From the information in the press release, the event looked like a dry panel discussion on the intricacies of voting. But what transpired at the library this morning was anything but dry. News 5’s Marion Ali has the play by play. Francis Gegg, Independent, Fort George “So that is basically the basis of the We […]
I’ve grown up all my life being very conscious of my status as one half of a pair of twins. But it wasn’t until today that I looked at the situation from a different point of view: that of the mother. Larna Flowers, Mother of Twins “When they seh two babies, I wah cry.” Janelle […]
It is an issue that is yet to emerge from the clutter of the 2003 campaign, but the People’s United Party believes that its past accomplishments and future plans on behalf of the nation’s women will be an important factor on March fifth. This morning I was on had at the Radisson when the P.U.P. […]
Confirming what we had reported last week, a joint press release by the Belize Business Bureau and Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry today announced their sponsorship of a public debate between the leaders of the two major political parties. The debate will be held the night of February eighteenth in the Radisson’s Caracol Room […]
In some late breaking political news, the United Democratic Party has registered its strong disapproval of what it claims is the granting of an exclusive fifteen year national license to the Novelo’s Bus Line. According to a U.D.P. release, the license gives the company exclusive rights on all major bus routes, including runs to Chetumal […]
If there is any special characteristic to this year’s general election, it is the large number of independent candidates. And today, one more aspiring representative officially threw his hat in the ring. As News 5’s Marion Ali reports, while the race may be nominally for the Albert Division, his campaign is clearly directed against a […]
A child from Ladyville is recuperating from a broken foot after a vehicle knocked him down on his way to school. The child’s mother, Mary Palma, reported to police that six-year-old Otto Palma was attempting to cross Mirage Road around 8:00 this morning when the incident occurred. He apparently misjudged the distance between himself and […]
A Roaring Creek man lies in the hospital with a stab wound after he was attacked in the centre of Belmopan. Twenty-six year old Andres Garbutt told police that he was conversing with a friend near the Barclay’s Bank parking lot around ten on Tuesday morning when one Randolph Hyde attacked him from behind. Garbutt […]
An ex-policeman was today sentenced to jail time plus the payment of compensation to the family of a man who died in his custody. Mervin Vernon was today sentenced by Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh to nine months imprisonment and the payment of five thousand dollars to the family of Frederick Reynolds Junior, who was shot […]
It’s a new year, and–of course–that means a new promotion at Courts. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand this morning as the wheel spun for the first disbursement of… Megabucks. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Twenty-two year old Diego Villanueva had only once chance to spin the wheel and win up to five thousand dollars. Having […]
Last week we reported on the success of eleven-year-old Belizean Lisa Tucker as she sang her way into the finals of the popular U.S. television show “Star Search”. This Thursday in the biggest night of her young life, Lisa needs your help. Fully one half of the judging on the show is done over the […]
Some rough figures had been quoted by the politicians, but today the Immigration Department confirmed that Belize’s tourism industry has made a remarkable recovery from the devastating effects of the nine-eleven terror attacks. Figures released yesterday show that 2002 overnight tourist arrivals at all ports of entry totalled a record one hundred and ninety-nine thousand, […]
It compares favourably in both form and substance, with institutions of similar size and purpose anywhere on the planet. Today, I was on hand as the Museum of Belize took a well deserved bow. Janelle Chanona, Reporting With its own unique brand of pomp and circumstance, the Museum of Belize this morning celebrated its first […]
Effective today, members of the House of Representatives and Senate no longer have a job, as proclamations signed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, dissolved the National Assembly and set Wednesday, March fifth 2003 as the date for the general elections. What this means is that all area representatives seeking […]
Another official document was signed today, this one by Minister of Home Affairs Ralph Fonseca. Statutory Instrument number twenty-one of 2003 declares that March fifth will be observed as a public and bank holiday. While many countries make election day a national fiesta, this is the first time that Belize has gone that route. While […]
A string of charges have been filed against a driver following Saturday’s road tragedy, which claimed the life of an eleven-year-old girl. Twenty-six year old Filiberto Gutierrez of San Victor Village, Corozal, faces writs of manslaughter by negligence, driving without due care and attention, causing death by careless conduct, and driving with alcohol content above […]
One of Belize’s most promising athletes will have a chance to show his stuff this summer on a major international stage. Word has been received by the Belize Amateur Athletic Association from its international parent body that sprinter Jaheed Smith has qualified to participate in the World Youth Championships to be held in Sherbrooke, Quebec, […]
Meanwhile, back in Belize, sports got some much-needed support, courtesy of the Government of South Korea. During brief ceremonies at the Youth for the Future offices, coordinator of the Conflict Resolution Unit, Ruperto Vicente, handed over footballs to coaches and organisers of community based programmes. Vicente says this is just one of several handing over […]
While all eyes may be focussed on next month’s elections, the long weekend following March fifth will feature one of the year’s premier sporting events. Marion Ali has a preview. Marion Ali, Reporting Mile after mile, it’s the longest and most challenging water sport in Central America. Each year, its organisers find new ways to […]
While much of the News 5 team has been on the political trail, my colleague Jacqueline Woods today had a chance to spend this sunny afternoon in a place where fun is usually the order of the day. But as the following story proves, some work was being done today in San Pedro. Jacqueline Woods, […]
For a few days this weekend the Princess Hotel was transformed into a world of international culture as films from places as diverse as Cuba and Taiwan marched across the cinema’s two screens. But while the entertainment value of the event was beyond doubt, the question still remains as to what a film festival means […]
It’s the largest electoral division in the city…and if the TV ads are any indication, then it is also the scene of one of the old capital’s biggest fights. Over the last few days I got to spend time with each major candidate in Lake Independence and found that confidence is not lacking on either […]
It’s a problem that grows a little worse with each election, yet neither political party seems to have the slightest inclination to do anything about it. That is the growing numerical inequality between the nation’s twenty-nine electoral constituencies. Despite a constitutional mandate that “each electoral division shall have as nearly as may be an equal […]
The numbers released by the Elections and Boundaries Department as of December, tell the story of the wide discrepancy between the size of Belize’s twenty-nine constituencies. Let me recount the number of voters, ranging from the largest to smallest: Cayo South: 7483 Cayo North: 6465 Lake Independence: 5676 Cayo Central: 5390 Port Loyola: 5386 Stann […]
A traffic accident on the Western Highway has left an elderly customs guard dead. Reports are that around six thirty on Saturday night, seventy-one year old Antonio Chan, a resident of Benque Viejo, was travelling to Belize City when the pick up truck in which he was riding, crashed into the back of dump truck […]
