While residents of Sandhill were taking pride in their water, many Belizeans have been fearful of WASA’s plans for privatisation. WASA’s chairman, Ray Lightburn, says that the country’s growth requires major private investment. Ray Lightburn, Chairman, WASA “Well, one of the reason for seeking a strategic partner in privatisation is to continue to expand. For […]
In crime news investigators continue to search for clues and suspects in the theft of high-powered weapons from the police and BDF arsenals. No arrests, however, are reported. In Belize City no charges have been filed against Oscar Orellano, the driver of the bus that killed bicyclist Steven Bent on Monday morning. Testimony obtained thus […]
While the community tries to figure out how to deal with the senseless deaths and related violence, on last night’s “One on One” show, host Dickie Bradley asked a number of urban combat veterans for their take on the situation. According to Randy Petillo, the lack of jobs and impatience of youth makes for a […]
Three villages in the Toledo District are the proud owners of new community water systems. The water systems for San Vicente, Jacintoville and San Marcos, all inaugurated by Prime Minister Said Musa on Wednesday, were constructed at a cost of just under two hundred thousand dollars each. The government of Belize, through the Social Investment […]
His judicial opinions have been characterized by a tendency not to rock the boat… and successive governments have found his presence on the bench to be a comfort in times of stress. But today the opposition press broke the story of rebellion in the legal ranks. Senior counsel Lois Young Barrow, supported by a number […]
From rescue and relief after Hurricane Keith, the focus has now shifted to rehabilitation. Today, the Belize Red Cross received perhaps its largest private donation, a cool one hundred grand, thanks to Visa International. Christina Yock Kim presented the money to Delysia Goff, deputy director of the Red Cross. Goff says detailed assessment of the […]
The technical exercise of establishing the exact coordinates of Belize’s border with Guatemala has been completed… but the man who took the measurements is not quite ready to go public with his findings. Under the terms of the January seventeenth meeting in Miami between Belize and Guatemala, the Pan American Institute of Geography and History […]
Yesterday we reported that UNICEF, in cooperation with the British government, donated over two hundred and ninety thousand dollars towards refurbishing schools that were damaged by the recent hurricane. Today they continued their support to Belize by granting over sixty-nine thousand dollars to help families headed by women. Minister of Human Development Dolores Balderamos Garcia, […]
In related news Belizean fishermen who lost their boats, motors and lobster traps to Keith’s fury, will now have access to loans to get back in business. The Northern Fisherman Co-operative, based in Belize City and Caye Caulker, has negotiated a one point five million dollar loan facility with the Development Finance Corporation for use […]
For three days and three nights he was lost in the jungle, not far from a disputed area near the Guatemalan border. Today, Private Marvin Card, safely back at Price Barracks, took time out to talk to the press about exactly what transpired during his lonely weekend… beginning with how he came to get lost […]
A BDF soldier who was reported lost near the Guatemalan border has been found safe and sound. Private Marvin Card became separated from his fourteen-man patrol around dusk on Friday and remained missing until today. Card, rather than try to find his way back to his base camp six kilometres inside Belize, elected to stay […]
There is big news in the energy sector, as a major hurdle has been cleared by Belize Electricity Limited in its efforts to implement the Chalillo Hydro Project. In a release dated Friday, Fortis Incorporated, majority owner of BEL, announced that it has purchased ninety-five percent of the shares in BECOL, the company that owns […]
The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition may have shed their partisanship and united against Guatemalan aggression, but when it comes to the rest of the political agenda it was back to what seems like the hundred years war. News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams is just back from Belmopan with a dispatch from the front. […]
You may have noticed the ads in newspapers, radio and television calling on all Belizeans to stop what they’re doing at noon on Saturday and pay respect to a special playing of our national anthem. Well, the campaign did not just appear out of thin air; it was the work of Belize City businessman Maurice […]
Belize has responded to the recent disaster in El Salvador with a donation from Belize’s farmers. Two container loads of corn and beans, totaling eighty thousand pounds, today left Belize for the Central American country, which was struck by an earthquake on January thirteenth. The donation comes from a number of Belizean producers and was […]
The debate has been slowly building for weeks. Fueled by frustration over Guatemala’s disrespect for Belize’s sovereignty, many Belizeans are looking for a gesture–any gesture–to accurately display their feelings. The Guatemalan flag at the northern entrance to the city has become a focal point, and Ann-Marie Williams was on site during the morning rush hour. […]
The question of what to do with the Guatemalan flag was the first to be asked at Tuesday’s press conference hosted by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. The answers given by the nation’s political leaders closely matched the mixed feelings of their constituents. Prime Minister Said Musa “Quite frankly I do not […]
While much of the debate centres over what to do about the Guatemalan flag at the Belcan roundabout, a number of commentators have suggested that a more positive action is to have all Belizeans fly the Belize flag. News 5’s Jose Sanchez went out in search of that national symbol, as well as other patriotic […]
The explosive growth experienced by Belize City in recent years has expanded the city’s limits to the Haulover Bridge in the north and the Burdon Canal in the west… And if you don’t believe that the urban area has grown, then you haven’t lived through rush hour on the Northern Highway. But with all the […]
If you are wondering why we have not heard from the Guatemalan side of the dispute, it’s because in Belize at least, they’re keeping a low profile. Today, in the belief that it never hurts to ask, we approached Guatemalan charge d’affaires in Belize, Carlos Avila, and asked him how it felt to be in […]
Some employees of the Belize Social Security Board are up in arms with management about the way a number of work related issues are being treated. According to Christian Workers Union General Secretary Antonio Gonzalez, one hundred and ten of SSB’s two hundred and fifty employees are members of the union and say the situation […]
Either Belize’s political system is growing up, or the Guatemala situation is growing really hot… or maybe both. Whatever the case, Prime Minister Said Musa and Opposition Leader Dean Barrow have finally heeded the pleas of the vast majority of Belizeans and will be holding a joint press conference on Tuesday. The topics will be […]
This week Belize hosts two high level meetings of the Caribbean community. The first got underway this morning and News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams was on hand for the opening. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting Ministers of the thirteen-member CARICOM Community involved in finance and planning are once again back to the drawing board to discuss Protocol Two: […]
The just concluded Miami meeting, which brought about a signed plan of action and confidence building measures between Belize and Guatemala, was the focus of a press briefing held this morning at the Princess Hotel. The media fielded question to Belize’s Deputy Chief Negotiator, David Gibson and Boundary Advisor Lindsay Belisle. Gibson says the confidence […]
First Aid: It’s the type of training you seldom think about to be enrolled in and when it becomes necessary it’s always too late. A cross-section of teachers, nurses and members of the public are making sure too late will not be their cry! Here’s the story. Jose Sanchez, Reporting The Belize Red Cross, on […]
