A team of urban designers, at the invitation of the Belize City Council, is back in the Old Capital where a project to rehabilitate the Yarborough community is set to begin. The initiative is the result of a collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and the American Planning Association. The group initially arrived in country […]
Team leader Justin Moore is an urban designer with the American Planning Association and his engagement with residents in Yarborough has been on an individual level. Justin Moore, Urban Designer, American Planning Association “Our group, we came back in February and did an initial site visit with myself and APA staff and really working […]
Belizean artist and curator Briheda Haylock is launching an exhibition at the Image Factory on Friday. Beautiful Tragedy, as she dubs the photography display, addresses the issue of gender and sexism, as well as the objectification of women. Admittedly, many of the images are bold and the messages are rather strong. But that’s the point, […]
In Belize City, police have been meeting and greeting with residents to establish better rapport as a way of curbing violence. While in San Pedro this morning, we found police undergoing training on how to best deal with the public. The police believe that by reaching out, residents will be more willing to cooperate with […]
Taking care of your skin, particularly in the summer months, is important. Exposure to the sun damages your skin extensively and you may not know that some routine practices are bad for you. But how do you contain or reverse the damage? One way is as easy as drinking water. With the summer months upon […]
There has been no official notification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belize, but thanks to a release from Guatemala and one from the O.A.S., tonight we can tell you that the member states of the O.A.S., meeting in the Dominican Republic, have endorsed a draft declaration on the resolution of the territorial, insular […]
A decision was handed down this morning, in respect of the murder of eighty-four year Samuel Price, the brother of the late father of the nation George Price. Thirty-year old Shane Gillett of Burrell Boom is said to have confessed to his neighbour then given police a caution statement in late 2011, five months after […]
In another case of murder, thirty-four-year-old Marlon Anthony Bonner was callously dispatched in a hail of bullets on Sunday evening as he awaited a turn to play a game of basketball on the Fabers Road Basketball Court. The deadly shooting was witnessed by several persons, including those who were at the court at the time […]
Bonner, who was shot multiple times to the back, head and chest, was accosted by a lone gunman. While Belize City police are no closer to a motive, they do not believe that the hit on him was gang-related. As for the suspect, ACP Williams told News Five this evening that should the detention period […]
The appointment of former coast guard officer Audibaldo Monima as Health Manager for the Northern Region has raised the ire of many within the public health sector, particularly because he is not qualified for the post. News Five broke that story last Wednesday and since then we have been following up what appears to be […]
The Hilton brand of hotels and resorts is coming to Belize, on La Isla Bonita to be precise. The announcement was made today in San Pedro that Mahogany Bay Village is partnering with the iconic hospitality chain through one of its brands, Curio. With tourism numbers trending upwards, Mahogany Bay is investing eighty million dollars […]
Weeks ago the International Monetary Fund, IMF, issued its Article Four Consultation Report. The long and short is that the report speaks of a decelerating economy in Belize amid increasing external vulnerabilities which could result in more taxes and retrenchment. Those are words that would make anyone cringe and to top it off, there has been […]
The IMF Report also points to the increase in imports and a decline of exports from Belize. According to the report, “The current account deficit widened to nine point eight percent of GDP as exports fell by nine percent and imports continued to grow, partly due to investment projects.” The blows to the agriculture sector […]
The current economic climate does little to stimulate or support entrepreneurs and small business development. Several small businesses have had to close, and many more are struggling because of heavy tax burdens and the cost of doing business. News Five asked Minister Panton what is being done to assist companies to survive the economic crunch. […]
News Five also took the opportunity to ask the ministers about the extreme case of siltation in the Belize City Harbor, particularly in front of the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. The buildup of the silt is well within the Albert constituency and an eyesore for residents in the area as well as cruise […]
While we were in San Pedro, News Five asked Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia Junior about the much needed Belize City cruise port. For years, there has been a request from the various cruise lines for a docking facility for the larger oasis ships that will make its route to Belize and the Central American […]
The abuse of elderly persons in many forms is not rare; in fact it is common, but not often reported. On the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the message has been to place to the forefront the issues affecting the elderly population. HelpAge Belize also called on the community to double up on […]
And this last piece of news from San Pedro…there have been complaints of congestion, particularly with heavy vehicles and traffic on the island. It doesn’t quite fit with the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan 2020 that calls for pocket tourism for the destination. Minister Manuel Heredia says there are ongoing works to address the issue. […]
This morning, the K.H.M.H. proudly announced receipt of a much needed donation of medical equipment and supplies – so needed in fact that the items donated were not available for the announcement today but are already in use in the facility. The K.H.M.H. has benefitted significantly over the years through the largesse of charitable organizations […]
There was a sudden blackout on Monday night in Belize City, with power restored about fifteen minutes after. Any loss of power can range anywhere from a minor to a major inconvenience, but could it be much deadlier than that? A report reached our newsroom earlier today that during the blackout an elderly person who […]
Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams led a team of officers into the Saint Martin De Porres area this afternoon, not to conduct a sting operation, but to make acquaintance with residents of the neighborhood. While violent crimes have seen a significant decrease over the past few months, revisiting the community to note the concerns […]
Belizeans are free to access our portion of the Sarstoon – go forth and enjoy. That’s pretty much the last word, not in so many words, that we got from Prime Minister Dean Barrow on May twenty-fifth, following a now much scrutinized informal understanding in Istanbul. Two days after, Guatemalan military refused to allow our […]
Earlier we told you about the terse diplomatic note sent by Guatemala to Belize, rejecting the notion that there is free access to the Sarstoon by Belizeans. While that diplomatic note in which Guatemalan chastises Belize has just been leaked, at the Forty-sixth Regular Session of the O.A.S. General Assembly in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, […]
The territorial dispute remains at the national front burner and was a topic at this year’s graduation season. On Sunday, the largest number of students graduated from the University of Belize. Five hundred and nine earned either Associate or Bachelor’s degrees or diplomas. Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin was the guest speaker at the commencement exercises […]
A father from Bella Vista, Stann Creek, who was accused of committing a heinous crime of raping and sodomizing an eight-year-old girl in February 2014, is tonight a free man after he was acquitted in a trial by nine women jurors. Jose Pana was accused of rape and an unnatural crime, but was today acquitted […]
