Despite the presence of F.C.D. rangers, police and B.D.F., illegal incursions into the Chiquibul continue. Over the past three weeks, a total of thirteen Guatemalans have been detained well inside Belizean territory, particularly in the Ceibo Chico area, in the south of the Chiquibul. The most recent detention of four adults and a minor occurred […]
Gold panning has evolved into one of the two primary threats to the integrity of the Chiquibul. It’s a high level risk within the national park because of the ruggedness of the terrain and the distance to reach the southern part of the protected area where the illegal activity occurs. Manzanero told News Five that […]
The pristine sandy beaches of San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia and the inland destinations, such as the Cayo District, are known to attract visitors from all over the world. But there are other locations lesser known, that have the attributes to beckon those looking for niche tourism. This week, TIDE, invited the media for a […]
As reported earlier this week, tourism arrivals by overnight and cruise remain healthy, with March setting a record for overnight tourism arrivals at close to forty-five thousand. But where are they coming from; where are they going to; and are they coming back, or coming here for the first time? These are some of the […]
Burglaries have been on the rise in the Rural Eastern Division – and it is no secret that the jurisdiction is understaffed and under-resourced. Simply put it is a large area that requires more boots on the ground and more resources needed to fight crime. The spike in burglaries and other major crimes in the […]
Three cops remain on interdiction tonight following investigations into their alleged involvement in contraband activity up north; we say alleged because while amateur footage captured the officers in the act, they have only been disciplined, and not criminally charged. Tonight, the fate of Police Constables Jorge Ascurio of the Orange Walk Formation and Elston Rojas […]
News Five broke the story last Thursday of internal complaint in the General Sales Tax Department. A senior tax officer alleged influence by the Department’s management in the outcome of his auditor’s assessment and report. The officer wrote to the Solicitor General detailing how he calculated specific values for collection, only to see his bosses […]
The General Sales Tax of twelve and a half percent imposed since the first of April affects bills greater than one hundred dollars, but the actual rate is not expected to change. That is according to Belize Electricity Limited, which has submitted to the Public Utilities Commission its annual tariff review proceeding for 2017 to […]
There was a fatal traffic accident at the busy intersection of Princess Margaret Drive and Saint Joseph Street this morning, right next door to Social Security Board and the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. One man died on scene and at least seven others were injured. But none of it was real – though it obviously […]
And so while the emergency responders gave themselves good grades, what happened to the Karl Heusner Hospital itself? The hospital does have a mass casualty plan for situations like these, but there was no evidence on the ground of their involvement despite being close to the simulated accident scene. It was a question to ponder […]
Back in September, the Ministry of Health reached an accommodation with Belize Emergency Response Team to pay salaries for its emergency medical technicians and services beyond the annual government subvention. Essentially, this made the previously private entity an arm of the Government, while a more detailed arrangement was worked out. The new national coordinator for […]
Long-time national coordinator for the Belize Emergency Response Team, Yvette Burks, has handed over management of the organization to businessman Andre Carillo of Orange Walk. She continues to hold a seat on the Board of Directors. Carillo told reporters that BERT, which continues to provide services to all of the Belize District, currently does only […]
The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, TIDE, has been actively involved with residents in two coastal communities in northeastern Toledo District. The villages of Monkey River and Punta Negra are far-flung, the latter being only accessible by water. Their respective coordinates on the map of Belize situate them ideally between the shoreline and the […]
June to November – that is the span of the Atlantic Basin’s hurricane season. But truth be told, preparation for “The Big One” is never far from the minds of many, especially the Central Emergency Management Organization. Securing shelters, fine-tuning plans, engaging the public – it is all in a day’s work for the man […]
The University of Belize has recruited another renowned Caribbean educator to lead the tertiary institution. In a release issued today, UB announced that Doctor Mariot Simon will serve as Vice President and will report directly to the President on Academic Affairs. Simon is a U.S. citizen, but a native of Trinidad and Tobago with extensive […]
The Ahmadiyya Basketball League has been running for about three years in Belize City. This year, they were invited to play in the under-seventeen and under-nineteen categories in a basketball tournament in Campeche, Mexico. The league put together the teams with the best players from the city and around the country and travelled to Mexico […]
Instead of enjoying vacation time going into the Easter holidays, students at most public schools as well as teachers, were present in the classrooms across the country. And that’s how it is going to be for the next two days as agreed upon earlier this year to make-up for lost time during last October teachers’ […]
Up to news time today, Ministry of Education officials confirmed to News Five that the one-million dollar honorarium to non-striking teachers had not been issued and that data was still being collected to determine the number of teachers and the total payout. Now this ‘bonus’ has been lambasted by the unions and in other sectors […]
Abandoned and infested buildings are a common across the City – they are hot beds for substance abusers and criminal elements. These are just some of the issues that the dilapidated structures present, making them unsafe and hazardous. The City Council says these buildings are going down; thirty-four structures are to be demolished. CitCo has […]
As a part of the multi-agency approach to clean up the city and make it safer, additional works will be undertaken outside of the demolition of derelict buildings. These efforts will include removing abandoned vehicles and clearing of overgrown lots. According to the City Council, there are twelve lots and sixteen derelict vehicles identified so […]
Separate press releases from the Belize Territorial Volunteers and Belize Progressive Party this evening condemned the Government’s decision to spend a million dollars of taxpayers’ monies as an Easter “reward” to teachers who stayed in the classroom in October of 2016 rather than join the Belize National Teachers’ Union on strike. Both parties called the […]
The Belize Tourism Board is reporting another record for tourist arrivals to the Jewel. In releasing the statistics for the first quarter of 2017, there have been two point seven percent more overnight tourist arrivals than the same period in 2016. This is attributed to a forty-four thousand, four hundred-plus visitors touching down in March, […]
Two teenagers, a male and a female second form student attending Bishop Martin High School in Orange Walk Town, remain out of school tonight on their own will, following the discovery that the fourteen-year-old girl is several weeks pregnant. According to Principal Luis Pook, the young boy, whom it is believed impregnated his classmate, has […]
The latest pronouncement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington on the definition of Belize’s territory and borders is predictably causing uproar. A few weeks ago he surprised reporters during a press conference with Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, by pointing out that Belize’s borders are not internationally recognized, and […]
Joel Nagel continues tonight as Ambassador of Belize to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The U.S. attorney was accredited to Austria and several other European countries, but was cancelled by the Government of Austria, a move that earned Belize a black eye in diplomatic circles. The dismissal has […]
