In less than a month, Belizeans will go to the polls to vote in the I.C.J. Referendum. For some, the vote is a straight yes or no, but many are still undecided and others are overwhelmed with the volumes of information and politicizing of the issue. Our correspondent Aurelio Sho was in Peten, Guatemala last […]
In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission revealed what it calls “the largest overseas real estate investment scam” and unfortunately for Belize, the scammers used its name and landscape to attract victims. As we have reported extensively, the FTC alleges that a group of companies including Sanctuary Bay Belize under lead scammer Andre Pukke and their […]
Belize is among ten new jurisdictions blacklisted as tax havens by the European Union. These include: Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominica, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu. The measures were announced today in Brussels due to shortfalls in rules that could favour tax evasions in other countries. It means that these […]
During the forum today, Ambassador Assad Shoman explained what steps will be followed if a YES vote is secured on April tenth. According to Shoman, Belize will exercise its rights to ask the ICJ to implement provisional measures such as issuing a stop order to Guatemala from aggressing Belizeans who traverse the Sarstoon. Assad […]
So what happens if there is a NO vote? Well according to Assad Shoman, there is no clear plan as to what steps will be taken. Shoman says he cannot predict what will happen, prompting backlash from Attorney Audrey Matura and Former Border Commissioner Lindsay Belisle. Assad Shoman, Citizens for the Defence of Sovereignty […]
Today, the U.S. Embassy in Belize released a four-minute video message called “The Truth about Venezuela.” Chargé d’Affaires Keith Gilges talks about what the U.S. sees as facts and fiction in the ongoing political unrest and economic turmoil in Venezuela. The future of this once oil-rich country hangs in the balance as food and medicine […]
The anticipated expert opinion on the Guatemala claim to Belize is now available. The Bar Association commissioned and is now in receipt of the opinion from a Caribbean expert on international law. The highly respected attorney and professor, Stephen Vasciannie was scheduled to present his opinion publicly, but since he will not be available in […]
Today, NICH and the Embassy of Panama signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance theatre and crafts in Belize. This will be done through workshop sessions and trainings to strengthen Belize’s cultural offerings. Belize and Panama have collaborated before to build capacity within the creative industry. The signing happened at the Bliss in Belize City; […]
The Elections and Boundaries Department is gearing up for referendum day. The Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai today told the media that section six of the Referendum Act states that a referendum shall be conducted similarly to an election. So according to Tamai, the I.C.J. referendum process on April tenth will involve returning officers, elections […]
A legal opinion the Belize/Guatemala Dispute has been obtained by The Bar Association of Belize. It is crafted by international law expert, Professor Stephen Vascianne, CD. According to a release from the bar, Vascianne looks at the territorial dispute with reference to international law principles and evaluates strengths and possible weaknesses of Belize’s case should […]
Today, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Commerce, launched the Policy which will be used to guide trade development for the next ten years. The 2019-2023 national plan has input from government, statutory bodies and the Belize Chamber of Commerce. According to the Ministry, the plan has been in the works for over two […]
We also spoke with the Directorate of Foreign Trade on this new plan. Director General Andy Sutherland says that they want buy in from the wider Belizean public because trade touches all of our lives at different levels. Here’s how he explains they will seek to make this plan resonate with the rest of the […]
Next Tuesday at eight p.m., Channel Five will be launching “Mapping the Guatemalan Claim: a News Five Flashback.” The series will run through to the April tenth referendum and is part of our coverage of this historic event. As Belize prepares for the referendum, Channel Five is producing a limited season retrospective of our news […]
News Five’s Andrea Polanco and Duane Moody clinched the first and second prizes in a competition by the International Organization of Migration. The results were released over the weekend by the I.O.M. Andrea and Duane were among a number of reporters who attended a training programme by the I.O.M. and went on to submit stories […]
Stabroek Newspaper of Guyana has retracted a report on the purported resignation of Nigel Hawke as Solicitor General. The newspaper has corrected the story following confirmation by Hawke that he did not resign his post in Guyana. Hawke, who also served as Solicitor General in Belize, wrote to the newspaper saying that he was of […]
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro is hell bent in not allowing U.S. aid into the country. The embattled president closed Venezuela’s border with Brazil on Thursday until further notice amid a tense standoff with U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. Here at home, the operations of the office of Alba Petrocaribe Belize Energy Limited, APBEL, will be […]
The appointment of Nigel Hawke as Solicitor General of Guyana was short-lived. Hawke served in that capacity here in Belize for about four years, exiting the post in December of last year. Reports from Guyana say that Hawke resigned abruptly on Wednesday and with immediate effect. It happened after Court of Appeal Judge Rishi Persaud […]
The Pan American Health Organization kicked off its country and sub-regional managers meeting in Belize City today. The meeting brings together health directors from Central America, Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic to discuss the opportunities and challenges of getting support from multilateral agencies. Today, News Five stopped by the meeting to talk with Belize’s […]
The 2019 season of the National Elite Basketball League has been postponed for this week in anticipation of the regional FIBA qualifying tournament, which will be held from February twenty-second to the twenty-fourth at the Belize City Civic Center. Over the next few days, national teams from Antigua, Cuba and the Bahamas will converge in […]
Five Belizeans are in Acayucan, a city in Veracruz, Mexico after they were attacked overnight and robbed of their travel documents, cash and other personal items. The men were towing several vehicles from the U.S. en route to Belize and were in the hills coming into the Mexican city when they were accosted by what […]
Many nationals from Central American countries over the years have migrated to Belize for better opportunities, some running from different issues. A snapshot of Belize’s current population would show that thousands of persons, be it economic migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants have taken habitation in the Jewel. Thousands have gone on to play important […]
On Wednesday, forty-eight-year-old American national, Brent Borland, pleaded guilty to running a multimillion dollar scam and using Belize to do so. He pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. According to U.S. federal laws, each count carries a maximum of a twenty-year prison sentence. Borland confessed to running a twenty-one-point-nine […]
They hail from nineteen countries around the world and on Monday seventy-six foreigners officially became Belizeans. A swearing-in ceremony was held at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development and it was the first for 2019. The new Belizeans were told that they are now afforded the rights of true Belizeans, including the right […]
The Belize Peace Movement, proponents of a ‘no’ vote in the upcoming I.C.J. referendum, is hitching its wagon to an ostensible legal opinion being put forward by a purported Nigerian attorney. She likens the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute to that of Nigeria and Cameroon several decades ago, where both countries took a claim over the Bakassi […]
The world’s most infamous and feared drug cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was found guilty on Tuesday by a U.S. Judge. The sixty-one-year-old international drug lord was convicted on all ten counts brought against him by U.S. prosecutors and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The eleven-week trial, with testimony from more than […]
