Prime Minister Dean Barrow returned to Belize this afternoon after attending the CARICOM Heads of Government Summit in Guyana. And there is plenty on his plate. The dispute between doctors and the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Board continues to fester. On June seventeenth, the P.M. promised that heads will roll if there is no sound […]
The crisis at the K.H.M.H. was sparked when the Chief of Staff, Dr. Khalid Ghazy, was let go but subsequently reinstated to meet one of the demands of the B.M.D.U. This morning we spoke to Ghazy, to find out how the hospital is coping. We also found out that the Chief himself has resigned because […]
While at the K.H.M.H., News Five found out that some patients were being turned away. K.H.M.H. C.E.O., Francis Longsworth, said he had heard rumblings about the sick-out and was rushing away to put a plan in place. Dr. Francis Longsworth, C.E.O., K.H.M.H. “There were rumours yes, from yesterday that this might happen but I was […]
Despite our proximity to Mexico, the Influenza A H1N1 remained just a scare in Belize and was pushed to the backburner. But the virus is still being monitored by the Ministry of Health. In a release issued late Friday evening, the Ministry confirmed that Belize is still free of the virus. But concerns have been […]
While there is still a swine flu alert the sweltering temperatures took a toll on a five year old. She was among the kids who flock to the Southern Foreshore and the Newtown Barracks areas to stave off the heat. But children in the water with no adult supervision, has always been a dangerous combination, […]
In court news, it’s a disturbing offence that has become all too common and tonight one more person is behind bars for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor. The victim in this case is only two years old while the accused is a twenty-seven year old Honduran national. George Gutierrez appeared before Magistrate Rachel Montejo this […]
And an eighteen year old B.D.F. volunteer from Junesville also appeared in court today. That’s because James Nunez lost his cool when he was allegedly caught stealing sand. Nunez pleaded not guilty to Grievous Harm and Magistrate Dorothy Flowers offered him bail of one thousand five hundred dollars. His case has been adjourned until August […]
There were two fires over the weekend and two homes were completely destroyed. In Belize City on Arlington drive, a blaze destroyed a small wooden house. Shortly after midday on Sunday, the structure went up in flames which quickly spread and gutted the house. The second blaze also on Sunday burnt to the ground another […]
The thirtieth CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government ended in Guyana on Sunday with leaders of the grouping looking for common ground on many issues. One of the big ticket items was the movement of skilled labour throughout the region, to which a tenth category has been added. As of next January, qualified domestic workers […]
Good evening I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. Game two of the home and away semi-final series in the B.P.F.L. took us north yesterday where Nizhee Corozal hopes to eliminate F.C. Belize of Belize City in a bid to get into the 2009 Championship round. After last week’s 2-2 tie, it’s F.C. Belize […]
Doctors say they have reached the end of the line in the three week old dispute with the Board of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital over corruption charges. On Thursday the doctors walked away from the negotiations when the Board introduced what they considered unacceptable counter proposals to the effect that no action was to […]
The doctors say they are frustrated because while their allegations of corruption in the procurement of medical supplies have been confirmed by a quick audit, no action has been taken. And while they have stopped negotiating, they still hope for change. Dr. Marta Habet, Secretary, B.M.D.U. “We have some evidence and the audit was done […]
While an essential services tribunal may be the next step to resume negotiations, the immediate concern is to ensure continued and uninterrupted healthcare at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital because it is the last referral point for patients in the public system. After Thursday’s failed mediation, that point was highlighted by the Labour Commissioner, Ivan […]
The Ministry of Natural Resources late this evening announced that it is not after all going to provide leases for three parcels of land issued on the northern end of Mapp Caye within the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary. According to the Ministry, it regrets quote “that these surveys were not caught initially by internal checks” […]
A man on a routine day on the job lost his life after he plunged some fifty feet to the ground. Thirty-four year old contractor, Clif Peyrefitte, was dismantling a windmill at a farm in the Sandhill Village when tragedy struck Thursday afternoon. According to Peyrefitte’s wife, Carla, who was too aggrieved to comment on […]
Turning to the courts, two persons who pleaded guilty to the charge of Obtaining Property by Deception were today sentenced to eighteen months in prison. Kenton Pandy will be out in a year and a half time but his partner in crime, Robinson Michael, is not so lucky. Michael got an eighteen month sentence which […]
And it was no secret that attorney Lois Young has been representing the government in many high profile cases. Young is estimated to have represented government in over thirty cases since March of 2008. This morning in a glaring headline the opposition newspaper, Belize Times, reported that over fifteen payments were made in the name […]
In other news, Belize has many fishermen who are not certified by the Fisheries Department. To bring them to par, several weeks ago the Fisheries Department began training courses on fishing techniques. This week they were in Hopkins Village and today around twenty fishermen from that community received their certificates. The training focused on basic […]
She was among the top talents in season one of Channel Five’s hit show, Duets. And on Saturday, all eyes will be on Elizabeth Tate, the main character in a recent play produced by Youth for the Future. The play entitled, “One by One, Day by Day,” will address stigmatism and discrimination associated with HIV/Aids […]
The powerful voices that make up the Garifuna Collective have wooed audiences worldwide since they started touring in 1996. This Saturday the group sets out on their second trip to Canada. The first Canadian tour was back in 2007 with Andy Palacio, but this time round the Umalali Women singers will take the spotlight. Since […]
The Transport Department put an abrupt end to a premier bus run that National Transport implemented on June twenty-fourth. The following day transport officers removed passengers from the seven o’clock express bus. Candelaria Saldivar, the Transport Commissioner, said that the company’s permit was for regular runs, and if the company wanted an express run it […]
If you get the urge to splurge, there’s a new reason you might choose Chetumal. And while we prefer you keep your dollars at home, news in the Mexican press on the opening of the superstore just a stone’s throw away from the Belize-Chetumal border, caught our attention. The building will encompass thirty-two thousand square […]
The Belize Defence Force’s second annual Youth Summer Program is well underway. About seventy-six happy campers from primary and high schools around the city and between the ages of eight and seventeen are attending the music camp at the Wesley College Compound. And according to Lieutenant Colonel Ganey Dortch, the entire summer program is costing […]
Tensions continue to rise in neighbouring Honduras in anticipation of the proposed return of the deposed President José Manuel Zelaya. But the interim government is showing no signs of backing down. All day, protests and rallies took place in Tegucigalpa as an OAS ultimatum for his return draws closer. The OAS Secretary General arrived earlier […]
There are serious matters on the agenda before CARICOM leaders meeting in Guyana in the thirtieth Heads of Government Conference. While the issue of immigration is dominating the discussions, it is a critical time for the region and the future of CARICOM. Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says while it may be true that each […]
