One shot that may soon also be available is COVID boosters for children between the ages of twelve and seventeen. Dr. Diaz-Musa has more on this and pop-up vaccine clinics. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Manager, Central Health Region “This is something that we are in constant discussion about and the final memo has not […]
The Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations handed over a set of office equipment to the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Central Health Region. Today, a ceremony was held at the Belize Tourism Board headquarters in Belize City where we heard how the equipment will be put to use. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health […]
2022 is the year of the census, including a population count for aquatic species of birds that are native to Belize. The exercise began a few weeks ago and is scheduled to conclude on the fifteenth of February. The annual count is being led by the Belize Audubon Society and will cover specific protected areas […]
Belizean musician, Stig Da Artist, is making big moves on the international scene, snagging features from Afro Beat sensation Davido and D.J. Khaled for his upcoming album. As we reported several weeks ago, a contract has been signed between the artist and Universal Music Group for the distribution of his records. Shyne has been instrumental […]
Tonight on News Five’s COVID Chronicles, the long awaited reopening of the land borders happens next Monday. And, while some of you may already be putting your passports in your bags and finding stray pesos at the bottom of them, others are not so sure about going to Chetumal or Melchor de Mencos just yet. […]
Following his swearing-in as Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday, Area Representative in the Mesopotamia division, Shyne Barrow, came out swinging at his fellow Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton for comments she made about due process not being followed in making him Leader of the Opposition. Barrow suggested that when she had the opportunity to […]
Taegar-Panton says that her party is in such dire straits and in her opinion she is really the only choice for the delegates to vote for at the next U.D.P. Leadership Convention on March twenty-seventh. She says the party needs to appeal not just to its faithful, but also the undecided voters. Tracy Taegar-Panton, […]
The mess that the U.D.P. finds itself in since Patrick Faber’s downfall two weeks ago and the internal scuffle for the leadership position have dominated the news almost every day since. At an event for the Ministry of Housing today, News Five asked Minister Julius Espat for his views on the challenges the Opposition is […]
The national budget has another month or so before it is presented in the House of Representatives, and it will be interesting to see which ministries get an increase and which don’t. The Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development, Julius Espat has been critical for years of the skeletal budgets allotted for the oversight bodies […]
The controversial Free, Prior and Informed Consent Protocol has been filed with the Caribbean Court of Justice, much to the chagrin of the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance. The focal point of the dispute between representatives of the indigenous community and the Government of Belize is a perceived lack of consultation regarding […]
Commissioner Greg Ch’oc, on the other hand, has presented a trove of documents supporting his claim that TAA/MLA were indeed consulted at various stages of the process. According to Ch’oc, an exchange of opinions with all relevant stakeholders on what the FPIC Protocol should contain was critical to formulating the document. Greg Ch’oc, Commissioner […]
The issue of the FPIC Protocol has, to some extent, polarized the Maya community with organizations, including the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, taking a position against the Maya Leaders Alliance. That division, says Ch’oc, is regrettable, particularly since the Briceño administration seems committed to implement the terms of the C.C.J.’s consent order. […]
Last night we told you about the legal challenge that Belize brought against Trinidad and Tobago before the C.C.J. The Government of Belize accused the Republic of importing non-CARICOM brown sugar without applying a forty percent Common External Tariff – a requirement under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. This would have severely affected the competitiveness […]
To prevent any further standoffs, B.S.I. and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association are in negotiations as they attempt to finalize a commercial agreement by the end of the sugar crop. Their first meeting was held on January eighteenth where B.S.I. reportedly laid out the financial reports on bagasse earnings. More meetings are to follow, […]
Back in 2019, the community of Chan Pine Ridge in the Orange Walk District claimed it was being affected by air pollution from B.S.I. Residents were especially concerned that the ashes emitted might contain hazardous chemicals. B.S.I. has since made a significant investment in its air emission system to drastically reduce the level of ash […]
With its latest upgrades, which also include the water cooling system that was commissioned at the start of the sugar crop, will B.S.I. be able to shake off the negative public perception that it has garnered over the years? The company has been accused on numerous occasions of being one of the main water and […]
News Five also followed up with Chavarria on B.S.I.’s report last month that sugar cane was coming in with extraneous matter that threatened to shut down the mill. He says some fifteen thousand tons of sugar cane had deteriorated in quality, as a result of the blockade in front of the A.S.R./B.S.I. compound at the […]
With all the talk about global climate change and man-made environmental issues, it’s easy to lose sight of actual people being affected by changes beyond their control. Tonight, Duane Moody has the story of a small place and small group of residents who are literally watching the Caribbean Sea swallow their community. They keep moving […]
The seventeen members of the Belize Agro-Productive Sector Group have written to the Prime Minister with a list of concerns about the government’s handling of recent events, out-of-date legislation and tax structures that are affecting investor confidence. The first issue raised is government’s failure to enforce the law when criminal acts are committed against investors […]
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has fired off a letter of its own to the Prime Minister, echoing the sentiments raised by the Agro-Processing Group. The B.C.C.I. points to recent cases or, as they term it “certain actors,” who have been squatting on private property, damaging property or illegally blocking access to businesses […]
Fifteen major properties have come out against the travel insurance that the Ministry of Tourism plans to impose on February fifteenth. On Monday, we reported that the Belize Tourism Industry Association has come out in support of the insurance that will cost each traveller approximately eighteen dollars, but will assist with their accommodation and hospital […]
A travel insurance portal is still in the works and expected to be ready by early next week, in time for February fifteenth when the requirement comes into effect. But some hotels say cancelations are already rolling in because the portal is not up and running. Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler says the delay is giving […]
Even though the number of new COVID infection is in the triple digits daily, there seems to be a slight dip in the overall infection rate. There are now more recoveries than infections. Deputy Regional Health Manager for the Central Health Region, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa said that while the infection rate varies from district to […]
…and while you may be concerned about the numbers shooting up again when the land borders are reopened, Doctor Musa said that very strict protocols are being introduced at those facilities. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Regional Health Manager, Central Health Region “I think that the way that the way that we are moving forward […]
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between APAMO and the B.T.B. to bridge the gap between the environmental N.G.O.s and the tourism sector. After numerous site visits and continuous talks, a formal partnership was created between the tourism industry and the biggest umbrella of protected areas N.G.O.s in Belize. Following the signing, a seventy-five […]
