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Was a suspected drug plane seen or heard hovering in the north over the weekend? The police department says no. Others in the media, however, are adamant that credible information they received placed an aircraft in Belizean airspace on Saturday night. While Commissioner of Police Chester Williams chided the reporting of the incident, he admitted […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Crime |
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There is trouble brewing in one of Belize’s nature reserves, the kind that could escalate as it has in the Chiquibul. This time, it is the Bladen Reserve in Toledo facing millions of dollars in losses from extracted resources. The reserve is a hundred thousand acres of forest that enjoys the highest status of protection […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Crime,
Environment |
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Water is a basic need and even today, there are still a number of households in villages without potable water. The Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government is trying to change that and today, a rehabilitated water system in Bullet Tree Falls Village in the West was inaugurated. The goal is […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Environment,
People & Places,
Social Issues |
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The Ministry of Health and Wellness COVID-19 daily report for March to thirteenth through to the fifteenth shows that there are thirteen new COVID-19 infections. There are a total of fifty-seven active cases; twenty-seven of whom are women and thirty are men. There are seventeen new recoveries. There are no deaths to report today which […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Health |
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On Friday, the International Monetary Fund issued its concluding statement after their annual country visit. The Government of Belize has responded to the report saying the IMF has now confirmed what Prime Minister John Briceño has been saying for months regarding the financial legacy left by his predecessor Dean Barrow. The IMF reports that Belize […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Regional / International |
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A new fleet of patrol cars for the Belize Police Department, that’s the call being made via public tender since the existing vehicles are in a state of disrepair. It is no secret that the hundreds of pickup trucks assigned to the law enforcement agency are the most overused and least serviced. Those Wingles and […]
Written on March 15, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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After months of controversy Karen Bevans is officially out at the Belize Tourism Board. This evening News Five was the first to report that the B.T.B. staff has been informed of the embattled Director’s departure. As we’ve been reporting since late last year, Bevans had come under scrutiny after refusing to step down from her […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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The Belmopan Civic Centre was today transformed into a vaccination centre for the first phase of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Before midday, over one hundred had come out to get their jabs and headed back home with a renewed level of confidence to move around. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting From […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
Comments Off on The Elderly Population in Belmopan Get Vaccinated!
Simultaneously, over at the COVID-19 Unit of the Western Regional Hospital, Minister of Health and Wellness, Michel Chebat visited the vaccination centre there where he got the first of his two shots. While parliamentarians are among the second phase of the vaccination rollout plan, Chebat confirmed with the media today that he is included as […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
Comments Off on Health Minister Gets Vaccinated with AstraZeneca
But are people jumping the queue? The first phase of the vaccination rollout plan was for frontline healthcare workers from COVID-19 units. It also included persons sixty years old and over as well as persons who are HIV positive and dialysis and cancer patients. So when we saw recently appointed Belizean Ambassador to Guatemala Jose […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
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Since the COVID-19 was first detected in Belize, there have been a total of twelve thousand three hundred and fifty-nine confirmed cases. Of those figures, three hundred and sixteen fatalities have been recorded and eleven thousand nine hundred and seventy-two have recovered. Fortunately, the number of active cases is down to sixty-five, despite four new […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
Comments Off on COVID-19 Figures Down
With COVID-19 figures on the low, will the quarantine measures currently in place be lifted? It comes to an end on Saturday, April third, in the middle of the Easter holidays. Health and Wellness Minister Michel Chebat says don’t be surprised if it is extended. Michel Chebat, Minister of Health & Wellness “What continues […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
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Belize’s dire economic situation has been confirmed in a recent country review by the International Monetary Fund. The cheerless assessment substantiates what Prime Minister Briceño has been repeating all along, that Belize is broke and has been in a lengthy recession prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also confirms that the Barrow administration made use […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on G.O.B. Responds to IMF’s Recent Country Review
Also in response to the IMF visit, the Prime Minister addressed concerns about Belize’s ability to make the super bond payment due in a few weeks. He appeared on Open Your Eyes on Thursday. Marleni Cuellar, Host, Open Your Eyes “There’s a payment due in a few months, in May. And clearly from all […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured |
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People may question what the relationship is like given how Espat left the party in 2012. Prime Minister John Briceño “As far as I am concerned, we can’t take these things personal, being upset with Mark. But we have a job to do; we have to see how we can get the people with […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Economy |
Comments Off on PM Answers Question about Mark Espat
One of the big stories for over a week now has been the response of the public service and teachers’ unions to the government’s proposed pay cuts and increment freeze. While there have been communications with the unions from the Financial Secretary Joseph Waight and the Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde as well as Education […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Economy |
Comments Off on What Happens If Unions Don’t Buy In to G.O.B.’s Proposal
Although it says it is monitoring the international increases in fuel prices, and safeguarding Belizean consumers, the Ministry of Finance is raising fuel prices yet again. The latest jump is for those of you who drive diesel vehicles. You will now have to pay fifty-three cents more beginning on Saturday. This increase to ten dollars […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Economy |
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Open government is the central policy which maintains that citizens have the right the right to access public records, as well as government proceedings in order to allow for effective public oversight. Shared access to information as a measure of ensuring accountability and inclusiveness is encouraged under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In Belize, […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Promoting Open Public Administration in Belize
As part of the Action Plan, Paco Smith drafted three of seven project commitments. They include ensuring that the Government of Belize is compliant with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. It also considers climate change and its impact on the environment and the resulting socio-economic effects on the country. The Action Plan also looks […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
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The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of La Inmaculada Credit Union. Justice Arana handed ordered the former General Manager Yolanda Gomez to pay the credit union almost four hundred and thirty-seven dollars in damages and court costs. Justice Arana also ruled that La Inmaculada Credit Union did not wrongfully terminate Gomez and is not […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Trials |
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The Southern Regional Hospital has secured funding from the Government of Japan to purchase new ambulances. On Thursday, the Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiro Irgu presented a check for almost four hundred thousand dollars to the medical facility. The handing over is the result of an application made by the management team at the Southern Regional to […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Health,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Southern Regional Hospital to Acquire 2 Ambulances
In our continuing effort to shine a light on exemplary Belizean women for Women’s Month, tonight we introduce you to a young marine biologist. While the number of women in the sciences has significantly increased in recent years, women are still under-represented in some fields. The Belize Audubon Society is one organization working to increase […]
Written on March 12, 2021 | Posted in
Environment |
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On Wednesday’s news, viewers saw teachers from Stann Creek join a motorcade to express displeasure at the government’s proposed salary cut and increment freeze for teachers and public officers for three years. What you may not know is at the same time on Wednesday in Belize City the council of management of the Belize National […]
Written on March 11, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Education,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Teachers Riled Up; Want Apology from PM Briceño
On March fifteenth, the B.N.T.U. will issue a counterproposal to G.O.B., which is expected to be discussed in cabinet. But the firebrand union is monitoring the situation very closely and has developed a plan of action. The green B.N.T.U. T-shirts will be worn on days when teachers report to school. There will be a series […]
Written on March 11, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Education,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Are Teachers Planning to Strike?
The members of law enforcement agencies are also recognised as public officers and so they too would be subject to the ten percent salary cut and increment freeze proposed by government. It has not been sitting well with officers at the Belize Police Department and so today, during a virtual interview with Commissioner of Police […]
Written on March 11, 2021 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on ComPol Says He’d Rather Take a Pay Cut over Retrenchment
