And to be prepared, it means the public needs timely and accurate information. According to Cumberbatch, that is what the Belize Weather Bureau will provide. We asked her how prepared the Met Office is for the 2018 hurricane season. She says that with upgrades in equipment, including the use of the Doppler radar and automatic […]
The National Meteorological Service, through its Climatology and Climate Services unit, hosted more than fifty representatives across a number of sectors at the annual climate outlook forum. The organization produces seasonal climate outlooks which are used to address climate related risks at national and local levels. At today’s forum, the seasonal outlook for the rainy […]
The Caribbean Development Bank’s Board of Governors is holding its annual two-day meeting in Grenada, in the Eastern Caribbean. The meetings and seminars that began today and continue through Thursday are structured around the region’s resilience. That buzzword, resilience, is anchored in the commitment of the bank’s members to pursue the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals […]
There has been additional manpower deployed into the Saint Martin’s area, including the presence of the Special Patrol Unit. The team has been conducting mobile and foot patrols in the neighborhood prior to Tuesday night’s murder in Gungulung. The community, says Deputy ComPol Chester Williams, is often difficult to police, especially since rival gangs are […]
This week, the police department deployed a handful of officers into the area of Saint Martin’s infamously known as PIV. They weren’t there to make any arrests, instead they were sent to survey residents in an effort to understand some of the challenges in that locality. Here’s how today’s Meet and Greet went on Jasmine […]
RESTORE Belize hosted an event called “Walls Down” in the Port Loyola area during the extended weekend. Residents were invited to enjoy a community day on a closed-off section of Faber’s Road. Bouncy houses, trampolines, music, snacks, and a basketball competition were set up, and children spent the day enjoying the community space made safe. […]
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action says it has uncovered what it calls a “Machiavellian move for power by the Government.” Ahead of the new school year, government plans to move payments for teachers from the purview of the various church-state managements to that of the SmartStream payroll and accounting system. While it appears to […]
The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has been making moves after a stuttering start due to several meetings being canceled. A report on the most recent Auditor General’s Report of 2012-2013 is due but according to Chairman Julius Espat, the consensus is that the government’s system of accountability and transparency in public […]
The Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNESCO, hosted a workshop to look at how to integrate sustainable development in education in Belize. Several education sector stakeholders reviewed what is in place and identified ways to integrate education for sustainable development into existing policies for curriculum, teacher education and student assessment. News Five spoke with […]
Santander, the Spanish multinational operating in Valley of Peace, is again in hot water, this time for illegally producing and introducing plantation white sugar into the local retail market. Tonight, the Comptroller of Customs, Colin Griffith, has instructed customs posts in Corozal, Cayo and Orange Walk to confiscate the Santander sugar on the premises where […]
News Five understands that the supplier of the Santander sugar is DV Distributors, which may be connected to the Vega Empire. Santander’s move to proceed with production and the retail of plantation white sugar appears to be deliberate, since government reiterated its position again, via a stronger letter sent to the company on May eighteenth. […]
Minister Panton says that Santander has met with the Ministry of Trade, but is also requesting a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, even though it has already violated the EPZ in retailing plantation white sugar. Isani Cayetano “Have they approached to meet with you as the minister, or with your ministry to see […]
As the issue continues to heat up, three associations; Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, Progressive Sugar Cane Farmers Association and the Corozal Sugar Cane Farmers Association are seeking a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture Godwin Hulse. In a letter, the associations note that they have carried out their own investigations and can confirm the […]
The Opposition People’s United Party has weighed in on the topic, from differing angles. Orange Walk South area rep Jose Mai, who is a cane farmer and staunch supporter of the established northern cane production, argues that Santander’s move is wrong on two fronts: in the eyes of the law, where their status as an […]
Cayo South area rep Julius Espat provided an alternative view focusing on the economic development provided by Santander in his area. He notes that farmers in the Cayo District have been providing cane to the Santander factory for their sugar, and many more are employed to harvest and produce, so he is more cautious about […]
P.U.P. caretaker Paul Thompson lost his initial bid to represent the Albert Division in 2015 when he ran against the then U.D.P. standard bearer Tracy Panton in the last general elections. As it turns out, the opposition senator shares the same Regent Street address as that of his opponent’s mother. That’s because when Thompson made […]
In other political news, the People’s United Party held a meeting today of the National Executive in Belize City. It debated several serious matters and heard from Thea Garcia Ramirez of Corozal, the first female chair of the Northern Caucus and Corozal Bay executive. After losing a convention for standard bearer, Garcia Ramirez is standing […]
The Ministry of National Security has deployed Belize Defence Force soldiers to areas in southern Belize to investigate reports of Guatemalans cutting down forest areas for illegal farming. According to a release issued by the ministry, villagers in Otoxha reported that they came across several areas within Belize that appeared to have been cleared by […]
Twenty-eight-year-old Albert Reid appeared before Supreme Court Justice Colin Williams today. He was accused of the May seventeenth, 2014 murder by stabbing of fifty-seven year old Maurice Young, also known as Tuko, of Santana Village, Belize District. Young was slashed with a knife to the neck and top of the head. His body was found […]
At the direction of Supreme Court Justice Colin Williams, a jury of nine today entered a verdict of not guilty in favour of forty-two-year-old Jordy Rhaburn and twenty-nine-year-old Kevon Bardalez. In 2011, Bardalez had been accused of raping a fourteen-year-old school girl inside a car on University Drive, while Rhaburn was charged with abetment to […]
Up north, a twelve-year-old student has reported a most disturbing incident. While the incident allegedly happened months ago, it is only now being reported. The minor claims that in mid-February, her father raped her in Corozal. A doctor has certified that the minor was carnally known.
A pair of thieves pulled off a robbery in Punta Gorda which netted them more than thirty thousand dollars. Over the weekend, Huigiang Chen of James Store reported that two armed robbers entered his bedroom at his house and held up his wide Yanhi Huang, demanding money and his firearm. The businessman handed over a […]
Belize’s Barrier Reef remains a place of great interest to visitors, whether those come to relax or seeking answers to some of the great mysteries under the ocean waters. Now, it is being featured as one of the world’s fifty best dive travel destinations by the venerable National Geographic Magazine. As part of their year-long […]
The World Heritage Committee has signaled good news in respect to potentially removing the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in danger at its next meeting. First listed in 2009, it has taken several years to implement programs designed to help the reef recover from various assaults on […]
Two students were recognized for doing the right things at their school. Darwin Beaton and Ashton Vernon were not always walking the straight and narrow, but when they got some help, they turned their lives around. And now, they have become leaders in their schools and community. Today, a short ceremony was held to reward […]
