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Cayo kids march against AIDS

The effort to curb the spread of AIDS invariably focuses on behavioural change…and to that end we see plenty of catchy advertisements in the media advocating abstinence, the use of condoms, and monogamous relationships. Today the Cayo District was the venue for a unique approach that centred on the forgotten victims of the disease. Patrick […]

Fatal shooting rocks North Creek

A twenty-three year old Belize City man was gunned down this afternoon as he sat in front of a house in the North Creek area. Police say Kareem Broaster, a resident of Belama Phase One, was shot in the head and also sustained injuries to his body from the weapon of the gunman who police […]

Kraal Road holdup nets thief cash and cards

In other crime news, a shop on Kraal Road was the victim of an armed robbery on Wednesday. Forty year old proprietor Li Lian He told police that while she was closing shortly after one in the afternoon a man described as being of Creole descent stuck a handgun in her face, whereupon she gave […]

Use of speed guns upheld in court

And in case you were wondering how things were going with those new speed guns, traffic police report just fine, thank you. They have confirmed that two violators were successfully prosecuted Wednesday in Magistrate’s Court. The speeders were fined one hundred and seventy-five dollars respectively by two different magistrates. Drivers outside of the Belize District […]

Late arriving raffle winner cries foul

His name was pulled from the barrel at last night’s big Princess Hotel and Casino anniversary raffle; but before George Davis could get his hands on the ten thousand dollar prize, controversy erupted. Davis, who is self-employed and currently in training to be certified as a tour guide, this evening told News 5 that he […]

Tourism figures up, up, up

A few weeks ago we reported the preliminary figures but now the numbers are official. 2003 was by far Belize’s biggest year ever for tourism. Tourist arrivals at the Philip Goldson International Airport increased by seventeen point two percent over 2002 while arrivals at Belize’s other entry points rose by eleven point one percent. And […]

JP Association seeks higher standards

Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of the Supreme Court from all over the country will meet in Belize City on Saturday. It’s the third annual general meeting of the association, formed in 2000 to oversee the affairs of these important people. President Adrian “Danny” Madrid says the last twelve months have been spent implementing […]

Old gang boys tell kids to cool it

We are all familiar with the Creole proverb: “when fish come from rivah battam and tell yuh halligata gat bellyache believe ahm.” Well yesterday students at St. Joseph’s Primary School welcomed two big fish who did not hesitate to tell the students what life in the muddy waters is really like. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods […]

P.M. holds first meeting with Guat. President

Prime Minister Said Musa has held his first meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. The two leaders exchange views this morning, a day after Berger’s inauguration in Guatemala City. Prior to meeting with Berger, Musa met with O.A.S. Secretary General, Cesar Gaviria, to discuss the continuation of the facilitation process as a way of resolving […]

New Melchor Mayor has high level support

And while it may not have had all the pomp and circumstance of the Presidential gala, another Guatemalan public official was inaugurated today…and I had the privilege of attending. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Bearing all the markings of a victorious politician, and flanked by loyal supporters from both sides of the border, this morning seventy-one year […]

Hassan returns, hit with 119 charges

It was one of those rare days in the news business when even the most hard-bitten pundit would be forced to admit the possibility that some form of justice may indeed exist in Belize. The evidence of today’s near miraculous revelation took the form of three unrelated events: the arrest of a key figure in […]

Compol apologises for aggressive search

Five days after three police officers from the Criminal Investigation Unit entered the premises of sixty-seven year old Douglas Gill and conducted an aggressive and fruitless search, today the police admitted that the operation was executed unprofessionally. But the acknowledgement did not come by way of any police press release. Instead, Gill was paid a […]

Gill says he will not sue police

But no one can be more relieved with the surprise turn of events than Douglas Gill. Gill, who has been shaken by the treatment he received from the police who conducted the search, says he is grateful to Commissioner Zetina for being humble enough to apologize for the incident. Gill is not sure if he […]

Policeman charged in knockdown of cyclist

While the commissioner’s bold initiative could be viewed cynically as a mere public relations ploy, the department’s next move could not be so easily dismissed. Making good on the high command’s promise of an impartial investigation, officers today arrested police constable Pedro Teck and charged him with driving without due care and attention and negligent […]

CARE-Belize promotes rehab services

It’s an organisation that’s new to the N.G.O. scene, but is already proving to be a forceful advocate for disabled Belizeans, particularly those least able to help themselves. Patrick Jones reports. Dolores Godfrey, Director, CARE-Belize “CARE does work with physically disabled children. Our focus is very narrow, we work only in physical rehabilitation and only […]

Princess holds big draw tonight

They’ve been in business on the barracks for four years, and tonight the Princess Hotel and Casino is celebrating by giving away fifty thousand dollars. According to the manager of the casino, Ayhan Isiner, the anniversary party will culminate a year-long cash bonanza of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Ayhan Isiner, Manager, Princess Casino […]

Selection begins for national football squad

By all accounts it has been a war waged for too long. The power struggle between the Football Federation of Belize and the Belize Premier Football league over who runs things in Belizean football is not only embarrassing the country on the international stage, but is also hampering attempts to improve the nation’s future performance. […]

Teachers use drama as teaching tool

They are forced to perform daily in front of an audience usually larger than thirty less-than-attentive students. So why should we be surprised that teachers make great actors. Patrick Jones has more on a new programme that puts our educators on a larger stage. Patrick Jones, Reporting They are responsible for shaping the minds of […]

Search by police: when is it legal?

We have reported enough police stories over the last twelve years for viewers to know that when searching for guns or drugs, the cops pretty much do as they please. But can law enforcement authorities go too far? After last night’s harrowing account of a police raid on the premises of Douglas Gill, News 5’s […]

Parents seek help to find son’s assailant

A sixteen-year-old boy from the Trial Farm area of Orange Walk Town clings to life at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital tonight while police try to piece together the sequence of events that has left him in a coma. Francisco Cawich was hit in the head by a piece of concrete survey marker that was […]

Hit and run driver charged

He disappeared from the scene of an accident that left two children injured, but today that driver, twenty-nine year old Freddy Grant Junior, has been arrested and charged. A total of six charges have been brought against Grant, including driving without due care and attention, failure to report an accident, failure to confirm to a […]

Business manager arrested for theft

He is charged for the crime of theft, but if police have their way, a twenty-two year old businessman will have a lot more questions to answer. Brian Humes, manager of Mike’s Spare Parts in Dangriga for the last year and a half, was arrested and charged on Monday after an audit of the accounts […]

Monterrey Summit ends, P.M. heads to Guatemala

Prime Minister Said Musa and his diplomatic entourage are on their way to Guatemala tonight, having participated in the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico. Musa chaired today’s meetings on Economic Growth with Equity, recommending measures to prevent poverty and ensure equal distribution of wealth. According to a government issued release, the Prime […]

O.A.S. funds four projects in Belize

The Organisation of American States has approved funding for four projects in Belize. The Ministry of Education will coordinate a three-year programme to use satellite television and internet to educate rural teachers. First year O.A.S. funding is one hundred and fifty-four thousand U.S. dollars. The Belize Business Bureau is the executing agency for a forty-nine […]

Youth receive training for business venture

We hear a lot these days about encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in Belizean young people and several programmes have been established to provide loans for enterprising youths. But between receiving their investment funds and retiring as millionaires lies an invariably difficult journey. Today I joined a group of budding business people as they received training […]