Through the U.S. Embassy, the San Ignacio Police Department has received an automated fingerprint identification system. The Aphis system will be linked to Belize City and Belmopan data bases. The department is also supplementing technology with human resources. And as part of a Special Constable Programme, on Wednesday forty-one special constables completed training. Some will […]
The Belize Red Cross today held its closing ceremony for its first ever summer camp that catered for school age children from the south side. The students were engaged in a fun and educational camp that fostered good behavior and equipped them with first aid skills. News Five’s Andrea Polanco has the story. Andrea […]
Outstanding campers received certificates this morning in the Stars Summer Camp. The football camp drew a large number of participants that honed their skills on the various techniques of the sport. Freelance reporter Duane Moody was present for the closing of the camp. Duane Moody, Reporting The SMART sponsored Stars Summer Camp that fosters […]
The air was emotionally charged outside the San Ignacio Magistrate court this morning. Bert Vasquez, who is charged with the June murder of Jasmine Lowe as well as thirteen charges of aggravated assault of eleven young girls, was transferred from the Belize Central prison under heavy police escort. As he made his way, Vasquez was […]
There is breaking news tonight that a Guatemalan logger has been killed by the B.D.F. in the Columbia River Forest Reserve in the Toledo District. According to a release late this evening from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the incident happened on Wednesday evening between the Edward Central and Union Camps when a B.D.F. patrol […]
In the city, the short reprieve was broken when a youth was stabbed and killed this afternoon. According to residents on George Street, around two-thirty, eighteen year old Raheem Smith was socializing with some friends in a yard where an exchange of ‘hard talk’ between Smith and another young man broke out. The victim, an […]
And in respect of a previous murder, on Tuesday of this week we reported that police had detained a U.S National in connection with the murder of twenty-five year old waitress, Susana Roselia Romero of Bella Vista Village. He has not been charged, but today, Romero’s family told News Five that they were informed by […]
There is some good news to report tonight that will bring major relief to the pockets of Belizeans. Effective this Friday, the retail price of butane will be reduced by a whopping thirty dollars per hundred pound cylinder. Yes you heard right… a reduction of thirty dollars. The hundred pound cylinder of butane will now […]
The decriminalization of the possession of up to ten grams of marijuana is being hotly debated and it appears that the government initiative is getting support from many quarters. Current legislation considers marijuana possession of less than sixty grams a criminal offense punishable by a fine up to fifty thousand dollars and as many as […]
Last week, during the budget debate, the Minister of education, Patrick Faber, said that government will be cutting the subsidies to the University of Belize for general semester fees. It sparked a firestorm among UB students, who feared that it would result in a fee increase. This afternoon, the university confirmed that the cutback won’t […]
A local butcher has been charged for allegedly stabbing another man during an altercation at Good Fortune Bar on Newtown Barracks. This morning, forty-three year old Joseph Castillo appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith and was charged with attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm. He is accused of attacking […]
The world’s largest AIDS conference opens in Washington in the next few days. Around the world, more than thirty-four million persons are affected with the AIDS virus. But the good news is that new infections and deaths went down slightly last year. In Belize, the numbers have been going down in the past three years […]
Copies of the HIV strategic and operational plans were also handed over to the government this morning. And while several ministries, particular the Ministry of Health, have been supportive of initiatives by the National AIDS Commission, Martin Cuellar says they need the Ministry of Finance to come onboard. That’s because external funding is on the […]
The Flavors of Belize cookbook was launched early this month at a grand cocktail at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza. The event featured several cooking stations where buyers sampled some of the recipes included in the book. For that night, the chefs were working with gas range stoves donated by Brodies and today, Flavors […]
An initiative known as the Belize Municipal Development Project is being financed through a thirty million dollar loan by the World Bank. The Social Investment Fund is responsible for implementing different infrastructure projects in the towns of Benque Viejo Del Carmen, Belmopan, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Orange Walk and Corozal. During implementation, it is expected that […]
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital was today gifted with six brand new Acer desktop computers from Fultec Systems. The company, in celebrating its twentieth anniversary, made the donation to the hospital for medics and relatives of patients to use. News Five was on hand for the handing over. Grace Brown, P.R., Fulltec Systems “We […]
The daily newscast is often dominated by crime, but the story of a young and heroic blind teenager has captured our attention and captivated the hearts of thousands across the nation. Rowan Garel is an inspiration, who we have been following for some time. When he climbed atop Victoria Peak last year, we were there […]
The government has rolled out a proposal for the decriminalization of the possession of certain quantities of marijuana. It is moving at the speed of light; and from the looks of it, the proposal is getting support. A committee has been formed and while it was just announced on Monday, a deadline has been set […]
The Police Association says the clock is ticking and it is losing patience with the Police Department on the last minute transfer of several officers. Official notice was served on the affected officers at the end of June giving the cops and their families a mere two weeks to move to their new posts on […]
Since the start of 2012, at least seventeen persons have been freed of murder charges in eleven separate cases. In most instances, the witnesses either develop amnesia or were in fear. Well, the trend continues and the latest murder acquittal came today in the case against Neil Grey, who was accused of fatally shooting twenty-one […]
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted an order to stop the expulsion of a Slovakian national, Karol Mello, who was arrested without incident in San Pedro last Wednesday. Tonight, Mello remains in police custody. Mello, who is described as a mafia boss, is wanted for a double murder of a woman and child in Slovakia. […]
This week marks a milestone for the medical field in Belize; the first two successful open heart surgeries were carried out at the K.H.M.H. This medical procedure is available in a limited number of countries so for Belize, it’s major news, particularly for patients afflicted with ailments including defective heart valves, or heart muscle blockages. […]
Unemployment, which currently stands at roughly twenty-three percent of the adult population below the retirement age, remains a socioeconomic problem that only seems to compound with the annual entrance of students into the workforce. But the budget for the current fiscal year gives very little consideration to the staggering unemployment rate, according to the private […]
The re-alignment of funds earmarked for secondary education has been the topic of discussion in the wake of the recent budget presentation for the current fiscal year. In the Senate, the issue of rationalizing resources within the education budget came up again. Opposition senator Karen Bodden, a career educator, delved into the impact that restructuring […]
P.U.P. Senator Collet Montejo echoed similar sentiments regarding joblessness and the overall dismal state of Belize’s economy during his presentation. The budget, Montejo says, offers nothing to the youth population, instead it seeks to further plunge an already embattled middle class into abject poverty. Collet Montejo, P.U.P. Senator “As our good colleague for the […]
