come directly to an office right where they work and get ease of reference […]
Community policing is at the heart of the fight against crime in the south side of the city where a number of initiatives have sprung up through collaboration between the department and the business community. And because every bit helps, the Eastern Division Commander Howell Gillett took inmates from the Belize Central prison to clear […]
The Ministry of National Security hosted the first of its national consultation series on citizenry security and crime prevention. The Belize National Teachers Union was the first of the Trade Unions of Belize to be consulted. Minister of National Security John Saldivar reminded them that the fight against crime must be a joint effort by […]
