And in news from another commercial bank, the local branch of Scotiabank has received a third recognition this year. On Saturday, the bank was identified as the “Bank of the Year in Belize” at the Financial Times Group’s Awards ceremony held in London. Scotia has been recognized locally as Employer of the Year by the […]
There is some good economic news to report. Third quarter G.D.P. figures released by the Statistical Institute of Belize reveals that the economy rebounded by eight point two percent. Leading the charge was electricity production, which shot up by fifty percent from July to September, and oil production which soared by thirty-three percent. According to […]
And in news on the diplomatic front, on Monday, Caribbean heads of states will converge in Santiago de Cuba for the third Cuba-CARICOM Summit. The meeting is held every three years to mark the 1972 decision by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba opposing the US economic embargo […]
It’s a disease that is prevalent in Belize and statistics show the number of persons infected on an upward trend. But there are many myths about this virus and Healthy Living this week dispels some of the most common fallacies. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting It is estimated that worldwide as many as thirty-three point two million […]
The reports have been circulating for some time and we have declined to report what was mere speculation, but tonight News Five has reliably learnt that the former Prime Minister Said Musa will be charged tomorrow. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Branker-Tait has instructed the police to proceed with the arrest of both Musa […]
The high cost of living is on everyone’s mind and when we canvassed citizens around the old capital, the topic resonated. Men and women wanted to know when will grocery store prices follow the route of the fuel prices and decrease. This morning on Channel Five’s Open Your Eyes breakfast show, Prime Minister Dean Barrow […]
All that influx of money, however, will not do much to boost the salaries of public officers. Prime Minister Dean Barrow says he has received submissions from the Pubic Service Union, Teacher’s Union and the Association of Senior Managers, but the economic situation does not provide room for a pay raise. Prime Minister Dean Barrow […]
But there is one way to stimulate the economy and that is through trade. And while there are historical ties between Belize and Mexico and there has been constant interaction, there is now a window to develop and strengthen trade relations and to open new business opportunities. Today representatives from both countries met for the […]
And still on the economy, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is applauding the Customs Department for recent contraband busts involving the illegal importation of cigarettes and liquor. According to the Chamber of Commerce, those who evade taxes and duties by means of under-invoicing are defrauding the economy and taxpayers. This refers to the […]
Turning to another hot button issue, on Monday the document, which sets out the path to the I.C.J., will finally be signed in Washington by representatives of both Belize and Guatemala. But ever since it was announced that the compromis has been agreed upon, Belizeans far and wide have been expressing concern about what is […]
Pay up or spend six months behind bars. That was the option that forty-two year old American National, Juan Marcos Alba, received when he appeared in front of Magistrate Sharon Frazer in court today. Frazer found Alba guilty of Failure to Comply with the Conditions of a Visitor’s Permit and ordered him to pay a […]
The sugar industry is facing many challenges and they are not sweet. There is a low sugar production, low quality of cane and low prices that farmers will be fetching this year. Marion Ali travelled to Orange Walk today for the opening of the new crop. Marion Ali, Reporting The line at the Belize Sugar […]
Albert and Regent streets have been a dustbowl over the past months. And while completion of the project has been promised time and time again, commuters have had to suffer through the months of disruption. And now December sixteenth is the new due date for the completion of the paving in downtown Belize City. Minister […]
When the sixteen days of activism activities wraps up next Wednesday, the task of finding ways to end domestic violence will continue in the background. One means by which the Women’s Department is exploring that issue is through an intervention program for batterers. In the country to discuss that possibility is the programme coordinator, director […]
Today is International Day for Persons with Disabilities and to commemorate, the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired took the members of its Visually Impaired Club to watch a movie. According to Communications Officer at B.C.V.I. Carla Ayres-Musa, the members still have the right and ability to experience the same things that those with sight […]
They are known for providing exquisite designs for quilts. And just in time for the Christmas, the Mennonite Women Quilting Circle from Spanish Lookout are putting the final touches on a wide assortment of quilts that will go on a two day exhibit. The National Institute of Culture and History in collaboration with the group […]
It is known to many as the Complex Building, but today the government’s Administration Building located on Mahogany Street, was renamed the Charles Bartlett Hyde Building. Family members and various public service officers all gathered to honour Hyde for his extensive work as former public officer, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Commissioner of […]
Their names are synonymous to the bus industry and since February of this year, they have been running into plenty of problems. And while it wasn’t a knockout victory for the Novelo brothers, the ruling today of Justice Samuel Awich has given them enough reason to proceed to the next round of legal battle with […]
The family of a young Douglas villager who was shot and killed by a Belize Defence Force soldier on the night of November twenty-second will have their day in court. While the initial report appeared to be that nineteen year old George Cortez White was unruly with the B.D.F., the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn […]
In the Magistrate Court this morning, two accused gunmen were sentenced in absentia for two robberies that took place back in 2005. The two, twenty-six year old Maxwell Andersen and twenty year old Christopher Waight Betancourt were convicted of two counts of Robbery, Grievous Harm, and Keeping Unlicensed Firearms and Ammunition. While the men were […]
Also in Magistrates’ Court, Anthony McKay, a twice convicted felon who has been fingered in the recent robbery at the Atlantic Bank Collection Agency, was today charged with Burglary. McKay, a resident of Junesville, pleaded not guilty to the charge but was denied bail and will be in custody until January twenty-second, 2009. The culprit […]
Three years ago he was happy to be freed of an attempted murder charge, but that same charge has come back to haunt Herman Lanza. It was déjà vu for the thirty-four year old because the charges were reinstated by the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lyn Branker Taitt. Lanza was arraigned in the Magistrates’ […]
A computer technician was charged for presumably wanting to preserve his life. Today, twenty-five year old Paul Gibson of Nurse Seay Street was charged with possession of a prohibited material. Gibson pleaded not guilty to the charge, but admitted that he wore a bullet-proof vest for protection because he had been robbed four times this […]
In other news, two incidents involving Spanish speaking bandits near the Belize/Guatemala Border are creating fear among the residents of Arenal Village. In the first incident, two men from Benque Viejo were robbed by a farm near Arenal last Friday morning around eight thirty. Uvildo Howe, a taxi driver of E Street Benque Viejo Town […]
The gun amnesty programme closed with a bang. In its last days in November, a bullet at least six inches long was handed in to the cops in Belize City and there was both surprise and relief. The final figures of the firearms and ammunition that were delivered to cops around the country have still […]
