The Territorial Volunteers will be leading an expedition to Sarstoon Island, located in the extreme South of Belize on Sunday with or with protection from the B.D.F. The last time an expedition was taken to that area, it resulted in the Guatemalan military detaining thirty-seven Belizeans and escorting them to Livingston. Both the B.D.F. and […]
Back to the tourism industry…Will Harvest Caye be ready for its initial launch date? Viewers would recall that the controversial, mega million-dollar, tourism development project off the coast of Placencia was set to formally commence operations in the south in October. But, it’s safe to say that that deadline won’t be met for the remainder […]
Two men drowned in the Caribbean Sea in Corozal Town today within hours of each other. Around five-thirty this evening, the body of a man discovered floating in the sea reportedly in the Rainbow Beach area. Details are still sketchy but police were only able to confirm that following a call to the station, police […]
Two major banks in Belize – one local and the other international – have lost their correspondent banking relationship with Bank of America. It’s a serious blow for customers who depend on the access previously provided through that relationship, but the threat had loomed for some time due to very strict money laundering regulations imposed […]
News Five has been able to confirm that ten Standard Bearers that comprise the original G-twelve met with P.U.P. leader Francis Fonseca on Monday. Details are sketchy, but we understand that there was agreement on the formation of a committee to implement recommendations made, and also a mutual agreement that all parties will work together […]
A Thousand Smiles For Cleyon will be in Belmopan this weekend. The foundation which assists children with Cancer will be hosting a fundraiser in the memory of Henry Griffin who passed away last September. Griffin was one of the children living with cancer that A Thousand Smiles was assisting. Today, we spoke with organizer Michelle […]
Starting on Thursday night, throes of designers, models and supporters of the fashion industry will be in Belize City for the staging of the Belize Fashion Week. Since its inception, the fashion show has been held in San Pedro, but this year they are bringing it to the city to centralize the event for an […]
Is Carnival Cruise Line cancelling calls on Belize during the upcoming high season? That’s a question that was posed to Prime Minister Dean Barrow over the weekend, upon his return from a working visit to Miami on Sunday. While PM Barrow admits to having no knowledge of the pending withdrawals, Citizens Organized for Liberty through […]
The issue of constructing a forward operating base near Sarstoon Island remains a controversial subject. The matter has seemingly been exacerbated following recent comments made by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales during a press brief at the end of last month. Morales went on record to say that in the Confidence Building Measures, Belize […]
Additionally, P.M. Barrow maintains that informing Guatemala of the intent to erect a forward operating base or to increase Belize’s military presence near its boundaries in the west and the south is simply an act of good neighborliness. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “In talking to the group of friends, people will always advise caution […]
The pending sale of CIBC FirstCaribbean’s assets to Heritage Bank Limited remained the topic of conversation within the financial sector for the better part of last week. While CIBC’s corporate representative, in a brief interview with the local media, shared very little on the expected transaction, details of the acquisition have been discussed by all […]
The arrangement between CIBC FirstCaribbean and Heritage Bank is a private transaction brought about largely by the former’s shortfall in recent fiscal cycles. As such, government is not directly involved in the sale. Reporter “Is there any cause for concern that a bank that is well financed and has many branches has decided to […]
While CIBC FirstCaribbean and Heritage Bank are working to formalize the sale of assets, another offshore institution operating from Belize is yet to secure a correspondent bank. As we’ve reported previously, Bank of America has severed ties with Atlantic International Bank Limited as part of an ongoing de-risking exercise. The end of that relationship comes […]
Walter Garbutt is the new U.D.P. standard bearer for the Stann Creek West division. On Sunday, the United Democratic Party held its last convention in the southern constituency to elect a replacement for Melvin Hulse, the disgraced former U.D.P. standard bearer. Hulse, who had also served as minister under the U.D.P. in a previous administration, […]
A first-of-its-kind conference is being held over a three-day period in Belize City to discuss open learning. The conference that is hosting students, teachers and other education specialists is being held under the direction of the Canada/Caribbean Chapter of the Commonwealth Open Schooling Association (COMOSA). Currently, Gwen Liz offers open school learning, but the aim […]
The Eastern Division South of the Belize District Police Department held another round of community policing intervention over the weekend. It started on Friday, when at around six o’clock residents from the Mayflower Street area, including Banak Street, Ebony Street and Lakeview Street, gathered at the Zoe Ministries Church on Vernon Street. There, Regional Commander […]
But the unavailability of jobs and opportunities are among the root of the problem says Senior Superintendent Chester Williams. With initiatives like these, it is expected that several departments and agencies will be able to get into these communities and reach the marginalized. And on Sunday, another family sports day was held – this time […]
The 2015 National Song Competition gets underway this Friday at the Memorial Park in Belize City. After several rounds of regional eliminations, a total of eighteen artists, novice and professionals, will take to the stage with their original songs in both the carnival and national song competitions. Today, the finalists were introduced to the media […]
The Organization of American States recently commissioned Great Belize Productions to conduct a series of interviews with residents of Benque Viejo and other neighboring communities in Guatemala. The aim is to shed light on the relationship between members of the respective communities, amid the existing border dispute. The result is an interesting mixture of responses […]
A little over two weeks ago we told you about the go-slow at the K.H.M.H. that resulted from some six hundred employees’ disgruntlement with G.O.B.’s refusal to grant salary increases, pensions and benefits- a combined fourteen percent of their wages that other public workers have received. G.O.B.’s response was that the employees are ineligible for […]
The nation’s largest hospital was hit with a national embarrassment earlier this week when news broke that the K.H.M.H. was unable to facilitate elective surgeries and that there were no beds. C.E.O. Doctor Adrian Coye says it was a necessary decision to clear a back log of patients. It is expected that surgeries will resume […]
Earlier this week on Tuesday, Belize Telemedia came under attack for a series of suggestive and offensive ads that it had posted on its Facebook. Senator Lisa Shoman, a former chair of the company, wrote to them complaining about the nature of the ads that the government owned company was resorting to as part of […]
Since an armed standoff between the Belize National Coast Guard and the Guatemalan navy at the end of May, the Sarstoon Island has virtually been declared off-limits to civilians. In fact, the area is only traversed once a week by B.D.F. personnel on routine patrol of the region. So, when the Northern Territorial Volunteers, an […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers, despite not having received government’s blessing, is proceeding with an expedition to Sarstoon Island. But it seems they will also be trekking to the controversial area without any protection from local law enforcement or military personnel. It is a decision that is being described as irresponsible, in light of the fact […]
In spite of Guatemala’s existing claim for ownership of Sarstoon Island, a routine B.D.F. patrol maintains military presence in the area. Commander Jones told News Five earlier today that the role of that detachment is to aid in efforts to mitigate illegal activities within the Sarstoon. Brig. Gen. David Jones, Commandant, B.D.F. “We don’t […]
