A government and private sector partnership is expected to yield new opportunities for enterprising young Belizeans. Over the past ten months, Youth For the Future and the Belize Business Bureau have been cultivating a working relationship to develop programmes for its members. Today, the two organisations formalised their agreement by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. […]
Today was celebrated as World Population Day, but except for a couple of press releases from PAHO, the event passed without much fanfare in Belize. But in the fine print of those documents, facts quoted from the Central Statistical Office, reveal some startling information on adolescent reproductive health and sexual practices. According to the C.S.O., […]
Belizeans everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief tonight as Claudette continues to head north and out of our area. But this close call certainly caught a lot of people off guard and the Atlantic promises to get even more active in the coming months. So were we prepared, and if not, what do we […]
As Belizeans brace themselves for a possible threat from Tropical Storm Claudette, more than a few of you might have already picked up the phone to find out if there is room at the inn in Belmopan. But if you’ve driven west lately you might have noticed construction crews are still working furiously on the […]
In other news from Belmopan, on Tuesday Cabinet met in the capital city to discuss several initiatives. Among the interesting points of discussion was a proposal–flagged as a priority–to improve safety conditions at hot spots on the nation’s major highways. In addition to new signs and a public service campaign, set to be implemented in […]
Criminals beware! If you’re planning on relocating to Belmopan any time soon, you better leave your bad habits behind. The capital city’s crime fighting campaign today got a shot in the arm with the donation of some five hundred whistles to be used in neighbourhood watch programmes. According to City Councillor Beverly Swasey, the donation […]
Sunday’s storms couldn’t dampen the spirits of thirty-six young men who participated in a ten-month programme with the National Youth Cadet Services Corps. The organisation caters to at risk youths and has been running for more than ten years. Addressing the young men this weekend was Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Francis […]
With some nine hundred qualified applicants patiently waiting for their citizenship papers and hundreds, perhaps thousands more holding dearly and fearfully to their illegally purchased passports, Belize’s immigration situation stands at something of a crossroads. Today, government tried to signal that the road it would be taking in the future is the high one. “I […]
Today at the Radisson, representatives from various youth organizations met with officials from the Youth for the Future initiative. Their aim: to come up with solutions to the issues affecting Belize’s young people. According to Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Francis Fonseca, if we are looking for answers, we must start with […]
If the privately operated Kolbe Foundation is going to succeed in its goal of operating a secure, humane and rehabilitating prison, it will do so on the strength of its personnel. Today forty-one prison officers graduated from five weeks of instruction at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan. Inspecting the Guard of Honour at this […]
It has been nearly a full year since revelations of massive scandal in the Immigration Department were made by the Belizean media. With the exception of retiring the department head and transferring the Minister to a new portfolio, government has done virtually nothing to punish the numerous wrongdoers both in and out of the civil […]
Almost a week after they ostensibly reached agreement on Social Security issues, government and unions are still having problems putting a unified public spin on the issue. A Government release issued on Monday reported three main agreements, including retention of the mandatory retirement age at sixty-five, adding one percentage point to contributions and leaving the […]
After weeks of round the clock hard work, Belize Electricity Limited says those hours in the dark waiting for the lights to come back on may soon be nothing more than a bad memory. B.E.L. says their gas turbine generator at mile eight on the Western Highway should be ready to pump out kilowatts by […]
It’s a sales pitch we’ve heard before: Don’t worry…soon, soon; we’re coming; we’re ready to compete. But since its last press conference in December, we haven’t heard a peep out of Intelco and more importantly, the service that it promised would come on line in March, has yet to arrive. This afternoon, Intelco’s eternally optimistic […]
If the new developments at Intelco gave consumers at least a glimmer of hope for lower telephone and Internet rates, a decision taken by B.T.L. has dealt a severe blow to the pocketbook of some enterprising Belizeans and visitors from abroad. As of the first of July, consumers can no longer access international operators to […]
On last night’s newscast we reported that the statutory instrument raising Social Security contributions would be signed sometime this week and it was not clear precisely when the new rates would be put into effect. Well, today it’s clear…that’s right, as of July first–that’s today–workers and employers will share in the payment of an additional […]
The controversy over Social Security is over. At least that’s the official word from Belmopan. A press release today from the Office of the Prime Minister says that a meeting Friday evening between union officials, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance resulted in agreement on the following points. The level of Social Security contributions […]
Bus riders from Hattieville, Ladyville, Mile Eight, and Maxboro may find their commute a little less arduous thanks to the addition of eight buses to the Novelo’s fleet. The reconditioned vehicles will be dedicated to servicing those four communities, hopefully sparing commuters the indignity of waiting in vain as overcrowded buses fly past, leaving them […]
At news time there is no official word on the outcome of a meeting held this evening between union and government representatives on the subject of Social Security. News 5’s Patrick Jones spoke to union leaders as they emerged from the Central Bank building around five this evening, but none of them would comment on […]
We have shrimp trawlers and shrimp farms…but many of us are only now realizing–like Jacqueline Woods did this morning–that there is another method of putting fresh shrimp on the table. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting It’s not normally known as one of Belize’s fishing hot spots, but this morning after word had gotten out that shrimp were […]
Signs of significant compromise in the Social Security controversy continue to circulate tonight. Following a meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Business Bureau indicate that government has agreed to scale back its plans for heavy increases in worker and employer contributions. Echoing earlier reports from […]
Residents of Dangriga and the Stann Creek District can sleep a little bit sounder this hurricane season, in the knowledge that in the event of disaster, the Red Cross will not be far away. Nearing completion in the First New Site area is the society’s new district operations centre. Until now, Stann Creek has been […]
All roads lead to Placencia this weekend where the annual festival known as Lobsterfest gets underway on Friday night. Since some of the News 5 crew may wind up there, we decided to send down Patrick Jones and Brent Toombs on a scouting expedition. Patrick Jones, Reporting Two years after the most devastating storm to […]
Your heard it first on this newscast last night and today the Prime Minister has confirmed that government is prepared to scale back at least some of its proposed changes in the Social Security system. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods spoke to P.M. Musa this morning. Prime Minister Said Musa “We’ve always been prepared to negotiate […]
And if that one percent becomes law, the unions, according to B.N.T.U. President, Anthony Fuentes, will keep their options open. Jacqueline Woods “Was the one percent increase discussed?” Anthony Fuentes, President, B.N.T.U. “Yes, that was discussed but nothing much came out of that because government is hell bent on the one percent increase and the […]
