It’s that time of the year again, when Social Security take the lead and ride across Belize. It is all for a good cause and this year they are looking to raise sixty thousand dollars. The two organizations being supported are The Palm Centre and St Mary’s Feeding Program. The first leg of the ride […]
The American Business Technology and Education Center (ABTEC) is preparing students for work by developing their proficiency in specific trades. It’s all in an effort to help the trainees to find jobs and provide for their families and fight poverty and crime. Well, in just under two years, a couple hundred students have passed through […]
Just after twelve noon today, four helicopters heard and seen flying relatively low in Belizean airspace. We have since learnt that the aircrafts are from North Carolina, U.S.A. and had stopped in Belize to refuel before continuing on its journey to Honduras. Commandant of the B.D.F., Brigadier General David Jones, told News Five that they […]
The Petrocaribe Fund and now the Petrocaribe Loans Act have been in the headlines for the controversy it is generating. The recent revelation that the funds were used for salaries in 2014 and 2015 and debt service commitments when the monies are slated for infrastructure and social programs has stirred an ant’s nest. There is […]
When we checked with the Financial Secretary Joseph Waight on Monday, he pinpointed that the monies would be made available to CPBL as a temporary loan. And that arrear, as we mentioned, has since been cleared. On the Phone: Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary “Remember that was a short term loan for working capital to […]
At a conference on April twenty-ninth, the Prime Minister identified an issue within the citrus industry involving a lack of working capital for farmers who are yet to receive the balance of their first payment for deliveries made to CPBL. The need for operational funds, according to PM Barrow, was for farmers to prepare for […]
From proud Rio Hondo to Old Sarstoon…sounds familiar? Well it should, but right about now the Sarstoon is patrolled twenty-four hours by personnel at a Guatemalan outpost on the banks of that river. In fact, last Thursday those Guatemalans tried to chase the Coast Guard out of the Sarstoon and off the Sarstoon Island which, […]
A News Five team is just back from the Sarstoon Island in southern Belize where a confrontation took place just last week between Guatemalan navy officers and the Belize National Coastguard. There are two versions of what really went down and we will have that story coming up soon. But on Sunday, the recently elevated […]
There has been a serious spike in murders this year, even as there continues to be a decrease in other crimes. It’s a serious problem for the Ministry of National Security which has struggled to effectively deal with the situation and the criticism. According to C.E.O., George Lovell, they’ve taken a multi-pronged approach and will […]
One of the major thrusts is strengthening the forensic capabilities of the Police Department. Just a few weeks ago, twenty-seven police personnel were certified as international scenes of crime officers. Which of course begs the question – where’s the forensics lab and DNA testing facility which has been a campaign promise every election since 2008? […]
Santander is keeping the peace with Valley of Peace, well the farmers, at least. You may remember that over a year ago, Santander, then known as Green Tropics, destroyed close to half a million dollars worth of crops belonging to the Valley of Peace Farmer’s Association. It was after months of back and forth of […]
The mango season is one that is highly anticipated; and at last it is finally here. There are a number of succulent and juicy mango varieties in Belize and most, if not all, are loved and enjoyed. The season is abundant and the fruit can be had from even the corner stall. Over the weekend, […]
On Friday afternoon, a team of city council personnel, accompanied by police officers, descended on the popular Body 2000 Fitness Center on Coney Drive and proceeded to shut down the gym for failure to keep up with its trade license obligations. That humiliation, we understand, was repeated again today, despite the training facility opening its […]
Former Foreign Minister, Eamon Courtenay, has chimed in on the confrontation between the Belize National Coast Guard and the Guatemalan navy, merely three days after the Special Agreement was amended. Courtenay’s position puts into sharp perspective recent statements made by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington, in which he discussed Belize’s terrestrial and maritime boundaries. […]
Elrington’s opinion continues to raise the ire of many, including his predecessor. According to Courtenay, the foreign minister, under the Maritime Areas Act, is charged with authorizing the preparation of maps and charts to define Belize’s nautical boundaries. He says that Elrington should follow what is outlined in the act to avoid humiliating the country. […]
The Special Agreement between Belize and Guatemala was amended on Monday in Guatemala City sans the participation of the Opposition. While the changes allow for Guatemala to proceed with individual referendum later this year, erstwhile foreign minister Eamon Courtenay says the amendment does not have the concerns of the Belizean people at heart. The amendment […]
We are not sure how Belize voted at the re -election of Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland but we can say that Blatter garnered the vote of the small countries to remain president of FIFA securing a fifth consecutive term in office. His challenger, Prince Ali bin al Hussein from Jordan, withdrew just before a […]
The recent incident in the Sarstoon involving the Guatemalan navy and Belize National Coastguard brings to mind a situation in early April 2015, when thirty-seven Belizeans were captured by Guatemalan naval personnel and escorted to Livingston. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs came under attack for their handling of the matter which was seen as distinctly […]
Wil Maheia also referred to the incident in the Sarstoon this past Thursday when the Guatemalan navy attempted to expel the Belize Coastguard well within Belizean waters. Maheia, who is from the south, says that these incursions continue despite the signing of bilateral agreements. Wil Maheia, PNP “We have evidence, you’ve seen the pictures […]
Following the signing of the amendment to the 2008 Compromis on Monday, small political parties have come out strongly against the change because it will allow Guatemala to hold a separate referendum. Wil Maheia of PNP says that Belize seems to be acquiescing to Guatemala too often. Wil Maheia, PNP “As you look at […]
Guide Light Productions rolled into prominence earlier this year when they launched by breaking up an old car with messages. And ever since then, they’ve hit the ground running. Today they took on another ambitious initiative they’ve dubbed “Belize Youth Leaders Forum” With partners and sponsors, youth leaders from across the country gathered in the […]
Retired Professor Neville Duncan, a former lecturer at the University of the West Indies, held forth at the UWI open campus in Belize City this morning. Duncan is visiting at the invitation of the Anglican Diocese where he is a keynote speaker at their annual synod. Today, he presented before a captive audience of students […]
The National Drug Abuse Control Council marked World No Tobacco Day with an all day exhibition in Belize City. Every year, May thirty first is observed around the world to highlight health risks associated with tobacco use and other tobacco related topics. For this year, the focus is on ending the illicit trade of tobacco […]
Twenty thousand dollars and counting…an internal audit of public funds at the Post Office in Belize City is currently ongoing. So far it is known that between January second and May nineteenth of this year, an employee of the Express Mail Service Section managed to misappropriate over twenty thousand dollars in a period of four […]
Gabriel assures the public that the theft is not to be confused with the pilfering of mail, for which several protocols are in place to catch perpetrators. And on the eve of a planned arrest, the suspect reportedly absconded to the U.S. The matter, says Gabriel, is now in the hands of the police department […]
