That was the legal battle in court, and outside it was evident that the Mayas were a divided house today. In fact, while their common concerns are over land rights, there were two groups with opposing views. Marion Ali picked up on the sights and sounds of both sides at the Battlefield Park. Cristina Coc, […]
But up until almost the eleventh hour the supporters of the Toledo Alcaldes’ Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance were not certain that they would be able to make the trip to Belize City. They did and were out in numbers at the Battlefield Park. Cristina Coc explains. Cristina Coc “Two days ago when we […]
United Cane Farmers, the breakaway group of caneros from Orange Walk and Corozal districts were in court again today, this time to challenge the issue of the Quality Improvement Program. This is the controversial program that the management of the Belize Cane Farmers Association is trying to implement on the industry. Hubert Elrington, the lawyer […]
Potatoes and lettuce, they are constant on dinner tables and indeed you can’t have rice and beans without potato or garden salad. There was a scarcity of both staples in the past few weeks and this triggered the importation of the products from neighbouring Mexico. But while this solved the issue of availability, it caused […]
We also found importers disgruntled at having to pay up to two hundred and ten dollars for the hundred pound sack of potatoes. The twenty-two members of the Belize Vegetable Importers Association, who did not get their permits renewed, say the price hikes result from a recent decision made by the Ministry of Agriculture. Representative, […]
When we checked with the Ministry of Agriculture, C.E.O., Gabino Canto told News Five that the decision on who got the new permits, was sanctioned by his boss, the minister. Gabino Canto, C.E.O., Ministry of Agriculture “We had some concerns expressed by the vendors yesterday in Belmopan. And I passed on the message to the […]
And if you can’t afford potatoes, you can head to the Bliss for a great treat. Day two of the National Festival of Arts was held today at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. And what a show it was. The most outstanding performances from the Schools from the Orange Walk and Belize districts […]
The National Fire Service has obtained eight new fire trucks from the United Kingdom, but they may prove to be troublesome. The trucks, purchased for a hefty price of almost four-hundred and fifteen thousand dollars, are all built for right-hand driving, unlike the overwhelming number of vehicles for left hand driving in Belize. While we […]
There are strong allegations coming from a mother who hails from Orange Walk Town. It starts with a fourteen year old student from a public school who was looking forward to graduation two weeks ago. Instead tonight the minor and her mother are seeking justice. A teacher from the school, Juan Carlos Villatoro, allegedly kidnapped […]
In another crime, a barbershop was robbed around three Tuesday afternoon in Belize City. Patrons say that three masked men entered the East Canal side business and robbed businessman Haissam Al Bathish of his nine millimeter Sig Sauer brand pistol along with eight nine millimeter rounds. Other patrons were robbed of two cellular phones and […]
A Belize City resident was shot several times Tuesday night. The details are still sketchy and police are puzzled about the cause of this latest shooting which occurred a few blocks away from the Raccoon Street Police Station. The victim, Aaron Cassanova, was at Tow Tow Grocery Shop on Fairweather Street when a lone gun […]
We often hear of questionable land deals that infringe on the rights of others. But have you ever heard of a development that infringes on the rights of the dead? Well, such is the case in Hopkins Village, Stann Creek, where a resort is claiming an entire half of the community’s graveyard. Recently on another […]
And while Hopkins residents want their graveyard and its sanctity restored, Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Lands, Douglas Carr was as baffled as we were to learn of the transaction. We asked him how the original owner got possession of the land in the first place. Douglas Carr, Legal Advisor, Ministry of Lands (Via […]
We have reported on various recent marine disasters along Belize’s Barrier Reef and tonight there is another accident that occurred north of Ambergris Caye last weekend. A thirty-two foot vessel belonging to the Sueño del Mar resort ran aground in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, and there was some controversy surrounding the accident as it […]
In Monday’s newscast we carried a story on the future opening of the Sanford Children’s Clinic in Belize and there’s another development on that front. Today, a representative of the Hayward Charitable Belize Trust confirmed to News Five, that once the debt owed to Belize Social Development Limited by the Government of Belize in connection […]
They want to be legally recognized as United Cane Farmers, but the only formal grouping, Belize Cane Farmers Association, doesn’t want any other group rocking the sugar industry and getting a slice of the pie. The challenge has been before the courts for over a year and today when it finally came up, both groups […]
The case of the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association versus the government comes up tomorrow in the Supreme Court. The hearing takes place one year after the claimants filed for an interim injunction to stop the taking over of what they term as Maya lands in Toledo. It is expected that the […]
If an advertisement in the local papers did not catch your eye, we can say that there is some anticipation over a new proposed bridge that will connect the north and south sides of the commercial city. The ad is from the Ministry of Works and it announces plans for a huge infrastructural project which […]
You will know by now that a spike in the prices of fuel at the gas pumps was sneaked in on Sunday night. Premium gasoline made the biggest jump by almost a dollar and is now selling at eight dollars and sixty-one cents, above a promised threshold of seven dollars. In the last budget debate, […]
And what does the hike mean for commuters? News Five went to the City’s streets and spoke with one of the groups most affected; taxi drivers. And while for a few operators, the fares to their patrons will remain the same, the general consensus is that the taxi ride will go up—for some, by as […]
And while taxi drivers contemplate fare hikes, in Ladyville commuters are facing another problem in public transportation—a row between two bus operators in the past few days that left travelers disgruntled. Chief Transport Officer, Candelaria Saldivar, along with the Chairman of the Transport Board, met with bus operators from Ladyville to address the reports of […]
The mother of a fifteen year old minor in Punta Gorda Town had much to worry about when her daughter ran away on Saturday. While the child returned home on Sunday, it was with some bad news. The girl admitted to her mother and the police that she had been sexually involved with a man […]
Five districts, except for Toledo, participated in the National Festival of Arts this past May. Those primary school students, considered the cream of the crop in drama, song and dance, who gave extraordinary performances at the district level are now taking centre stage at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. The much anticipated festival […]
Representatives from the U.S. Air Force are on their second visit to Belize. And this time around, the U.S. Operation Southern Partners is sharing tips on various procedures in aircraft maintenance, anti-terrorism, land and air navigation, fire-fighting and search and rescue missions. And today, O.S.P.—along with the Belize Defence Force and National Coast Guard—took to […]
Soon after the change of government in February 2008, the Barrow administration vowed that it would jail former leaders of the Musa administration for alleged corruption. One of the issues on which Prime Minister Dean Barrow focused was a grant of U.S. twenty million dollars from the government of Venezuela, only ten million of which […]
