Belize’s super bond debt stands close to five hundred and fifty million US dollars. The government’s initial proposal was rejected by bondholders but the committee representing bondholders and the government continued negotiations that concluded in a counter offer by the bondholders. The rejection of the terms proposed by the bondholders was posted on the Central […]
The government’s two counter proposals, one which includes a haircut of thirty-three percent and an interest rate of four point five percent that would increase to six point seven-five percent after five years. The second proposal had no haircut but lower interest rates over forty years along with a grace period of ten years on […]
The government’s counter offer is posted on the Central Bank of Belize website. But the bond was not the only item of business attended to at today’s House Meeting. Eight bills and two motions were vetted into a compact session. There was a frivolous argument over two ambulances that were donated by a group in […]
It was a proud day for the Belize Coast Guard as two significant achievements were celebrated; the seventh anniversary of the service was on November twenty-eighth and the commandant has been promoted to a higher rank. Both occasions were rolled into a grand ceremony this morning. The uniforms were crisp, the band was on point […]
We reported on Thursday night that John McAfee, the anti-virus founder who is hiding from police, had claimed on his blog that his San Pedro property had been raided by the Gang Suppression (GSU) and the Belize Coast Guard. The GSU and police denied that a search was carried out and today News Five found […]
In court news, Lee Henkis, the forty-three year old man who was convicted on November twenty-first of Committing an Unnatural Crime reappeared for sentencing today. Since Henkis was unrepresented, Justice Troadio Gonzalez heard mitigation pleas from his childhood friend, Gale Banner, who told the court that they grew up together and she remembers the good […]
A man was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday and police were quick to arrest the suspected gunman and a woman believed to have been his accomplice. This afternoon, eighteen year old Steven Bernard and twenty-one year old Lucia Moreno appeared before Magistrate Adolph Lucas. Bernard was charged with Robbery and Threatening Words while Moreno was […]
Police efforts to build relationships with residents of various areas of the city continued today. A Community Awareness Day was held in zone four of the crime ridden areas and the Community Policing Unit invited several agencies to provide information on services residents may not know are available to them. Students and members of the […]
The Central American Tourism Integration System, known by its Spanish acronym SITCA, held a meeting in San Pedro earlier today to discuss and review the development of tourism initiatives within the region. SITCA, an arm of the Central American Integration System, represents seven member states which collectively reported that upwards of eight million tourists have […]
It’s a sport that’s not well known in Belize, but a fourteen year old from Belmopan competed in two Fencing tournaments in El Salvador this week. Xunan Smith attended the sixth annual Giorgio Scarso International Tournament and the Central American and Caribbean Championship. On Sunday, in the Giorgio Scarso International Tournament, Smith was at fifth […]
Fencing is a new opportunity that will hopefully draw more youths to engage in competitive activity. But soccer and basketball are no doubt the two most popular sports in Belize. But one sport that carries no height advantage is table tennis. It’s played by both the strong and disabled and it’s now an official sporting […]
That tournament has come to a close and in less than a month the Mayan calendar also winds down. And by no cosmic relation, the Xunantunich Archaeological Reserve is also on lock down. Visitors to the site are advised that the site will be closed from December twelfth to the twenty-sixth, in order to organize […]
Earlier on the newscast you heard about the U.S. seven point two million dollar loan that the government is receiving to upgrade roads and infrastructure. One particular piece of real estate near the border with Mexico has been under constant discussion lately. Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon is leaving office and his government has financed a […]
What’s Happening Belize may have gone quietly into the sunset a year ago but weekend activities are still pretty much a staple across the country. Residents of a La Isla Bonita will be treated to an exclusive partnership between Miami’s Black Chiney sound crew and Jamaica’s Coppa Shot sounds as they team up to celebrate […]
On Thursday night, we brought the first of a two part series on living with HIV in Belize. It looks into the lives of two very different persons who have faced similar struggles since testing positive. We’re using the aliases of Morton and T to protect their identities as they share their stories to help […]
There were hopes that a deal would be struck when the Debt Review Team and the Coordinating Committee of Belize Bondholders met following the US thanksgiving holiday. But the result is a reversal of a previous discussion. In August the Government publicized three Indicative Restructuring Scenarios that would reduce the long term payment and bond […]
Government and bondholders are at a stalemate five months after the negotiations started and are basically back at square one. But Jim Scott, the former president of the B.T.I.A., said today that the team leader has asked him to inform tourism industry stakeholders that the negotiations were moving forward. Jim Scott, Immediate Former President, […]
While bondholders and government are at a standstill, the Belize City municipal bond is trading beyond expectations. Since going public on Monday, Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley says there has been high demand by the business community for the bonds that will finance the ongoing infrastructure works in the City. The Belize City Council has […]
A total of eleven individuals and businesses have bought into the primary offering since it was launched on November twenty-sixth. The smallest shares are in the amount of two individual bonds, while the largest stocks are seven thousand, five hundred and twelve thousand, five hundred bonds, respectively. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor “What we’ve […]
The trial involving several law enforcement officers accused in the largest drug seizure in recent history continued today before Justice Denis Hanomansingh in the Dangriga courts with arguments from the defense. Police officers Renel Grant, Lawrence Humes, Jacinto Roches, Mark Middleton and Customs boatman Harold Usher, as well as Victor Logan have been indicted for […]
John McAfee, the anti-virus founder, has faded from the media headlines in recent days, but he continues to blog about life in hiding and in Belize on a whole. In his most recent posting, McAfee claims that the Gang Suppression Unit and the Coast Guard raided his property in San Pedro just before eleven o’clock […]
Last Friday, Belize Water Services Ltd., the collecting agent for the proposed residential garbage fee, issued a release outlining the conditions under which the city council partnership can be successful. Among those terms is that BWS will not disconnect its customers for failure to pay the new fee, despite generating and issuing the monthly invoice. […]
The tourism industry has had a successful year. That commendable sentiment came in the report card that was presented at the annual general meeting of the Belize Tourism and Industry Association which took place at the Radisson Hotel today. But despite growth in the industry, crime presents a major challenge that threatens to besmirch the […]
Two women were victims of thieves this week. On Monday, forty nine year old Rosa Tejada, a resident of Dean Street left her home between nine a.m. and four thirty p.m. When she returned she discovered that one thousand three hundred Belize dollars, an additional hundred dollars in other currencies, and two gold chains valued […]
A special joint operation by the K-nine unit and Placencia Police yielded a significant amount of cocaine early this morning. The first find was a kilo of cocaine, followed by another quantity of marijuana. As the operation continued, things got more interesting and the officers dug up eight packs of crack cocaine in different locations […]
