There are two announcements out of Belmopan today. First, with the murder count at seventy-one since the beginning for the year, the government announced today that it approved three hundred thousand dollars to the Ministry of National Security for the purchase of special equipment for the Police Department. According to a press release, Cabinet has […]
A Belize Coast Guard vessel reportedly capsized near the mouth of the Rio Hondo on Friday afternoon. According to the Mexican media, the Coast Guard personnel had intercepted a canoe with two men who were smuggling several cases of soft drinks bound for San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The officers boarded the canoe, detained the two […]
The highly-respected FIFA Instructor Gary Stempel arrived in Belize today; he was received by a representative of the Executive of the Football Federation of Belize. Stempel coached the Panamanian under-twenty and under-twenty-three teams to qualify for its first ever U-twenty World Cup in 2003. He will be conducting a rigorous training session with about thirty […]
Also arriving in Belize today, was Mario Monterrosa, the Secretary General of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF). Monterrosa will be meeting with the F.F.B. executive committee to plan the future of his organization’s collaboration with Belize. He says the plans include upgrading football facilities, improving relations with government and increasing international participation, but the […]
Most high schools closed last week and primary schools have another week to go before the summer break. But People Reaching Out To Others (PROTO) is already working on its back to school drive. It’s the fourth year that PROTO is holding the annual initiative, which solicits school supplies for needy students. The organization is […]
City Councils across the country have received funds to improve drainage and to pave streets. Several mayors attended a signing ceremony chaired by Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Development Santiago Castillo where the contracts were awarded for the projects in the municipalities. Belmopan Mayor Simeon Lopez thanked the Minister on behalf of […]
In light of Dr. Ivan Garcia Gomez’s murder, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital called a short press conference to brief the media on the death of their colleague. Doctor Ivan Gomez, known affectionately as Doctor Garcia, was a member of the K.H.M.H. family for nine years. The institution issued an emotionally charged statement, addressing the […]
There are about thirteen thousand persons on the government payroll; beginning today and for the rest of the week, the Public Service Commission is staging Public Service Week to highlight their work. The activities kicked off this morning at the Charles Bartlett Hyde Building, where the mayor was the main speaker. News Five’s Delahnie Bain […]
The recent murder of thirteen year old Jasmine Lowe has struck a chord with Cayo residents, who are now standing up against the general increase in criminal activity in the area. Today, a peaceful demonstration was held that started at Columbus Park in San Ignacio and headed over the bridge to Santa Elena. The supporters […]
Our newsroom received a desperate call on Thursday evening from a Santa Elena woman, who was afraid to go home because her common-law-husband was threatening to kill her. Maria Vasquez says she reported her abusive spouse, Manuel Aldana, to police and then spent hours on the roadside with her six children waiting for him to […]
The Belize Red Cross always comes to the rescue in times of disaster and is now branching out its program to include additional services to youth and vulnerable residents. But in order to keep assisting those in need, the Red Cross needs your help. This Saturday, the organization is holding its annual telethon to fund […]
While loan holders with the DFC will be happy with the write-off, the unions are uneasy about the cutbacks anticipated in the national budget. News Five spoke today with the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) General Secretary, George Frazer, who says that the union has been in discussion with government for the past three and […]
There is another worry for the B.N.T.U., which is over crime; a huge challenge for the government. Describing Belize as a country in crisis, the B.N.T.U. says teachers and students have been victims of violent crimes, including the murders of Jasmine Lowe, Daniel Matura and teacher, Marco Thompson. George Frazer, General Secretary, B.N.T.U. “Like […]
Belize became the first country in the world to completely ban bottom trawling, when a statutory instrument was signed into law in December 2010. It was a major step that has earned Belize a nomination for a Future Policy Award. Thirty-one policies from twenty-two countries are on the list of nominees for the prestigious award […]
There’s a new Lotto winner and she didn’t have to go far to collect her cheque. Forty-five year old Belize City resident, Pauline Conorquie, is a Brodies employee, who found out this morning that the ticket she bought for Wednesday night’s draw, won her the sixty-two thousand, five hundred dollar jackpot. When we met Conorquie […]
Literacy Without Borders is a Canadian Based NGO that has been working in Belize for the last year. Twenty participants received training in methods used to facilitate literacy in a number of settings that can turn out to be easy and fun. News Five’s Andrea Polanco stopped in at the last day of workshop to […]
Also from Canada, the High Commissioner to Belize, Hugues R. Rousseau has announced a donation of two thousand surplus utility vests to the B.D.F. The donation is a part of Canada’s Americas’ Strategy and its commitment to support Central American countries in addressing security concerns. According to Rousseau, the B.D.F. requested assistance from the Canadian […]
Brace up for austerity. Speaking at a press conference this morning, the Prime Minister sounded the alarm that a gaping thirty million dollar hole is expected in the new and delayed budget that will be presented to the House on June twenty-ninth. It means that government will be spending less and that cuts and tougher […]
Crime is a number one concern throughout the country. Over a dozen people have been shot since last Friday night; most of the violence took place in the city and have been labeled by the Police Department as gang related. The gang war had an upsurge of shots on Tuesday night when at least two […]
The man charged with ushering the Belize City gangs into a life of peace without bloodshed is Belmopan resident and National Security Minister John Saldivar. Prime Minister Barrow says that Saldivar has expressed his belief that a local police commissioner would be better for the job rather than a foreigner. Dean Barrow “The fight, […]
The court ruled on Monday for a second time that the acquisition of Belize Telemedia Limited was null and void, but fell short of ordering consequential relief. So it’s possible that the government may need to reacquire the company for a third time. Attorneys for the former owners of Telemedia as well as the government […]
The Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute is subject to a simultaneous referendum on October sixth, 2013. If the people of Belize and Guatemala agree, the dispute can finally be settled at the International Court of Justice. Oceana Belize is also hoping to get a referendum on the issue of offshore drilling. But the Prime Minister indicated that […]
We have covered this story many times before and this certainly won’t be the last; it’s about the never ending problems between market vendors and City Hall. For two days, small vendors selling their wares on the sidewalk at West Collet Canal have been moved at the instructions of City Hall. The vendors say they […]
The City Councilor with responsibility for Markets, Kevin Singh says that while he understands everyone is trying to survive, the vendors must abide by the rules. According to Singh, they have been at odds with the sidewalk vendors for years and even after moving them on several occasions and putting up signs barring vending in […]
On Tuesday, the Belize City Council held a press conference to update the city on their progress in the first hundred days since assuming office at City Hall. Along with the infrastructure works and sanitation plans, Mayor Darrell Bradley says the council will institute a system to collect outstanding taxes. Bradley says that things have […]
