A massive cleanup campaign to remove a substantial amount of debris in the wake of an overnight fire in San Pedro continued this morning. The flames eviscerated eleven buildings after midnight on Sunday, leaving eighty-eight persons homeless in what is quite possibly the worst fire in the island’s history. A team of volunteers arrived at […]
On the ground in San Pedro, the District Emergency Management Organization continues its efforts to return a sense of normalcy to the area hardest hit by the fire. Since Monday, the organization has been coordinating with other agencies to provide relief for the displaced families. That initiative includes the collection of funds to assist with […]
What is the future of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? That’s the question conservationists are asking in light of international attention focused on the vulnerability of the barrier reef. According to an announcement from the World Wildlife Fund, a World Heritage Committee has released a draft decision pertaining […]
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will convene in Istanbul, Turkey in July to debate the status of some of the most extraordinary natural places on the planet. This includes the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. Earlier this year, WWF called for greater protection of the barrier reef from harmful industrial activities such as oil, gas […]
As we told you earlier, the arbitration award is in and no matter how it’s spun, it’s bad news for G.O.B. – about three hundred and fifty million dollars-worth of bad news. That’s surely going to bring some serious scrutiny down on a very recent decision by the S.S.B. to look into buying B.T.L. shares […]
Brackett today sent out a call to the S.S.B. to halt any transaction with G.O.B. where the shares are concerned, at least until there is much more consultation and much more light shone on the pros and cons of the deal. Geovanni Brackett, President, COLA “This administration has had hundreds of millions of dollars […]
On Monday Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie also spoke about Police presence in Punta Gorda. There have been two murders recently and while Police have arraigned two persons for the first in San Benito Poite, it has highlighted the remote location of the communities and the effect that has on Police response. First, though, the […]
It’s a question that has been raised in the past – can civilians take photographs and video of Police Officers while they are conducting their duties? It was raised again Monday because of an incident in which a Police officer photographed during an operation allegedly forced the photographer, a reporter, to delete the photos. Commissioner […]
In March of last year, Moses Sulph entered into an agreement with an individual to order a number of items which would later be purchased upon delivery. When the products arrived the customer was unable to pay her bill because she was reportedly strapped for cash. Sulph, a trader, agreed to a payment plan with […]
For the past two days, the Ministry of Education has been hosting a conference on Cyber Security. The awareness workshop opened dialogue with principals of secondary schools, IT teachers, parents, board members, primary and secondary school counselors as well as students about virtual hazards. Cyber security is essentially the policies that individuals and in this […]
Cyber bullying, the release of nudes and sex tapes on social media platforms have become a concern in Belize, exposing the lack of personal securities. But according to the professionals, the intervention starts at home. Parents must be vigilant with their children on the use of electronic devices. Cleveland Thomas and Doctor Kay Xuereb of […]
We’re just back from Las Vegas, Nevada where over the weekend; Belize was represented by eighteen poker players in the World Series of Poker Monster Stack Event. It was the second year a group travelled to Sin City to compete in the event. While the performance of the Belize team has improved, the poker players […]
The families displaced by the fire are looking for basic necessities following the horrible fire. They lost everything in the blink of an eye. In the island, relief efforts have started, but it will take some time to recover from the tremendous losses. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting In the immediate […]
On Monday, June twentieth, Police rounded up nineteen members of the Ahmad family from six different homes in Hattieville. The homes were searched and documents, weapons and electronic items were seized by the Police. Interestingly, the family was released ten hours after without being informed of why they were detained in the first place. The […]
Still not revealing anything, Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie explained that he is satisfied that the investigation, search and seizure were conducted within the parameters of the law. That will be a matter for the Court to decide, since the Commissioner says he has already gotten a letter from an attorney representing the Ahmad family. […]
Today, the top brass of the Belize Police Department gathered to pay tribute to seven officers – four of them involved in the bizarre shootout in front of the Queen Street Police Station last week. Three men – Corporal Brian Miller, Corporal Joel Grinage and PC Criston Moore received their awards for bravery at the […]
One police officer who certainly won’t be receiving any awards of distinction anytime soon is Detective Constable Urbie Alamilla. Alamilla was charged criminally last week for discharging his weapon in a bar while allegedly under the influence. Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie says that while cops are human, cops who do wrong are an embarrassment […]
Anthropologist Doctor Herbert Gayle is releasing a book on urban violence in Belize. Gayle started his studies of Belize in 2008 and released the infamous Gayle Report in 2010. This book, released six years later, is aimed at providing a comprehensive look at where Belize has moved in the time-gap between report and book. Today, […]
According to the expert, Belize has the exceptional public will to do away with violence and that’s a critical component of positive change. But the time to start moving is sooner rather than later. Dr. Herbert Gayle, Anthropologist of Social Violence, UWI Jamaica “Things are becoming better worldwide. The problem we’re having though is […]
We took the opportunity to ask Gayle about the brazen shootout in front of the Queen Street Police Station, in which a fifteen year old minor wounded four persons, one of them a Police Officer. He explained that it may not be as dramatic as it seems, but it should certainly be a wake-up call. […]
A young boy in Belize City is alive tonight, thanks to the heroic actions of three members of the Eastern Division North’s Strike Team. According to reports, the eleven year old was on Marine Parade with two young relatives when he ran up a pier and then jumped into the water. He went under, and […]
For the top brass the positive news is a boost to the Police Department, and the tribute today a necessary recognition to prompt the officers to always strive to perform above and beyond the call of duty. ACP Dezerie Phillips, Regional Commander, Eastern Division North “It’s a joyous moment for us as was alluded […]
This week’s editorial in the Reporter newspaper has managed to accomplish what little else has – accord between the Government and the Opposition. We’ll get to that, but first the apparently incendiary article on page two of the Reporter. It’s on the Sarstoon and starts like this, “There are many in Belize who still believe […]
The Opposition swung first this morning, via text from Senator Eamon Courtenay. He wrote, “The Reporter editorial of today is factually and legally wrong. It is a bizarre and possibly treasonous editorial. The Reporter owes Belizeans an unconditional apology and a complete retraction of this crude attempt at distorting reality. Once again we are making […]
As we mentioned earlier, the Reporter Editorial was written by newspaper owner Harry Lawrence. He received the letter from C.E.O. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Sylvester this afternoon, and News Five managed to get a comment from him this evening via phone. On the Phone: Harry Lawrence, Owner, Reporter Newspaper “We will […]
