Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington came under heavy fire some time ago for comments made on Belize’s terrestrial boundaries. His technical definition of the western border with Guatemala, which he described as “artificial” and its apparent porousness rubbed many the wrong way. In a recent presentation in the south, the Foreign Minister offered an informal description […]
Motivational speaker Bert Oliva is back in Belize. Today, he started a tour in Belize City meeting with primary school students where, through words and activities, he demonstrated the power of the mind in achieving goals. At the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts, eager students learned that confidence can make them do daring things. […]
In July 2014 NICH received around seventeen thousand US dollars for the start of the Primary School Art Skills Training Project. Seventy-eight students from standard two through six participated in the programme. Today, the project was awarded additional funds by the Taiwanese Embassy to boost the art program in the participating schools. News Five was […]
The tragic suicide of former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca continues to rock family and friends, as well as colleagues in the political sphere. Fonseca took his own life on Thursday afternoon inside the family’s residence in Stuart’s Alley when he turned a handgun on himself. What precipitated this tragedy remains uncertain, however, funeral will […]
Friday, May first was celebrated as Labour Day in Belize and in numerous countries. Unlike other places where rallies and related events draw massive participation, there was a disappointing attendance at the event organized by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. The umbrella organization wanted to rally its members for an event at the B.T.L. Park […]
There are a number of issues that remain unresolved for the N.T.U.C.B. Mora stated that the unions are concerned about the inability of the government to start consultations on the year-old Occupational Safety and Health Bill. In respect of the Petrocaribe Loans Act, however, the N.T.U.C.B. president reiterated the unions’ support for the program and […]
The Public Utilities Commission has approved a decrease in the mean electricity rate from forty-one cents per kilowatt hour to thirty-five cents. The rate reduction takes effect on July first, 2016 and comes to an end on June thirtieth, 2016. In its submission, B.E.L. sought adjustments to specific tariffs for certain consumption bands for customer […]
Former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca is dead. The retired People’s United Party politician, served two terms as mayor and a total of sixteen years in active politics, took his own life sometime around two this afternoon in the bathroom at his residence in Stuart’s Alley. He was the first mayor to be directly elected […]
Treasury Department Second Class Clerk David Enriquez was charged last week for theft. The police say that he diverted monies, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, meant for Toledo Community College into accounts to which he had access. But tonight the plot thickens. News Five has been able to confirm with Principal of TCC, Harriet […]
It may have cruised under the radar at the Prime Minister’s press conference on Wednesday, but the fact that the churches are getting in on the Petrocaribe bounty is significant. At the last Senate meeting, church representative Father Noel Leslie rejected the Petrocaribe Bill. But Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it clear that notwithstanding that […]
Two weeks ago, about forty workers at the Santander Green Tropics facility staged a small protest at the compound, citing chronic concerns which they say remained unaddressed by management. Over five hundred Belizeans are employed at the company, so those concerns prompted a visit by the Labour Department. Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams told News Five […]
According to Williams, and this is certainly not the first time this complaint has been ventilated, workers feel that they are not being given access to lucrative employment. They feel that the company favours the hiring of foreigners, many brought in from Guatemala, to do the jobs which pay more. That complaint has prompted the […]
So why aren’t Belizeans getting access to the higher paying jobs which require special skills? Well, because not many Belizeans have those skills. It’s as simple as that. Our vocational schools simple do not offer the level of certification required by the company. Williams says that this Santander ship has sailed where that is concerned, […]
Last Thursday, a retired English couple came forward in the media to express frustration over a land swindle in Caye Caulker which has resulted in the devaluation of their beachfront property. Sydney and Anna Higgins bought a parcel of land on the northern part of the island several years ago, only to find out that […]
Ten years ago, the government of Belize ratified several environmental management conventions and address, through international assistance and programs, issues of chemical and waste management. Three phases have been accomplished since 2005 and those initiatives have placed processes and protocols in place to manage chemicals in the country. Today at the Radisson Fort George, the […]
Another component of the project will include the closure of the dumpsite and the construction of a transfer station at Burrell Boom. But when you hear chemical waste, it brings to mind the disposal of hazardous wastes. We’ve seen in the past where medical facilities have not been properly disposing hazardous waste. According to Alegria, […]
On Friday, in Belize as well as in many other countries, the Labour Day holiday will be held to honor workers. From time to time, we hear about employee- employer issues, but there are countless other cases that are not broadcast. Some issues may be minor infractions and others may be huge offenses that end […]
The Precinct Two Police Officers, through their community policing, have been working on the ground to engage residents. From one on one interaction to group efforts, the police say they have been making sure to involve the community they operate in. So, over the past few months, they have been looking at activities and ways […]
Tourism is a top foreign exchange earner and is also one of the largest contributors to Belize’s Gross Domestic Product, the GDP. Roughly speaking, it accounts for twenty-five percent of GDP, directly contributing over six hundred million dollars annually. According to the Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism, one in every four Belizeans […]
The Prime Minister took on a number of issues this morning at a press conference that started at ten and continued until about twelve-twenty. P.M. Dean Barrow spoke on a myriad of national issues that have been on the headlines for days. There is the Petrocaribe Loan Act, which has become one of the most […]
Now for policy matters, the Bank of America has withdrawn as corresponding bank to the Belize Bank. The PM explained that there has been nothing awry and that the government is in full support of the bank. Furthermore, the Central Bank will be assisting with wire transfer so there is no need to panic. […]
In past three or four years, the large U.S. Banks and some European Banks have been facing some of the largest fines in the history of banking. Those fines, according to Lyndon Guiseppi, the Executive Chairman of Belize Bank, relate primarily to the banks being sanctioned for doing business in jurisdictions or in countries with […]
At least half an hour of the two-hour long press conference this morning was dedicated to Petrocaribe, the controversial project which spawned the controversial Loans Act and Bill. The Opposition has led the charge to declare the government’s use of the funds without approval from the House as illegal…from the very start. Prime Minister Barrow […]
The matter of the illegality is still before the courts, but where the outcry from the Opposition, VIP, church, business sector and unions is concerned, the Prime Minister isn’t at all concerned, and neither is he ambiguous where Petrocaribe is concerned. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Petrocaribe and its bountiful infrastructural, social assistance and job […]
Amidst all that was said about Petrocaribe this morning, there were only a couple things we hadn’t heard before. One is that those glorious monies will be rolling down south to citrus farmers, and we’ll have more on that later in our newscast. The other is that the Petrocaribe monies from the start of this […]
