The Vital Statistics Unit is a ‘mess’ according to Church Senator Ashley Rocke and U.D.P. Senator Macario Coy. The issue of the unit’s inefficiency was debated on Wednesday during the Senate Sitting after an amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act was brought for second reading. In August, News Five visited the Vital […]
Another piece of legislation relating to registration that was debated by the Senator was an amendment to the General Registry Act which seeks to alleviate the administrative burden of the Registrar General. P.U.P. Senator Valerie Woods pointed out that the Act was first passed in 1954 and the only amendment was made in 1977 which […]
A team of experts from Tuvalu and Haiti came to conduct an assessment of the country in July as part of Belize’s implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Since then we have not heard much about UNCAC and the progress if any, that the Attorney General’s office has made. During Wednesday’s Sitting of […]
Speaking on the adjournment during Wednesday’s Senate meeting, Senator Doctor Carla Barnett touched on the much talked about topic of gender-based violence. In her address, Senator Barnett remembered the tragic murder of Hermelinda Pinks who was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend in February in an apparent murder/suicide. Four months later, Ervin Wade was found guilty […]
Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia Junior is in the Bahamas for this year’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference. It commenced on Wednesday under the theme “Rejuvenate. Recreate. Reconnect. New Directions for Caribbean Tourism.” In his address to representatives of Caribbean countries, Minister Heredia discussed several advancements Belize has made in the tourism sector. Manuel […]
The Secretary General of Commonwealth, Right Honorable Patricia Scotland was in country on an official two day visit. Officially she visited to promote the Commonwealth and its work. However, during her visit she has taken the opportunity to reiterate the Commonwealths support for Belize’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. For Belize, the membership of commonwealth has […]
Baroness Scotland is recognized as an esteemed international public leader and a former Attorney General of the United Kingdom. In her interview she was also asked to share her perspective on the role of the international community in the Belize Guatemala territorial dispute. Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of Commonwealth “I don’t want […]
Fifteen million people between the ages of thirty and seventy worldwide die as a result of non-communicable diseases such as cancers and diabetes which are the largest preventable causes of death in the world. In Belize non- communicable diseases cause forty-five percent of the total deaths. With this in mind, the Ministry of Health has […]
A workshop hosted by the CARIFORUM-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement on business to business strategic networking was held today at the Biltmore. The seminar brought together local producers, as well as service providers to learn about the importance of international market standards for goods and services. Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE “The major […]
Zamani Moodie, advisor for market intelligence with the Caribbean Export Development Agency discusses the role of the agency in the workshop, as well as the technical assistance provided by the European Union. Zamani Moodie, Advisor, Market Intelligence, CEDA “Caribbean Export is co-hosting this event with BELTRAIDE and the European Union. It‘s part of our […]
As part of this year’s B.T.B. Familiarization Tour, the media was taken to Chaa Creek: Belize Luxury Resort in the Cayo District. The resorts boast top notch accommodations with great customer services and its award winning relationship with its surrounding communities. Chaa Creek offers an unforgettable experience which News Five’s Hipolito Novelo got over the […]
Tonight we share this story about a young man from Punta Gorda who recently returned from studying across the globe far away in India. He completed his studies through a scholarship from the Government of that Commonwealth country. What lessons took him so far across the globe? It may seem like a stretch when you […]
As many as fifty-one inmates from the George Street and Banak Street gangs are being released from the Belize Central Prison tonight, after being held in detention for the past thirty days. The men were all picked up during a predawn raid on their homes on the morning of September fourth. Since then, they were […]
With the State of Emergency now being suspended, earlier today the Senate debated an amendment to the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act. The amendment is in relation to bail restrictions to gang memberships and other offenses. The amendment was debated in the House of Representatives last Friday when Lake Independence Area Representative, Cordel Hyde, […]
The Port of Belize and its attendant stevedores are at an impasse over working hours that that should be covered per ship. The management of the company which remains in receivership maintains that any shift exceeding fifteen hours is outside of the labor laws. On the other hand, the Christian Workers Union which represents waterfront […]
According to C.E.O. ‘Tux’ Vasquez, the Port of Belize has put in place security, as well as measures in the event that stevedores proceed with industrial action following the twenty-one day notice. Isani Cayetano “Now essentially you’ve been put on twenty-one days notice, notwithstanding the internal mechanisms that ought to be followed to try […]
The Port of Belize provides an essential service. It is a port of entry used to import and export millions of dollars worth of merchandise every single month. The standoff between stevedores and officials of the Port of Belize has caught the attention of the Government of Belize. Minister of State responsible for labor, Senator […]
The most debated motion brought to the Senate today was the conditional settlement agreement between NEWCO Limited and the Government of Belize. In 2002, the Belize Airports Authority and NEWCO Belize entered into an agreement to develop and operate the Philip Goldson International Airport. That concession agreement was terminated a year later on October twenty-seventh, […]
Taking part in the debate were U.D.P. Senator Orson Elrington and P.U.P. Senator Eamon Courtenay. Both Senators touched on Cabinet’s decision at the time to terminate the concession agreement. Orson Elrington, Interim U.D.P. Senator “Under that agreement NEWCO was given a concession for administration, maintenance and monetization of the airport. The terms include the […]
On Tuesday, we told you about sixty-year-old Salvadoran National Nicolas Guevara. He is the man who was convicted for the 1992 murder of thirty-six-year-old Marcus Antonio Tzul in the Orange Walk District. Guevara was given a life sentence but had his sentence reduced to twenty-five years. But since he has served more than that amount […]
Also today, Senators debated a loan for the Water and Sewerage Expansion in South Ambergris Caye Project. The loan is being provided by the Caribbean Development Bank and is for eight point five million dollars. The purpose of the loan is to purchase the shares of Consolidated Water Belize Limited, expand the existing water treatment […]
Attorney General and U.D.P. Senator Michael Peyrefitte has been hitting the ground in the Port Loyola Division meeting U.D.P. voters in his attempt to cement his candidacy as the U.D.P.’s Standard Bearer. Today, Peyrefitte told the media that he hopes to be victorious but if he isn’t, he will respect the decision of the voters. […]
The Government of Belize announced today that it will be expanding the hemodialysis programme to cover more than twice the number of patients with end-stage renal failure. According to the released issued from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health will contract K.H.M.H., Loma Luz Hospital, Miguel Rosado Dialysis Center, and Dialysis […]
The Belize National Teachers Union and Ministry of Education have been at odds about the re-categorization of hardship allowances and time off. The argument being put forward is that the ministry is making big decisions with no real information to support their decision to cut back on allowances from teachers who experience real hardship when […]
Belize Telemedia Limited, or Digi, as it has since been re-branded, held a media mixer on Tuesday night during which executives of the company presented a report covering the fiscal year April first 2017 to March thirty-first 2018. They also provided an overview of the company, its main developments in business, as well as an […]
