It was a day that will be long remembered in both the judicial and political history of Belize. Justice George Meerabux, rejecting motions made by Opposition Leader Said Musa, ruled that the House of Representatives has the power to punish Musa for contempt and the judiciary does not have the power to interfere with the […]
Not all of today’s news revolved around the weighty occurrences at the Supreme Court. The ever popular issue of the gay cruise ship remained hot as one more Belizean organization felt compelled to put forth its views. The Belize National Teachers Union has issued a release condemning what it calls the unnatural practice of homosexuality […]
Those ever popular visas to enter the United States will became more dear beginning next month. A release from the U.S. Embassy states that as part of a new policy to have fees reflect actual costs, the price of applying for a nonimmigrant visa will rise from twenty U.S. dollars to forty-five. Immigrant visa applications […]
In a follow up to a story first reported in yesterday’s newscast, authorities have moved quickly to remove the load of medical waste which ended up in an open lot in the Lake Independence area of Belize City. According to Lawrence Ellis of the City’s Sanitation Department, a five hundred dollars fine was levied against […]
While much concern has been expressed about the state of the Belize City Swing Bridge, workmen this week were busy attending to another one of the city’s vital spans. Yesterday I took a look to see how things were progressing. Since last November, the Belcan Bridge has been receiving some touching up. According to the […]
She’s been in the country just about a week, but with a background in print and broadcast journalism, not to mention her most recent job as a presidential speechwriter, U.S. Ambassador Carolyn Curiel is nothing if not a fast learner. Today she sat down for a get acquainted chat with Channel Five’s Stewart Krohn. After […]
Leaked document: Supreme Court rules against Musa The verdict will be read in court on Thursday morning but today News Five has obtained a copy of a judgement dated January 22nd, having the purported signature of Justice George Meerabux. And if the judgement is genuine it is not good news for opposition leader Said Musa. […]
Vasquez gets 2 years in death of Monique The preview of Justice Meerabux’s decision in the Musa case was not the only activity in the judge’s courtroom. This morning the atmosphere was tense as a packed house awaited the sentencing of Francis Vasquez in connection with the shooting death of his live-in girlfriend, Monique Emmanuel, […]
Barbados and OECS move closer The islands belonging to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States have been conducting discussions with their larger neighbour to the East, Barbados, on ways to foster greater cooperation and perhaps even some sort of Union. The CBC’s Peter Thorne hit the streets of Castrees to see how St. Lucians feel […]
Lions hold glaucoma clinic in Battlefield ParkNot all of this morning’s action was inside the courthouse. As Patrick Jones discovered, there was plenty going on across the street. The Battlefield Park was temporarily transformed into a makeshift clinic where hundreds of city residents got their blood pressure taken and were tested for glaucoma – all […]
Hazardous medical waste dumped in Lake I In a story just in a News Five team has returned from Tibruce Street near Mahogany in the Lake Independence area. We were called out by nearby residents who saw a pickup dumping a load of garbage by the roadside. But this was no ordinary garbage. Amongst the […]
Gallon Jug coffee flourishes in the shade of the rainforest The name of businessman Barry Bowen is a familiar one to most Belizeans as his beverage empire includes Coca-Cola, Fanta, Belikin Beer, Guiness Stout and Crystal Water. While his latest offering will never gain the household recognition of Coke, connoisseurs of fine coffee are already […]
It was a truce that was never meant to last…but the Christmas-New Year’s lull in Belize’s ongoing political wars has officially ended. With the House of Representative scheduled to meet on Friday and Speaker B.Q. Pitts ready to pass sentence on P.U.P. Leader Said Musa, government has cranked up its taxpayer funded propaganda machine and […]
In crime news police in Toledo have a “whodunit” on their hands in the village of San Pedro Columbia. All they know is that early Monday morning they were called to the house of thirty-four year old Jose Pop. Lying face down in a drain in front of that house they found the body of […]
She died last year from a bullet wound to the head from her boyfriend’s 38 caliber pistol. Today the case against that boyfriend, twenty-six year old Francis Vasquez, reached a conclusion as he pled guilty to the crime of death by careless conduct. Friends of Emmanuel, citing a history of physical abuse at the hands […]
If you are among the many Belizeans along the coast who looked skyward on Saturday and saw the menacing silhouette of 3 huge strange looking helicopters, you can now breathe a little easier. The choppers were not part of any invasion force. According to the Defense Ministry the three Chinook helicopters belonging to the U.S. […]
Over the next six months representatives from the Department of Women’s Affairs, The National Women’s Commission and other groups from throughout the country will embark on a study which will assess the opportunities for women’s political leadership in Belize. According to Women’s Commission President Kathy Esquivel, when you look at just how under represented women […]
In what could only be described as a happy ending Guyana’s major political parties have agreed to compromise in an election dispute which threatened to cripple the beleaguered South American nation. Brokered by a three man Caricom mediation team, the agreement specifies that new elections will be called at the end of three years, instead […]
The organization is more frequently associated with preventing abuse of children, promoting infant nutrition and advancing the rights of the child. But today UNICEF got involved with some older kids, who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The UNICEF donation of woodworking tools to the Youth Enhancement Academy comes at a time […]
But the Youth Enhancement Academy is not the only arm of the Department of Corrections that is looking to advance its future. The entire facility is attempting to change its image and is starting from within. The first of a series of in-service training courses for prison wardens began Monday at Price Barracks in Ladyville. […]
It was a picture perfect day for members of the legal profession. Having the dust brushed off their wigs and robes dry cleaned, they turned out in record numbers as the Supreme Court held its ceremonial opening for 1998. Patrick Jones was among those on hand on Regent Street. The significance of this year’s ceremonial […]
While the Chief Justice made no major announcement regarding the administration of justice over the next twelve months, the same does not hold true for Attorney General Dean Barrow. Using the privilege of responding to Sir George’s review speech, Barrow revealed that in the coming months, several things will happen, which should go a long […]
In related news, the Bar Association has welcomed the news that help is on the way in clearing up the huge back-log of cases still pending before the Supreme Court. President of the Bar Lois Young says it is a positive move in the right direction. Lois Young, President, Bar Association of Belize The two […]
The waters of the Privacion creek in Cayo claimed the life of two people on Sunday. According to reports, forty two year old Doctor Marla Holder was trying to rescue eight year old Adir August from the strong currents, when both went under and did not re-surface. A search of the river later turned up […]
In crime news: police in Caye Caulker are trying to solve the mystery of a boat and fittings from two others which disappeared between two and eight a.m. Sunday. Nineteen year old fisherman Earl Smith was first to raise the alarm around two o’clock when he could not find his outboard motor that was attached […]
