This week may have been a short one but there was no shortage of unbelievably senseless slaughter in Belize City. The latest outrage involves what can only be described as fatal idiocy. Two men on Lakeview Street, one of whom was minding a baby, apparently got into some kind of argument. One picked up a […]
Two men suspected of robbing Nava’s Gas Station on North Front Street last Wednesday were today arrested and charged. 28-year old Kenrick Gill and 20-year old Brandon Anderson of Belize City have been charged with three counts of armed robbery. Last week the station’s manager reported to police that on April 19th, two masked men, […]
It dropped on the nation’s capital like a cold water balloon on a sultry afternoon. A minor cabinet shuffle…but with major implications. Four changes of portfolio were announced today and it appears that the man taking a rap on the knuckles is Jorge Espat. Espat, who holds the key position of Minister of National Security–that […]
Belize’s longest running private sector organisation has a new team at the top. In elections held Thursday evening at its annual general meeting Dr. Gilly Canton was named as the new President of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Abdala Bedran takes Canton’s old post of Vice President for Industry, while Mark Lizarraga, Carlos […]
The September celebrations may be five months away but already the carnival bands are working hard to raise funds. If you’re looking for entertainment over the long holiday weekend, the Cultural Heritage Band invites you to the BTL Park on Monday for its 5th Annual Labour Day Fest. There will be fun for the entire […]
It doesn’t get a whole lot of respect in Belize’s increasingly diversified economy but when it comes to agriculture, sugar is still number one. On Thursday News Five’s Janelle Chanona took a long slow ride on a sugar tug and found that while the industry has been taking its licks the future may be sweeter […]
It has all the ingredients of a made-for-tv disaster movie: a hurricane is rapidly approaching the coast, the populace prepares for the worst. Then literally out of the blue an airliner drops out of the sky, leaving dozens of dead and wounded in its wake. The major difference between today’s disaster simulation, code-named “Big Blow”, […]
Four minors remain in police detention in Belize City and it is expected that they will be charged with murder on Friday. No names have been released but police apprehended the youths on Wednesday following the fatal shooting of Lincoln Weston. Weston, a mechanic of Yarborough Road, was cut down with a sawed off shotgun […]
While emergency workers were simulating a plane crash in Ladyville, a real aircraft was landing at the nearby Philip Goldson International Airport. Aboard were 42 health professionals from Cuba. Included in the contingent were 6 doctors who were joined for the first time by 36 nurses. The nurses, most of whom are highly trained specialists, […]
Despite all the economic assistance provided to Belize by the government of Taiwan, there has been relatively little real investment by the Taiwanese private sector. One exception to that trend has been the Tao San shrimp farm near Dangriga. On Wednesday, as the company prepared to export its first harvest, Minister of Agriculture Dan Silva […]
If you accept the proposition that “a school is a building with the future inside” then the biggest single influence on that future is the quality of our teachers. Today the body that represents the bulk of Belize’s educators met at the Belize Biltmore Plaza. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Approximately 600 teachers from across the country […]
With over 30,000 members it may be the biggest organisation in Belize. It’s also one of the richest. Last night the Holy Redeemer Credit Union closed the books on yet another year of successful operations. Janelle Chanona, Reporting At the 56th Annual General Meeting of the Holy Redeemer Credit Union, close to 1,800 members turned […]
There have been scores of murders in recent years that can only be described as senseless…that is, the motive for the crime lacked even the minimal provocation of jealousy, revenge or greed. But the killing which occurred this morning in Belize City must be classified as wanton by any standard. It all started over some […]
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a robbery two weeks ago in Dangriga. 24 year old Curtis Zuniga has been charged with robbery, wounding and damage to property in connection with the armed robbery of the Medical Laboratory on April 12th. It may be recalled that the owner Richard Chou and his wife […]
Police in Orange Walk can claim bragging rights over a decent size drug bust. On Tuesday evening they searched Claudio Escalante, a 50-year old butcher of Stadium Street, and discovered almost 3 pounds of cocaine along with a 9-millimeter pistol and 3 rounds of ammunition. Escalante has been charged with drug trafficking as well as […]
It’s been just about the best 12 months in its 56-year history…and tonight the members of the Holy Redeemer Credit Union, the nation’s largest, will hear just how well their institution has done. According to an advance copy of the HRCU annual report the credit union grew by almost 17% and now holds savings of […]
Every once in a while a story walks into the lobby that sounds so incredible it more resembles fiction than fact. The one which surfaced this morning is either the chronicle of a callous crime…or a humiliating hoax. We’ll let you decide. On Saturday, around 7:00 in the evening, a young security guard was patrolling […]
When he appeared last month on “One on One” he hinted that there were too many weapons in the compound and something would soon be done. Today Prison Governor Bernard Adolphus made good on that pledge and the results were impressive. Bernard Adolphus, Governor of Prisons “Because of the number of incidents which were happening, […]
Last Thursday we ran a story on a new classroom which was constructed at Hattieville Prison by personnel from British Forces. But that project is only one of many being carried out by the Royal Engineers, exercises which keep the military sharp and provide real benefits to Belize. On Tuesday News Five’s Janelle Chanona visited […]
While all of Belize focussed on the over 130 cyclists who pedaled furiously from Belize City to San Ignacio and back on Holy Saturday, this first Easter weekend of the new millennium will forever have a different meaning for three Belizean families. That is the number of people who died in three separate incidents on […]
It is said to be more common than many of us care to admit, but the particular form of child abuse known as incest remains a strong societal taboo. Incest is also against the law…and today one man found out that such violations carry a heavy penalty. 35-year old Raymond Allen of Santana Village was […]
It’s not often organisations advertise the fact that they have money to give away but that’s just what the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) is doing. PACT is inviting registered non-governmental groups, community based organisations, schools, village councils and town boards to submit project proposals for funding. The maximum grant for initiatives like protected areas […]
We don’t know who is responsible for the name, but come Thursday and Friday the National Emergency Management Organization will be conducting operation “Big Blow.” The disaster preparedness exercise will simulate a hurricane hitting Belize, leaving a trail of destruction from Dangriga to Corozal. The drill will focus on town and village hurricane plans, hoping […]
The Government Gazette is an often arcane document containing sometimes obscure laws, statutory instruments and legal notices. If you happen to be on the mailing list the circular often arrives in less than perfect shape, thanks to its being tightly rolled without the benefit of an envelope. But that old rumpled Gazette is now a […]
For many Belizeans who were not cycling, swimming or enjoying liquid refreshment, the long holiday weekend was a chance to just rest in a hammock and curl up with a good book. But to a surprising number of our people the idea of reading a novel–or even a newspaper–is not a viable option. The nation […]
