In April, 2013, the Vital Statistics Department was relocated from Gabourel Lane to the corner of Hyde’s Lane and New Road in Belize City. The official rationale for the move was that service would improve tremendously, and so would efficiency and the convenience to the public. Well that certainly hasn’t happened…but what has, is that […]
The People’s United Party has finally, though not yet officially, established some sort of concrete position on going to the International Court of Justice to settle the unfounded territorial dispute by Guatemala. It’s been months in coming, but P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca told News Five that after consultation in all constituencies, there is consensus – […]
Last week, the People’s United Party took to the streets, and this week they’re taking the fight back to the Court. It’s not about Petrocaribe…well, not directly. This time, the P.U.P. is fighting for the long awaited appointment of the thirteenth senator, delayed for about five years. It’s been a campaign promise and was even […]
Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington came under heavy fire some time ago for comments made on Belize’s terrestrial boundaries. His technical definition of the western border with Guatemala, which he described as “artificial” and its apparent porousness rubbed many the wrong way. In a recent presentation in the south, the Foreign Minister offered an informal description […]
A regional project inclusive of CARICOM member states seeks to strengthen fisheries food safety regulations. The purpose is for the Caribbean to be able to access the international markets for fishery products such as conch, fish, lobster and shrimp. Along with the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and the Fisheries Department, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism […]
Motivational speaker Bert Oliva is back in Belize. Today, he started a tour in Belize City meeting with primary school students where, through words and activities, he demonstrated the power of the mind in achieving goals. At the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts, eager students learned that confidence can make them do daring things. […]
Belizean born athlete Rakeem Nunez-Roches has been drafted to the National Football League as a sixth round pick and defensive line for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is the first Belizean to enter the professional league of American football. While the twenty-eight ranked Chiefs didn’t enter the 2015 NFL draft with a variety of needs, […]
In July 2014 NICH received around seventeen thousand US dollars for the start of the Primary School Art Skills Training Project. Seventy-eight students from standard two through six participated in the programme. Today, the project was awarded additional funds by the Taiwanese Embassy to boost the art program in the participating schools. News Five was […]
Retired Major Lloyd Jones is the new People’s United Party standard bearer for Belize Rural North. The former Ports Commissioner succeeds attorney Arthur Saldivar and was formally introduced as the party’s candidate of choice during a press conference today at Independence Hall. Jones’ spirited introduction was led by Lake Independence Standard Bearer Cordel Hyde. His […]
As we mentioned earlier, Jones is assuming the reins for the P.U.P. campaign in Belize Rural North from former standard bearer Arthur Saldivar. His candidacy was rescinded in 2014, amid a series of scandals involving his profession as an attorney. While Jones admits that canvassing all twenty-seven villages within the constituency will be painstaking, he […]
As we reported last Tuesday, the People’s United Party has issued an ultimatum to the Barrow administration with respect of the Petrocaribe Loans Act. The opposition is seeking a repeal of the contentious piece of legislation and is soliciting the support of its social partners in its effort to undo the law. The P.U.P. held […]
The tragic suicide of former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca continues to rock family and friends, as well as colleagues in the political sphere. Fonseca took his own life on Thursday afternoon inside the family’s residence in Stuart’s Alley when he turned a handgun on himself. What precipitated this tragedy remains uncertain, however, funeral will […]
Friday, May first was celebrated as Labour Day in Belize and in numerous countries. Unlike other places where rallies and related events draw massive participation, there was a disappointing attendance at the event organized by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. The umbrella organization wanted to rally its members for an event at the B.T.L. Park […]
There are a number of issues that remain unresolved for the N.T.U.C.B. Mora stated that the unions are concerned about the inability of the government to start consultations on the year-old Occupational Safety and Health Bill. In respect of the Petrocaribe Loans Act, however, the N.T.U.C.B. president reiterated the unions’ support for the program and […]
The Public Utilities Commission has approved a decrease in the mean electricity rate from forty-one cents per kilowatt hour to thirty-five cents. The rate reduction takes effect on July first, 2016 and comes to an end on June thirtieth, 2016. In its submission, B.E.L. sought adjustments to specific tariffs for certain consumption bands for customer […]
Thousands of Belizeans annually converge on Belmopan for the national agricultural and trade show, which was held over the weekend in the Old Capital. The three-day show celebrates agriculture, but over the years, the fair has also become a major event to spur economic activity for the private sector. This year, organizers improved the facilities […]
Former Belize City Mayor David Fonseca is dead. The retired People’s United Party politician, served two terms as mayor and a total of sixteen years in active politics, took his own life sometime around two this afternoon in the bathroom at his residence in Stuart’s Alley. He was the first mayor to be directly elected […]
Treasury Department Second Class Clerk David Enriquez was charged last week for theft. The police say that he diverted monies, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, meant for Toledo Community College into accounts to which he had access. But tonight the plot thickens. News Five has been able to confirm with Principal of TCC, Harriet […]
It may have cruised under the radar at the Prime Minister’s press conference on Wednesday, but the fact that the churches are getting in on the Petrocaribe bounty is significant. At the last Senate meeting, church representative Father Noel Leslie rejected the Petrocaribe Bill. But Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it clear that notwithstanding that […]
Two weeks ago, about forty workers at the Santander Green Tropics facility staged a small protest at the compound, citing chronic concerns which they say remained unaddressed by management. Over five hundred Belizeans are employed at the company, so those concerns prompted a visit by the Labour Department. Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams told News Five […]
According to Williams, and this is certainly not the first time this complaint has been ventilated, workers feel that they are not being given access to lucrative employment. They feel that the company favours the hiring of foreigners, many brought in from Guatemala, to do the jobs which pay more. That complaint has prompted the […]
So why aren’t Belizeans getting access to the higher paying jobs which require special skills? Well, because not many Belizeans have those skills. It’s as simple as that. Our vocational schools simple do not offer the level of certification required by the company. Williams says that this Santander ship has sailed where that is concerned, […]
Last Thursday, a retired English couple came forward in the media to express frustration over a land swindle in Caye Caulker which has resulted in the devaluation of their beachfront property. Sydney and Anna Higgins bought a parcel of land on the northern part of the island several years ago, only to find out that […]
Ten years ago, the government of Belize ratified several environmental management conventions and address, through international assistance and programs, issues of chemical and waste management. Three phases have been accomplished since 2005 and those initiatives have placed processes and protocols in place to manage chemicals in the country. Today at the Radisson Fort George, the […]
Another component of the project will include the closure of the dumpsite and the construction of a transfer station at Burrell Boom. But when you hear chemical waste, it brings to mind the disposal of hazardous wastes. We’ve seen in the past where medical facilities have not been properly disposing hazardous waste. According to Alegria, […]
