A group of five karatekas from the House of Shotokan Karate Academy headed to Chetumal over the weekend where they participated in an invitational martial arts tournament. The event drew contestants from as far north as Tabasco and when all the kicks and punches had been thrown; Belize emerged victorious with a total of nine […]
Where is fourteen year old Drina Stevens? That’s the question that her mother Lavern Arzu is asking as it’s been almost a week since the second form student of Georgetown Technical High School has not returned home. Drina, a resident of Seine Bight, was seen leaving for school last week Wednesday when she got on […]
The Ministry of Health issued a release late this evening on zika which until now has been detected in Central America, the Caribbean and throughout the rest of the region. There are two suspected cases: one in the Stann Creek District and the other in the Toledo District. There is a third potential case in […]
Six persons are tonight in custody following the murder of a Belmopan resident. Luis Ortiz and Juan Gonzales were ambushed inside Ortiz vehicle and taken to an area near the Roaring Creek cemetery. Gonzales was badly beaten but he played dead and that saved his life. Ortiz’s body was found within eight hours in the […]
We report on all manner of unpleasant allegations made in the criminal arena, but there are some which truly turn the stomach. Tonight, Stann Creek Police have allegedly detained one man after he was accused of raping his stepdaughter, ill with cerebral palsy. According to the official report, on the thirty-first of March the child, […]
Last Friday, our News Five team camped out under a “hammans” tree outside O.A.S. Office in the adjacency zone for hours. Inside were top diplomats from Belize and Guatemala, Foreign Affairs Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales. They were joined by top military commanders for both countries, General David Jones and General Carlos Eduardo […]
A resolution within days may be a matter easier said than done. Guatemala maintains that the Sarstoon is theirs, and in a recent diplomatic note stated that they will continue to assert that sovereignty over what is theirs. They have done just that. While diplomats from both countries sip tea and share anecdotes, the G.A.F. […]
By now, most would have heard of the controversial Panama Papers, a trove of documents leaked by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). In a nutshell, the documents taken from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca reveal the ways in which powerful individuals can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes, but interestingly no one […]
The date for a special convention to choose the First Deputy Leader of the United Democratic Party is set. Delegates from across all thirty-one constituencies are expected to cast their votes in favor of either Patrick Faber or John Saldivar come May twenty-ninth. The last Sunday in May was agreed upon by both candidates, as […]
Since both candidates threw their hats into the ring following Gaspar Vega’s departure as first deputy leader, several area representatives have come out in full support of their candidate of choice. Faber was first to openly declare his candidacy and was initially endorsed by political mentor Michael Finnegan, as well as Manuel Heredia Junior and […]
While a majority of the area representatives and standard bearers have chosen their candidate, there is one wild card remaining. That person seems to be Orange Walk North Area Representative Gaspar Vega whose seat as Deputy Party Leader is being contested. Vega has not declared his support, but does it matter to Faber? Patrick […]
Still on political news…Is perennial Mesopotamia Area Representative Michael Finnegan throwing in the towel? In the wake of his November fourth victory in the 2015 General Elections, Finnegan’s nephew Jamal ‘Shyne’ Barrow came forward to announce that he is the heir apparent for the Mesop seat sidelining former Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya, who had […]
While Finnegan has declared his unwavering support for Patrick Faber, Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez is flexing his political muscle in the other corner. This afternoon, he called a press conference to publicly support his fellow sports enthusiast John Saldivar. The pair has been rather close, sharing a camaraderie that goes back many […]
With the convention date set for May twenty-ninth, both candidates are canvassing delegates in the thirty-one constituencies. That being the case, it isn’t farfetched that Patrick Faber would have approached Boots and his delegates for their votes. Reporter “I imagine that the Honorable Patrick Faber would have put in a bid to get your […]
A Guatemalan national residing in San Martin Village, Belmopan is facing five criminal offenses tonight. It all went downhill for Victor Sagatume after police searched and found on him point two grams of cocaine on Sunday while the cops were on mobile patrol through Taylors Alley in Belize City. While he was being escorted to […]
Almost a month ago, a cyclist of the Hattieville area was crushed by a bus. Today, thirty-four year old Hattieville resident and bus driver, Franco Audinett was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. He was read three traffic offenses: manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, and drove motor vehicle without due care and […]
From 2000 to 2015 the world focused on the Millennium Development Goals – a structured framework which nations used to chart a path to development in areas like health, education, economic growth and gender equality. The MDGs have now begun the transition into the post 2015 SDGs…Sustainable Development Goals – seventeen of them. The discussion […]
The issue of imposing a nine o’clock curfew for anyone below the age of eighteen years has gained traction in all corners, including the Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation. While it has been met with objection from UNICEF, the idea of a citywide restriction on minors is one that is supported by government. […]
Deputy Mayor Dean Samuels, is he preparing to succeed “Boots” Martinez in Port Loyola? While the incumbent area representative has announced his retirement from electoral politics at the end of this term, he is grooming the three-time city councilor for a seat in central government. Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Area Representative, Port Loyola “I said […]
Over the weekend, membership of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, APAMO, participated in a working retreat to take a critical look at the role and direction necessary as co-managers of protected areas. The two-day meeting comes on the heels of an incident between the Guatemalan military and SATIIM rangers and that incident was […]
On Sunday, at around one p.m., Ashley Rebecca Walker died at home, her mother Kayla by her side. She had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in September 2014, shortly before her fourth birthday, and since then had been battling the deadly cancer. She beat it back twice in 2015 before receiving the bone marrow […]
Where is Albert Johnson? The family of the woodcarver and father of two teenage daughters became concerned after a group of police officers came to their home in Belmopan, demanding that they hand over Johnson. According to the family, the officers claimed that he had escaped from police custody on Sunday after being in detention […]
Good evening I’m James Adderly and this is Sports Monday. The 4 team playoffs in the PLB Closing season got off with a bang on Saturday with all 4 teams seeing action. At the Isidoro Beaton Stadium the Belmopan Bandits hosted the surging Belize Defense Force in game 1 of a 2 game series […]
As hostilities mount in the Sarstoon, there has been some progress made in agreeing to specific confidence building measures and protocols for engagement in the Sarstoon, though not a definitive resolution just yet. The announcement came at five this evening at O.A.S. headquarters in the adjacency zone, where high level diplomatic and military officials from […]
The meeting today was especially significant in the wake of what the Prime Minister has called the ramping up of aggression by Guatemala in the Sarstoon, culminating in the interception of a SATIIM boat carrying rangers on patrol just three days ago. The issue, in a nutshell, is that Belize has been operating on premise […]
