In the west, the rivalry between party supporters is known to get contentious. On Sunday in the village of Los Tambos, U.D.P. supporters of the Cayo Northeast Division claim they came under attack from followers of the opposition. The incumbent area representative Elvin Penner says he does not believe his opponent was involved but thirty-nine […]
The People’s Referendum on off shore drilling is being held today countrywide. From all accounts voting has been steady all day and the organizers, the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage, say they are satisfied with the turnout. OCEANA, which is at the frontlines, collected twenty thousand signatures last year, eight thousand were rejected, thus […]
The offshore drilling question is split among political lines. Several ministers of the ruling United Democratic Party have publically stated that they want offshore drilling. On the other hand the People’s United Party has made it a manifesto issue that they don’t support offshore drilling. And though the party lines are drawn in oil, politicians’ […]
The Coalition had intended to have the referendum on the same day of the elections. That was rejected so it pulled off today’s event in a relatively short time. In the City, thousands came out to say No to offshore drilling. Voting started at six and continues at this hour. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. […]
Offshore drilling has become a passionate issue. Thousands turned out to vote in a mock referendum today. This morning, Jeremy Spooner, a known U.D.P. supporter who was also involved in the Association of Concerned Belizeans before the 2008 elections, called Wave Radio to say he had voted against offshore drilling. Spooner is also a regular […]
A truce was signed with the gangs last year to keep the peace. At the end of 2011, there were one hundred and twenty-four murders while in 2010 were one hundred and twenty-nine, five more than last year. While gang related murder may be down, since the beginning of the year, there have been fourteen […]
As we told you, this evening S&P downgraded Belize’s credit standing. According to Singh, if elected the government intends to re-negotiate the terms of the Superbond to reduce the interest. He also says that the reduced credit rating doesn’t affect Belize at this time. Doug Singh “There’s a mad scramble to buy Belize bonds out […]
Our newscast was delayed on Monday night for about two hours due to a power outage. We are able to get back on air at about eight-thirty after we had worked out the kinks on Coney Drive as well as Regent Street where our transmitters are located. But the residents in the old capital endured […]
The super bond and the thirteenth senator are hot button issues for a number of NGOs. At least eight of them that range from a one man show to the more established, took a consolidated position that is contrary to the government’s. At the launch of the U.D.P. manifesto last week, the Prime Minister had […]
When the NGOs were making a statement, the Prime Minister was departing Belize for Miami. His wife, Kim Simpliss Barrow, will be undergoing another round of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It will put the PM away for two days. He is scheduled to return on Thursday.
Not much has been publicized about the movement called Belize Can. Its president Patrick Menzies has been very active during the 2011 unrest which was incited by bus owners who felt that restructured road service permits would have crippled their businesses. During the COLA press conference this morning at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza, […]
There are changes in the leadership of the Bar Association. At its annual general meeting at the Radisson this past Thursday, a new executive committee was elected. The baton was passed from Jackie Marshalleck to Senior Counsel Andrew Marshalleck as president while Attorney Magali Marin Young was elected as Vice President. Edwin Flowers is the […]
Prince Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is coming to visit Belize at the end of the week as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Channel Five will be having live broadcasts of the event and a number of US networks and agencies will cover the event. But the official visit […]
Among the last guests that the current city council will receive before the Municipal Elections is a thirteen member team from the town of Othon P. Blanco in neighboring Quintana Roo. The courtesy call from the visiting delegation was to discuss ongoing projects between the sister cities. The representatives of the two cities say that […]
Living Hope Preparatory School, which offers a second chance to primary and high school dropouts, relocated to Maskall Street last September after the Atlantic Bank donated a building to them. And today, another bank is providing a major boost to the non-profit organization. Through its Brighter Future initiative, Scotiabank handed over a cheque for twenty […]
At about ten minutes to five o’clock this evening, the city lost power. According to the state owned Belize Electricity Limited, faulty equipment at the Magazine Road substation was the cause for the outage. At this time, electricity has not been restored and we have learnt that lights will not be turned on until after […]
There is a report tonight that a license has been issued for the importation of a huge amount of poultry. It has the Belize Poultry Association up in arms because of the health risks involved in the importation of the poultry from Mexico. The license was issued by the Belize Agricultural Health Authority to a […]
Voting takes place this Wednesday on offshore drilling. Across the country, forty-six polling stations are being set up for the People’s Referendum which will determine whether registered voters support or reject drilling in Belize’s waters. B.T.I.A. and the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage are involved in the national referendum, which is being organized after […]
The date of the elections is drawing near and each day the requests for interviews and the topics become more unusual. Late this evening News Five received a call from a Cayo resident who alleges politics is splitting up her family. A relative apparently called social services to take away her child. Elizabeth Gamez admits […]
Eleven Countries, One Goal… Make a Difference; it’s the theme that is the driving force behind an ambitious project by British resident Marc Noonan. Using a quad bike, Noonan is moving through the region to raise awareness and funds for orphanages or related charities. His journey started in Mexico and he has reached the Liberty […]
In the week ahead, volunteers from across the country will be manning telephones to get the pulse of voters on a referendum on offshore oil exploration. Voting is already underway by phone and next Wednesday, voters can register their views at numerous booths that are being placed strategically in the districts. At the launch of […]
With elections two weeks away, a number of projects are being unveiled. This afternoon, the third component of the Sustainable Tourism Project for Belize City was launched. It is called the Fort Point Pedestrian Walk and while it is not an actual pedestrian walk, the project contemplates the transformation of the Memorial Park Area. The […]
An apartment in the Yarborough area that was occupied by thirty-five year old Claudia Blanco and her children was destroyed by fire on the morning of January sixth. Blanco lost everything and her family has since been temporarily taken in by a friend on Dean Street. But the single mother doesn’t want to overstay her […]
Lynn Young; he’s a prominent Belizean who was the head of Belize Electricity Limited before its nationalization. Young has dared to speak up on government’s takeover of the utility company without paying compensation. Since returning from a business trip to Washington organized by Friends of Belize a few days ago, Young has found himself the […]
Merlene Bailey-Martinez has resigned as C.E.O. of the Social Security weeks after reports of insider trading became public. The Social Security Board decided since early last week to terminate Bailey-Martinez so when she turned up to work on Monday, it raised a number of questions. Bailey-Martinez had been placed on administrative leave since January eleventh, […]
