This month more than a hundred and fifty student volunteers are on a door-to-door campaign to raise awareness on the issues of Family Violence and Gender Inequality. Coordinated through the Women’s department, young men and women from secondary and tertiary schools from throughout Belize will be handing out pamphlets with user-friendly legal documents, inspirational material […]
The announcement last week that the Government of Belize is ending all contracts with radio stations effective November first has had a sobering effect on some of the media houses that have come to rely on this lucrative arrangement. In the case of one station, the process of adjustment has started with the reduction of […]
The special committee appointed to conduct a review of the loans and investments made by the Social Security Board, met again this week at the National Assembly building in Belmopan. According to a release from the office of the clerk, the committee has agreed on the terms of reference of selecting a special purpose auditor […]
Details are still sketchy tonight but official reports are that starting next week radio stations in Belize City and the districts, will no longer be receiving what many have dubbed subventions, which translated into a monthly payment. Radio station personnel contacted by News 5 this evening were quick to defend receipt of the funds stating […]
According to the Ministry of Human Development so far this year, ninety young women under the age of sixteen in Belize City have been sexually abused. That’s just one of the troubling statistics organisations like Youth Enhancement Services must grapple with when addressing the issue of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of young women and girls. […]
It may seem like a rain drop in a desert, but any amount of money to combat HIV and AIDS in Belize is welcomed. According to UNICEF’s representative in Belize, Nadya Vasquez, some fifty thousand U.S dollars has been donated to ensure that the National Plan of Action becomes a reality. The contribution from the […]
It was part of the deal when the port was privatized but when that reality hit home this week, the city’s stevedores took to the streets, protesting what will be the new policies at the pier head. On one side, the workers say they are being robbed of their hard earned pay. But industry insiders […]
A release from the Prime Minister’s office indicates that cabinet is looking for ways to solve the ongoing problems caused by the bankruptcy of the Novelo?s Bus Line. Noting that a plan by a group of investors to take over the company has been withdrawn, a committee headed by Minster of Transport Cordel Hyde has […]
Meetings surrounding the controversial Carnival contract continued this week as key players met in Belize City to navigate a way forward in negotiations. News 5 understands that on Monday, Minister of Tourism Mark Espat and Chairman of the Belize Tourism Board, Therese Rath, met with representatives of the Carnival Cruise Line, namely Giora Israel, Vice […]
The controversy over the Carnival Cruise Terminal is not the only hot issue at the Belize City Port. Today the men who work the Cargo ships were out in force, protesting the new labour arrangements that accompany the Port’s transition from public to private ownership. News 5’s Patrick Jones has the story. Patrick Jones, Reporting […]
An ongoing programme for youths at risk has resulted in the release of the latest CD on the local music scene. Dubbed HIV and AIDS Warning, the effort is just one of many measures taken by Operation Positive Reinforcement at Youth For the Future to help combat the deadly disease. Today, peer educator Louie Ganzie, […]
The occasion was the inauguration of a project to strengthen the Public Utilities Commission, but after delivering his short keynote address, Prime Minister Said Musa agreed to sit down for a half hour with what has become an increasingly aggressive press corps. The Q and A covered a variety of subjects ranging from the Carnival […]
For a more detailed explanation how this issue may play out, we spoke to Minister of Foreign Trade Eamon Courtenay. Courtenay, a former Attorney General, has been working closely with the Belize Tourism Board to move the discussions forward. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Trade ?Carnival has a legally binding contract with the Government of […]
Unfortunately, for Said Musa, the boys from Carnival are not the only foreign businessmen on his case. The new owner of B.T.L. appears to be promoting deals even far more convoluted than his predecessor…and the ignominious collapse and purchase of Intelco has left most Belizeans with the uncomfortable feeling that–once again–we’ve been had. How does […]
Prime Minister Said Musa was not the only one answering questions today. Speaking at a ceremony inaugurating a million-dollar-plus project to improve the abilities of the Public Utilities Commission, P.U.C. chairman Gilly Canton admitted that the first few years of his tenure have been hectic. Acknowledging a full plate of issues with private purveyors of […]
Seven non-profit organisations that are working with people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS today received financial support for their programmes from the United States embassy in Belize. During brief ceremonies at his residence, Ambassador Russel Freeman handed over cheques totalling over thirty-three thousand dollars, which the recipients agreed will be used to help in their […]
The teenage years can be confusing in the best of circumstances and when the ever present temptation of alcohol and other drugs is thrown into the mix, that confusion can become deadly. That’s why Red Ribbon Week at one Belize City school is meant to make a difference. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting This is the time […]
It’s been tried before and, as of Friday night, the measure has made a reappearance. I’m talking about a curfew for children. Jacqueline Woods has an update. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Tonight at eight, any child thirteen years and under found on the streets will be picked up and taken back to their homes or held […]
The Northern Fisherman’s Cooperative held its long awaited special general meeting today and according to reports from those attending, there was no raising of issues arising from revelations that the management committee and executives had granted themselves large unsecured loans and salary advances. Following official concerns expressed by the Cooperatives Department and made public, Northern’s […]
This month, the Government of Belize announced that supervision of the country’s credit unions would be moved from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to the Ministry of Finance, specifically, the Central Bank. The shift has created some confusion as traditionally Belize’s membership owned credit unions have been regulated much less stringently than the nation’s […]
The initiative known as Youth for the Future has never been short of publicity…but beyond the hype of buzzwords like “empowerment,” “technology transfer” and “entrepreneurial training,” there are questions about just how effective the programme has been. Today, News 5’s Patrick Jones attended the final session of a three week seminar designed to teach young […]
Thousands of students in the nation’s capital, from preschool to university got an unexpected holiday today, as the Ministry of Education took the extraordinary step of suspending mid-week classes. The suspension, according to a ministry official, was taken primarily for health reasons, as Belize Water Services had informed Belmopan residents that its entire system would […]
This afternoon, employees of the National Sports Council staged a protest at the Council’s offices below the Belize City Centre demanding monies they say G.O.B. is refusing to pay. The workers, who are members of the Christian Workers Union used their lunch break to hold up posters calling on government to fulfil a promise made […]
There is good news tonight for persons infected or affected by AIDS in Belize. Thanks to money collected through a telethon held in August, starting this week, the Living with Hope project will begin accepting applications from persons crippled by the financial reality of the disease. Chairman of the National AIDS Commission, Dolores Balderamos Garcia, […]
On Thursday BEL announced it was requesting a short term rate hike to offset the rising cost of fuel and its effect on their operations. They said it was a “last resort” after eighteen months of attempts to improve their liquidity position, taking measures which included early retirement incentives for thirty percent of their staff […]
