The issue of the Guatemalan claim to Belize has somewhat faded in the background due to the ongoing William “Danny” Mason saga and more recently Hurricane Earl. While we had the Foreign Minister on hand, we inquired about the matter. Elrington admits the administration in Guatemala has hardened it position. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of […]
Turning to the Sarstoon, where it appears Guatemala is no longer exerting aggression. The last we heard was that discussions on establishing a protocol would be held between Belize and Guatemala to bring about unimpeded access to the area. Elrington says that the matter is on the drawing board and that an agreement is expected […]
But when that meeting does come about, will Elrington be meeting with a new Guatemalan Foreign Minister? Reports are that there an impending shake-up in the Guatemalan cabinet and that Carlos Raul Morales will be removed as Foreign Minister. Now, Elrington has been chummy with Morales so we asked him if the change in foreign […]
Today, Unicomer’s Dare to Dream Scholarship program, in its eighteenth year, saw a new cohort of fourteen students benefit from the program. A total of thirty-three applicants were interviewed and five high school, seven sixth form and one university scholarship were awarded. The scholarship covers eighty percent of the cost of books and tuition while […]
Summer camps are winding down and students are preparing to return to classrooms. One of the biggest camps concluded today with a display at Price Barracks. Hundreds of children took part in the B.D.F. summer program that started in July and had different components. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting The annual […]
On the south side of Belize City, the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence organized a closing ceremony for its summer program today. Primary school children participated in the camp that trained them in music, sports and the academics. The camp is the brainchild of Pickstock area rep, Wilfred Elrington. Wilfred Elrington, Area Rep., Pickstock […]
A groundbreaking decision on the constitutionality of Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code was handed down by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on Wednesday after a three-and-a-half year delay in judgment. The ruling has polarized the Belizean society. During litigation; however, expert evidence in the form of a submission by Professor Brendan Bain, former Director of […]
While the issue of men having sex with men is not limited to the free society, at the Belize Central Prison homosexual intercourse among inmates is also widespread. According to Enrique Romero, Executive Director of the National AIDS Commission, prior to Wednesday’s ruling all attempts to promote condom usage among inmates were futile since prison […]
Having received funding from at least two agencies earlier this year, the National AIDS Commission, in light of the Section Fifty-three decision will now proceed to appoint a pair of part-time lawyers to the Office of the Ombudsman, as well as UNIBAM. Their role will be to assist members of the LGBT community in understanding […]
There has been some progress in leadership roles for women but the glass ceiling is still hard to break. In politics, more women are becoming involved but what about the workplace where women are spending up to eight hours per day? A forum taking place in the City looks at the issue of breastfeeding mothers […]
A week after Hurricane Early ravaged the country, CEMO is carrying out assessments of properties in the hard hit areas of Belize City. Councilor Philip Willoughby was today on the ground focusing on damages to houses in the south side as a first step in bringing relief. Affected victims, as a first step, are benefitting […]
Earl hit the City hard and long on Wednesday leaving many without roofs over their heads. Many families are still in shelters and have nowhere to go so NEMO has a plan to deal with the restoration of houses to get victims back on their feet. Phillip Willoughby, CEMO “As we’ve stated in our […]
But the reality is that there’s still a large number of persons still in shelters with Belize City registering the majority. A total of one hundred and nineteen persons need housing in shelter and at least three agencies are coordinating the relief assistance. Phillip Willoughby, CEMO “What the ministry is doing at this time, […]
The opening ceremony of a two-day forum on Caribbean Internet Governance was held today at the Radisson. Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, John Avery, says that Belize is not harnessing all the benefits of the internet. While from a commercial standpoint, tourism depends heavily on the internet, access to the service is behind from […]
Most places in the city and elsewhere are still littered with garbage following the passage of Hurricane Earl. CEMO is working along with the Solid Waste Management Authority and is asking residents to take out their garbage because collection of the debris will begin in earnest early next week. Phillip Willoughby, CEMO “Right now […]
The National AIDS Commission says it welcomes the ruling by the Chief Justice on Section Fifty-Three of the Criminal Code. The LGBT Community is also celebrating the decision. But what about regular folks? Today, we took a sample of their views in the streets of the city. Here’s what they had to say. Resident […]
After the all-clear was established for Hurricane Earl last week, the Ministry of Health issued an advisory informing Belizeans to monitor their water sources and ensure that the water used for consumption is safe. The flood waters are still moving down towards the river valley and since the storm many communities have been affected by […]
As we showed you earlier in our newscast, Melissa Ferguson has been sent to the Belize Central Prison on remand, another chapter in the William Danny Mason saga which continues to play out. Tonight we also have some more clips from an extended interview with attorney Dickie Bradley earlier this week, done while his client […]
Questions have also been raised about the properties held by William Mason – notably the mansion on Intelco Hill in Belmopan and the sprawling Outback Ranch at mile thirty-one on the George Price Highway. How did the man from Guyana with fake Belizean nationality pay for those properties? That information hasn’t come out just yet, […]
And then there’s the evidence we keep hearing about – all that evidence which supposedly incriminates those high-ranking politicos and policemen who used to be fixtures at Masons house. Mason was supposedly a con-man and extortionist of the highest order, so the notion of recordings and footage does make some sense. So if Mason is […]
Today, day one of the twelfth annual Caribbean Internet Governance Forum was held at the Radisson in Belize City. Hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission, stakeholders and policy makers from across CARICOM states converged in Belize to discuss issues surrounding the management, administration and governance of internet throughout […]
Packet Clearing House is an internet nonprofit service organization that focuses on internet economy and helps developing nations and other countries to strengthen their internet capacity. Although this year an Internet Exchange Point was established locally; regionally, Belize still has the lowest speed at the highest prices – a two-meg connection costs one hundred and […]
The forum also saw the participation of ICT Manager Sean Fouché, from the implementation agency for crime and security with CARICOM Impacts. Cyber security, specifically when it comes to money laundering, internet fraud and funding for transnational crimes, has been identified as the number one threat to the security of the region. The organization has […]
Melissa Ferguson remains in the custody of the National Crimes Investigation Branch tonight, as officers await a directive from ACP Joseph Myvett, Head of the NCIB, on whether to charge or release her. The companion of accused murder and kidnapper William Danny Mason handed herself in on Monday and was questioned by investigators for six […]
The gruesome murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his head on Friday, July fifteenth shocked the nation. Police have remained circumspect in their revelations, but have claimed that there is surveillance video which clearly shows the kidnapping of Pastor Lue and two others at Mason’s Intelco Hill home. According […]
