Belizeans who have grown up in an era when tourism is the country’s number one industry will have a hard time imagining what it was like when tourists were as scarce as rain in April. But believe it or not, Belizean tourism is even younger than an independent Belize… and today the organisation that represents […]
With all the political turmoil surrounding the shenanigans at the registry and the impending return of the renegade representatives, it’s a story that’s been relegated to the back of the stove. But the theft of six point two million dollars from B.T.L. is a news item that is not likely to go away any time […]
This morning British High Commissioner Alan Jones presented a brand new Nissan Frontier pickup to Belize’s Ombudsman, Paul Rodriguez. The vehicle is valued in excess of fifty thousand dollars and will be used by the Ombudsman’s office to more effectively conduct work throughout the country. At the handing over ceremony Rodriguez also took the time […]
Hardly a week goes by without an appeal to the public via the media to fund someone’s critically needed health care. And while Belizeans are often generous, such ad hoc efforts are often too little too late. One organisation that has consistently sought to institutionalize life saving medical care is the Rotary Club… and this […]
Today, near the end of the busiest hurricane season in recorded history, it is only fitting that Belizeans–who were spared this year–pause to remember a night forty-four years ago when we were not so lucky. News Five’s Karla Heusner reports from Lord Ridge Cemetery. Karla Heusner, Reporting On October thirty-first, 1961 Hurricane Hattie levelled Belize […]
Have you ever imagined what your life would be like raising a child with a disability? Where would you get information, or support? Well up to now, the one hundred and sixty members of the Parents Association for Children with Special Needs had to try and share their experience and knowledge as best they could. […]
If you drive a car you are no doubt hurting tonight, suffering from acute depression over the cost of fuel. But while some of us are moaning, others are taking action. Janelle Chanona, Reporting With gasoline prices at an all time high and only expected to increase, tonight many Belizeans are at a crossroads as […]
On Saturday some two hundred representatives of Neighbourhood Watch programmes throughout the country gathered at the George Price Centre in Belmopan to give updates on each community’s plan of action to address crime and share ideas on how best to move forward. But not everyone is participating in the effort. Today News Five’s Jacqueline Woods […]
When we last heard from the commission of inquiry investigating the Development Finance Corporation in June, they had just cleared a major legal hurdle in the Supreme Court: getting access to key financial documents. Since then, the three-person team has been wading through mounds of paperwork, scrutinizing files for the forty largest loans, board papers […]
This weekend law enforcement officials and community leaders will converge in the capital city as part of the second annual Neighbourhood Watch Conference. Organised by executives of the Ministry of Home Affairs and members of the Belize Police Department, the strategy this year is to promote neighbourhood watch groups through success stories. It is hoped […]
With the accused fugitive sex offender safely transported from Belize to a jail cell in Ohio, legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey today dedicated her show to thanking those people responsible for the apprehension of Niles Scott and a second child predator arrested in North Dakota. And while Oprah personally presented cheques to a pair […]
Monday is a public holiday, but when business resumes on Tuesday government employees belonging to the Public Service Union will be instituting a “work to rule” industrial action. This means that civil servants will perform their duties only during their scheduled working hours and not beyond. They are protesting the freezing of annual increments, instituted […]
They say into every life a little rain must fall. But some people are able, somehow to turn their own flood of tears into showers of blessing for someone else. Tonight we bring you one such story, graced by a loving sister, friends, and some ballroom dancers. Daedra Haylock files this special report. Daedra Haylock, […]
In the wake of the public outcry against increasing incidents of drunk driving, the National Drug Abuse Control Council has launched an awareness campaign to highlight its prevention and education programmes. According to officials of NDACC’s Orange Walk branch, alcoholism is a dirty little family secret in many Belizean homes and that silence is costing […]
Members of the Belize Communication Workers Union have decided to take industrial action to express their displeasure over what it calls the lack of commitment by B.T.L.’s Board of Directors to facilitate their purchase of a twenty percent stake in the company. According to a union press release, members have instituted a “work to rule” […]
It’s another episode of that long running drama called “progress brings problems.” The latest plot twist involves residents of one waterlogged Belize City neighbourhood who discovered that building streets involves more than just laying down a few feet of clay. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Several months ago most of the London bridges in the Raccoon Street […]
This afternoon, the first national report on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals was presented in Belize City. In the year 2000, one hundred and ninety-one members of the U.N. signed a pact to achieve eight goals and eighteen targets by the year 2015. Here in Belize, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National […]
Employees of the Belize Port Authority took to North Front Street this morning in protest against the Sagicor Capital Life Insurance Company. According to the demonstrators, for more than a year donors to a pension fund have been locked in negotiations with the company to have the scheme closed and monies collected disbursed to contributors. […]
The demonstration held on Saturday may not have provided the spark to immediately oust the present government, but the determined crowd that marched through the streets of Belize City was sufficiently large to remind the Musa administration that people are watching… and reacting. The protest, organised by the Association of Concerned Belizeans, was prompted by […]
In our youth oriented society, they may not have the political muscle that they deserve, but fear not, Belize’s grey panthers are still kicking up dust… especially this week. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting There may have been far more junior than senior citizens at the official opening of Senior Citizens Week, but the folks at Helpage […]
On Saturday morning, hundreds are expected to take to the streets of Belize City in an organized demonstration against the Government of Prime Minister Said Musa. According to the Association of Concerned Belizeans, abuse of ministerial power combined with bad economic decisions out of Belmopan, such as the Social Security Board’s ten million dollar loan […]
As part of traditional Independence Day activities on Wednesday, official ceremonies held at the Memorial Park in Belize City included addresses to the nation from community leaders. In his speech, Prime Minister Said Musa spoke of development through national unity. Prime Minister Said Musa “We are Belize. We are linked in so many ways. When […]
For Opposition Leader Dean Barrow, the challenges facing our country have highlighted the strength of diverse people working towards one goal: a better Belize. Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition “The Kriol Kulcha fair, now to be an annual fixture on the September calendar seeks to restore the lustre of a foundation culture, to place […]
With Independence Day now twenty-four years behind us, we’ve got to face the fact that the majority of Belizeans were not yet born on that rainy night in 1981 when the Union Jack was replaced by the flag of Belize. With footage from a British television crew on the scene at the time, we have […]
The Senate Special Select Committee is the latest body to weigh in with its opinion on the decision of the Social Security Board to grant a ten million dollar loan to Sunshine Holdings. According to the Senators, the move is a violation of their mandate, which is to investigate whether the Social Security fund has […]
