Prime Minister Dean Barrow has emphatically rejected the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund to increase the General Sales Tax to fifteen percent. That proposal from the UN financial agency succeeds what is known as an Article Four Consultation during which the IMF meets annually with each member government. An assessment of Belize’s economic health […]
The annual assessment by the IMF seeks to forestall future financial problems that member countries may face; however, its conditions have been broadly debated. It is argued that the IMF’s policy prescriptions present standardized remedies that are not sufficiently tailored to each country’s individual circumstances. So where does PM Barrow stand on criticisms that his […]
Thirty-six-year-old Jermaine Franklin was shot and killed while shopping for new movies inside Teddy’s on Kings Street on Wednesday night. Sometime around six-thirty, Belize City police responded to reports of shots being fired in front of the store. When they arrived on the scene, they saw the lifeless body of the Fabers Road resident lying […]
Immigration Officer Ady Pacheco spent most of Wednesday’s appearance at the Senate Special Select Committee pointing the finger at her bosses in the Immigration Department, as it relates to the various scandals that were investigated by the Audit Department. Pacheco was careful to admit to very little that could land her in further hot water, […]
According to Pacheco, it was not uncommon during her time in the visa section for her officer in charge there, George Reynolds, to receive applications for visas from ministers of government or their respective agents. She says it was, quote, normal practice, for these applications to be handed to her for processing, despite being junior […]
Brothers Wasani and Jafari Castro made headlines on Monday when it was reported that the siblings were arrested last Friday in connection with several traffic offenses, as well as a sizeable haul of contraband beer. The brothers, both sons of Transport Minister Edmond ‘Clear the Land’ Castro, who is also the Belize Rural North Area […]
Press Office Director Dorian Pakeman is back on the job, after being suspended in the wake of a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of Gardenia resident Dean Dawson in 2016. The deadly mishap took place on the Philip Goldson Highway while the mechanic was riding his bicycle along the stretch of road near […]
The Barracks area has been the site of many outdoor concerts featuring local and international artists and music accompanies many events in the area. But following concerns raised by residents about noise at a public meeting on Wednesday, select bars and night clubs face new restrictions from the Belize City Council. An internal memo leaked […]
The Annual General Meeting of Belize Electricity Limited took place on Wednesday night and the news is that the company continues to perform well for shareholders. With electricity rates largely steady, the company earned twenty-seven point three million dollars, of which twenty-point-three million was diverted to dividends. B.E.L. says fifty-six percent of all its electricity […]
A female manatee that was mating was killed over the weekend. It appears that a number of manatees are at the peak of their mating in the summer time and lately have been spotted in the river mouth area. But this area is heavily trafficked and boats present a real threat to the herd. Jamal […]
Over the past few months, we have shown you the massive silt build up in the Yabra Canal. The City Council and other partners have been doing the ground work to chart a way forward to clear the canal. Today, CitCo started with the extraction of the silt, but this preparatory work is a second […]
With the 2018 municipal elections only several months away, the UDP Belize City Council slate is already shaping out. On Wednesday, eight councilor candidates submitted their names ahead of the upcoming deadline. While that ticket does not as yet include incumbent Mayor Darrell Bradley, or councilors Phillip Willoughby and Alifa Elrington-Hyde, the party is moving […]
Is Belize City Council’s Superman Willoughby in or is he out of the U.D.P. Municipal? Last night, you heard Councilor Dion Leslie say that the current U.D.P. city councilors are united to offer themselves as a team on the U.D.P. ticket for the 2018 municipal elections. That united effort was seen on Wednesday when eight […]
Nineteen women today graduated from a certificate course in the basics of care giving, an important job as the population of Belize ages. The Belize Training and Employment Center collaborated with parent BELTRAIDE, the National Council on Ageing, the Belize Natural Energy Charitable Trust and Sister Cecilia Home for the Elderly, where participants took part […]
The Museum of Belize is leading an initiative that will see small museums enter into an association. Today, they officially signed the article of association that will see them better supported with training and other opportunities in order to better support in areas of preservation of culture and heritage. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports. […]
Last week, a group of roving caregivers attended two training workshops to learn how to use puppetry in childhood simulation, as well as educational and therapy work. Mexican Puppeteer Raquel Robles Pacheco trained the care givers how to use the puppets to communicate in the counseling of children. The initiative was sponsored by ICA via […]
A long-term relationship between the Government of Belize and Microsoft Service has been struck, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding earlier today. The partnership with the leading technology behemoth aims to assist in meeting government’s National Digital Transformation Goals. Microsoft will help the Central Information and Technology Office, CITO, to develop and deliver […]
Starting on Saturday, a group of Belizeans will once again participate in one of the prestigious poker tournaments at the Annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas Nevada. The players, who hail Belmopan, San Pedro and Belize City, have earned their spot on Team Belize by winning smaller tournaments organized over the past year […]
