Recent Belize News, 8/21/2016 to 8/31/2016, BelizeNews.com

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

BNCF awards over 75k in terrestrial biodiversity research and protected areas management
The Belize Nature Conservation Foundation (BNCF) awarded two grants in the furtherance of conservation efforts in Belize’s protected areas. The ceremony to award the recipients was held at the Programme for Belize office at 1 Eyre Street, Belize City. Ya’axche Conservation Trust and the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) were the successful applicants. Ya’axche received a total of thirty seven thousand, eight hundred and eighty eight dollars (BZ$37,888). APAMO, received thirty eight thousand (BZ$38,000). This marks the BNCF’s tenth grants award ceremony. On this occasion, the BNCF’s Chair, Mr. Edilberto Romero, remarked that the grants given out today will help to “support the conservation of our forests and the management of protected areas”. Ya’axche, for its project entitled, “Strengthening Conservation through Community Participation in Biodiversity Research” seeks to collect baseline biodiversity data in key biodiversity areas throughout the Maya Golden Landscape. Through the collection of this data they hope to increase community awareness of the importance of biodiversity and biodiversity monitoring techniques towards the understanding and management of our natural environment.

Miss Belize Universe delegates gear up for online voting & fashion show
The 11 delegates for the Miss Belize Universe Pageant will shine in the golden spotlight at Midas Belize Resort in a pre-pageant fashion show on Saturday, Sept. 3. The resort, located at Branch Mouth Road in San Ignacio, will host the event in the lead-up to the pageant itself, which is Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts. At the fashion show, a panel of judges will score the delegates, and those scores will be taken into account on pageant night.

Misc Belizean Sources

Updated Cabinet & CEO list
Three unelected persons have been given top ministerial appointments in the Barrow Administration. But why have the elected representative been pushed aside? Following today’s cabinet meeting, the Press Office issued an updated list of Cabinet Ministers and Chief Executive Officers.

BELTRAIDE PARTICIPATES IN SECOND ANNUAL BTIA OW EXPO
In its continuous quest to inform the general public about its role of attracting and facilitating new investment for Belize, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), through its Small Business Development Service (SBDC), actively participated in the second annual BTIA OW Expo held on Saturday, 27th August at the Queen Elizabeth Park in downtown Orange Walk Town. A large number of Expo goers visited the event. Those visiting the SBDC booth had an opportunity to sample and buy products from Fibber’s sauces, K & K’s Beauty Products, Northern Heat pepper sauces and enjoy the delicious bread from Rosita’s Capricho N Bon. Visitors also obtained the latest information on BELTRAIDE’s projects as well as information on the work of its various units. Numerous brochures, INVEST BELIZE Magazine were on display. There were also numerous give-aways on BELTRAIDE’s promotional items. The Orange Walk Tourism Expo was developed to highlight Orange Walk Town as a tourist destination with the aim to attract more Belizeans and international tourists.

The Department of the Environment - DOE is having a Theme Competition and you can win $500.00!
In the context of the 25th Anniversary of the Department of the Environment(DOE), which will be on October 14, 2017, the DOE of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development is organizing a theme competition for the celebration of DOE’s 25th Anniversary. The guidelines and other relevant details pertaining to the competition are as follows:1.The theme should be in English, typewritten in double space with a font size of at least 12, and consist of no more than 10 words. 2.Submit to the Chief Environmental Officer, Department of the Environment, Market Square, Belmopan, RE: 25th Anniversary Theme no later than 12:00 pm on Friday, September 23rd, 2016.

Miss San Pedro 2016 Pageant
The San Pedro Town Council proudly presents the Miss San Pedro 2016 Pageant. This Saturday, September 3rd at the Hon. Louis Sylvestre Sports Complex. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. and Show starts at 8:00 p.m. SHARP! Performing at the pageant, All the way from El Salvador, Grupo Crash! Get your reserved tickets! Exclusively sold at the San Pedro Town Council offices.

The Government of Belize has published the Special Audit on the Immigration and Nationality Department on their website.

Forty police officers joined the ranks of the GREAT( Gang Resistance Education and Training) program
Following a graduation ceremony held last week in Belize City. Guest speaker Ambassador Moreno congratulated the graduates and mentioned that the GREAT program is a revamped strategy toward community policing that has made officers closer to the communities which they protect and serve. The Officers will be visiting various schools throughout Belize to teach students how to resist gangs and gang activities in their schools and communities. Congratulations to the GREAT graduates!

The U.S. Government donated additional assistance to Belize’s recovery from damage from Hurricane Earl
The U.S. government will make available funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Ambassador’s Emergency Relief Fund. This support builds on the Embassy’s long-term disaster assistance from the U.S. government to Belize since 2006 to strengthen and supplement local response and recovery efforts. Last week the Ambassador Moreno along with the Belize Red Cross donated mattresses and linens to several Belizean families recovering from damage to their homes during the storm.

The Official Fashion Show and Beauty for Miss Belize 2016
Dianira Rivera is representing San Pedro at Miss Belize! Come cheer her on at this preliminary fashion show on Sept. 3 and then attend the pageant at Bliss Center for Performing Arts on September 10!

It's International Whale Shark Day!
This day celebrates these remarkable gentle giants. Whale sharks can grow to 45 feet and weigh in at 24,000 pounds. Belize is blessed to have these seasonal visitors visit us! Photos by Tony Rath Photography and Tour Guide Harry Neal

Clouds over Caye Caulker last night
And not a drop of rain

Caye Caulker Ocean Academy
We warmly welcome our new Form 1 Ocean Academy students and are looking forward to a wonderful school year together.

FARMERS MARKET on Caye Caulker
HERE WE COME.. this Sunday, September 4th, 2016…the FarmHouse Deli will be holding its FARMERS MARKET in Caye Caulker from 11 am to 2 pm at DREADED GRAPE wine and cheese bar. Come enjoy over 12 types of deli fresh baked artisan breads, deli smoked & cured meats and over 14 types of Artisan cheeses from our Caves Branch cheese house. Pro biotic deli brewed drinks including Kambucha, Kvoss, Water Kefir, Dairy Kefir, Coconut Water & Coconut Milk Kefir. BEST QUALITY fresh handpick organically grown farm vegetables from our FARMacy at Barton Creek. Guaranteed freshest entire country.

Splashers
It's almost Thursday and you know what that means! The Splashers will be stroking...tapping... and getting their Happy on Canvas! :) Join us at Crazy Canucks Beach Bar and get your Happy on too!

D Stock Burger Relocates
D'Stock Burger has moved into the old Treatery location at the CAYO Welcome Center. Basically, they shifted 100 meters over. One of the best burgers around, and well priced too.

Channel 7

Christians Protest In Belmopan, To No Great Effect
Last night, we told you that Patrick Menzies and the leadership of the Spanish arm of the Evangelical Churches, the "Alliance of Ministers and Leaders," would be making a second demonstration in Belmopan today to follow up on Friday's protest outside the House meeting. That's the protest which got out of hand when the Belize City based agitators hijacked the church protest and broke the police barrier to rush the Assembly building - the cops had to fire a shot to stop them from storming into the House. Well as we told you last night, the police did not want to grant them any permits to protest today, and so they instead staged a church service on the National Assembly Steps. It didn't have the numbers from Friday; the crowd shrank from 16 hundred persons to only one hundred and sixty. Today, we were in Belmopan to speak with their leader, Patrick Menzies, who told us that they Cabinet must concede to the 10 demands they made public yesterday:

UDP Minister Discuss The Ugly Ejection
While we were in Belmopan, we waited for the Cabinet Ministers to exit today's meeting to discuss the topic on everybody's mind, the ugly ejection of PUP Cayo South Representative Julius Espat. Not many of those Ministers were in the mood to grant a press encounter, but Michael Finnegan, Elodio Aragon, and Wilfred Elrington did stop to give us an interview. Finnegan told us that in his opinion as a senior parliamentarian, it shouldn't have gotten to that point: Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing: "It was unfortunate, disrespectful and disgraceful. That's all I have to say." Reporter: "At one point you even got up to speak on behalf of Mr. Espat and also cross the floor to speak with them. What was your perspective at that specific point in time?" Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing: "I didn't talk on behalf of Mr. Espat. That is a wrong interpretation. I got up and was concerned about civility in the house and I believe that a member must be allowed to make his/her point. But a member must act within the framework and the guidelines of the law. You cannot get up and say the speaker is mercenary, the speaker is being paid to stop you from making your presentation, that members of the other side of the house are thieves. Man that is uncalled for. That was totally uncalled for. But the member, I will repeat again, have all right to make his/her presentation within the guidelines."

Vega's Notable Absence on Friday
We didn't get to speak to him, but former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega was in Cabinet today - but he wasn't in the House of Representatives last Friday. Sources tell us Vega - who was in country - may have been staging a quiet sit out in protest of his government's position on the Section 53 judgment - which Vega staunchly opposes. And he was missed in the house on Friday because every other UDP member was there, and also because he was supposed to present a report. Here's the slightly awkward moment when the speaker had to kind of gloss over his absence while new Deputy PM Faber dived in for a save:... Hon. Mike Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House: "I recognized the Honorable Minister of. I recognized in his stead the Hon. Deputy Prime Minister."

PM Discusses Vega And State of Cabinet
It's a small moment that most would have missed, but we caught it - and on Friday when we spoke to the Prime Minister via telephone we asked him about Vega's unexcused absence on Friday, and the wider implications for a division in cabinet. The PM indicated that indeed Vega did oppose the government position on the section 53 judgment. Here's the phone interview from Friday evening:... Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister: "He wasn't in cabinet when the decision was taken not to appeal and he has indicated that if he'd been there he would have voted against that position. So that much is clear. But I spoke to him yesterday and he gave me no impression that he's not coming to the house meeting as consequence of his dissatisfaction. So, I'm afraid you have to chase him down to find out the reason for his absence. He has not been in touch to say that I wasn't there and here is why. So I really can't go beyond that."

Cabinet's Tweaks
And coming out of today's Cabinet meeting there's the announcement of minor tweaks and changes to portfolios and Chief Executive Officers. The new listing shows that the Minister of State for Finance is Dr. Carla Barnett and her CEO is Joseph Waight. The CEO for John Saldivar's newly reconstituted Ministry of Defence is Felix Enriquez while George Lovell picks up as CEO for the Police Ministry. Today UDP Party Whip Michael Finnegan explained why government keeps making these changes: Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing: "This started way back with Leader Emeritus Hon. George Price. He first started it. George Price who we all love started way back with JW MacMillan, Assad Shoman, Dickie Bradley lost twice, was made minister and I can go on and on. There is nothing wrong with any government whether it's the UDP government or otherwise utilizing the intellectual capacity of people outside parliament. There is nothing wrong with that and there is no powerful ministry more than the other one. We all have equal say in cabinet. We get the same salary."

Cork Street Assault In Tourism Zone Doesn't Surprise Hotelier
This morning there was a stabbing on Cork Street - that's in the heart of a Tourist Zone, right down the street from the Radisson and a street over from the Tourism Village. But, the victim wasn't a tourist - it was a Radisson employee on his way to work. He may have been targeted by gang players from nearby Majestic Alley because he's from a southside neighborhood that's part of the ongoing gang warfare. We found out more when we reviewed the security footage:.. At five to 7:00 this morning, Kendale Green was riding to work at the Radisson Fort George on Cork Street when two men charged out of an alley and tackled him off his bike and then started stabbing him. In the grainy security footage, right in the margins of the time stamp, you can see them hauling him to the middle of the street and stabbing him repeatedly.

Household Survey Finds Punished Children, Happy People
The Statistical Institute of Belize has completed what's known as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey or MICS report. It is compiled in conjunction with UNICEF and it is designed to gather information on the state of women and children through large scale household surveys. In this case more than 5,200 households were sampled. It shows that 92 percent of those households have access to electricity, while 96 percent reported using improved sources of drinking water. About 87 percent of households had improved sanitation facilities. The average household size was 3.8 persons, and on average the number of persons per each room used for sleeping was just under two. While that's the good news, to bad news is that of all children under five years old, 4.6 percent were found to be underweight, while 15 percent were considered to be stunted, or below the normal height for their age as per World Health Organization standards. 12 percent of infants weighed less than five and a half pounds at birth.

Mike Espat, Mason And Campaign Cash
William Danny Mason is still in jail - and since his name has slipped from the headlines recently, he may be missing the attention. But he's not quite forgotten yet because his name did come up in the House of Representatives on Friday. That's when a member from the PUP asked the Prime Minister about the possibility of appointing an independent investigator for the Danny Mason case. That's when the PM produced the minutes of a most curious political fundraising meeting:... Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister: "He is known to have entertained and perhaps made contributions to several persons in public life, including according to the minutes of a meeting held among a number of persons and I'll tell you who were in attendance on February 20th 2014, Mr. Paddy Franks, Mr. Danny Mason, Mr. Arturo Saldivar, Mr. Michael Espat, Mr Ricardo and one Mr. Elvin Pener. Topic of meeting to discuss actions required to prepare for elections. Funds for campaign expense will be provided by Mr. Danny Mason, entrepreneur. The minutes were signed off all the people who attended you know. Here is Michael Espat's signature. So you should have put that in when you talk about the people that the man entertained."

PUP Leader Says Mike Espat/Mason Meeting Not That Bad
Yesterday we did ask the PUP LEADER about Mike Espat's name in the Mason minutes. John Briceno - who had previously come down hard on UDP politicians who met with Mason - was more forgiving with his representative for Toledo West:... Jules Vasquez, 7News: "The Prime Minister raised the minutes of some meeting that he has minutes of that shows that Mike Espat had been in meetings with Mr. Mason. Mr. Mike is not at the head table, but if this could be addressed one way or the other." Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition: "Let me address it right now." Hon. Mike Espat: "I haven't gotten one dollar from...."

Julius May Have Met Mason, But Nothing To It
So, while that's the PUP's response to the Prime Minister's assertion that Mike Espat was meeting with accused murderer William Danny Mason, Julius Espat, the Deputy of the PUP's Western Caucus says he has not done any business transactions with him. On Friday, before he was dragged out of the House, he granted an interview outside in which we asked him if he had gone to Intelco Hill, and he said that he did not. Here's that conversation with him: Daniel Ortiz, 7News: "Sir, did you ever had any personal meetings or discussions with William Mason when no one knew that he was involved in the type of things he is accused of?" Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative: "I don't remember the gentleman that well. I may have had an encounter with him, but it's not somebody that I remembered. I am a businessman and I meet a lot of people and I don't recall everybody. So I can't say that I have or I haven't, but the possibility is there that we have met somewhere. I mean he was around, there were restaurants that probably you met somebody like that, there were social events that probably you met."

Briceno Pounces on PM
But what the PUP won't forget anytime soon is the appearance of the Prime Minister's name in the audit of nationality documents. He vouched for his wife's brother in law, Peter Dahlstrom who is Swedish. He's been married to the PM's sister in law for decades but the PUP leader outlined what the audit report said about his nationality... Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "He and his wife recommended their brother-in-law for Belizean nationality whilst he has been married to a Belizean for more than 20 years. You need to be resident in Belize for a full year to be able to qualify and the investigations have shown that his brother-in-law has never resided in Belize for a full year. So he did not qualify and the Prime Minister recommended his brother-in-law for that nationality and based on that recommendation his brother-in-law did received his Belizean nationality."

PM Brushes Off Untoward Suggestion
And here's how the Prime Minister explained it when we spoke to him via telephone on Friday: Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow Prime Minister, Prime Minister: "If he's saying that I wrote some sort of a letter asking that he be given his nationality, I do not recollect any such thing and I would believe that that is absolute nonsense. And in terms of the substance of his charge, my wife's brother in law maintains a residence in Belize, you can argue about what is enough to satisfy the requirements of the law, that's a matter between him and the immigration officials." Jules Vasquez, 7News: "But, Sir, were you aware that your name and your wife's name is in the nationality report?" Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow Prime Minister, Prime Minister: "No, I was not, I was not."

Briceno Bristles When PM Comparison Made
And just now you heard how the PM bristled when we suggested that he had been painted however slightly with the same brush as other sin the report. Well, John Bricneo who's also in the report - similarly bristled when we suggested the same to him:... Jules Vasquez, 7News: "Did she go on and get her passport?" Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "I have no idea." Jules Vasquez, 7News: "Because then if she did, you would have been involved in the approval of a passport just like the Prime Minister which did not meet all the requirements." Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "No, no, hold on. There is a big difference Jules. You are stretching this. Let us make this very clear. First of all, if I did not put the stamp, somehow I forgot to put the stamp, then it is then the responsibility of the immigration office to say that you didn't stamp the passport, so you need to take this back to get it stamp. Now the difference with me and the Prime Minister, is that the Prime Minister knew that his brother-in-law has not live a full year."

PUP Can Have a Field Day With Audit
Briceno was more comfortable speaking about other aspects of the audit - which he did yesterday:... Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "In one case, Rumila Shengila from Leningrad USSR, received the okay for a visa on November 12, 2012, but that person got a passport on March 2, 2012. A full 8 months before the VISA was granted. The back dating of VISA stamps, dates of arrival, temporary employment permits and fraudulent nationality certificates were so pervasive and so frequent. In one case. If it weren't outrageous and sad, it's funny, in one case they put the name of a PUP minister of immigration on a nationality certificate dated August 12, 1998. As you would know PUP did not win the general elections until August 27th, 1998."

Finnegan Casts Doubt On Auditor General
Today we asked the UDP's Michael Finnegan about the Audit reports. It names senior members in his party, but nowhere in the 3 documents is Finnegan named. He told us today that he's reviewed it, and he thinks that there are other errors which he thinks Auditor General Dorothy Bradley made. Here's what he had to say: In the weeks to come, we'll be carefully reviewing the document, and we'll tell you what we find.

BNTU Wants Their Money
In the last 2 weeks, you've heard the Prime Minister; and Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber, who is the Minister of Education, both ask the teachers and public officers to hold off on the last 3% raise that they are due. It was to have taken effect in April, but the Government finds itself strapped for cash with the Hurricane Earl relief efforts. Damages for the storm is now calculated at 183.6 million dollars. But, the teachers may not want to wait, and though the Union hasn't completed canvassing all its branches countrywide, those that they have consulted with have demanded that their union's leaders reject the Prime Minister's request. We met up with the BNTU National President Luke Palacio on Friday, and asked him to explain:

Hon. Julius Was Punching A Face On The Wall
On Friday PUP Cayo South Representative made the worst kind of history when he was forcibly ejected from the House of Representatives. He left with a broken finger, and a torn shirt. He can blame the cops for his shirt, but, as you saw, he has only himself to blame for his broken finger. Yesterday we asked him how he's doing:... Jules Vasquez, 7News: "How is your health?" Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative: "It's pretty good. It couldn't been better." Jules Vasquez, 7News: "Sir and the incident with the wall. Do you regret punching the wall?" Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative: "Never. I have very vivid pictures on that wall." Jules Vasquez, 7News: "Thank you."

The Appropriation For BTL Will Go Down As Unopposed
And while that house meeting continued, Friday's was cut short. But that's not why the PUP missed out on the debate of the Supplementary Appropriation for 2016/2017. That's when they should have debated the additional monies being raised to pay the BTL compensation. But, the party seems to have slipped up - and the speaker said that when he looked around, no opposition member was ready to debate. And then, the opposition left before anyone could speak on the adjournment. So that controversial matter went down in the records without opposition. Today, Michael Finnegan told us that the Opposition missed a golden opportunity for debate because of the Julius fiasco: Hon. Michael Finnegan: "I was amazed when the opposition made that slip them by in parliament. I was totally taken aback, because the matter should have been debated. But they did not get up to debate the matter. So the matter lay there and died there and if the matter was debated, every member of parliament would have been given the opportunity to say something about that motion. So for them to say that the leader of the Opposition was going to speak on it on the debate, so why no use the opportunity."

OAS Will Investigate Conorquie
In last night's news, we told you about Saturday afternoon's quick briefing from the OAS Secretary General's Special Representative. She also mentioned that those same experts who investigated the Ruano shooting, will investigate the fatal shooting of Special Constable Conorquie and BDF Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey. Here's what she had to say on that: Danny Conorquie was killed inside the Caracol Site in September 2014, and Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey was shot in March of this year. Both incidents are suspected, but not confirmed, to have been committed by Guatemalan cross-border bandits.

Re-registration Soon, But Not Now
And our last three stories tonight, are catch up events from last week which we didn't have the chance to air because our last two newscasts were totaled a combined four hours. The first has to do with news of re registration form Friday's house sitting. There hasn't been a re registration exercise since 1996 - and there should be one every ten years. The Prime Minister now has a new timeline which will make it slightly more than 20 years. Here's how he put it on Friday:..

The Question of Candelaria
The Prime Minister was also questioned about the case of Candelaria Saldivar. She;s the senior public officer and ministerial sister who is on administrative leave with benefits and pay, for whom government can't seem to find a place. The PM explained the quandary:..

US Embassy Gave Hurricane Relief
The US Embassy donated mattresses, pillows and other bedding materials to the Red Cross on Friday. At a brief handing over ceremony Ambassador Carlos Moreno spoke about the Embassy's various donations to the hurricane Earl Relief efforts. The Director General for the Red Cross Lilly Bowman then spoke to us about how significant this donation is. The Red Cross has assessed 1,008 families so far and they continue reaching out to those storm survivors.

Cops Give Southside Students Schoolbags
And, finally tonight, the Police Department has been giving away schools bags like they're going out of style! They've been going through different southside neighborhoods, and yesterday it was the precinct two area:... Today the Southside Police did the same in the Jane Usher area.

Channel 5

Minister Sedi Elrington on Why He “Named” Julius Espat
The Prime Minister slipped the media today following a cabinet meeting, but his ministers were out to do damage control on Friday’s outrageous House Meeting. Pickstock Area Representative Wilfred ‘Sedi’ [...]

Veteran Parliamentarian Michael Finnegan Calls Friday’s Events “Unfortunate”
During the fiasco on Friday, the presentation by Espat on the damming Special Audit, which exposes corruption at the Immigration between 2011 and 2013, was muzzled when Espat was physically [...]

Finnegan Tells Why He Is Not in Special Audit Report and Defends Fellow Ministers
The Special Audit conducted by Auditor General Dorothy Bradley into the issuance of Belizean passports and visas during a two-year period spanning 2011 and 2013 still has currency and is [...]

Foreign Minister Says Guat Counterparts’ Comments Will Not Change Situation
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales has made very unbecoming comments following the release of the O.A.S. report on the fatal shooting of fourteen-year-old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano in April. [...]

An Updated List of Ministers and C.E.O.’s is Released
Three unelected persons have been given top ministerial appointments in the Barrow Administration. But why have the elected representative been pushed aside? Following today’s cabinet meeting, the Press Office issued [...]

Senior Minister Finnegan Dishes on Introduction of Unelected Ministers to Cabinet
This afternoon, senior parliamentarian Michael Finnegan shared his thoughts on the new ministerial appointments. Isani Cayetano “It would seem as if though two of the most powerful portfolios within [...]

Patrick Menzies and Church Leaders Back in Belmopan for Protest
This morning, the Hispanic arm of the Evangelical Church, led by Patrick Menzies, was back on Independence Hill where they marched against government’s decision not to appeal the Supreme Court [...]

Former Open Vote Worker Wins Case in Court over Termination
In February of this year, the Supreme Court heard the case of Melissa Belezaire Tucker, a former Ministry of Education employee who served in the Public Service for seventeen years, [...]

Youth Accused of Murder and Freed is Hospitalized in Stabbing Incident
A Belize City youth is tonight hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was stabbed multiple times near the Radisson Hotel in the Fort George area. Twenty-three year [...]

Callum Sutherland Pleads Guilty for Cannabis Stash
A Belize City man is in debt of ten thousand dollars to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for the trafficking of four hundred and twenty-eighth grams of marijuana on June [...]

San Pedro Man Claims Police Brutality; He is Rival with Policeman for a Girl
A thirty-two year old San Pedro resident is claiming police brutality. Allen Delroy Martinez says that he was beaten before being locked down at the police station for two days [...]

Is Zika on the Rise? Cases Reported in Caye Caulker, Benque and Succotz
It’s been a while since we’ve reported on Zika. In mid June, the first confirmed case of zika was recorded in Belize in the west. Since then, there have been [...]

Ministry of Health Concentrates on Pregnant Women at Risk for Zika
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services “There is a package that has been developed to be given to pregnant women to try to minimize their risk. The package usually [...]

Results of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey a Mixed Bag
Findings of a survey called the Belize Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Five were released today. The survey was held to identify key indicators to formulate policies and programs and to [...]

Michael Finnegan Surprised that P.U.P. Did Not Speak on B.T.L. Settlement
Litigation in respect of the compensation award, following government’s acquisition of B.T.L. in 2009 is ongoing. The latest round of legal battle is presently before the Caribbean Court of Justice; [...]

Opposition Leader Blames Speaker for B.T.L. Settlement Not Being Debated
During Monday’s press conference, People’s United Party leader John Briceño explained that the B.T.L. settlement did not make it into Friday’s debate because of the ruckus that ended the House [...]

Elodio Aragon Junior Calls Out Julius Espat for “Tantrum”
During the spectacle in the House on Friday, Junior Minister Elodio Aragon remained in his seat and observed the entire drama involving Julius Espat as it unfolded. Today, he expressed [...]

Environment and Reality Meet on New Channel Five Show, Enviroconnect
A new show starts tonight right here on Channel Five, following the news package. Enviro-Connect Belize is a reality television show by the Department of Environment to highlight the various [...]

CTV3

Opposition Leader To Set Up Pressure At Tomorrow's Senate Meeting
The Opposition People’s United Party’s bolstered campaign to force the Barrow Administration to resign or call fresh elections starts tomorrow when the Senate meets in Belmopan. The Opposition Senators are expected to ramp up the pressure and introduce a motion to investigate the findings contained in Auditor General’s special audit into the scandals at the Immigration Department. Now, if it feels like de ja vu, it is because back in November 2013 the Opposition had also introduced a similar motion following the Penner scandal. That attempt was unsuccessful however because the then Immigration Minister, Senator Godwin Hulse refused to step away from the Senate meeting despite the conflict of interest in his participation; enabling the Government’s majority members to vote against the motion. At tomorrow’s Senate meeting, Senator Hulse who is now the Police Minister, will be there once more. Yesterday the Opposition Leader indicated that Hulse will be asked to recuse himself when it’s voting time.

PUP Senators To demand Sign On To UN Convention On Corruption
At Wednesday’s Senate Meeting the Opposition Senators will also call on the Government to sign the United Nation’s Convention on Corruption. The Opposition People’s United Party has announced that it plans to push the ruling UDP to a breaking point with the ultimate goal being fresh elections. Honorable John Briceno - Opposition Leader People’s United Party: “Ladies and Gentlemen, it is clear that this UDP administration has lost the confidence of the Belizean people, the Central Bank governor has confirmed in black and white what we the people of this country feel every day that they have wrecked the Belizean economy with a poverty rate of almost over 43%, almost one in two Belizeans are poor and we continue to get poorer by the day, the government has reneged on their promise to the teachers and public officers, they have not provided opportunities for gainful employment and as a result more and more of our young people have become frustrated since they cannot find work...”

Mexicans Attacks Revenue Agencies At Santa Elena Border
Media reports from neighboring Chetumal, Quintana Roo, are that yesterday a group of irate citizens attempted an act of civil disobedience when they attacked a vehicle assigned to the Tax Administrative Service, one of Mexico’s government revenue agencies whose office is located near the old Subteniente Lopez bridge near the Belize-Mexico border point. Reports are that the attack was triggered when one of the agency oficials attempted to stop a taxi motorcycle for inspection for contraband, but ended up colliding into it. Other taxi motorcycle drivers saw the incident and became furious. Reports are that one of them threw gasoline at the vehicle and was about to light it on fire, but the vehicle was whisked away to safety. The group of irate Mexicans then picked up stones and stoned the agency’s office. The Police had to intervene to restore calm.

Canada Armed Forces Supports BDF
The Independent investigation carried out in to the death of thirteen year old Guatemalan National Julio Rene Alvarado revealed that Belize’s armed forces did not cause the death of the minor during a crossfire between the BDF and Guatemalan civilians back in the month of April at the Chiquibul Forest. The end results of the investigation is not being accepted by the Guatemalan Government which is causing tension to rise once more between both countries. And as this happens Canada is currently assisting Belize in order to determine its defense policy. Back in the month of February, high ranking military officers from Belize travelled to Ottawa with the sole purpose of attending meetings and to receive advice from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces with regards to defense tactics.

Statistics Indicates Findings Out Of The MICS5
The Statistical Institute of Belize, in collaboration with the Government of Belize and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), today presented the Key Findings coming out of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 5 (MICS5). The survey which was carried out in late 2015 is part of UNICEF’s global MICS program, designed to collect valuable and internationally comparable data on the situation of women and children by means of large scale household surveys. During the study more than five thousand two hundred households across the country of Belize were sampled and for the first time, data was collected not only on women and children but also on men. The survey revealed that of the households surveyed, almost 92 percent have access to electricity, while 96 percent reported using improved sources of drinking water. About 87 percent of households had improved sanitation facilities, or facilities that adequately separate human waste from human contact.

PUP Wants Appointment Of Integrity Commission, PM Says That Is Not Possible
One of the reform issues which the Opposition will be demanding is the appointment of the Integrity Commission. While the law calls for the appointment and functioning of this important check and balance body, it has not functioned for the entire life of the Barrow Administration. At last week Friday’s House Meeting, Prime Minister Dean Barrow claimed that there was little he could do about it. Rt. Honorable Dean Barrow – Prime Minister of Belize: “We had appointed a full Integrity Commission or designated the full membership of the Integrity Commission and then when some of those we had designated found out that membership of the Integrity Commission involved being a politically exposed person, a pet in the language employed in the International Community, the refused to proceed, when you are a pep and I am sure the member knows, you are oblige no only to make full disclosure to any commercial institutions, you are prevent from opening bank accounts abroad, your designation once that status is applied to you it is made clear that your entire generation also become peps...”

New Operating Theatre For NRH
Orange Walkenos will soon be able to enjoy and benefit from a new and improved Operating Theatre at the Orange Walk Northern Regional Hospital before the end of this year. Yesterday afternoon, the Minister and Minister of State in the Ministry of Health Hon. Pablo Marin and Hon. Dr. Angel Campos, along with CEO Dr. Ramon Figueroa signed contracts between the Government of Belize and various contractors for works and repairs to the facility. According to a release by the Ministry of Health, the works are scheduled to commence immediately and should conclude at the end of November.

Special Audits' Report Cited PM In Fraudulent Nationality Scheme
The Special Audit names almost every member of the current UDP Cabinet and others who have retired from electoral politics as alleged participants in various schemes. Even Prime Minister Dean Barrow is cited in the audit report for allegedly facilitating the issuance of Belizean nationality for his wife’s brother. Honorable John Briceno - Opposition Leader People’s United Party: “The auditor general’s report provides proof on the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Barrow who promised to chop off head of corruption with a special machete, he did not do it to Penner, he did not chopped off Castros’ head, they are still Cabinet colleagues, now that his personal involvement had been exposed, the Prime Minister has completely lost the moral authority to discipline any of his ministers, now if he opens his mouth on corruption or immigration illegality they will simply say to him, no watch me, watch yourself, this is why we here in the PUP say that the recommendations of the Auditor General must be followed including but not limited to the cancellation forthwith of all nationality certificates, passports and VISAS fraudulently issued, including to the one issued to the Prime Minister’s brother-in-law.”

PlusTV

Minister of Foreign Affairs sees no need for Guats to apologize
On Friday, we told you about the drama that occurred outside the National Assembly Building with protestors and the drama that occurred inside the National Assembly Building with Area Representative Julius Espat. Those stories dominated the news but there were other topics of interest on Friday, an...

Guatemalan Foreign Minister criticizes Belizeans, PM, and OAS following investigation results
Well even if some Belizeans were still hopeful for an apology from the Guatemalans, they better think again. Instead of an apology, the Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Morales was extremely critical of the OAS, the findings of the report, and the Belizean people and Prime Minister of Belize. He ...

DPM Faber will buy his own vehicle
On Friday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said in the House that GOB would be financing the repairs of the damaged vehicle or purchasing a new vehicle for the Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber. This is after Faber’s Government vehicle somehow ended up in the Caribbean Sea aft...

Early Morning Murder in Orange Walk
There was a murder in Orange Walk on Sunday morning. The victim has been identified as Kevin Flowers. According to police, on August 29 at about 5 o’clock that morning, 28-year-old Kevin Albert Flowers was shot multiple times in front of his home on Smithsonia Street, Orange Walk Town. Police say ...

GSU goes to Mayflower Street, Tyrone Meighan detained, Shaquille Meighan shot
Early Sunday morning on Mayflower Street in Belize City, just after 1 a.m., elements of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU), following the killing of Junie Balls McKenzie, visited the area as part of their investigation. According to residents, as GSU came onto the street, shots were fired and they tur...

Cayo man beaten in Benque succumbs to injuries
A man from the Cayo District has succumbed to injuries he received during a beat down in July of this year..36 year old Michael Pagett, a resident of San Ignacio Town was badly beaten by two men in Benque Viejo Del Carmen on July 31st 2016. Pagett was in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Mem...

Body of a female found hanging at an abandoned building in San Ignacio
The decomposing body of a woman was found hanging in a house in San Ignacio on Sunday morning. According to reports, a foul smell coming from an abandoned concrete building on Church street led to the discovery. An onsite post mortem was conducted due to the advanced state of decomposition. The woma...

Queen of the Bay crowned
The 71st Queen of the Bay Pageant was held this past Saturday. Stann Creek’s Cristalyn Castillo won the coveted title of Queen of the Bay 2016. First runner-up went to Toledo’s Aliesha Vernon; second runner-up to Lashania Crawford of Belize City; third runner-up to Aldeesha Castillo of Corozal; a...

Amandala

Junie Balls’ son, 21, killed early Sunday morning
The son of legendary Belizean gangster, George “Junie Balls” McKenzie, met his death shortly after 2 o’clock Sunday morning. George Mckenzie, Jr., 21, like his father, was listed as a main suspect in several criminal incidents being investigated by police, and was even remanded in 2014 for attempted murder. However, unlike his father, this student of Wesley sixth form, athlete and father to one daughter was never convicted of anything. His father, George “Junie Balls” McKenzie, was slain on August 27, 2007, and hours after the 9th anniversary of his death, McKenzie, Jr., also lost his life. McKenzie, Jr., and his girlfriend, Shereffa Jex; his brother, Kiffer McKenzie and friend Michael “Pancho” Usher, all from the Majestic Alley area, had gone to a soca concert held at the ITVET compound in Belize City on Saturday night.

House Speaker kicks out Julius Espat!
The culture of disrespect in the House of Representatives has been around for a long time, but it has never resulted in police being ordered to eject a member of the House who was named by the Speaker in post-independent Belize until today when House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte suspended the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) Cayo South area representative Hon. Julius Espat after the Pickstock area representative and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, presented the motion to name him. Hon. Espat, however, refused to leave his seat. Police, in carrying out the order of the Speaker, first cleared the galleries of the House—even putting out members of the media, before they literally dragged Espat out the Chamber of the House of Representatives, with him resisting every inch of the way, as the other members of his party walked out in solidarity, ending the sitting of the House in a controversial way.

PUP call for Speaker Peyrefitte’s head!
The Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) called a press conference this afternoon at their Independence Hall headquarters, where Party Leader, Hon. John Briceño, briefed the media on the party’s plan following last Friday’s spectacle at the House of Representatives meeting, when all PUP parliamentarians walked out in solidarity with the Cayo South area representative, Hon. Julius Espat, who was named and suspended by House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte. Briceño said that the Opposition has lost confidence in the Speaker and demanded that he be removed, “because he has disgraced the office of the Speaker and brought the House into disrepute.” Apart from calling for the removal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Briceño also made several other demands of the Barrow government, among them that the government should call new elections.

Shocker: Candelaria Saldivar paid $60,000 a year for 15 months to do nothing!
Candelaria Saldivar-Morter, sister of Defense Minister John Saldivar, has strangely been on administrative leave on full benefits—including monthly allowances—for a year and three months, with no news of when exactly she would be re-assigned, according to revelations made in Parliament on Friday. Last May, it was announced that Saldivar-Morter, who was part of the team which led an internal investigation into the Elvin Penner passport scandal as the Chief Executive Officer responsible for Immigration, had been put on administrative leave until Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who has the portfolio for the public service, can re-assign her, which he has apparently been unable to do for over a year now. A high-ranking government official had reportedly complained about Saldivar’s “management style.” Saldivar’s boss, Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse, had said that Saldivar was moved to preserve harmony.

“I want my country back!!”
“I want my country back,” “leave 53,” and “Barrow have to go,” were among the statements being chanted by the approximately 2,000 protesters who turned up this morning at the footsteps of the National Assembly building during today’s House of Representatives meeting/ The protest was the result of a collaboration between the churches and unions, as well as the activist group Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), the “I want my country back” movement and the Poor People Organization for a Healthy and Righteous Society (PPOHRS), who say they are not in support of the Chief Justice’s recent ruling on Section 53 of the criminal code and the corruption highlighted in the recent Auditor General’s report. Commenting on that ruling, Giovanni Brackett of COLA said, “We do not support the changing of the sodomy laws in Belize. We don’t believe that the government should allow one percent of our society to dictate the morals of an entire nation; this government is not a government of the majority, but of the minority.”

Police manhandle the media in the House of Representatives!
The meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday will go down as unprecedented in the history of this country because of the chaos that followed both outside and inside of the House, when an Opposition People’s United Party parliamentarian was dragged out of the House by Belmopan police, who disgraced themselves by manhandling the media for no good reason. Police manhandled some members of the media and dragged Channel 7’s news director, Jules Vasquez out of the gallery from where he was recording the House’s proceedings. Who gave the order for the police to drag media representatives out of the gallery? The media was only doing its work, after all. “On Friday, when you cleared out the gallery in the House of Representatives, under whose authority were you acting?” Amandala asked Howell Gillett, the Officer commanding the Belmopan Police formation.

Police United goalie Keith Allen chosen “Goalkeeper of the Week”
In its “Official weekly recap of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League” for “Week 3, August 23-25, 2016,” Belize goalie Keith Allen of Police United has been chosen “Goalkeeper of the Week,” for his splendid performance against Pachuca of Mexico on Tuesday, August 23, where Pachuca defeated Police United, 3-0, in a game that could have seen a much bigger score, if not for the stellar performance in goal by Allen. According to the concacaf.com report, Keith Allen received 18 shots on goal, stopped 15 of them, while allowing 3 goals by Pachuca. On account of his performance, Allen was also selected as goalkeeper in the “Best XI, Group Stage Week 3” in Champions League.

Placencia perfect at Week 2
The double round-robin regular competition of the Premier League of Belize (PLB) Opening Season 2016-2017 has just completed Week 2, and only one team, Placencia Assassins FC, sports a perfect record so far, with two lopsided wins and no goals allowed, to lead all 9 teams. (See standings below.) There was only one night game this past weekend, and it was at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan on Saturday night, where Police United, fresh from their first two CONCACAF Champions League outings (both losses, 4-0 and 3-0), were greeted by their Belizean hosts, defending PLB champions Belmopan Bandits, with another defeat, this one by a 2-1 score. Danny Jimenez gave Police the early lead at the 14th minute, but the Bandits came back with goals from Brazilian import Aloisio Teixeira (25’) and Frank Lopez (68’) to register their first win of the tournament.

Infotel takes Game 1 in BDFA Firms Basketball
The Belize District Basketball Association’s (BDBA) Firms Basketball Tournament 2016 tipped off Game 1 in the best-of-three games championship series on Saturday night at the Belize Elementary School (BES) gym, and it was Infotel eking out the 99-97 victory over Belize Bank Bulldogs. Leading Infotel were Earl Johnson 36 pts 10 rebs, Eyan Rene 18 pts 14 rebs 12 assts, Darwin Elijio 15 pts, Stafford Young 13 pts and Elton Anderson 10 pts; while the Bulldogs were led by Brian White 30 pts 19 rebs, captain Roscoe Rhys 20 pts, Marcel Orosco 16 pts 6 rebs and Lincey Lopez 10 pts 8 assts. According to the BDBA schedule, the championship will be decided this coming weekend as follows:

Agitation and hysteria
In recent years in Belize, a growing number of self-appointed experts have emerged, both in the professional print/electronic media and in amateur social media, who have been confidently expressing their opinions on our society’s plethora of heated socio-political issues. Unlike the case in most other democratic countries, however, in Belize our trained academics with reputations to protect almost never participate in the relevant conversations at the public level. Conversations in Belize feature too much imprecision and indiscipline, but you have to understand that there are powerful special interests here which are always seeking to muddy the waters. The two major political parties, the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP), both of which own their own party newspapers and radio and television stations, in addition to the fact that several of their leaders own their own radio and television stations in District constituencies, are dominant in the conversations. Lord Michael Ashcroft, who is like a political party unto himself, owns his own television station in the media capital and uses his various advertising budgets to influence the conversations in the other media outlets.

$183.6 mil in losses due to Hurricane Earl
The damage wrought by Hurricane Earl, which struck Belize on August 3 and 4, 2016, is now estimated at $183.6 million, according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who gave a report in Parliament on Friday. Barrow had previously told the press that individual property losses had been estimated at upwards of $15 million and losses to agriculture and tourism at over $100 million. In his presentation today, he said that losses to the utility companies—the Belize Telemedia Limited and the Belize Electricity Limited—amounted to an estimated $25 million. Meanwhile, damage to roads was estimated at $29.4 million. According to Barrow, 4,684 households were impacted, amounting to an estimated 17,000 persons in the Belize, Cayo, Orange Walk and Stann Creek Districts.

Morales accuses Barrow and Belizeans of cynicism
Guatemala’s Foreign Minister, Carlos Raúl Morales, has publicly accused Prime Minister Dean Barrow, and Belizeans in general, of being cynics, following a call from Barrow last week for a public apology from Guatemala, after the unveiling of an expert report detailing the circumstances of the April 20th shooting death of a Guatemalan minor inside the Chiquibul National Park. In response to the shooting incident, Guatemala had mobilized its elite troops to the Belize border and waged a public relations offensive, accusing Belize’s military of a “cowardly act of aggression” and claiming that there were 10 such incidents since 1999; but likewise not detailing the circumstances of the shooting incidents. The expert report, filed with the Organization of American States by Dr. James E. Hamby (of the USA) and Dr. Patricia Rosa Linda Trujillo Mariel (of Mexico), confirmed that the bullets which killed the minor did not come from the Belizean military’s weapon. It also documented that there were two bullet holes in trees at the location where the Belize enforcement patrol, and particularly rangers of the Friends for Conservation and Development, co-manager of the national park, said that they had come under fire from the Guatemalans, who, according to the patrol, came flashing lights intermittently and then opened fire at them.

Police were told to ignore leaked Immigration Department documents
The release of the Auditor General’s report on the Immigration Department scandal, which will be tabled at the House of Representatives meeting on Friday, has begun to refocus national attention on a number of illegalities stemming from corrupt practices during the period the report covers, between 2011 and 2013. A lot of high level efforts went into perverting the course of justice in the early part of the process of addressing the scandals at the Immigration Department. In regards to the Elvin Penner passport scandal, the government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow went on a mission to make sure that no one would be held criminally responsible for the illegal sale of a Belize passport by Penner to a man who had never set foot in Belize. The orders were given for the police’s investigative team to limit their investigation to the PUP attorney Arthur Saldivar, and how he managed to obtain Immigration Department documents, a retired senior police officer who called KREM’s Wake Up Belize Morning Vibes (WUB) confirmed yesterday, Monday morning.

Breaking Belize News

Ex-open vote worker wins court case
In February of this year, the Supreme Court heard the case of Melissa Belezaire Tucker, a former Ministry of Education employee who served in the Public Service for seventeen years, from 1995 to 2013, when she was terminated. Tucker was first appointed as a […]

Belize tourism promotes “experiences”
A new series of ads for the Belize Tourism Board, created by the Olson agency, aims to re-define the Belizean experience for potential visitors. Long marketed as “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret,” and later as a place to “Discover How to Be,” the new ads […]

Former Immigration C.E.O. Candelaria Saldivar Still on Government Payroll
C.E.O. Candelaria Saldivar, the sister of Minister John Saldivar, remains on administrative leave over a year after vacating her office in the Ministry of Immigration. That’s because she reportedly couldn’t get along with the Heads of Department. During this time, the senior public officer […]

Central Bank Governor contract up in September
Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre’s contract will be expiring at the end of September. Ysaguirre will reportedly not be renewing his contract. Joy Grant has been named as Ysaguirre’s possible replacement, according to several unconfirmed reports. There were reports from the PUP that Ysaguirre […]

Resort keeper charged for murdering mentally ill woman
Donald Heredia, a 51-year-old grounds-keeper for a Caye Caulker resort, was arraigned and charged for murder on Monday. Heredia was charged for the murder of Jennifer Coleman, 51. Coleman was stabbed to death inside her apartment on August 23 on Aventura Street on the […]

Latin American music icon Juan Gabriel dead at 66
Latin American singer and music icon Juan Gabriel died on Sunday morning in his home in Santa Monica, California. Juan Gabriel, whose real name is Alberto Aguilera Valadez was 66 years old. He suffered a fatal heart attack in his home, a day after […]

Blogs

Going Bananas in Belize City Market
Limes the size of Oranges!! Oranges the size of Grapefruits!! Grapefruits the size of Cabbages!! Cabbages the size of Watermelons!! 5 Limes for $1 10 Bananas for $1 TEN, YES TEN!!! Sorry if I sound too excited or find it hard to believe the prices of produce in the mainland. We have been in the city for two weeks now and enjoying heading to the market to purchase veggies and fruits. Compared to prices in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, I don’t have to cut one arm and a leg to afford eating healthier. The Michael Finnegan Market is one of the best places in the city to get cheap veggies and fruits. Once they make their way to the supermarkets their prices soar, skyrocketing once they reach the islands. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday are the very best days when fresh produce arrives to the market from the farmers/producers in the mainland; and you better get up early to get your hands on the best and freshest products – 5a.m. early! If that is too early for you, getting there around 9a.m. or 10a.m. is not so bad.

Best Time to Visit Belize
Mother nature’s best kept secret see’s a surprising number of visitors for a “secret”, but with lush virgin jungles and cushiony white sand beaches it no wonder why. Despite all the adventurers who trek here, many people still find themselves wondering: When is the best time to visit Belize? The Best Time To Visit Belize Depends On What You Are Looking For! As any local will happily tell you, it’s always a good time for an unBelizable vacation, and that’s true. Depending on your tastes, however, there’s a good time (which is seriously always) and the best time for you to visit Belize. Here are the best times, for who, and why, to visit our slice of Caribbean paradise.

THE ESSENTRICS MOVEMENT AT GRAND CARIBE BELIZE!!
Resident owner at Grand Caribe Belize, Sheryl Hitchens, introduced us to the concept of Essentrics. She had been talking about it for a while and kept inviting us to experience it. Being that it’s now offered here at Grand Caribe I was excited to see exactly what it entailed. But, before immersing myself into anything, I figured it wouldn’t hurt doing a little Googling… and so I did. “ESSENTRICS is a unique program that rapidly changes the shape of your body through a dynamic and fluid combination of strengthening and stretching. The results come quickly – not over years, but in a matter of minutes. Increased flexibility is enjoyed instantly.” (Google 8.28.16) So, on a warm Thursday morning I joined the girls in the gym. Oh yeah, we have a full gym here at Grand Caribe Belize; but, this story isn’t about our fully air conditioned gym, with state of the art equipment. It’s about Essentrics.

It’s a Jungle Out There, You Won’t Want to Vacation Anywhere Else
When you’re asked to describe the most beautiful place on earth, are you tempted to invoke a cliché to get your point across? It’s easy to see why; hyperbole has become a powerful speaking aid, which is how our conversations become littered with “awesomes,” “amazings” and that doesn’t even take you out of the As! But we beg your indulgence as we insist that “a picture is worth more than a thousand words” when it is used to describe Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, a destination so breathtaking, guests often say they’re speechless the moment they visit the Caves Branch website to virtually step through the door of private accommodations that have no equal. This is a magical place. Secrets are shared. Nature is revered. Time speeds by too fast as guests learn how it feels to be one with nature. Allow us to tell you a little about how Caves Branch came to be one of Belize’s crown jewels and why you should visit. A great story deserves a great beginning: Once upon a time, Ian Anderson happened upon Belize long before it became a Caribbean hot spot. He carved out a bit of jungle and built a rustic camp with all of the necessities anyone seeking a primitive outdoor experience could desire. Campers settled into a true jungle adventure that included taking in one-of-a-kind natural sites not found elsewhere and they found all of the basics necessary to enjoy their time, including outhouses and river bathing. Guests returned. The lodge’s reputation grew.

Ambergris Caye: This rolled in this afternoon
As I sat on the deck looking out to the reef, a remarkably chilly breeze swept in from behind me. I turned around and saw this. The chilly wind and the massing cloud formation kept on coming. So ominous, yet so beautiful. It reminded me of the scenes in “Independence Day” when the alien ships would suddenly drop down out of a thick roiling mass of cloud cover. But that didn’t happen. Here is a sequence of the cloud as it moved up from south San Pedro town and eventually skittered across the reef and out to sea. There was the rumble of thunder here and there and a tiny sprinkling of rain. Nothing to match the fierce appearance of this cloud!

International Sources

Meet the LGBT Activist Who Defeated Belize’s Anti-Sodomy Law
How does it feel, I asked Belize’s leading LGBT activist, to have finally prevailed in a six-year-long effort to have his country’s sodomy law declared unconstitutional? “Stressful,” he replied. At first, I laughed. I’ve known Caleb Orozco professionally for nearly 10 years, and he’s always cut to the quick, throwing shade on those who deserve it while remaining laser-focused on improving the lives of sexual and gender minorities in Belize and throughout Central America and the Caribbean. It didn’t surprise me that only two weeks after the landmark Supreme Court case was decided, he was already focused on the challenges ahead. But then he went into details. “Everybody thinks that because you win a court decision, the social concerns and threats of violence end,” Orozco told me. “They don’t.” As the sole named plaintiff in the case, Orozco is now somewhat famous in his small home country. I asked what it’s like to walk down the street. “I get lots of stares,” he said. “People act like they’ve never seen a gay man before—whispering, or an aggressive kind of silence. A smile or laughter that comes out of nowhere.”

Jungle Combat: Back To Belize
The Infantry Battle School has returned to Belize for the first time in five years. The training centre, which is based in Brecon, has spent the last three weeks in the jungle on 'Exercise Grim Warrior', the final part of its Platoon Commanders Battle Course. The exercise used to be a regular fixture in Belize but in 2011 the British Army Training and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) was mothballed and it had to be moved elsewhere. The course switched to Cyprus, spent a short while in Kenya and then moved to Scotland but commanders have always hankered after its former home. In their eyes, Belize offers the ultimate test which takes soldiers out of their comfort zone.

Canada assisting Belize with defence policy amid tensions with Guatemala
Canada is assisting Belize with its defence policy as tensions between the Central American nation and neighbouring Guatemala continue to simmer over the killing of a 13-year-old boy by Belize soldiers. Feliz Enrique, CEO of the Belize defence ministry, said last week that the US and Britain are also being consulted. Belize is embroiled a border dispute with Guatemala, which deployed 3,000 troops in April to a disputed area between the two countries after the 13-year-old was shot dead. Guatemalan officials claimed the youth and his family were attacked as they planted crops near the border. But Belize’s government said security forces investigating illegal land clearing in a national park had detained a Guatemalan man.

Banking Regulators, Facing Criticism, Seek to Dispel Myths on Money-Laundering Rules
U.S. banking regulators sought Tuesday to “dispel certain myths” around anti-money-laundering rules that critics contend have inadvertently cut off access to the U.S. financial system for some countries, businesses and individuals. The Treasury Department, along with four bank regulators, published an unusual, four-page “fact sheet” along with a lengthy blog post to clarify regulatory expectations related to the rules. While the statements didn’t change the rules, they emphasized that the government doesn’t take a “zero-tolerance” approach to enforcing anti-money-laundering laws and reserves enforcement action for the most egregious instances of widespread or intentional wrongdoing, such as recent fines related to movement of drug-cartel money. Regulators resolve about 95% of compliance failures without penalties, three senior Treasury officials said in the blog post, in which they also said that banks don’t have to vet the customers of their foreign-bank customers.

Videos

Cycling the Americas on a Tandem Bicycle - The Random Way Down, 6min. Sam and Julie leave the state of Veracruz behind them and head south through Tabasco and Chiapas. Mechanical problems see them stuck in Palenque for 2 weeks before crossing the border into the hot and sweaty jungles of Guatemala. From there they head to Belize for some quality beach time and manatee spotting before heading back into Guatemala to conquer the highlands.

Belize, 8min. Christ's Church Whitewater

Belize, 26min. Group presentation about Belize. Presented by a group of scholars from Ecuador at the University of West Indies. Barbados-2016

Clapper Rail at Caye Caulker in Belize on 27 August 2016, 1/2min. An adult Clapper Rail walking through the mangroves at close range.

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat calling on a post in Belize, 1/2min. A juvenile (based on the tapered tips to the rectrices), on the road to Black Rock Lodge, 25 August 2016.

Samuel's Sanctuary Santa Marta, Belize, 4min.

Magnificent Frigatebird soaring at Belize City waterfront, birds-eye view, 1.5min. A juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) riding the wind outside the Hotel Princess in Belize City, 21 August 2016.

Brown Pelican flying at Belize City waterfront (birds-eye view), 1/2min. A soaring Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) at Belize City, 21 August 2016, photographed from the 6th floor of the Belize Princess Hotel.

Culcha Jam, 4.5min. Belize da me country, Belize is me land, that da weh I come from!

Jungle Combat: Back To Belize, 5min. The Infantry Battle School has brought soldiers back to Belize for the first time in five years. The training team which is based in Brecon has spent the past three weeks in the country running the final exercise in the Platoon Commanders Battle Course.

Enviroconnect Belize, 69min. Catch our newest show: Enviroconnect Belize right after the News. Episodes air every Tuesday at 8:00 pm.

Belize/NY, 6min.

Baby shark becomes attached to diver, 1min. This baby nurse shark in Belize becomes curious about a diver and closely checks him out. He then swims under and around the diver before following him over the sea grass through the shallows. He acts more like a lost puppy than a shark. Nurse sharks occasionally follow divers but this one is exceptionally friendly and comfortable being right up close to people.

Belize Diving Caye Caulker and San Pedro, 3min.

Xunantunich Mayan Ruins in Belize!, 4min. Xunantunich Mayan Ruins tour 8/24/16! We enjoyed getting to see this beautiful area up close. We even climbed the main building which was over 130 feet tall and 690 feet above sea level!

The New path - Belize summer 2016, 4min. So happy i was able to go to this amazing country! Thank you everyone who made it one to remember.

Trip to San Pedro, Belize, 4min. Here is a compilation of videos we took in San Pedro on a family vacation. Devices used: DSLR T4i, DJI Phantom 3, and GoPro.

August 30, 2016

Orange Walk Marketing Expo 2016

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Time to celebrate: September Celebrations Calendar of Events Released
Are you ready for the most patriotic time of the year in Belize? I know I am! September is right around the corner, and it means that Belize will turning 35! To celebrate, Belizeans will be proudly waving the red and blue flag with the coat of arms to honor their heritage. It also means that events will be occurring across the country, leading up to Belize’s Independence Day on Wednesday, September 21st. Since the celebrations are often considered the most patriotic, festive, and memorable part of the year, the National Celebrations Commission (NCC) isn’t holding back from the thrill. This year’s celebrations are being held under the theme “Sovereign and Strong – Together as one” and with the release of the 2016 Playbill and Calendar of Events, which includes celebrations, commemorations and other September-related programs around the country, there are enough activities to keep everyone entertained!

Ambergris Today

OAS Report Clears Belizean Soldiers on Shooting Death of Guatemalan Teenager
The Belize government has welcomed the findings of the Organization of American States (OAS) into the shooting death of a Guatemalan teenager earlier this year that had threatened to escalate the border dispute between the two countries. Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington has made a statement to Parliament regarding the 22-page report by the OAS that investigated the April 20 killing of 14-year-old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano. Prime Minister Dean Barrow said the OAS report is a clear vindication of the country. “It is clearly vindication, we are very pleased; we always knew, though, that that was in fact the position. Still a little worrying as to how the Guatemalans will react now, because this is clear vindication for the Belize Defence Force (BDF).

Misc Belizean Sources

What is the authority of the Speaker of the House of Representatives?
Section 91 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives addresses this: General Authority of the Speaker 91.(1) The Speaker shall have power to regulate the conduct of business in all matters not provided for in these Standing Orders. (2) The decision in all cases for which these Standing Orders do not provide, shall lie within the discretion of the Speaker, and shall not be open to challenge. (3) The Speaker shall be responsible for the management and general administration of the Chamber.

How and why can a member in the House of Representatives be named?
Section 44 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives addresses this: 44.-(5) If a Member shows disregard for the authority of the Chair, or abuses the rules of the House by persistently and willfully obstructing the business of the House or otherwise, the Speaker shall direct the attention of the House thereto, mentioning by name the Member concerned. The Speaker shall then call upon a Minister to move "That Mr. ........................ be suspended from the service of the House", and the Speaker shall forthwith put the question no seconder being required and no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed.

In the event a member of the House of Representatives is suspended from the session and refuses to leave, can the Speaker have that member removed?
Section 44. (10) and (11) of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives addresses this: (10) If any Member, who is ordered to withdraw or who is suspended under this Standing Order, refuses at any time to obey the direction of the Speaker to withdraw from the House and its precincts, the Speaker shall call the attention of the House to the fact that recourse to force is necessary in order to compel obedience to his direction, and the Member named by him as having so refused to obey his direction shall thereupon, without further question put, be suspended from the service of the House during the remainder of the Session. (11) If resort to force is necessary, the Speaker may suspend the sitting during the removal of the Member and invoke the assistance of any police officer in ejecting the offending member and such officer shall, for the purposes of this order, be deemed to be an Officer of the House.

School is back in SESSION!
Ambassador Moreno and the U.S. Embassy wish all of the students a great school year. Study hard so in the future we can assist you over at the EducationUSA Reference Center in Belize City with your college applications to study at universities in the U.S. Also in the spirit of the new school year, the U.S. Embassy donated over 150 backpacks to the Special Envoy's Back to School Drive. On August 31st this week our Deputy Chief of Mission will join the First Lady as they distribute the backpacks to local students here in Belize. Checkout the backpacks below!

San Pedro Traffic Department: School is on, be safe on the roads...
It's that time of year again, schools start this coming Monday September 5th.We are asking all drivers to please take extra care during the times when the children are arriving and leaving school. Please follow the instructions given by the wardens. Let's all keep our children safe. During School time, we are asking all drivers of heavy and big vehicles to avoid the area around the RC school during the time students arrive and leave school, including lunchtime. This is a request but we will force drivers of these type of vehicles to park till the students are safely in or out of school.

Spanish Reports on the Battle of 1798
The Belize History Association and the Institute for Social and Cultural Research (NICH) invites one and all to come and learn about the preliminary findings on what the Spanish had to say in regards to the battle in 1798. Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. Bliss Centre, 9:30-11am. University of Belize, 2:30 - 4pm.

Cricel Castillo Representing Belize at WBFF Worlds in Toronto Ontario Canada
Cricel Castillo is ready to make history for Belize by preparing to take the WBFF Worlds Championship. Tune in and watch live as Cricel makes history for Belize. International fans: Purchase the show live on PPV. Preliminaries begin 10AM (8AM BZE TIME) Final Show 5:30PM (3:30 PM BZE TIME)

First Friday of September Roadside and Beach Trash Pickup
Join the fun this Friday and keep it clean! Feels like we were just out there, but here we go again! Please join us, along with our friends at Grand Caribe Belize, for our next monthly trash pickup on Friday, September 2nd! We provide bags, gloves, trash pickers and water (and even tasty treats and refreshments at the end courtesy of Marbucks Coffee House!) - all that's missing is you!

2nd Annual KREMITE/SOS (soca or surrenda) JOUVERT 2016
call 202-4409/4469 for more details.

New and improved Operating Theatre at the Orange Walk Northern Regional Hospital
Residents in the Orange Walk District can expect to see a new and improved Operating Theatre at the Orange Walk Northern Regional Hospital by the end of November. This afternoon, the Minister and Minister of State in the Ministry of Health Belize, Hon. Pablo Marin and Hon. Dr. Angel Campos, respectively, along with CEO Dr. Ramon Figueroa signed contacts between the Government of Belize and various contractors for works and repairs to the facility.

Special Audit: Passport Immigration and Nationality Department
Scans of each page of this report.

Channel 7

Opposition Calls For Removal of House Speaker
Tonight Belizeans are still recovering from the stunning images coming out of Friday's house meeting where police forcibly ejected PUP representative Julius Espat from his seat on the opposition bench, and a police officer fired a live round to scare off a small group of protestors who were charging towards the National Assembly building. Those events made history - and now the PUP want to force another kind of history: they want to Speaker of the House Michael Peyrefitte to resign or be removed because of the events of Friday afternoon. And they want him to apologize to Julius Espat - both of which have never happened before. Today at a press conference at party headquarters, opposition leader John Briceno laid out his party's demands:

PUP Plans Two Protests, Wants Government Out
And while that is the demand - based on past events, we'd say there's about….ah, let's say, 0% chance of it happening - which the PUP pretty much knows. So then, what's next for the opposition? Well, they want to use the momentum and the outrage from this event to drive the Barrow Administration out of Belmopan. Today, the opposition leader outlined their action plan:... Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "The People's United Party on behalf of the Belizean people call this government to leave, to resign and to call elections now!" "To prove our commitment to this, I call on all Belizeans, especially those of us who believe in democracy and good governance and who knows that we deserve better, to join us on Wednesday 7th September in Belize City for our "Save Belize" march, where we will take Belizean democracy back in a display of the power of the people."

Friday's House Meeting History: A Recap
And so that's where it is tonight: they PUP want both the House Speaker and the Barrow administration gone - and they're going to "take it to the streets" to get that done. There's no telling yet where that effort will go, but if Friday's events do demonstrate anything, it's that in politics, a few minutes can change everything. Tonight Daniel Ortiz recaps all those minutes that made Friday's House Meeting pivotal:... Daniel Ortiz reporting: The day started off as normal with the Members of the House of Representatives debating the different items on their agenda. Outside, a second protest was organized by members of churches, this time by the Spanish arm of the Evangelicals, with a few familiar faces. Louis Wade - Protester/Talkshow Host: "Today is different, we are not afraid to call a demonstration today and we're not afraid to associate with COLA, PPORS, the Alliance and other groups as well as some teachers are here today."

PUP Says Speaker Made Multiple Errors in Ejecting Espat
And today the PUP gave it's legal opinion on both the forcible ejection of Cayo South's Julius Espat and the rough-handed removal of the press from the House Chamber. Starting with the Espat incident, where he was named by Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington - the PUP says that the House Speaker had his procedure all mixed up. PUP Deputy Kareem Musa explains his interpretation of events:... Hon. Kareem Musa, PUP - Caribbean Shores "The Hon. Julius was very emotional, there was a back and forth and he did say something that offended the house speaker. Now, section 44 3 deals with when something offensive is said in the house and that is called the withdrawal of the member for the day's sitting. That is the particular section that the honorable house speaker should have applied and if I may read that section..."

Hon. Musa Says Media Should Not Have Been Moved
And the PUP's also say that the media were wrongfully removed. As we've shown you, the police pushed out the media, and dragged out our news News Director Jules Vasquez on his back. Jules's position was that the police don't have the authority to eject the press - only the Speaker does, and we certainly weren't going to go quietly so that the cops could then eject Julius Espat without having the press witness that piece of history. Today - perhaps not surprisingly - the PUP sided with the media:... Hon. Kareem Musa, PUP - Caribbean Shores: "Because the speaker before leaving his chair did not clear the media from the gallery and so the police officers, I don't know whose instructions they were acting on, then acted unlawfully. Because Jules Vasquez is right. He had all right to be where he was recording history."

Junie Balls Son Stabbed To Death At Soca Concert
21 year old George Mckenzie Jr. was murdered yesterday morning around 12:45. If that name sounds familiar it should, because he was the son of George Mckenzie Sr. the notorious, "Junie Balls" - a legendary gangster known as the Godfather of Pink's Alley. Sunday August 28th marked the 9th anniversary of his execution - and it was the same day his son was killed. Now was it some sort of plan to kill Mckenzie Jr. on 9th anniversary of his father's death? Or was it just a bad mix of coincidence and a petty disagreement? Courtney Weatherburne went to Pink's Alley to find out. Courtney Weatherburne reporting: For mother Melissa Major, these two pictures were her favorites, the man standing tall in full white is her son George McKenzie Junior and the picture right beside him, is of his father, McKenzie Sr, better known as "Junie Balls". Looking at her son's picture would always bring her comfort after "Junie Balls" was killed in 2007, but now, these images on her TV stand bring her grief, and they are now just reminders of all she has lost.

Northside Homicide By Southside Gang
Now while Northside police are searching for more leads in this murder case, south side police also have their work cut out for them. Police did not confirm this in their briefing but reports are that it was members of a south side gang who murdered Mckenzie. Today ACP Chester Williams told us about the gang interventions he is doing in relation to Mckenzie's execution. ACP Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South: "Well you would know that the Pink's Alley crowd is affiliated or they have some connection to Southside gangsters and then Pink's Alley crowd again have some affiliation with Banak Street, because the son of George McKenzie Jr. do have affiliations in Banak. So we have to be mediating between Banak, Southside and George Street, because from information they stabbing was done by George Street. So we do not want there to be any spillover or any retaliation coming either from Southside or Banak. As it relates to the Pink's Alley crowd, they are over on Northside. I have not been able to have a chance to speak with them, but I'll be going over there this evening to have a talk with them to see how I can also reach out to them to be able to bring this thing to an end and let the investigation takes its course."

GSU Vs. GTC, Meighan Brothers Shot
And while ACP Williams is doing gang mediation - on Sunday morning, right after the murder, it seems the GSU was doing gang aggravation. They were caught in a dangerous exchange of fire with gang combatants in the middle of a crowded community. This came after the gang trailed a group of persons associated with the Ghost Town neighborhood to their community and then proceeded to shoot two of them - and not just any two; they shot two of the Meighan brothers - who are considered leaders of the Ghost Town Crips. That set off all kinds of chaos in the community. Now, to make it clear, as you saw in our earlier story, the Meighan's are not suspects in the Mckenzie murder because they were friends and allies with the young man. But, it seems the GSU was either just waiting for a chance to pounce on ghost town, or doing an aggressive pre-emptive strike to block retaliation. Either way, all hell broke loose as gunshots rained down on Mayflower Street. Jules Vasquez went there yesterday for a damage assessment:..

Chester To GSU: "No Come Yah With That"
Eventually, the southside commander Chester Williams had to be called in to quell the chaos. Today ACP Williams spoke candidly and courageously about the conduct of the GSU, saying they overdid it and that if the GSU can't get with their new policing program, they better stay out of the Southside. ACP Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South: "Yesterday there was an incident in the Mayflower between the GSU and the elements from the Mayflower/Banal Street area and yes it is an unfortunate situation. I have spoken to the Commissioner about and the commissioner have directed that Professional Standards Bureau conducts an intensive investigation into the matter to ensure that there is impartiality in the way how the investigation is being conducted." Reporter: "Video has been made public, showing that the GSU actually came with a lot of aggression. From what I understand at least 5 shots were fired from one of the officers, one which hit Mr. Meighan."

Killer Ambushed Orange Walk Resident
A man was shot and killed in front of his home in Orange Walk. Yesterday morning around 5:00, Kevin Flowers arrived at his gate when someone opened fire on him, hitting him in the head and back. Police believe the gunman was waiting and hiding out in Flowers' yard. ASP Tillett told us the little they have so far. ASP Selvin Tillett, OC - Orange Walk Police: "We don't want to speculate. We have certain information that we are following at this moment." Reporter: "Does the police have any fear of retaliation?" ASP Selvin Tillett, OC - Orange Walk Police: "Well as I said, we are ready for any happens, but at this moment we will try and work as quick and hard as we can to avoid any such incident to happen."

Caye Caulker Resort Keeper Charged for Knife Murder
On last week Wednesday's newscast, we took you to Caye Caulker for the very strange murder of 51 year-old Jennifer Coleman. Well, the man who police believe to be her killer is at the Belize Central Prison Tonight. 51 year old Donald Heredia - who is a groundskeeper for an island resort, was charged with her murder when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. He was remanded until September 30. Herredia is believed to have frequented her house. Coleman was found bleeding from a stab wound to the neck. That was just before midnight on Tuesday, and though the cops tried to get her help, she passed away. The investigators found a knife on the scene which they believe is the murder weapon.

OAS PRESENTS INDEPENDENT REPORT
Last week, we reported multiple times on the results of the OAS Independent Investigation Team which did a thorough inquiry into the shooting death of 14 year old Guatemalan Julio Ruano. The report has vindicated Belize, but the Guatemalan officials are not prepared to concede that at this time, and we'll get to their refusal shortly. But first, we tell you about a press conference which the OAS held at their Adjacency Zone Office at the Benque/Melchor border on Saturday. That's where the Secretary General's Special Representative, Magdalena Talamás, hosted a 7 minute press briefing. Though she took questions from the press, she was unable to say anything that you the viewers don't already know. Here are those brief comments: Magdalena Talamas, O.A.S. Representative: "I have traveled to Belize and to Guatemala at the request of the Secretary General to formally hand over the report of the independent commission that carried out the investigation of the incident that took place in the Adjacency Zone on April 20th. I would like to clarify that this report is technical report that was conducted, it was produced by forensic experts that are not OAS staff members. The governments of the United States and Mexico responded affirmatively and put at disposal two very high level experts."

Foreign Minister Address House On OAS Report
And while the OAS Special Representative was very conservative in her remarks, so too was Belize's Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington. We showed you on Friday how he didn't need any apology from Guatemala for the outrageous and erroneous comments that the Guatemalan President, His Ambassador to Belize, and his Foreign Affairs Minister made. At Friday's House Meeting, Elrington dryly reported to his colleagues that the Independent Expert's report has been delivered to him. Here's a portion of his presentation: And, if you're waiting for an apology from the Guatemalans, don't hold your breath. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister is quoted in their media as explaining that they question the chain of custody of evidence relied on by the independent experts, and that at the heart of it, the report pits the accounts of the diverging sides of the fatal shooting against each other.

DPM Says No Free Ride From GOB
The saga of Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber's drowned SUV continues tonight, and up until Friday it was hemorrhaging the UDP. Before Friday's House Meeting went awry, the leader of the Opposition asked the Prime Minister if he would buy the Deputy a new vehicle. The Prime Minister said that Government would do so. So even though the PM committed to 90 thousand for a new vehicle, plus a little more in consideration of Faber's Deputy Prime Minister-ship - today Faber turned it down. He sent out a release today saying he will personally finance the replacement of his ministerial vehicle quote, "via personal resources." And if that sound sort of vague, the release adds, quote, "For full disclosure, the Deputy Prime Minister informs that the financing of his new vehicle will come by way of a personal loan from his bank and an interest accruing salary advance."

No Permit, No Problem: Christians Will Protest
In our recap of the madness at Friday's House Sitting, we showed you outside where Belize City agitators seized control of the protest and turned it from a peaceful demonstration to a riot-like confrontation with the Belmopan police. Well, chief organizer Patrick Menzies, the President of the Spanish Church's Alliance of Ministers and Leaders, told us today that they are going back to Belmopan tomorrow. He told us via phone that the police are refusing to grant him a permit, but they will still be out there nonetheless: We'll be there, and we will tell you what happened in tomorrow's newscast.

PUP Says GOB Should Appeal Part of Section 53
At its press conference today the PUP said that the government should challenge the section 53 judgment made by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. But, like the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition urged a challenge based on the Chief Justice's interpretation of the word "sex" to mean "sexual orientation". He explained why the issue of intercourse against the order of nature was not deemed important to challenge: Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "When you take a close look at the judgment and there is just one part of the judgment that most people are against or they are concerned, and that is the issue about the new interpretation of sex to mean sexual orientation. And when you have so many citizens demanding clarity on that portion of the ruling then I think it is the responsibility of the government to appeal to get clarity whichever way it will happen, to go to the Court of Appeal and if necessary to the Caribbean Court of Justice."

Duff Says Audit Has it All Wrong
On Thursday's newscast, we told you about how House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte is demanding an apology from the Auditor General, and amendment to her Audit Reports on Immigration and Nationality. Well, as you know, it names a number of UDP Ministers, former Ministers, and UDP operatives as being involved in irregular and questionable issuances of passports, visas, and nationality certificates. Well, there is another person who is disputing the Auditor General's findings. He's 76 year-old Ladyville Resident Valvin Seymore Duff Sr., who says that he is sure that the Dorothy Bradley got it wrong in his case. He said that he's been living uninterrupted in Belize for close to 40 years, so he does not know how and why he does not qualify for a passport. Duff told us this evening that he got the surprising news from his friends who pointed it that his name was printed in the Belize Times Newspaper:

Briceno Explains How He Got Into Passport Audit
One other person whose name is in the report is PUP Leader John Briceno. We were the first to inform him of this on Friday, but indeed, it's right there in the passport audit for an application that did not meet requirements. We asked him to explain today. Jules Vasquez, 7News: "Your name is also in the audit for the passport section for one Dalia Amanda Brikish. What is the situation with that?" Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "Dalia Amanda Brikish is my wife's aunt. She is a Belizean. She grew up in Orange Walk. She married a man who is a Canadian with origins from Yugoslavia, lived in Belize all his life. She was renewing her passport and according to the report all it says is that I never put the stamp. That's all." Jules Vasquez, 7News: "The problem is that that is a mistake. Elvin Penner seems to have made on 3 successive occasions - so that by association it makes it suspicious." Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition - PUP: "Your point is?"

Channel 5

P.U.P. Calls Suspension of Espat “An Attack on Democracy”
The political brouhaha at the sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday remains at the forefront of national discourse tonight. It is the first time that security forces are [...]

P.U.P. Leader Gives Kudos to Friday Protestors in Belmopan
In the wake of Friday’s chaotic sitting, the People’s United Party announced that it has agreed to hold a series of activities; the first to take place on Wednesday at [...]

Julius Espat Believes He Has Not Been Lawfully Suspended
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat was suspended as a member of the House of Representatives, at Friday’s scandalous sitting. While questions have been raised as to the legitimacy of [...]

Briceño Says Michael Peyrefitte Must Go
According to senior parliamentarian and Leader of the Opposition John Briceño, the Speaker of the House has been very biased in moderating House debates. The P.U.P. claims the Speaker does [...]

P.U.P. Condemns Police’s Removal of Press at End of House Meeting
The ejection of the media from the gallery has also raised concerns in respect of the apparent abuse of authority by members of the police department. Without verbal authorization from [...]

P.U.P. Does About Turn on Section 53; It Now Wants Appeal
The People’s United Party is also calling for an appeal of the Supreme Court decision on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code. In the days following the landmark ruling, the [...]

Opposition to Protest in Belize City Next Wednesday
The P.U.P. touched on a number of other issues. It weighed-in on the massive turnout of protestors who were present for the COLA/Evangelical Church rally in Belmopan on Friday. According [...]

Kareem Musa on Standing Orders in House
Turning to the procedure on the naming of a member of the House of Representatives…. As you know, the House ended in utter confusion not to mention the chaos after [...]

P.U.P. Joins Call for Government to Join UN Anti-Corruption Convention
The People’s United Party has joined the B.P.P. in demanding that the Barrow administration immediately sign on the UN Convention on Anti-corruption. The urgent call for the U.D.P. government to [...]

George McKenzie Jr. Stabbed to Death During Entertainment Event
A man well-known to the law was murdered during a fete in Belize City over the weekend. George McKenzie Junior, the son of slain gang leader George McKenzie, was stabbed [...]

3-cornered Gang Beef Forces Police to Intervene
But Eastern Division South Regional Commander, ACP Chester Williams, says that information gathered so far indicates that the stabbing murder of McKenzie Junior was carried out by a member of [...]

GSU Accused of Shooting Meighan Brothers in Mayflower Street Area
Shortly after the stabbing of George McKenzie Junior on the ITVET Compound, shots rang out over on south side of Belize City in the Mayflower/Banak Street area. Brothers Tyrone and [...]

Southside Commander Says G.S.U.’s Aggressive Tactics Not Welcome
ACP Williams says that the incident is counterproductive to the efforts that they have put in place. He laid out why the Gang Suppression Unit’s aggression is no longer welcome [...]

Orange Walk Police Puzzled Over Early Morning Murder
In Sugar City, Orange Walk, police are still puzzling over the murder of twenty-eight year old Kevin Flowers, gunned down in front of his Smithsonian Street home in the early [...]

A Caye Caulker Man is Arrested for Woman’s Murder on Island
Five days ago, Caye Caulker resident, Jennifer Coleman was murdered at her apartment on the island when her throat was cut. Today, a mentally challenged man was charged for her [...]

Independent Commissioners Present Report on Julio Alvarado Death
A report from experts, Doctors James Hamby of the U.S. and Doctor Patricia Trujillo of Mexico, on the killing of a Guatemalan minor back in April was released last week [...]

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Blasts Barrow and Talamas – Belizeans “Shameless”
The report of the independent investigation has incensed Guatemala. As soon as it was released, the Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales made comments to Emisoras Unidas, a news outlet across [...]

Carlos Raul Morales Says Report is not Conclusive, Must Be Expanded
By and large in the aftermath of the death of fourteen-year-old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, it was felt that the Guatemalan government was ahead in its campaign to internationalize their [...]

Eastern Division South’s Back to School drive continues
The second of three back to school drives organized by the Eastern Division South Police Department took place today at the Raccoon Police Station. Over a hundred and twenty children [...]

Kaya Cattouse Wins Regional Cycling Race in Merida
We’ll have much more in Sports with James Adderley, but today, elite female cyclist Kaya Cattouse told us that she competed in a race in Merida over the weekend. The [...]

James Adderley And the Weekend Sporting Activities
Good Evening, Iâ€™m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. We turn immediately to the Premier Football League Opening season where Week II took us to Sugar City where [...]

PlusTV

Cecil Ramirez Jr. freed of murder charge
An SJCJC Student who was slapped with a single charge of murder back in December 2015, has been set free. 20 year old Cecil Ramirez Jr., saw the charge withdrawn by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for insufficient evidence. Ramirez, defended by Dickie Bradley and Senior Counsel Sai...

Two charged for King’s Park home invasion
In mid-July there was a home invasion in the King’s Park area where an elderly senior citizen in the company of her daughter and her boyfriend were held at gun point. The gun man raided the home, taking the home owner’s safe containing all her valuable jewellery worth over $17,000 and 20 thousand US...

Woman’s troubles after bail revoked
Belizean American Kimberly Lino, whose bail of $30,000 was revoked last week by Justice John Gonzalez, almost fainted today when she was being escorted from the Supreme Court back to the holding cell at the magistrate’s court after she was told that her reapplication for bail has been adjourne...

Breaking Belize News

PUP calls on Belizeans to stand against corruption
The People’s United Party (PUP), in a press conference at Independence Hall in Belize City this afternoon, announced that it is organizing a protest to be held on September 7th in Belize City in response to what the party considers rampant and obvious instances of corruption and […]

PUP to take to the streets
Claiming that the Cayo South area representative was attempting to present evidence of one of the worst instances of corruption in Belizean history when he was stopped and hauled out of the House of Representatives, the People’s United Party (PUP) has demanded that Julius […]

GSU shoots man during confrontation in Belize City
Reports coming from the old capital are that the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) shot a man during a confrontation in Belize City this weekend. A video posted on Facebook has gone viral and it shows the Gang Suppression Unit firing shots and you […]

Missing woman from San Ignacio Town found hanging in abandoned cement house
Desiree Denise Gladden, 49, who went missing this weekend was found hanging in an abandoned cement house located at the corner of Church Street and Bullet Tree road in San Ignacio Town. Mechanical asphyxia was the cause of her death and the body was […]

Belize City police investigate shooting in the old capital
Just a little after midnight on Sunday, August 28th 2016, Belize City police visited the KHMH where they saw 19 year old Clarence Thompson of a Belize City address with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the left shoulder. Initial Investigation has revealed that Thompson was […]

Belize Progressive Party Commends the Auditor General, Ms. Dorothy Bradley
This afternoon, the Belize Progressive Party( BPP) issued a release commending the Auditor General, Ms. Dorothy Bradley, for conducting the investigation of the immigration department without fear or favor. According to the press release, the BPP calls all government employees to conduct their service to the public with utmost […]

Orange Walk police investigate murder of Kevin Flowers
Kevin Flowers, 28, was gunned down around 5:00 Sunday morning when he arrived home and attempted to open the gate in front of his residence on Smithsonian Street. According to Inspector Selvin Tillett, police believe that the gunman may have been waiting on Flowers inside his […]

Cayo man beaten in Benque succumbs to injuries
On August 5th we reported that Michael Pagett, 36, from San Ignacio Town was badly beaten by two men in Benque Viejo Del Carmen on July 31st 2016 and was in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). The incident happened […]

Blogs

Booking a Hotel in Belize: How To Get Your Best Deal
So…you’ve been dreaming of a tropical getaway, snorkeling and sunning, and you thought of Belize. Maybe a friend has visited recently and raved or you stumbled upon one of Belize’s new super cute short videos… …or maybe even my blog or Instagram account and the MANY reasons that Belize is SO DIFFERENT from just your average Caribbean beach get-away. (Belize is SO DIFFERENT: Here’s Why) But here’s a tip that might be different for you too. When booking travel, many use travel websites. I love Kayak.com for booking flights. And I always peruse Expedia, Tripadvisor, Hotels.com to research, pick and often book a hotel.

September Celebrations in Belize
In early Belize history, the country was under Spanish rule, but Spain did not actually control the area due to a belief that it did not have sufficient resources to gain the country’s full attention. Spain allowed British settlers into the area, and the British eventually gained a large presence. During the Battle of St. George’s Caye, the Spanish and British fought for about a week in September 1798, and this essentially led to British rule of the country. The British held control over the area until it was granted self-government in 1964, and it was renamed Belize from British Honduras in 1973. Belize finally attained independence on 21 of September 1981. Each year during September, Belizeans celebrate their independence in a number of ways. Below are a few examples:

13 Unique Belize Resorts to Visit this Fall
If you’re planning to visit Belize this fall, but you can’t decide where to stay because you have found too many choices, it’s understandable. To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of resorts known for their luxe environs, amenities and award-winning hospitality—and this doesn’t begin to touch on the natural wonders that await your arrival like our famous reef, jungles, wildlife, Mayan ruins and the friendliest English-speaking people on the planet. The following 13 resorts are not just enclaves of relaxation and pleasure; they’re trend-setting lodgings that have put Belize on the Caribbean tourism map. Are they the only reason Belize has a growing reputation for being the hottest destination in the region? Nope. Airlines are adding routes to meet growing demand-the newest of which are Westjet, starting direct Toronto flights in October, and Southwest Airlines launching a Denver leg to its already-impressive U.S. cities of origin list as of March 2017.

International Sources

Canciller Morales pedirá una ampliación del informe de la OEA
The Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Raul Morales calls OAS Representative Magdalena Talamas "anything but diplomatic" after her statement concerning the investigation into the April 20th incident in the Chiquibul which resulted in the death of a Guatemalan minor. Prime Minister Barrow has requested an apology for the unfair accusations levied against the Belize Defense force in the wake of the incident. Morales describes the request as irresponsible.

US tells Haiti it will cut off money transfers in November if no reforms undertaken
The Obama Administration has reportedly warned that it will end all money transfers from the US to Haiti in November, 2016, unless certain unspecified "corrective measures" are taken. Many Haitians have, for decades, been largely supported by remittances sent by expatriates working in America to their needy families in Haiti, but that route is also used to repatriate the proceeds of narcotics crime, and apparently the United States has lost patience with the Haitian financial industry's non-existent anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) efforts. Most North American compliance officers are ill-informed about the thriving Venezuela-to-Haiti-to USA drug trafficking route, believing Haiti to be an extremely poor country and not understanding its key role in drug smuggling and money laundering operations.

USD33 mn to Finance Climate Change Resilient Infrastructure in the Caribbean
Officials from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) have signed an agreement to provide USD33,000,000 towards financing sustainable infrastructure projects in the Caribbean region. At least 50 percent of the funds will be used to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. The agreement was signed last month at the CDB Headquarters in Barbados, by French Ambassador to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Barbados, Eric de la Moussaye, in the presence of CDB Vice-President (Operations), Patricia McKenzie. “Caribbean countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with our geographical location leading to high exposure to natural hazards. Economic conditions also play a role, as there is a lack of access to long-term resources to finance sustainable climate-related infrastructure projects. We believe that these additional funds will go a long way towards building resilience and mitigating the impact of climate change in our region,” said Mrs. McKenzie.

How to Make the Most Out of Three Days in Belize
San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye may be tiny, but it has tons to offer the weekend tourist. VACATIONS ARE A BIG COMMITMENT. You want to make the best of your too-short time off and find the best of the best while you’re there. The problem with sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp is that yeah, you get a snapshot view of what you’re interested in, but you don’t really know what it’s like until you get there—at least, that’s how I felt traveling to San Pedro, Belize. Even though I only spent a weekend there, I feel like a combination of planning ahead (with those aforementioned travel sites) and going with the flow gave me a feel for the best Belize has to offer. Below, my own tips for making the most out of a short jaunt south. Only a 2 ½ plane ride to Belize City, piece of cake right? After going through customs in the most adorable little airport ever, complete with duty free liquor stores advertising Rough flight? We’ve got complimentary shots!, you’ve got two options to get over to San Pedro—boat or mini plane. The mini plane is the way to go. The boat a) takes much longer b) is not at all scenic and c) isn’t that much cheaper. The mini-plane, on the other hand, takes you on a gorgeous ride over the ocean and islands and the flight only takes 20 minutes.

Belize Boy Travels to Baltimore to Receive Life-Changing Eye Treatment
At just 2-years-old he is facing a battle that could affect the rest of his life. Born in Belize, 3-months premature, George Garcia has faced many medical issues– the latest — leading his family to doctors right here in Baltimore to attempt to correct is eye sight issues. He is your normal 2-year-old full life, energy and laughter. But life has not been so easy for George. “We have been to Guatemala for the first surgery; he got a cataract removed,” said his mother, Maria Garcia. “And then the second surgery was in Mexico. That one was to remove some dry blood that was in his eye that was causing swelling.” In Belize, George was born at just 1 pound and 4 ounces. He spent 11 months in intensive care, underwent his first surgery within his first month of life for a testicular hernia. Now, his family is here in Baltimore meeting with doctors at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute.

NAU Archaeologist Jaime Awe Describes ‘Unbelievable’ Find in Belize
Archeologists made a major discovery in Belize this summer: they uncovered one of the largest Mayan tombs ever found, along with two hieroglyphic panels. Northern Arizona University professor Jaime Awe led the expedition. From the Arizona Science Desk, Melissa Sevigny spoke with Awe about the discovery. Melissa Sevigny: So you made some big findings in Belize this summer. Can you talk about that? There’s a site in Western Belize known as Xunantunich. That site has been investigated since the turn of the 19th century, so back in 1890s. Just a large number of people have worked there. Nobody had ever found a burial of an important elite ruler of the site. This year we decided to excavate this one smaller temple, and bingo, we hit this huge tomb, in fact one of the largest tombs ever discovered in the country of Belize.

NAU Expedition Uncovers Mayan Tomb in Belize
An archaeology expedition led by Northern Arizona University has uncovered one of the largest Mayan tombs ever found in Belize, and scientists are calling it the most significant discovery in more than a century of research at the site. The dig took place at Xunantunich in western Belize. NAU professor Jaime Awe brought his team of more than 30 students to the site, where they uncovered a burial chamber five times larger than a typical Mayan tomb. “Most tombs in the Maya world are sort of dug into existing buildings,” Awe said. “Not in this case. In this case, they constructed this tomb and then built the pyramid on top of it.” The tomb holds the remains of what appears to be an important Mayan ruler, animal bones and artifacts.

This time we mean it: Alana Shock's moving on, possibly to Belize
Chef Alana Shock, who for years has been one of Columbus’ most prized and inventive chefs, says she and her husband/co-owner Kevin Bertschi have put Alana’s Food and Wine (2333 N. High St.) up for sale after 18 years. “I have a great business here. People love this place, but I have been literally standing in my kitchen for 32 years now,” Shock says. It’s time for a change. So, what does the future hold? “It’s rather refreshing to not know,” Shock says. She does, however, have options. One is a job offer in Belize. Her former college roommate’s friends are planning to open an eco lodge in the Central American home of Mayan ruins, dense forests and the Caribbean Ocean. Shock was asked to travel down over her birthday in September to discuss the opportunity.

“Palo de Campeche”, Logwood natural dye that changed the textile industry
In 1540, when Spanish troops captured the Mayan port of Kin Pech on the Gulf of Mexico, they found an unexpected treasure: a small, scrawny tree that grew all over the nearby forests — and from which a gorgeous, red-orange dye could be made. That was a big deal back in Europe, where only the rich could foot the hefty bills for purple capes, red waistcoats and other bright clothes dyed with the juices of rare bugs, exotic plants and the like. Commoners could only afford clothes dyed with cheap, drab materials. Like soot. Soon, galleon loads of the Kin Pech trees began showing up in Spain, and news that a cheap source of colorful dye had been found blasted across the European continent like a cannonball. The sooty set could now dress like the silky set. All this from a little tree simply called logwood.

Concern over Brexit in vulnerable Commonwealth states
Key industries in some Commonwealth nations could take massive hits if appropriate steps aren’t taken following the UK’s departure from the EU. The forecast over so-called Brexit comes from policy experts’ analysis in two new research papers published by the Commonwealth Secretariat. "Brexit is a journey into unknown trading arrangements, both for the UK dealing with the EU, and the UK’s trading relationship with a large number of developing countries. Many have benefited from EU trade preferences," said Dr Mohammad Razzaque, head of the Secretariat’s international trade policy section. The analysis is part of the Secretariat's peer reviewed 'Trade Hot Topics' series. The latest papers suggest that the uncertainties caused by Brexit may weaken the chances of world economic recovery. This in turn will have severe implications for many developing and so called least developed countries or LDCs.

Virgin Boss Richard Branson “Amazed To Be Alive” After Crashing Bike in British Virgin Islands
Sir Richard Branson saw “his life flash before my eyes” during a bike crash close to a cliff edge that left him needing hospital treatment. The Virgin founder suffered a badly damaged cheek and severe cuts to his body after crashing his bicycle during training on the island of Virgin Gorda. Dramatic photos from the incident show a bloodied and bruised Sir Richard receiving emergency treatment at the scene after he missed a bump in the road and was thrust into the air, over the handlebars and onto the concrete. “The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes,” he wrote in his blog.

Here’s Why Caribbean Bankers Are Giving The IMF Chief A Thumbs Up
The Caribbean Association of Banks Inc. (CAB) is strongly supporting IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde’s proposed approach to dealing with the de-risking/correspondent banking issue that threatens some regional economies. It’s her suggestion that “it is a collective action problem that calls for a collective solution” that is getting her a thumbs up from the CAB. De-risking is where international banks limit or terminate their relationships with regional financial institutions because of fears that money laundering and questionable sources of funds which would cause them [international banks] to receive heavy fines from their regulators. The CAB said in a statement issued yesterday that it has been active in raising and advocating on the issue and its effects on the Caribbean region since 2014, when it brought the matter to the attention of Caribbean governments and other stakeholders. The CAB had requested regional intervention and highlighted that the loss of correspondent banking relationships could render the Caribbean region unbankable and ultimately destabilize all sectors of the economies.

Videos

KAYAK RACE AD, 1min. from PGTV News Network

San Antonio Village, Corozal North, Corozal, Belize, 3min. Village Meeting, Village Council 2016-2019, Mrs. Veronica Riveroll Chairlady

Belize's Citizens Security, People's Referendum & Good Governance, 13min. Paco Smith, Chairman of the Belize Progressive Party - BPP speaks on issues affecting Belize. Excerpt from our August 18, 2016 Press Conference

A DAY IN CAYE CAULKER BELIZE, 8min. Our typical day here in Caye Caulker. Diving, fishing and eating!

UWI Belize Constitutional Case Briefing, 45min. Tracy Robinson, an LGBT advocate, shares the background story of HOW and WHY Belize was selected for the sodomy lawsuit challenge, characteristics of a "favourable environment" for the first lawsuit of many in the Caribbean. Quite revealing...

Belize Vacation Adventure, 5min.

Diving with Dolphins on B&D; Ambergris Caye Belize, 1min. We saw dolphins in Belize, but on that dive my GoPro was out of charge, so I couldn't record our most phenomenal dive of the week. However, we managed to make contact with another diver in an adjacent group who sent us this video. You can hear the dolphins clearly and see how they were chasing the hapless sharks around. They paused to check out the divers, then went on their way.

Booth Random Walk Belize 2016, 2.5min. Making Friends Under Water

Carlos Bardalez Jr, 1min.

And the 2016 September Celebrations are OFFICIALLY opened: "Sovereign and Strong. Together as One!, 4min. Hon. Elodio Aragon, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture officially declares the 2016 Belize September Celebrations Open.

Treasure Found - Long Lost Logs from Belize, 11min. This video gives you an overview of the early logging methods once used to harvest Mahogany in Belize, (once known as British Honduras), and what is being done about all the logs that were lost to the bottoms of rivers and lagoons during 200+ years of Mahogany harvest.

Doyle Family Vacation Video - Belize June 10-16, 2016, 15min.

Cruise Crew 2016, 3min. Mexico, Belize, Honduras

Isla Marisol - Belize, 2min. Little video of our diving in Isla Marisol - Belize 2016.

Belize Jungle Tour 2016, 6min. Zip line and cave tubing with King David Castillo.

Belize - nurse shark after free lion fish meal, 2min.

Belize 2016, 3.5min. Loyola students and faculty members travel to Belize for a service trip.

August 29, 2016

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Misc Belizean Sources

Neighborhood Watch Summer Camp 2016, Benque Viejo
The Zone 4 Captain Samuel Bruce; recently hosted the ninth consecutive youth summer camp, held at the spacious facility Sam’s Community Park. The camp encompassed various activities this year, Arts & Crafts with a patriotic theme, Games, Sports, playground, and educational speakers. This year’s summer camp was an historic event for the Zone 4 captain Sam Bruce & Cpl. Joshua McKoy of Benque community policing unit effort; added the Department of Youth Services, Cayo District Youth Council, and Ministry of Health via San Ignacio Hospital staff all joining in working together to bring maximum benefit to the area youths! The pictured youths enjoyed a full week of free instruction, materials, snacks, juice, games with prizes and Rice & Beans & Chicken dinner, and daily engagement of hard hitting issues of life skills for the youths with the international trainer of GREAT program conducted by Cpl. Joshua McKoy.

Our Honoree for this week is Cpl 1103 Aaron Ferguson of the Belize Police Dept.
Affectionantely known as Fergy.He is undeniably a true Police Officer,leader and example to many kids in Dangriga Town.Cpl Fergy is the N.C.O.i/c Community Policing in Dangriga Town police station ,and he leads the youth cadeth corp,whilst he assist in the developing the cadets in the entire soutthern region.Cpl Ferguson is recognized for his hard work with the youths in the south more so in Dangriga town.FB friends kindly join our committee in congratulating,and saying thanks to Cpl Aaron Ferguson for his contribution to our precious youths.

Successful Implementation of Bioenergy Course
According to Belize policy targets, the country aims at increasing the share of renewable energy. Till now Bioenergy, especially Biogas, is not utilized industrial scales in Belize. To help achieve this goal and build capacity in this sector, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in cooperation with GIZ REETA had offered a free of charge BIOENERGY Course at its training Centre in the country’s capital, Belmopan. Bioenergy as a renewable energy resource offers many advantages: It can be converted into various forms of secondary and final energy. Biomass, the primary energy source, can be transformed into solid, liquid and gaseous energy carriers. The combustion of these energy carriers can produce heat, cold, electricity, mechanical power or a combination of these. Even better than this, bioenergy is storable, so it can be converted right at the time when energy is needed to balance the differences between energy supply and demand. Dr. Kenrick Leslie, Director of the CCCCC and Dr. Ulric Trotz , Deputy Director of the CCCCC both welcomed the participants and thanked GIZ for their contribution. They also thanked Henrik Personn, the integrated expert from CIM/GIZ, for his efforts especially in the Capacity Building and Waste to Energy Sector in Belize. The course was directed by Tobias Sengfelder of GoGreen Ltd.

Casa Pan Dulce Opens New Bakery
Casa Pan Dulce has a new location in downtown Cayo. They are in the Embarcadero Plaza. They have an extensive selection of pastries, cakes, and bread.

Rotaract Turkey Dinner Fundraiser
The Rotaract Club of Benque is having a turkey dinner fundraiser to raise money for their wonderful community service projects. It'll be at the Benque DYS next Sunday, September 4th. "Delicious Turkey Dinner only $10.00 . PLACE YOUR ORDERS NOW Inbox us for further information "

Red-Lored Amazon at Belize Bird Rescue
Pickle is a fledgling Red-Lored Amazon who just wandered into Jamie and her son Trey's garden in the Duck Run area of Spanish Lookout. Pickle was probably yet another victim of Hurricane Earl, and unfortunately the only bridge out of the area was under 6-feet of river! With Jamie's common sense and a little bit of coaching from us, she managed to get Mazuri pellet mush and fruit into their little Pickle for the three days it took for the flood waters to subside. Jamie and Trey brought Pickle to us as soon as they could. He was soon eager to go into the outdoor enclosures and every day now Pickle hangs out with five other Red-Lored Amazons, flying and cuddling with them and having a wonderful time. We have to bring him inside at night as Pickle is missing some feathers and still a bit young to be fully exposed to the overnight rains, but soon enough he will get to have a slumber party with his friends. Great save Jaime and Trey!

The Reporter

Tikkun Olam Belize reaches out in community cleanup
Tikkun Olam Belize, a nongovernmental organization advocating for the rights of commercial sex workers in Belize, joined with community members in the Pickstock constituency for a community cleanup campaign and barbecue this week. The organization, in collaboration with the Sanitation department and residents of the Lovely Lane Community, gathered to clear the children’s park in the community, which was filled of debris which was leftover from hurricane earl. The participants spent over three hours cleaning up the area so the neighborhood children would have a clean and safe environment to play. They used the barbecue to raise funds to carry on other initiatives which will benefit the community. Elisa Castellanos, executive director of Tikkun Olam, explained that that her organization held the event in an effort to foster better community relations and build a sense of unity in the neighborhood.

Angelus Press joins hurricane relief efforts
This week the Angelus Press announced that it was partnering with its customers and social partners to assist families affected by Hurricane Earl. Operations manager for the Angelus, John Gillett explained that, considering how many families were affected, many of them students, the company would donate a pack of exercise books for every $50 a shopper spends at one of their branches. Gillett estimated that by the end of August the company will be donating thousands of books to needy children all over Belize. He added that the Angelus would be working with several groups such as the Belie Red Cross, Rotatract Club, UNICEF, and the Rotary Club of Belize, to assist with distributing the books to ensure that the children who need it the most get the donation.

Breaking Belize News

Queen of the Bay crowned
Stann Creek’s Cristalyn Castillo is 71st Queen of the Bay-Designate, after winning last night’s pageant in Belize City. First runner-up went to Toledo’s Aliesha Vernon; second runner-up to Lashania Crawford of Belize City; third runner-up to Aldeesha Castillo of Corozal; and fourth-runner-up to Darcell Duran […]

Guatemala ambassador to Belize “expresses doubts” on OAS report
Recalled Guatemalan ambassador to Belize, Estuardo Roldan, has told Prensa Libre newspaper that the OAS independent report is “not conclusive” to him about what happened to 14 year old Julio Jose Alvarado Ruano, calling it “a story.” According to Roldan, key evidence […]

George McKenzie Jr. stabbed to death
Son of notorious ex-gang leader George Junie Balls McKenzie, George Junior, was fatally stabbed on Saturday night. Police have confirmed that the incident happened during the Soca Madness event at the ITVET grounds. More on this story as it becomes available. Save © […]

Decomposed body of woman found hanging in San Ignacio
BBN has received reliable reports that the body of a woman was found hanging this morning in San Ignacio Town. According to reports, the body was found in a state of decomposition and was discovered by neighbors due to the putrid stench. The […]

Early Morning Murder in Orange Walk Town
BBN Staff: Reports reaching our newsroom are that a man was gunned down just after 5 this morning in Orange Walk Town. The victim has been identified as Kevin Flowers and he was murdered in front of his residence on Smith Sonia Street. According to reports, neighbors […]

No sign of repairs yet of low lying wooden bridge in San Ignacio
It’s been 3 weeks now since the Ministry of Works confirmed that the low lying wooden bridge, which connects San Ignacio and Santa Elena, sustained damages from the flooding associated with Hurricane Earl. Immediately after the hurricane, the Ministry of Works had estimated a […]

P.U.P. Politicians Say Government Was Trying to Silence Discussion of Immigration Reports; Prime Minister Avoids Media Comment After House Exit
Friday’s historic – for the wrong reasons – events concluded with a charged media interview with dismissed Cayo South representative Julius Espat and his party leader, John Briceno. Moments later, flanked by a massive security detail, PM Barrow would exit the building. The shouting […]

Blogs

Where on Ambergris Caye, Belize is the Scoop?
How well do YOU know Ambergris Caye? Here are some photos around San Pedro town and north of town…can you identify where they are? Some are not easy. But all answers are at the end of the post. But first, an update on the weather. Late summer is most definitely here. The wind has died down…the sun is hot. While it hasn’t been raining much yet, heavy clouds sit in the sky threatening passing showers. I call it two shirt weather. If you are out and about, you are going to be changing your shirt 2-3 times a day. Keep hydrated all! This photo of the ocean shows just how still things are. Now to WHERE ON AMBERGRIS CAYE IS THE SCOOP? Hint: You can see this gentleman on a balcony as you land at the airstrip.

Hurricane Earl: The Aftermath
After a 20km hike in Belize’s Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary earlier this month, I was enjoying a soda with my teammate Rebecca outside the visitor center. We were discussing the incredible footage we’d just received from our camera traps: a young jaguar mother with two tiny cubs, in perfect daylight. The cubs were the smallest we’d ever captured on camera. We knew we had to keep an eye on this family, but we also wanted to maintain monitoring presence throughout the area. We were excitedly discussing potential strategies when someone from the Belize Audobon Society (BAS) walked by and mentioned that a tropical storm was forming and might pass through Belize. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I’d heard many similar warnings before—usually the storms die out or change direction. But the next day, the warnings became more serious. The storm was large, and it was headed straight toward us. Our discussion about changing camera locations shifted—now we needed to pull out cameras in flood-prone areas so they wouldn’t be damaged or lost. Apart from the cameras, we also needed to prepare our homes—the storm had been upgraded to a hurricane, and we needed to stockpile drinking water, food, flashlights, batteries, and more.

This is Belize: ‘Curiouser and curiouser!’
“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice. Only this time, her Wonderland turns out to be Belize. Belize is a magical rabbit hole. Once you slide down into it, you almost never want to leave. I don’t and it has now been 2.5 years, one hurricane, three rainy seasons, two bicycles, scores of trips to the reef, more beautiful days than the imagination can grasp and more smiles from passing strangers than I ever thought possible. This is Belize. When I try to explain it, though, it comes off like shiny and colorful postcards — Palm trees! Sand! Blue-green waters! Sunshine! Barrier reef! There is a word for that. Well, a made-up word: Vemodalen. It means “the frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.” You can look it up in the entertaining Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Let me explain vemodalen for you in two words: Blue Hole.

International Sources

Canada helping Belize with defence policy amid tensions with Guatemala over soldiers killing boy
Canada is helping Belize to determine its defence policy even as tensions between the central American nation and neighbouring Guatemala continue to simmer over the killing of a 13-year boy by Belize soldiers. Top military officers from Belize came to Ottawa in February for meetings and to receive advice from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces on their country’s future defence strategy. Belize is embroiled a border dispute with Guatemala, which deployed 3,000 troops in April to a disputed area between the two countries. “It’s going to look at the tasks the government wants the BDF to achieve, how they are going to achieve it, and then to put together those resources that they need to achieve it,” he said this year. “So with the help of the Canadian government we are finalizing that document.”

Defective reasoning from the chief justice of Belize?
I took the time last week Sunday to read through the ruling from the chief justice of Belize in the Caleb Orozco claim against the attorney general (the defendant) regarding his breached right of “freedom to express his preference or orientation”. I found aspects of the ruling puzzling, both legally and especially logically, and I apologise for saying that the reasoning on a key point of law, namely, public morality as per the Constitution of Belize, reminded me of an idiotic statute that was on the books in Kansas, USA, for years before the idiocy was spotted and the statute repealed. That Kansas statute said, “When two trains approach each other at a [railroad] crossing, they both shall come to a full stop and neither shall start up until the other has clean gone.” Chief Justice Benjamin said: “[69] The sole limitation relied upon by the defendant is that of public morality. In paragraph eight of the Ramjeet affidavit, section 9(2) is cited.”

Children from Belize receive life-saving treatment in Richmond
Irene Gobey held her 11-month-old daughter, Kelsey Sutherland, in her lap at Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates’ offices in Henrico County on Friday. “When will her voice come back?” 17-year-old Gobey asked Dr. Alan Burke in Spanish, her native language, through translator Pilar Ortiz-Waters, program director of U.S. referrals with the Henrico County-based World Pediatric Project. Though now looking curiously around the room, Kelsey had been crying just a few minutes earlier when a nurse tried to take her temperature. Her wails had sounded scratchy and hoarse. Burke, head and neck surgeon with Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates and a volunteer with the World Pediatric Project, explained that it probably would take about three months for Kelsey’s voice to return.

SECRETS OF WHALE SHARKS REVEALED
The world's biggest fish are hungry migrators on a mission, according to a tracking study that mapped whale sharks' long journeys around the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to a favourite feeding hot spot off the Yucatan Peninsula. And one whale shark's incredible 7,200-kilometre swim could even help solve the long-standing mystery of where whale sharks give birth—an event no scientist has ever seen. The largest-ever study of whale shark migrations, nine years in the making, shows that the hundreds of school bus-sized animals that feed in a plankton-saturated stretch off the Mexican coast come from far and wide. The gentle giants—which can reach up to 12 metres or longer in length, and weigh an average of 5 tons—use mouth filters to feed on the tiny plankton and small fish or eggs.

Muere el cantante y compositor mexicano Juan Gabriel
Reports from Mexico say Mexican singer Juan Gabriel has passed away from a heart attack. Share this post if you have been to one of his concerts and share your pic of him in concert to keep his memory alive. RIP Juanga.
El cantante y compositor Alberto Aguilera Valadez, conocido como Juan Gabriel, falleció este domingo en Santa Mónica, California, a los 66 años de edad. La familia del cantante originario de Parácuaro, Michoacán, confirmó que la causa de su repentina muerte fue fue un infarto. "Juan Gabriel fue un gigante dentro de la industria musical donde fue y será popular", dice un comunicado de su familia.

Videos

THE WHALE SHARK, 3min. Growing up to lengths of 12 metres what do they feed on?

Hump back whale in Belizean waters, 1min. After work we went to play around offshore , and we got to encounter this hump back whale today . Was beautiful. ..

Jaguar and her two cubs, 1/2min. Not long after our camera traps captured this incredible footage of a jaguar and her two cubs in Belize's Cockscomb Wildlife Basin, Hurricane Earl struck

Guitar Class #2 in the Belize Creole Brukdung Project, 1/2min. Sponsored by the Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project.

Strong Villages Dental Video 2016, 2min. Dr. Laura Matsunaga and the Strong Villages volunteer dental team travel to Belize, Central America in 2016. "Compassion in Action" is more than a slogan its a Strong Villages travelers way of life.

Strong Villages-Tumul k’in Health Center - Blue Creek Village, Belize, Central America, 3min.

San Antonio Village, Corozal, Belize, 3.5min. Village Council and Czl North PUP promoting East Indian cultural food Curry Chicken with split peas and strained rice.

Under The Sea (Belize), 3min. Snorkeling in Caye Caulker

Wild Howler Monkeys in Belize, 1.5min.

Church Protest Section 53 CJ Ruling - Belize National Assembly - August 26 2016, 11min.

August 28, 2016

Miss Dangriga wins Queen of the Bay 2016-17!!

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Norwegian Cruise Line presents bz$100,000 donation to Belize Red Cross Society for Hurricane Earl relief
Norwegian Cruise Line has presented a donation of BZ$100,000 (US$50,000) to assist the people of Belize in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Earl’s impact on the country last month. On Friday, August 19, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Senior Vice President of Destination & Strategic Development, Colin Murphy (above left), presented the donation to Lily Bowman, Director General of Belize Red Cross Society (above right). “Thank you to Norwegian Cruise Line for their generous donation to the people of Belize in this time of hardship after Hurricane Earl’s visit,” said Lily Bowman, Director General of Belize Red Cross Society. “This generous donation will allow the Belize Red Cross to assist at least 170 more families, to address what they perceive to be their highest priority need, with dignity.”

BTB 2016 Scholarship Recipients
The Belize Tourism Board awarded five (5) scholarships to students venturing into the Tourism field of studies. Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., presented each student with their scholarship package. Two Associate Degree scholarships were awarded. The recipients were Clarita Ack, of Toledo Community College, and Ahkeem O’Brien, of St. John’s College. Both students received a two-year tuition scholarship for a Tourism Program at one of the Junior Colleges in Belize.

CCRIF makes US$260,000 payout to Belize for rains associated with Hurricane Earl
On August 18, CCRIF SPC (formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility) made a payout of US$261,073 to the Government of Belize under its excess rainfall insurance policy, as a result of heavy rains that affected the country on August 4 & 5 during Hurricane Earl. CCRIF’s prompt payment to the Government demonstrated its commitment to provide policy payouts within two weeks after a qualifying hazard event. The National Emergency Management Organization reported that the rains caused widespread flooding, resulting in damage to homes and businesses, interruptions of water and electricity services and losses to the tourism and agriculture industries.

Misc Belizean Sources

Monthly Weather Summary, July 2016
Six, mostly weak, tropical waves crossed the country during the month of July 2016, and rainfall was below average, except over the extreme south. Some stations in the north received only one third of their normal rain for the month, while Punta Gorda received about one quarter more than normal. The month started with a few showers and thunderstorms over southern districts, which became isolated the next day as moisture levels decreased over our area. A moderate easterly surface flow prevailed along with a neutral upper level pattern. A weak tropical wave then supported a few light showers and isolated thunderstorms over most areas on the 3rd, then mainly over northern districts on the 4th. The next two days were generally fair, with a few showers and thunderstorms continuing over the south, especially at night, as moisture levels remained high over the south, and the upper pattern being weakly divergent with an anticyclone to the east.

Southwest Airlines sale on Belize Tickets
Get it while it's hot, peeps!!! And while we are in the mood to promote great fares to Belize, our friends from Southwest Airlines have a sale on tickets from Houston to Belize right now. Starting at $274.00 Roundtrip all in. For itineraries from now until December.

Queen Of The West 2016
Congratulations, Shameka Armstrong! She's the new Queen of the West. Jem Lyons was 1st runner up. It was held on August 20th at the Sacred Heart College auditorium. More pictures here. "On August 20th 2016, the pageant of 'The Queen Of The West 2016 - 2017' was held. The Mayor and The San Ignacio & Santa Elena Town Council would like to thank everyone who made this possilbe! Hon. Rene Montero, Hon Omar Figueroa, Mr. Emer Hernandez, Thirsty Thursday, Mr. Orlando Montero, Cahal Pech Resort, Sacerd Heart College, Mayan Prince Restaurant, Hode's Place, Chaa Creek Resort."

Run for Vision Fun Run
The Run for Vision, a fundraising run to raise proceeds for eye tests and glasses for kids, is next Saturday in Belmopan. "Run For Vision & Boot Camp! Come run for a good cause!"

Ocelot caught on camera in the Chiquibul
Photo from PhD student, Lauren N. Watine, and the Program for Tropical Ecology and Conservation Science (PTECS). PTECS is a joint venture between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Florida.

We want to give a big shout-out to Albert!
Albert sells coconut water in Belize City in front of Rainbow Heights on the Philip Goldson Hwy, close to Bennys. Like most coconut water sellers, Albert doesn't use much of the meat from the coconut after harvesting the water, so he has been donating his "used" coconuts to BBR. Thanks to Gordon Kirkwood for setting this up and transporting the nuts to BBR. In just two trips we have already salvaged nearly 100lbs of coconut meat to be fed to the birds! Everyone wins! So if you get thirsty for fresh coconut water please go support Albert, he's a wonderful man, and by supporting his business you are also supporting us. If you are in Belize and have fresh produce going to waste please contact us! The birds aren't too picky, they're just happy to have fruits and veggies.

Amandala

War rhetoric criminals
Always, the big boys in this game, which are the United States of America and the Organization of American States (OAS), feel the need to pamper and coddle the military/industrial complex which has ruled the republic of Guatemala since 1954. We say this because, most recently, the rulers of Guatemala should have been condemned, based on the findings of the OAS inquiry into the April 20 Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano incident, with the same level of regional alarm which Jimmy Morales, the President of Guatemala, dramatically raised on the afternoon of Thursday, April 21, 2016. Passionately condemning the “cowardly” violence of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) which he blamed for the shooting death of the Guatemalan teenager, Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, on that Thursday afternoon of April 21 Jimmy Morales announced on national television, an announcement which received widespread regional publicity, that he was bringing his troops to the republic’s western and southern borders with Belize, and in so doing Morales was threatening the peace-loving people of Belize with a military invasion.

The Reporter

Eight new Bills passed in House of Representatives
The Government of Belize this week passed eight new Bills, at a special sitting of the House of Representatives. The Government pushed the bills through all three of the required readings and House Committee discussions and debates, in a single session lasting around five hours. Those bills included the: Treasury Bills (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2016; General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation (2015/2016) (No. 5) Bill, 2016; Money Lenders (Amendment) Bill, 2016; National Payment System Bill, 2016; Domestic Banks and Financial Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2016; Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill; and the Food and Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Government managed to pass the bills without much rebuttal or debate from the opposition, People’s United Party, because they walked out towards the end of the sitting and did not return.

GOB comments on independent investigation report on Chiquibul shooting
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington, said this week that he is not seeking an apology from the Government of Guatemala for its erroneous statements about Belize and its security forces. Elrington explained this week that since the results of the independent investigation commissioned by the Organization of American States (OAS) has proven that Belize was not in the wrong for the April shooting of a Guatemalan minor, he is only concerned about returning relations with Guatemala back to normal. “People say bad things about me all the time and I forgive them,” Elrington said. He added that if Prime Minister Dean Barrow gives the directive for him to seek an apology for the statements, then he will comply and communicate the request to the Guatemalans; however, his personal view is that he would not seek the apology of his own volition.

Breaking Belize News

Is Governor Ysaguirre of the Central Bank gone?
In an interview with the media, including BBN, after the house meeting was suspended yesterday, Leader of the Opposition, Hon. John Briceno, informed that Glenford Ysaguirre was fired as the Governor of the Central Bank. Briceno claimed the Governor was fired for revealing that ‘the Emperor has no clothes” as he made reference to the damning letter written on July 22nd 2016 by Ysaguirre. In that letter, the Governor warned the Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight, that the Central Bank was unable to facilitate a request by the Ashcroft Alliance to pay $70 million more in US currency for the BTL settlement agreement without jeopardizing the 2:1 exchange rate peg for the Belize dollar. Ysaguirre also made reference to the dire state of Belize’s public finances, the critically low level of foreign exchange reserves, the significant fall in export earnings and the current shrinking of the real economy.

Blogs

International Sources

Over half of Britons want Prince William to be King of England instead of Prince Charles
More than half of Britons want Prince William to be the next King of England instead of Prince Charles. According to a recent poll, 54 per cent want the accession to skip a generation when the Queen passes away, with Prince William taking the throne in place of his father. Even more women favour the 34-year-old to become the next monarch, with 60 per cent of women backing William, compared with 47 per cent of men. The poll by Opinium research found that a mere 25 per cent could see the Prince of Wales, who will succeed the Queen, as the future king. The question of whether the British monarchy should continue was also considered, but with two-thirds of people polled wanting to preserve the institution, the Queen and her successor have nothing to worry about.

Videos

Secretary General of the OAS Special Representative, Magdalena Talamas, 6min. Press Briefing on the independent investigation on the shooting of the Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado.

Mayan Cosmology - Day 5, 1.5min.

Mayan Cosmology - Day 6, 1.5min.

Mayan Cosmology - Day 7, 2min.

Chicken Drop at Wahoo's Lounge in San Pedro, Belize, 2min. Thursday night chicken drop at Wahoo's Lounge in San Pedro, Belize.

Las Terrazas Resort - Ambergris Caye, Belize - June 2016, 22min. Las Terrazas Resort Ambergris Caye, Belize June 2016 5 Year Anniversary Trip.

Aerial Silks San pedro Belize, 3min.

FIRST COMMUNITY ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH 2016 MISSIONARY TRIP TO BELIZE CITY, BELIZE, 6min. Pastor and Mrs. Ferdinand Gaines, Jr., and Pastor and Mrs. James Darby of Houston, Texas along with members and friends of both congregation traveled to Belize City, Belize from August 9 to August 14, 2016 on a Missionary trip to bring the Word of God and to work with the people of Hattieville Baptist Church, where Rev. Mark Sommerville is the pastor.

Trip to Belize | Vlog 3: Tubing | Itze De Jesus, 6min.

Living To The Dead End - Belize - Cross Continental Motorcycle Adventure, 11min. Living To The Dead End – Belize Days 72-82 of a 276 solo cross continental moto trip Belize signals the start of the Central American leg of the journey as I continue my way south towards the end of the road in Panama. Jungles, caves, friendly faces, new friends and, of course, more nudity! Come along as I spend 10 unforgettable days exploring Belize on the back of motorbike.

Belize It, 3min. Contiue to follow the journey of GGG girls as we take Belize and see the world beyond our backyards!

Tranquility Bay Belize HD, 5min.

REAL UFO LAUNCH BLUE HOLE BELIZE 2017, 42min.

Beautiful Belize - 5 weeks in 20 minutes, 14min.

My Trip to Belize Bird Rescue, 8min.

August 27, 2016

Are you ready for Chocolate Jouvert on September 17th in Belize City?

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Blackadore Caye’s second consultation sparks heated debate
Blackadore Caye Development Group held its first consultation in January of this year, after which they worked on adjustments that they presented at another public consultation on Wednesday, August 24th at the San Pedro High School’s Angel Nunez Auditorium. The impressive turnout was comprised of students, hoteliers, government officials, tour guides, tour operators, fishermen, business owners, different media houses, community members, and various stakeholders. The objective of the consultation was to get information from both the project proponents and the general public. It was also a means of explaining the revised edition of their Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), and what changes were made. The presentation was carried out by Social Specialist Dionne Chamberlain, Lead Biologist Juan Rovalo, Project Executive Demos Pragastis, and Lead Engineer Mark Buehrer.

GOB invests $15.8 Million to protect Chiquibul Forest
The Government of Belize will be investing $15.8 Million over the next two years to protect the valuable resources of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve from illegal logging and poachers from across the border, Minister of State Hon. Omar Figueroa announced at a press conference at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City Tuesday afternoon, August 23. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, The Environment and Sustainable Development, and Climate Change was launching its Chiquibul Forest Investment Initiative, when Figueroa spoke. He said he had already sourced $2.5 Million of that $15.8 Million to come from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (P.A.C.T.) and the Environmental Management Fund (EMF). But to make it sustainable, he proposed to raise the $3.75 conservation fee paid by visitors to US$20, as part of the departure tax which goes into the Environmental Management Fund. To begin the process, he said the P.A.C.T. Board of Directors has approved for a “Willingness to Pay” survey to be conducted among visitors to determine if they would be willing to contribute to the preservation of the natural attractions they have enjoyed in Belize.

Homicide takes life of 51-year-old Caye Caulker woman
On the night of Tuesday August 23rd, 51-year-old Caye Caulker resident Jennifer Coleman was murdered inside her apartment complex in Aventurera Street. Around 11:30PM, while in her home, Coleman was believed to have been stabbed multiple times in the neck with a knife. Visibly injured, Coleman proceeded to seek help from her neighbors. Before her neighbor could call the police, Coleman collapsed and hemorrhaged. Shortly after, Police arrived at the scene and rushed her to the local polyclinic.

September Celebrations Calendar of events announced!
September is right around the corner, and it means that Belize will turning 35! To celebrate, Belizeans will be proudly waving the red and blue flag with the coat of arms to honor their heritage. It also means that events will be occurring across the country, leading up to Belize’s Independence Day on Wednesday, September 21st. Since the celebrations are often considered the most patriotic, festive, and memorable part of the year, the National Celebrations Commission (NCC) isn’t holding back from the thrill. Last week, NCC announced the release of the 2016 Playbill and Calendar of Events, which includes celebrations, commemorations and other September-related programs around the country. Communications and Marketing Officer Holly Edgell stated that the free booklets arrived a day early on Tuesday, August 23rd. The calendar covers events taking place in August and September, and includes programs sponsored by a wide variety of organizations and businesses.

Pachuca defeats Police United 3-0
The action from the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) continued on Tuesday night, August 23rd in Pachuca, Mexico with Police United FC taking on Pachuca, the reigning Mexican league champion. The game was held at Hidalgo Stadium, where thousands of fans tuned in to watch the game. In the first half, both teams missed plenty of goal opportunities and were tied at 0-0. However, Pachuca made its comeback in the second half to defeat Police United 3-0, taking first place in Group E of the 2016-2017 CONCACAF Champions League. The shining stars of the night from Pachuca were Erick Aguirre, Hirving Lozano, and Uruguayan Jonathan Urretaviscaya. The three team players helped to win their second straight home game of the round-robin stage.

Ambergris Today

Blackadore Caye Development Still Under Fire by Tour Guides & Fishermen
“One of the biggest concerns after the very first public consultation in January was that we were not meeting with the people who would be impacted by this project, both directly and indirectly,” stated Dionne Chamberlain (Dr.), Public Relations Representative, Blackadore Development Group in an email sent out to development stake holders. Thus, before the final edits and presentation of Blackadore’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) were made, the development’s group set out to work diligently to remedy the situation and met wit over 100 people from May to August.

Misc Belizean Sources

BELTRAIDE telephone survey
The Belize Trade & Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) wishes to inform the general public that it will be conducting a telephone survey as a part of Global Entrepreneurship Monitoring (GEM) from Monday August 29th to Friday September 16th, 2016. The Adult Population Survey (APS) is a unique instrument used to measure the level and nature of entrepreneurial activity around the world. The focus is not only on business characteristics, but also on people’s motivation for starting a business, the actions taken to start and run a business, as well as entrepreneurship related attitudes. During the survey period, some 2000 randomly selected individuals will receive a call on your mobile device during the day. All information provided will be strictly confidential and will not be shared outside of this survey. The entire survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes.

Governor General to Travel to Mexico
Governor General Sir Corville Young will be travelling to Mexico at the invitation of Anahuac University.

Miss Belize Universe Pageant
The 11 delegates for the Miss Belize Universe Pageant will shine in the golden spotlight at Midas Belize Resort in a pre-pageant fashion show on Saturday, Sept. 3. The resort, located at Branch Mouth Road in San Ignacio, will host the event in the lead-up to the pageant itself, which is Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts. At the fashion show, a panel of judges will score the delegates, and those scores will be taken into account on pageant night. Tickets for the event are available at the door at Midas Belize. Contact: [email protected] | 824-3172, 824-3845 Meanwhile, with the release of the delegates’ official photographs, Belizeans will have the chance to support their favorites! The delegates’ photos are posted on the Miss Belize Facebook Page. Whoever receives the most “Likes” will get the title of “People’s Choice” and will be on the fast track to the finals on pageant night. The delegates: Dianira Rivera, San Pedro; Kimberly Price, Santa Elena; Lyanne Reid, Belmopan City; Marcia Moody, San Ignacio; Marlanie Heron, Punta Gorda; Misty Swaso, Libertad; Moriah Lino. Las Flores; Neidy Rodriguez, Belize City; Shamra Palacio, Esperanza; Theotisha Hall, Corozal; Rebecca Rath, Dangriga.

Courts presented a $2000 donation to the Belize Zoo
To help rebuild a habitat for "Chiqui", a jaguar cub who's story will be used to bring awareness of the urgent need to protect the Chiquibul forest.

Protest at Independence Hill
The protest is underway at Independence Hill with a sizable number in attendance. Behind the chain installed by police, attendees are being fairly quiet, currently singing a Christian song in Spanish.

Public Service Union of Belize General Meeting
The bus will depart from Hilltop at 6:30AM and will be picking up our members at all the bus stops around the ring road. For those who have yet to get their shirt, we will be issuing out on the bus. See you on Saturday.

Los Hijos del West Fundraiser
There will be a fundraiser for the Benque Marimba Youths this Saturday, at Benque's Coronation Park. There will be live marimba music, of course. Show your support and have a great time doing it. "Benque Marimba Youths Los Hijos del West Fundraiser Driver this Saturday Evening at the Coronation Park, snacks, goodies, games and live marimba music!"

Annual BHA Lecture Sep 7
Wednesday, September 7 at 9:30 AM - 11 AM. The Belize History Association (BHA) is once again hosting it's annual lecture. This year's lecture is entitled “Examining the Spanish Archival Records on the Battle of St. George’s Caye”. The lecture will feature a panel of professors from Mexican universities and research institutions in Belize. The panelists will discuss preliminary findings as they work to translate over a thousand pages of the Spaniards’ account of the Battle. It happens on Wednesday September 7th 2016, 9:30 a.m. at the Bliss Center, Belize City. And once again in the afternoon, at 2:30 pm at the University of Belize, Jaguar Auditorium, Belmopan Campus. All BHA members, teachers, students, and the general public are invited to attend this lecture! For more information give us a call at 822-3307 or email us at [email protected]

Statement delivered by Honourable Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs to the House of Representatives on the report of the experts who conducted the formal investigation of the incident in the Belize Administered Adjacency Zone in which the Guatemalan minor lost his life on April 20th, 2016.
Mr. Speaker, With your kind permission, I would wish to inform the Honourable House and the citizens of Belize this morning, that yesterday Ambassador Magdalena Talamas, Special Representative of the OAS Secretary General for Belize- Guatemala Affairs, who is charged with responsibilities for the office of the OAS in the adjacency zone, has officially delivered to me a copy of the findings of the two special investigators who had been commissioned by the OAS to conduct a special independent and impartial investigation of the shooting incident which took place on the Chiquibul Forest in April last, for on transmission of same to The Belizean Authorities responsible for conducting criminal investigations in our country- namely the Belize Police Department.

San Pedro Calendar of Events for September Celebrations!
Here is our Calendar of Events for this year's September Celebrations! Save your dates and don't miss out on any of them!

Caye Caulker cleanup thank you!
The Caye Caulker Village Council would like to extend its gratitude to all who contributed in the clean up effort after Hurricane Earl.

Caye Caulker September Celebration Calendar
Due to Hurricane Earl, the CCVC was forced to cancel a few of the events planned and change dates on other events/activites. We do ask for your kind consideration in this matter. This is the official Caye Caulker September Celebration Calendar. Please feel free to inquire about any event you may be interested in.

Ocean Academy students looking for lessons!
Do you have a hobby, talent or sport you enjoy and would like to share with island youth? Are you available for 8 lessons, 1x/week, small stipend, in September and October? Ocean Academy students are interested! Tuesday's 2-3pm is Electives (ex. Gardening, Arts & Crafts, Baking, Carpentry, Beauty, Sewing, First Aid etc). Thursday's 2-3:30 is P.E. (ex. Dance, Volleyball, Paddle Boarding, Running etc.). Email [email protected] or call 615-0408.

Ocean Academy needs buckets
Can you help? Do you have large garbage buckets to donate to Ocean Academy? Call 615-0408 or email [email protected] or direct message. Thanks, in advance.

Ricky's Spice Shack Open House
Ricky's Spice Shack - Belize had a special open house, where they showed off the 100's of different spices they have. Amazing collection of spices, and great balsamic vinegars and infused olive oils. The restaurant they are building is impressive, to say the least.

Cassava Workshop
Mash Cassava, Cassava shake and bake chicken, bread 50% regular flour, 50% cassava, Starch, Farina, Sahau, Heau, and Cassava bread.

Beautiful Queen of St. George's Caye Day.
This year's pageant is Saturday, Aug. 27 at Bliss Center for Performing Arts. We caught some rehearsal on Friday afternoon. Good luck everyone!

Gang Resistance Education
The U.S. Embassy and renowned Belizean photographer Tony Rath conducted a series of two all-day workshops on August 18-19, 2016 in Dangriga, Belize with Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) students. During the workshop students received one half day of photography instruction from Mr. Rath and learned about environmental issues impacting the health of oceans and shorelines in Belize. During the second half of the workshop students put what they learned into action and spent the afternoon photographing the ocean and surrounding environment in Dangriga. At the conclusion of both workshops, Embassy staff downloaded the photos the GREAT student took so that the best photos can be featured in a photography exhibit at a local museum in Dangriga in November 2016. Checkout some of the top photos from the first day of the workshop here:

You can't score a goal if you don't take a shot!
And of course the U.S. Embassy Eagles are doing just so! They haven't lost a single game and won beautifully against the Social Security Board team 2-1 last week! These inter-office football competitions are great ways to show positivism within the working community and great entertainment for everyone! Come out and support the U.S. Embassy Eagles Monday and Wednesday every week!

Racing Extinction: Powerful Eco-thriller
Entrance is free and everyone is invited! Corozal Junior College Department of Youth Services

Channel 7

?Helluva Historic Day At The House
Today at the House Meeting in Belmopan history was made and in the most ugly way imaginable. In fact what happened exceeds the limits of the imagination. First the police fired a warning shot - while the House meeting was underway - directly in front of the National Assembly stairs when a protestor burst through the police lines….No one was hurt, but we've been covering the house for decades and we've never seen anything like that. That was from a militant splinter of the church protest in front of the house. And when the excitement from that died down that's when things went berserk inside the House chamber...

?The Day Started with the Church Protest Which was Hijacked
but first we start with the church protest that preceded it all - Daniel Ortiz showed you COLA and the Christians along with The Poor People Organization for Healthy and Righteous Society laid the ground for a volatile mix:.. So that was the protest which started the day off - and you saw how the Belize city based agitators more or less hijacked the protest organized by the Spanish Arm of the evangelical churches...and things quickly got out of control after that.

?A First: The Forcible Removal Of A Member Of The House
So we start with the biggest event on a day that had many - the police forcibly ejecting a member of the House, PUP Cayo South Representative Julius Espat...

?Espat Says He Was Muzzled Because He Had a Point To Make
When he got out of the House Sitting, Julius Espat said he was deliberately muzzled by the house speaker: Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South: "Well it's the first I've gotten beaten up by the police forces (smiling) Crowd: "Inside the House." Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South: "God damn. All I was doing was trying to explain the level of corruption that this country is experiencing and they beat me up. The Belizean people have to understand that I am not fighting for Julius Espat, I'm not fighting for PUP, I am fighting for the people that put me here and I have to be given an opportunity to express myself for them. I mean we are having so much problems. You know why they didn't want me to talk was because they knew I had information from the Attorney general about Barrow himself. He knows it. The Speaker called me the day before and say 'boss you can't talk about that man.' You see the Speaker went on the media yesterday to try to explain that the auditor general report is not important, because they made one mistake and to have them do that in the House. I apologized, but I am talking creole because that is coming from my heart."

?7News Director Ejected By Police
We return now to our streaming coverage of today's house sitting - we've already shown you the major events: a shot fired on the stairs of the national assembly and PUP Cayo South Representatives Julius Espat being dragged out of the house. But the media was also put out of the House. That's also a first - but the police wanted us gone so we wouldn't get footage of when they ejected Julius Espat., In studio with me is Jules Vasquez to narrate just what happened - Jules - you were at the center of it - tell us what happened:...

?Police Found Kidnapped Stann Creek Child in Belize
And we'll have a little more from the house meeting later, but we turn now to regular news. 9 month old Aiden Matus has been reunited with his mother after he was abducted yesterday morning in Bella Vista village. The report is that 2 men barged into his mother's house, grabbed the baby and left. The mother posted pictures and posts on facebook, frantically pleading for help to find her baby. Well, the baby was found last night but not in Stann Creek, but in Belize City. Now the entire situation raises so many questions and it is still unclear as to why these men would target this family and kidnap baby Aiden. Today at another event, ACP Chester Williams tried to answer all the questions he could.

?Doyle Garbutt's Mysterious Death
Who killed Doyle Garbutt ? Police still do not have the answer. As we told you, Garbutt was shot in the head on Wednesday night on Balam Street. His body was found inside a white van that was in front of a wooden house. Today ACP Chester Williams told us this murder case will be hard one to crack. ACP Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South: "I just came back into the country yesterday and yes, I have been following the news as I was away and since I came back I have been briefed by my deputy as to the occurrences in my absence and I believe he had given the media an interview on that matter and I think that we still stand where that interview was left. We have no additional information at this time. It is still an investigation that have us baffling. We are trying to figure out what went wrong. When we have these sort of murders they are more difficult to solve. It is not a gang related murder where we can say this gang is responsible or that one as the case may be. So, we don't know what Mr. Doyle's connection to anyone was or why he was in that area."

?Sexual Discrimination At Police?
And continuing with police news - our next story joins crime news and all this talk about section 53. A woman who says she's a lesbian went to make a report at the police station and claims she was treated differently because of her sexual preference.

?PM Says He Has Some Flexibility on Section 53 Appeal
And while temper, ego, and police mishandling of basic situations took the headlines at today's house meeting - there was some real news coming out of the session - before everything went haywire. The most significant is that the Prime Minister found some wiggle room on the case for an appeal of the section 53 judgement. He says he is not prepared to appeal on the grounds that anal sex should be kept illegal - he feels it should be legal. But he says he has common cause with the Catholics in that because of a document from the Vatican:... Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister: "Somebody drew my attention to the statement of the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy See from as far back as 18th December, 2008 at the 63rd plenary of the United Nations with respect to their declaration on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity.

?PM says "Intercourse Against the Order OF Nature" Enters All Spheres of Sexuality
And so while he is willing to appeal the judgement on the basis that the Chief Justice may have misinterpreted sex for sexual orientation - the PM says the issue of anal sex is non-negotiable - because that is a normalization of the laws which is much needed because it covers both hetero sexual and homosexual spheres of intimacy:... Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister: "Mr. Speaker, something came to my attention this morning and made me feel that I should say something at this sitting. Please, again the nation needs to understand that section 53 before it was struck down by the chief justice made sexual conduct against the order of nature.

?Hon. Elrington Wants No Apology From Guats
And also today in the House, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington gave a very tepid response to the OAS report. He received it officially yesterday and today in the house he didn't say much other than dispassionately re state the basic findings. So we asked him outside, don't the Guatemalans owe the Belize military an apology?: Jules Vasquez: "What is in the report, suggest that the Guatemalan who raised such a furor such hue and cry, called the Belize soldiers such ugly names, operated in less than good faith with the investigation?" Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs: "Well, people have different pressures especially government officials and Guatemala has been going through a difficult time. The officials have been having tremendously difficult times. They like to emphasize that Belize is only 1 issue they are dealing with and it's not all that important to them. So, historically when governments are under pressure they look for an escape goat, this might have been the case."

?Elrington Hopes The PM Is Flexible on 53
We also asked Elrington about his position on section 53. Before the cabinet decision, the former attorney general said he wanted it appealed. Today, he said that the Prime Minister is coming around to his position:.. Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs: "The roar that started, I had already really expressed my view. That's really in the public domain. Demonstrations are healthy. Expressions of peoples view and opinion and honest and fairway is healthy. That is the basis of democracy and it is when one is able to express one's views, discuss and debate it and come to a consensus in a rational way, that is when we know that we have a good mature democracy. When things break out into violence and that kind of thing, then we know that our democracy is still lacking. So, that I have no difficulty with demonstrations, I used to be very active in them in the 60's and 70's when I demonstrated against Guatemala and was convicted and arrested. So, I can't hold anything against the people who want to express their views. I did the same thing then and I would do the same thing now, if in fact things were happening that I thought..."

?Cops Helping Kids
Today while all hell was breaking loose in Belmopan, Southside Commander ACP Chester Williams was doing some community relations work in Belize City. His formation gave away schoolbags to a hundred kids and 7News was there: Next Williams says he is going to Ghost Town and Jane Usher.

?Man Gets Off OW Murder
A man got free from a murder charge yesterday. Trinidad Pineda was acquitted of the 2012 murder of Cristobal Santos, that is after the judge accepted and ruled that Pineda acted in self defense. Several witnesses were called to the stand, vindicating Pineda's position. One of the witnesses told the court that Santos had threatened to kill Pineda before and on the night of the incident, Santos was the one who assaulted Pineda first. The incident happened in March 2012 in Orange Walk. Pineda went to visit his girlfriend, who is a relative of Santo's wife. When Santos saw them, he went up to Pineda and threw liquor in his face. They got into a fight and when Pineda noticed Santos coming at him with a knife, he grabbed his cutter and stabbed Santos in the chest.

?Charged For King's Park Home Invasion
On Monday there was an armed home invasion at the King's Park home of 75 year old Maria "Maude" Sylvestre. Police say Thieves made off with over $17,000 in jewelry along with $20,000 US dollars in cash. Today, police charged two men: 23 year old Trevor Guy, a Belize City resident who was charged with a single charge of aggravated burglary and 20 year old Victor Franklin who was charged for handling stolen goods. Guy pleaded not guilty to both charges however, due to the nature of the offenses which involved a firearm no bail could be granted and Guy was remanded to the Belize Central Prison. Franklin' got bail in the sum of $1,500 dollars.

PM Laments Teachers On Section 53
Tomorrow’s House Meeting in Belmopan will be a warm one for the Barrow Administration, and we’re not talking about what the thermometer says; we mean the political temperature. First off, the PUP is expected to attack the Barrow Administration for the BTL half a billion dollar payment, the Danny Mason debacle, the auditor General’s report, and the decision not to appeal the section 53 judgement. And while all that rumbling will take place inside the chamber, outside, the churches are expected to bring their numbers to demand that the government appeal the CJ’s decision. And the churches aren’t alone: as we’ve been telling you, the utility unions and the Teachers union put out releases asking government to do the same. So has it moved the Prime Minister? Will the loudest and most powerful prayers from the church leaders change his mind? Well Courtney Weatherburne asked him today at the airport and he told her that there’s no chance of that happening. He explained why.

PM Says No Sure Signs Of Corruption in Auditor General Report
So as you heard, there is no question that Prime Minister Barrow will maintain his position on the Section 53 judgment, but does the Prime Minister uphold or support the shady dealings of his ministers - reflected in the Auditor General’s Reports ? Now, PM Barrow admits that the information in these reports is very troubling but not so much so that he would resort to a Cabinet purge at this point. Barrow says he needs more than just a report hinting at acts of fraud and corruption; he needs concrete evidence.

Juniour Heredia's Name Appears Many Times In Report
And one of those Ministers who boldly said he has nothing to answer for is Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia Jr. Yesterday, when we asked him about the Auditor General’s reports he boldly claimed that he won’t be named as one of those Ministers who wrongfully intervened to try get passports, nationality certificates, or visas. He said that if indeed auditors did name him, it was only for one of his constituents, but it won’t be for any sort of mass hustling.

House Speaker Says Auditor General Has It All Wrong
So, Heredia has some explaining to do, but one person who said he sure doesn’t is House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte. He’s also named in the audits, for recommending a passport for William Lindo, son of Bill Lindo. . Well, the Auditor General names him as a person who ought not to have made a recommendation, but Peyrefitte differs sharply.

PM Won't Sign Corruption Convention
Now earlier you heard the Prime Minister say he needs more than what he explained as a “suggestion of corruption”. But if one pores over the 700 plus pages of the audits on passports, visas, and nationality certificates between 2011 and 2013, there’s more than a suggestion – there’s what appears to be clear and consistent evidence of wrongdoing.

A Man Killed In A Van
A man was murdered last night in the St. Martin’s area. 29 year old Doyle Garbutt was shot to the head last night around 10 and his body was found in a van on Balam Street. Police don’t have much information at this point but we went out to try and find more answers. Courtney Weatherburne has the story.

Nine Month Old Abducted
There are concerns for a nine month old boy who was allegedly kidnapped form his mother in Bella Vista Village at 1:30 this morning. His 17 year old mother, Ingrid Sanchez reports that Aiden Matus was taken form here when two men pulled up in an SUV at her house. A relative has posted on FACEBOOK that the kidnapper demanded fifty thousand dollars from the mother. Police are investigating and have put out a bulletin,

OAS Report Redux
Yesterday, we only had a few hours to review the findings of the 22 page OAS’ Independent Investigation Team. Today, we took a closer look. Their findings exonerates the BDF soldier and the FCD rangers in the fatal shooting of Julio Ruano inside the Chiquibul. Today, Daniel Ortiz examined just how important that outcome is in the greater context of the events that happened later, especially the outrageous comments from the Guatemalan Government, and movement of Guat. troops to the Border.

PM Says Guats Should Apologize
The Foreign Minister is expected to address the report in tomorrow’s House Meeting. But the PM got to address it today. In an event horizon dotted with one piece of bad news after the other, as we showed you, it’s one bit of good news for the government because the report confirms that the BDF were blameless in the shooting death of 14 year old Guatemalan Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano. Today the PM expressed how significant this report is for Belize.

Justin Hyde Gets Free When Cops Fail
In April of 2015, we heard the shocking story of the gunman who stormed into the Curl Thompson Boulevard home of Wendy Lambey and fired 10 shots indiscriminately, hitting two persons and endangering an entire family – including small children as they sat and watched television. Police charged a neighbor, Justin Hyde for 6 counts, including two for attempted murder. It was a really big case, but police seem to have treated it like it was nothing. We say that because the case got thrown out yesterday and Hyde was set free when the police prosecutor could not produce a case file. Inspector Egbert Castillo told the court that he requested Hyde’s file from the police many times since 2015, and told them of the urgency in getting it but still no case file was forthcoming.

Boris Got Lucky
A man who claims he picked up a single shotgun cartridge and wanted to turn it into police was charged for kept ammunition without a gun license. Now that’s usually a charge that sends the accused straight to jail, but 22 year old Boris Belisle, was lucky to get off with a fine today. The assistant chef pleaded guilty before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza and instead of a sentence of 5 years, the Magistrate fined Belisle $500 and gave him until December 30 to pay.

Saldivar Doubts Ag's Accuracy
John Saldivar – he’s a former Minister of Immigration and Minister of National Security whose name appears multiple times in the Immigration Department audits. So what does Saldivar have to say about it? Well, a whole lot apparently! Just that he’s not saying it on camera! Instead he made a lengthy post on Facebook this evening speaking to his tenure as Minister of Immigration. He says that when a file reaches the desk of the Minister of Immigration to be signed, all the processes and verifications are deemed to have been completed and the "minute sheet" in the file always contains a declaration to the Minister that the file is "in order for signature" and that "all legal requirements are met". He adds, “It has not been the tradition for the Minister to then conduct his own investigation before signing. And he concludes, quote, “I therefore can categorically state that I have never knowingly signed any improper nationality certificate.

PACT Plans For Chiquibul
Two days ago we told you about the 15 million dollar Chiquibul Forests Investment Initiative. It’s a lot of money, but it’s also a lot of forest, spanning a total of 1.26 million acres, with 28 miles of border along the border with Guatemala. It comprises 14 protected areas, eight forest reserves, two national parks, the Bladen Nature Reserve, one wildlife sanctuary, one natural monument and the Caracol Archeological Reserve. The initiative hopes to invest that money over two years – and while they’re looking at a number of sources, they’re also looking at raising the $3.75 conservation fee. It’s been the same since 1996 and on Tuesday, Minister Figueroa said an increase must be examined:

MY SON IS MISSING
21 year old Deron Lizama has been missing at sea since last week Friday. The family has been searching for answers but they are losing hope. Lizama’s father told us today that he left that Friday morning around 11. Lizama was headed for Long Caye to deliver food supplies but he never made it and since then his father has made a missing person’s report and has been called several times about a body that was found near Spanish Caye. But the family hasn’t gotten anything concrete so far. Today we asked police if they know of the report and if it might be related to Doyle Garbutt’s murder last night.

MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING
And another city family is also asking for help in finding their loved one. 49 year old Desiree Gladden Hernandez was last seen on Monday August 15th.She left her mother’s home that morning and never returned and now her mother is concerned because Hernandez suffers from depression and anxiety. Hernandez’s mother came to our studio pleading for the public’s help.

Channel 5

Cayo South’s Julius Espat Thrown Out of House; Tension at Fever Pitch
We have been covering House Meetings for decades, but we cannot remember one as chaotic and as dangerous to democracy as today. There was total pandemonium on Independence Hill where [...]

Opposition Leader John Briceño Also Manhandled by Police
As Julius Espat was being dragged out of the building, the Leader of the Opposition John Briceño attempted to intervene, telling the police that Espat was already outside of the [...]

P.U.P. Politicians Say Government Was Trying to Silence Discussion of Immigration Reports
Following the madness inside the meeting of the House, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño and Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat spoke candidly with the media. Briceño and Espat vehemently [...]

During Mayhem, Channel Seven’s Jules Vasquez Gets Roughed Up
The media also came under attack by the police. Colleagues were asked to leave, but stood their ground and then the police went into attack mode. The removal of the [...]

Prime Minister Avoids Media Comment After House Exit
Moments later, flanked by a massive security detail, PM Barrow would exit the building. The shouting and jeering from onlookers continued as he made his way downhill towards his vehicle. [...]

Police Targeted Protestors: Live Rounds Fired After Missiles Aimed at House
While all the havoc was taking place inside the National Assembly, outside was no different. Just around high noon, what had been a peaceful protest on the steps of the [...]

The Sound and the Fury: Belizeans Rally Against LGBT and Corruption
While the House debated, outside in the Belmopan sun, a selection of the population railed and called on the Prime Minister and his government to defend the nation from social [...]

In House, Prime Minister Asks Churches to Meet Attorney General
The recent controversial Section Fifty-three ruling is the primary reason why almost two thousand protestors from across the country descended on Independence Hill today. Acknowledging the presence of the demonstrators [...]

Louis Wade Claims Government Caved in to UNIBAM in 2008
During today’s protest on Independence Hill, organizer of the “I Want My Country Back Movement,” Pastor Louis Wade, discussed with News Five his belief that the events of August tenth [...]

COLA’s Geovannie Brackett Claims Support of Utilities’ Unions
At the end of our story on the protest in Belmopan, you heard COLA president Geovannie Brackett mention the silent trade union movement, but after, he told News Five that [...]

Who Will Take Care of Deputy PM Patrick Faber’s Government Vehicle?
Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber’s assigned vehicle, a 2013 Toyota Prado, was plunged into the Caribbean Sea near Marine Parade by an unknown driver on August fourteenth. The account given [...]

An International Investigation for Pastor Lucas? Said Says Yes, P.M. Says No
The heinous murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas in early July, as well as the call for an external investigation also came up in the House today. Pastor Lue was beheaded [...]

Kareem Musa Discusses Anwar Barrow’s B.T.L. Salary
How much is the Prime Minister’s son, Anwar Barrow, earning as Chairman of the Executive Committee at B.T.L.? That’s what Area Representative Kareem Musa asked in the House this morning. [...]

Re-Registration Coming; Re-Districting to Create 10 New Constituencies
There has long been a call for re-registration of the electoral roll and for re-districting of the electoral boundaries. The former has only taken place in 1996 and 1997 after [...]

Baby Aiden Matus Turns Up Safe in Belize City
On Thursday night, we reported on the alarming report of the kidnapping of nine-month old Aiden Matus from his home in the south. The baby boy was with his mother, [...]

Police Have No Answers Yet in Doyle Garbutt Murder
Meanwhile, police are still looking for answers in respect to Wednesday night’s murder in the Saint Martin’s area of south side Belize City. Thirty year old Doyle Garbutt was shot [...]

Angelus Press Helps City Students Get Back to School
A hundred Belize City students will be the recipients of much needed back to school goodies courtesy of the Angelus Press. Today, at its headquarters on Queen Street in the [...]

More Help for Hurricane Earl Victims, This Time from the U.S.
By early afternoon, the U.S. Ambassador to Belize Carlos Moreno was handing over a fifty-thousand-dollar donation of mattresses and other relief supplies to the Red Cross for the victims of [...]

Eastern Division South Holds Back to School Drive
Today, the Eastern Division South Police Department hosted the first of three back to school drives at its headquarters on Raccoon Street. Aside from the officers donating books and some [...]

Amandala

13 of Barrow’s former and current Ministers named in immigration scandal!
John Saldivar of Belmopan, Erwin Contreras of Cayo West, Gaspar Vega of Orange Walk North and Rene Montero of Cayo Central are among a list of high-ranking UDP Cabinet ministers who allegedly had intervened in the nationality process without any provision to do so in the Nationality Act between 2011 and 2013, according to an explosive audit published by the Auditor General, Dorothy Bradley. Manuel Heredia of Belize Rural South and Pablo Marin of Corozal Bay round out the list of current UDP ministers named for intervening in the nationality process during the period audited. Former UDP ministers like Eden Martinez of Toledo East, Elvin Penner of Cayo Northeast and Ramon Witz of Cayo South were also pinpointed by the audit. Retired UDP ministers Santiago Castillo and Carlos Perdomo of Caribbean Shores along with Gabriel Martinez were also listed by the Auditor General.

Explosive Immigration audit leaked
A damning special audit leaked to the media earlier this week, detailing multiple cases of fraud in the issuance of Belizean visas, nationality and passports—including the high profile case of Korean national Won Hong Kim—is due to be tabled in the National Assembly tomorrow, when the House of Representatives meets in Belmopan and the audits should become public documents. The audit, published by Auditor General Dorothy Bradley, helps explain how Belize has in recent years seemingly become a hideaway for hoodlums, as persons alleged to be human traffickers and money launderers were listed among those fraudulently assisted with Belize Immigration documents. Bradley now calls for a police investigation into missing files (164 of which could not be found in October 2013 for nationals of Guatemala, Honduras, China, Britain, Nigeria, Lebanon and Taiwan), allegations of fraud, and possible police collusion in her set of recommendations.

Kidnapped 9-month-old baby found
A mother was at home in bed with her 9-month-old baby when two men went into her house in Bella Vista, in the Stann Creek District, at about 1:00 this morning, pointed a gun at her and demanded $50,000. She did not have that kind of money to give them, and so, at gunpoint, the men took away her baby and drove away in a grey SUV. At about mightnight tonight, however, we recieved news through Facebook that the baby, Aiden Matus, was found, incredibly, in a cemetery in Belize City, unharmed, by PC Martinez and a Corporal. Jasmin Alert had been activated and a countrywide alert had been put in place to find the baby, Aiden Matus, who is of Hispanic descent.

51-year-old woman’s throat cut in Caye Caulker
A woman was murdered yesterday morning in Caye Caulker. Jennifer Coleman, 51, a domestic, was found lying face-up on Adventurera Lane at about 10:30 yesterday morning, with a large cut wound on her neck. Police rushed her to the hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival. Police believe that the killer may have been known to Coleman, and gained entry into her house, where he cut her throat. Coleman ran out of the house to escape her attacker, but she fell in the street not far from her house. Neighbors told police that they did not hear any noise or commotion. Police have picked up a man who they said went to her house frequently.

Guatemalan minor killed in crossfire, but not by BDF: OAS report
An “independent and transparent” investigation conducted by Dr. James E. Hamby, retired Special Agent of the US Army Criminal Investigation Command, and Dr. Patricia Rosa Linda Trujillo Mariel, Head of Criminalistics of Mexico’s Federal Police, has revealed that Julio René Alvarado Ruano, the Guatemalan minor who was shot on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, during an enforcement operation led by the Belize Defence Force (BDF), was not killed by military fire, as Guatemalan authorities had alleged. It appears that the bullets which injured the minor came from a .22 caliber weapon and a shotgun – not from a high-powered military rifle, according to a copy of the report leaked to KREM News. Commander of the BDF, Brigadier General David Jones, told the media earlier this week that he expects his soldiers would be exonerated by the findings.

The changing personas of Dean Oliver Barrow
On the heels of an IMF prescription for immediate tax increases during the Said Musa administration of 2004, the then Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) called an emergency town meeting on November 17, 2004, at which then Opposition Leader Dean Barrow roared, “The problem with this government is the fact of their undiluted corruption. Promises have been made by them that they have no intention of keeping, that they’re incapable of keeping. But I tell you any UDP government that I lead will never be engaged in corruption! As soon as it rears its ugly head, I personally will cut it off. And I will tell you I will sharpen a special machete with blades on two sides so that every time it springs upright, so I will chop it off. And if it means the government has to fall, then so be it. Let the consequences be damned, the people of this country deserve better and I am determined to give them better.” Nine years later on October 11, 2013, at a press conference after allegations of a visa hustle emerged in which the Cayo North East area representative, Elvin Penner, was accused of selling immigration documents to Won Hong Kim, a South Korean who was in a Taiwanese prison, Dean Barrow, now Prime Minister, said that he told his Cabinet, “If there is one thing that can and would bring down this government, it is hustling in Immigration. I have heard that ministers are procuring visas for people. I’ve said pretty much in every second Cabinet, if you [the Ministers] are doing so (I have no proof), for God sakes stop it! Stop it! That is what would cause the government to fall.”

U-10 and U-13 games in Orange Walk
This weekend, it will be the final week of the first ever U-10 Tournament in Orange Walk, the Orange Walk Football Association (OWFA) U-10 Tournament. The teams are ranked by their won-loss (W-L) records: #1 Vibes Alive (3-0); #2 Minions (2-1); #3 Real Madrid (1-2); #4 Barca Shock (0-3). Saturday, August 27, Barracks Field 10:00 a.m. – #3 Real Madrid vs #4 Barca Shock 11:00 a.m. – #1 Vibes Alive vs #2 Minions Closing ceremonies, trophies and awards will be issued after the games. Come and witness the completion of the first ever U-10 tournament. U-13 Town Council Tournament The Town Council U-13 Tournament continues in Orange Walk Town:

BAA Annual General Assembly is this Saturday, but the President remains
The Rio Olympics have come and gone; no satisfactory explanation has been forthcoming from the Belize Athletics Association (BAA) or the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the exclusion of Belize’s most outstanding active athlete, Kaina Martinez, from our Olympic team roster; but this Saturday’s BAA Annual General Assembly will not be contesting the post of President, held by Deon Sutherland, the man who led the 3-athlete Belize contingent, including Brandon Jones, Renick James and Katy Sealy, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The “Wild Card” choice of Sealy over Martinez has been widely condemned by Belizean sports fans as grossly unfair and inconsistent with the Olympic spirit. A heptathlon athlete, the Wild Card rule required that Sealy compete in a single track event, and, predictably, she was blatantly overmatched in the 110m female hurdles; whereas the reigning Central American 100m female champion and record holder, Kaina Martinez would have been expected to at least be competitive in her 100m heat, perhaps even moving on to the second round.

Weekend Warriors race results
Below are the results from Weekend Warriors (WW) Race # 3 of the current 5-race Series, held on Sunday, August 21. The “A” Class rolled off from Rockville Junction at 9:00 a.m. and finished on top of Busman Arnold Hill, some 40 miles later; whilst the “B” & “C” together left from Mile 25 at 8:30 a.m. for a 35-mile run. Top finishers in Sunday’s race were: “A” Class – 1st place Andrew Brown (Kulture Megabytes, 1:44:03); 2nd Kent Gabourel (Kulture Megabytes, st); 3rd Andrew Vasquez (BFSC – El Pescador, 1:44:33); 4th Kirk Sutherland (Digicell-4G, 1:44:35); 5th Warren Coye (Santino’s, 1:45:10).

Belize District boys win Atlantic Bank/Atlantic Insurance U-17 Football Championship
The road to the FIFA U-17 World Cup began for Belize at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan over the weekend, where the Belize District selection won the Atlantic Bank/Atlantic Insurance Under-17 Football Championships. The Football Federation of Belize (FFB), under Acting-President Marlon Kuylen, had assembled some 160 of the country’s best U-17 players, representing the 8 football district/regions of the country, for a 3-day showcase tournament, whose objective was to help the FFB select the National U-17 team to represent Belize at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers for the Central American region, to be held in Panama in November of this year. Participating district/regions included the six districts – Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek and Toledo – along with the capital, Belmopan, and the Mid-South area, which includes players from Independence and surrounding villages. While the luck of the draw, unequal travelling distances, and the number of games packed into 3 days of competition would not necessarily make it a legitimate “national championship,” the purpose was served to have all the teams countrywide showcase their talent, as the first step in putting together a National U-17 Selection.

Anti-Christs
The Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) lost a golden opportunity to increase the political discomfort of the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) when the PUP rushed to support the pro-LGBT ruling of the Belize Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Played at its highest level, politics is not about the personal opinions or preferences of the principals. Politics is about establishing positions which the majority of the people (adult voters) support. Politics is always about numbers, majority numbers: 51 means power; 49 amounts to defeat. It is many years since the Belizean people have marched in numbers in the population center or the new capital. Yet, the explosive issues have come fast and furious – Elvin Penner, rosewood, Chiquibul, Sarstoon, Harmonyville, Petrocaribe, BTL, William Danny Mason, and now, issue of all issues – the homosexual law.

The injustice at the Hondo
Dear Editor, It pains me that we should no longer sing “From proud Rio Hondo to old Sarstoon …” in our national anthem. Guatemala has truncated the Sarstoon River from us and our very own GOB has prohibited the Rio Hondo from us. Any Belizean who wishes to traverse the Northern Santa Elena Border has to have a travel document stamped and approved by the immigration authorities to be able to access the Rio Hondo, meaning the casinos, the Commercial Free Zone, and the river proper. That policy, not a law, is in violation of each and every Belizean citizen’s constitutional right to traverse national territory without impediments. We realize that we must have immigration authorities, but they must respect our Belizean citizenship and allow us to pass without a travel document, especially if we are not leaving the country. But, even if we wish to leave and re-enter our country, we should not be penalized, according to the requests of the United Nations.

Brian Ellis Plummer on crime
Dear Editor, I would like to add to the discussion about crime. Crime costs Belize millions annually in security costs, health, law enforcement and other related impediments. So far the approach to combating crime in Belize and the Caribbean has been combative instead of preventative. All our police forces have been militarized, triggering an arms race between law enforcement and criminals. This has yielded little success. I would suggest a more comprehensive approach with societal re-engineering. The military or combative approach should be available occasionally, but the mainstay must be education and an adequate social safety net. Criteria-based public assistance.

Neri O. Briceño writes Olympic President
Dear Mr. President: I write to you as simply a man, a Belizean and citizen of the world. I come without medals, honors, positions, degrees and titles; just an ordinary man. A man and his nation who are being represented internationally by your organization and the picture I am seeing is not representative of me or the country we all live in. On July 4th, 2016 I wrote to the President of the International Olympic Committee regarding the choosing of Katy Sealy over Kaina D. Martinez to represent Belize in Female Athletics (Track & Field) in Rio 2016. All indications are that this was a totally unfair decision which was not made in the interest of the nation of Belize or in the spirit of the Olympics. I am still convinced that Katy was the wrong choice and my opinion regarding the matter will not change. I will continue to advocate this matter at every level until Olympics representation in Belize is changed so that it reflects Belize, represents Belizeans and works for the promotion of ALL athletes in Belize.

Unions pressure Barrow
In a meeting with the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM), Public Service Union (PSU) and the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) last Wednesday in Belize City, Prime Minister Dean Barrow requested that they all agree to a deferral of a previously proposed salary increase until next April. According to the Prime Minister, the framework of the collective bargaining agreement allows for the government to review the proposed salary adjustment if there was “a change in material circumstance.” That change “in material circumstance” was attributed to the recent damages caused by Hurricane Earl, according to PM Barrow. The term “material circumstance” to which Barrow refers is contained in item 10 of the proposed framework for salary adjustment, which states, “In the event of any extra ordinary circumstances which affect either revenue or expenditure, then the parties reserve the right to re-open discussion.”

$15.8 mil to curb illegal encroachment on Chiquibul
The Chiquibul Forest—the largest expanse within the Maya Mountain Massif—and particularly the area spanning the Belize-Guatemala border, has been under sustained pressure from illegal activities for over a decade, and today, the Government of Belize finally announced an “unprecedented investment” aimed at curbing the pillaging of Belize’s natural and cultural patrimony by Guatemalans who illegally enter into Belize to exploit the area. Dr. Omar Figueroa, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change, announced the launch of the Chiquibul Forest Investment Initiative (CFII) at formal ceremonies held at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza this afternoon, adding that they hope to have a measurable impact on the ground.

The genesis of the Section 53 challenge: Part 2
Buggery or anal intercourse between males is only aone of severl sexual acts which are deemed a violation of the sacred books of the three dominant world religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism. For example, the Torah or the Books of Moses contain commandments against bestiality, incest and rape, and the Laws of Belize criminalize these acts as well. The violations spelt out in the aforementioned sacred books are called “ecclesiastical crimes;” and they made their way onto civil law books in many countries across the world—not just in Belize. Leviticus 20:13 says: ‘And a man who lies with a male as he lies with a woman: both of them have done an abomination, they shall certainly be put to death, their blood is upon them.” (The Scriptures, 1998 version) Notably, even European jurisdictions once meted out sentences of death by burning upon homosexuals; but today, those countries have legalized and even liberalized homosexuality.

Former Immigration Director Ruth Meighan ignored FIU letter: Auditor General
On September 30, 2013, the Office of the Auditor General received a copy of a memorandum from the Immigration and Nationality Department regarding some missing visas. However, during the early stages of the Visa Audit, a passport scandal had emerged which compelled the Auditor General to expand the audit to both the passport and nationality departments. The audit revealed that the Government of Belize (GOB), through various departments, had facilitated several international alleged money launderers and human traffickers to obtain Belizean passports. Furthermore, questionable practices by the former Immigration Director, Ruth Meighan, have resulted in a loss of government revenue in several instances. According to the audit, “the Vital Statistics Unit has been illegally facilitating these citizens by registration to change their names.”

Issue #33 of The BELIZE AG REPORT is online here!.
Click HERE to download the PDF

Industrial Uses Of Hemp
A Short History of Cannabis Hemp Since ancient times, until this century, hemp was used throughout the world to provide food, fiber, paper, medicine, shelter and fuel. In the early 1900’s Henry Ford used fuel made from hemp to run the first cars, and believing that hemp would play an even larger role in the automobile industry, he built a car body made from hemp fiber that was stronger than steel, yet only a fraction of the weight (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srgE6Tzi3Lg). Ford’s engineers found ways to extract methanol, charcoal, tar, pitch, ethyl acetate and creosote – all from hemp and all of which are fundamental ingredients used throughout industry. But since the prohibition of hemp in the 1930’s, these ingredients have…

From The Editor
Fruits and Vegetables in Belize’s Markets Tested for Pesticide Residues? Currently Belize has no regular testing system for pesticide residues of fruits and vegetables sold in our stores and markets. Belize law does not mandate any pesticides residue testing of our foods, so there is no way to declare that they are safe or not. Belize products sold for export must meet the demands of the importing country, usually including pesticide residue testing. Importers bringing produce into Belize however, do not need to have any pesticide residue testing done. Under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, a country cannot impose restrictions on imported goods which are not required for the same domestic goods. Thus, in order to mandate pesticide residue testing…

To The Editor
Dear Editor, Subject: Lack of thinking hinders ag development Agricultural development has a future. Scientists in Kenya at the International Centre of Inset Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and Rothamsted Research, UK in collaboration with other partners developed a natural method for controlling the corn-borer moth. A ground-cover plant, silverleaf desmodium, dissolves moth eggs laid on it; planted in fields between rows of corn, desmodium gives off compounds that repel the stem borer moth. Its roots suppress weeds including striga, a serious parasitic weed of corn. Napier grass, planted at the edge of fields, attracts stem borers out of the field to lay their eggs on it instead of the corn. The sharp silica hairs and sticky exudates on the Napier…

Potato Research In Peru
Of all the countries in the world, Peru is one of the most interesting in agricultural history. The diversity of plants and climates from rainforests to snowy mountains to hot deserts are all in a place about 1/8 the size of the United States. The origins of many important food crops such as potato, sweet potato, and certain peppers are here. Researchers in Peru and around the world are aware of the great importance of this region and many are devoting their life’s work to improving agriculture for the country’s people. I wanted to learn more about this curious place of so much diversity. The potato, for example: many thousands of varieties grow only in Peru – nowhere else. I…

Beyond The Backyard – Ghosts Of The Graveyard
They stand erect and tall as guardian soldiers, swords at the ready, ever on duty in our cemeteries. The dagger like plants of Draceanaafromontana and then Yucca were planted at the headstone or in place of one at unmarked graves to ward off evil and keep restless spirits from wandering. They are profoundly significant as a symbol of eternity and mourning in the cultural beliefs of tropical Africa. The tradition continued throughout the Americas and the Caribbean settlements, the Yucca becoming our sentinel. The name Yucca applies to more than 50 species that have mostly adapted to all types of terrain and share characteristics of appearance and chemistry. They are evergreens, drought tolerant, spread rapidly, fire adaptive, prefer full sun…

Belize’s First International Beekeeping Symposium
Beekeeping is an agroforest activity that protects the environment, contributes to food security through the pollination of crops, and represents an important, albeit underdeveloped, industry that could provide employment to many Belizeans. In time, beekeeping has the potential to become a source of foreign exchange through the exportation of honey and other hive products such as beeswax, propolis, pollen, bees and manufactured products such as soaps, creams and shampoos. On May 27th and 28th, 2016, the beekeeping community met at the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio to address the potential of beekeeping in Belize and its present challenges. The two-day event was organized by Cayo Quality Honey Producers Cooperative (CQHPC). CQHPC is based in the Cayo District and was…

Optimizing Corn Yield With Nitro Xtend+S
By Edwin Gomez, Axel Hidalgo, Wilbert Ramclam, Eddie Friessen and Albert Reimer The increase in productivity corresponds to the increase of total dry matter as a result of nutrients absorption (Karlen et al, 1987). Furthermore, the adoption of best management practices for the use of fertilizers is necessary to increase and stabilize yields and promote agricultural sustainability (Ciampitti et al, 2007). With these important factors in mind we conducted trials to evaluate the effect of a new product called NITRO XTEND that inhibits the enzyme urease which is responsible for breaking down nitrogen into ammonium. A crop of corn yielding 10,688 pound per acre would need to absorb approximately 219, 42, and 42 pounds per acre of nitrogen (N), phosphorus…

BEL-CAR Updates
Those who study the Ag Prices at a Glance page in the Belize Ag Report’s centerfold, will have noted that it has been a good while since Class A corn has been even priced. (It has been marked N/A for not available). Bel-Car refers to Class A corn as dark yellow high quality type which is most desirable for their corn meal, rather than strictly feed corn. Class A has more endosperm and less germ and has high vitreousness. High endosperm kernels are usually brighter orange color, rather then yellow. Hard vitreous kernels have better nutritional, dry milling, breakage resistance and pathogen resistance qualities than soft opaque kernels. After Spanish Lookout’s trials of a new hybrid variety of a Class…

21 st Meeting of the Coordinating Group of Pesticides Control Boards of the Caribbean 6 – 10 June 2016
The Pesticides Control Board of Belize is pleased to report that the hosting of the 21st Meeting of the Coordinating Group of Pesticides Control Boards of the Caribbean (CGPC) held in Belize from 6 – 10 June 2016, was a resounding success. The meeting was held at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel in San Ignacio, Cayo under the theme: “A changing climate! A changing world! Responsible pest and pesticide management – our responsibility.” Mr. Carlos Fuller of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre based in Belize was the keynote speaker during the meeting’s first technical session. The CGPC is comprised of representatives from the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Boards or Authorities of the countries of the Caribbean, and associate members…

Building Life In The Soil
“How can I improve soil biology or encourage soil life on my land?” From organic to no-till farms, this is one of the most asked questions in agriculture today. Before that question can be answered there are other questions that need to be answered. Will the benefits from following a proposal to build life in the soil be profitable enough to be economically feasible? Will such a program justify the time and effort required? What type of changes may be needed to achieve the goal in a proper manner? The answers to these questions will help determine what may or may not be possible under varying sets of circumstances. There are no simple one-step plans that will apply to every…

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) And Green Cane Harvesting
In 2015 the Department of the Environment (DOE) started a national project entitled “Belize Chemicals and Waste Management Project”, which aims to manage and dispose of all existing stockpiles of POPs, as well as reducing the release of unintentional POPs (UPOPs) into Belize’s environment. In the past DDT was used extensively to control mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue. Other chemicals continue to be used in agriculture. Now it is being recognized that these chemicals have unforeseen negative effects on human health and the environment. POPs can be transported by wind and water, and affect people and wildlife far from where they are used. They exist for very long periods of time in the environment and can accumulate and pass…

Belize Livestock Producers Association News
Belize is now proceeding with cattle sweep 4. Based on our good results indicating a healthy livestock population, and proposals at the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) we may qualify for some testing reductions. The OIE has drafted changes for the entire world, that, if accepted, would only require 3 tests for brucellosis under some conditions, rather than the currently required 5. Currently we must test 99.9% of our livestock, but we have applied to test only a representative percent of 22.7% of livestock for the fourth sweep. If those results are clean, they could be accepted and used to declare our official status. Throughout the country, it would then involve selected herds, identified into 6 risk areas: breeding…

Working Together To Reduce Predator Attacks On Livestock
Livestock production in Belize is common and increasing. Many farms and villages lie in close proximity to the forest, potentially putting their animals at risk of predator attack. Livestock predation is frustrating and economically damaging, particularly for small-scale farmers who may lose a substantial proportion of their herd if they suffer repeated attacks. Understanding how predators, such as jaguars, pumas and coyotes, use the forest and agricultural lands, and how livestock are managed within the landscape, is helping us to identify practical, cost-effective non-lethal methods to deter predators from attacking livestock. Panthera works in partnership with the Forest Department’s Wildlife Program and theUniversity of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute (UB-ERI). Our applied research combines ecological and social science to understand the…

Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)
SHI-Belize began its work teaching farmers in Toledo about organic gardening and agroforestry in March 1999 with only 3 staff members who were Agroforestry extensionists with agricultural backgrounds. The project included 40 – 45 families. Since 2005, when Nana Mensah became SHI-Belize Country Director, the organization greatly expanded in staff from 3 to 9, geographic scope to include Stann Creek and Cayo, number of farmers from 45 to 115, and project scope to include small animal husbandry and micro-business development. At the moment we are in the final stage of completing a project with 21 families in the village of Otoxha; the project was funded as a grant from the Australian government. Under this project we issued 21 sets of…

Sheep Projects In Belize
The Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Belize, funded by International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), signed an agreement with the Belize government in December 2015 to assist with a 3 year small ruminant project which will run until December 2018. The project is a joint project between Belize and TTM, whereby funds are granted to the host country. TTM will assist with management and Mr. Pin-Nan Lee, a small ruminant specialist is assigned to oversee the new Central Farm sheep breeding facility. The budget of the project is US$1.274M over 3 years, with US$350K provided by the Government of Belize. While the project was initially planned to include both sheep and goats, a decision was made to focus solely on…

Forest Fires – All Is Not Well In Belize
The rainy season has started; no longer the gloomy grey dome of smoke choking us and distressing tourists because the rains have cleared the air from the fires of the dry season. Incredibly extensive and costly fires have persistently been devastating the countryside and biodiversity year after year. Before Belize gained its independence fires were considered a very serious business. Extension officers of colonial Belize worked with farmers in the fields every day of the week and issued official fire-permits to farmers to burn their milpa clearings. It was mandatory that all cleared land have a 6-foot wide fire-pass around the entire perimeter. The extension officer of the area would ensure that the fire-pass was well done and up-to-date for…

Surinam Cherry
Surinam cherry bushes grow all over Belize; they have pumpkin-shaped fruits that are botanically berries, but resemble cherries. If you are not familiar with Surinam cherries, imagine classic bing cherries with eight ribs growing on beautiful glossy evergreen leaved bushes. The cherries/berries look like cherries, but do not taste like cherries. The taste of the Surinam cherry fruit when ripe is said to resemble fig, mango, green pepper, with undertones of balsam and apricot, and even a touch of pine-like resin and tobacco aftertaste. Before the fruits are ripe they are tart, acidic and bitter tasting. It is best to pick only the fruits which are dark red and readily fall into your hand. There is a rare variety of…

Blue Moon Over Big Falls
Chocolate lovers congregated for the gala event of the 10th Annual Cacao Festival, now being called the Chocolate Festival, on May 20, not quite the full flower moon evening (full moon was actually Saturday) but close enough to add magic to the magnificent setting around the pool and lush tropical gardens at Big Falls Lodge, Toledo. This year the exhibitors offering samples of their products and very informative discussion regarding their procedures and mission were: Xoco, an event sponsor who focuses on supplying high end quality cacao beans to chocolatiers worldwide and now farming in Belize. Cotton Tree, who makes chocolate exclusively from beans from the Toledo District. Each batch of chocolate is created from the beans of a single…

The Majestic Mango
Stately, massive mango trees are the glory of a tropical farm. No other fruit is anticipated with such eagerness; no other fruit tree is so abundant to the point of overwhelming when they bear well. The varieties are as different as apple varieties and each one may have its own loyal devotee. Grafted mango trees begin to bear from 2 to 3 years from planting and continue for many, many years. As I write, the view through one of the windows of our house is fully dominated by the foliage of a mango tree about 20 yards away; it may be 40 years old and is bearing again this year. It used to bear only a type of mango known…

Fertility From The Deep – Nature’s Perfect Nutrient Blend for the Farm – Written By Charles Walters
The hypothesis that the diversity and abundance of chemical elements contained in ocean water could provide “nature’s perfect nutrient blend for the farm” was tested within the context of innovative farming methods proposed and implemented by Dr. Maynard Murray in the mid-20th century. In his book, Mr. Walters describes the inspirational, scientific and practical evolution and implementation of Dr. Murray’s ideas and the experiments he conducted to revolutionize modern agriculture in terms of providing healthier food for an increasingly unhealthy human population. Dr. Murray had taken his medical training at the University of Cincinnati and spent a decade testing the art and science of his profession. While working many years in Boston hospitals, Dr. Murray became increasingly appalled by the…

Breakfast is Served! You Name The Dish.
What would you call a dish of green banana flour, seaweed, powdered milk, sugar and peanuts with water added and cooked for 15 minutes? That nutritious combination is being developed into a product at the Central Farm food processing test kitchen for the school feeding program. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forest, Fisheries, the Environment and Sustainable Development (MAFFESD) project, headed by Anna Howe, was started in July 2015 with the help and direction of a food specialist to find the combination of ingredients to (1) use local ingredients (2) make a tasty, nutritious breakfast food for the school feeding program at minimum cost, and (3) explore the marketability of such a product. Anna and her crew of 5 are testing…

Rainy Season War
The rains have fallen, the flowers and plants are blooming and the mosquitos are buzzing. That high pitched sound there little wings make in the night time is more than annoying, mosquitos are Vectors of Malaria, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, and now a new player….Zika! Most of the above mentioned are transmitted by the same villain, Aedes aegypti, which is distributed worldwide, except in the coldest of places. Female mosquitos require blood meal for the protein required by her developing egg brood. Dusk and dawn are active feeding times for mosquitos, and we all know the wet season bed time ritual mentioned above ……..hearing, but not knowing where the attack will eventually come. Vector transmission takes time, as the virus must…

Ag Events
The University of Belize College of Agriculture at Central Farm (UBCF) will host prominent soil fertility expert Neal Kinsey for the 3rd time in Belize, on February 27th –March 1st 2017 (the 2016 course was held earlier in Feb 2016). The upcoming course will be a new course to Belize; the 3 day Intro 2 course begins with a day and a half of trace minerals. Workbooks for the new course are available now for paid registrants of the next year’s Intro 2 course. All are welcome to attend this course – students, teachers, private sector. Contact David Thiessen at 670-4817. Neal reports that this is “the favorite course” of farmers. Mark your calendars for Sustainable…

NATS/Agric Show 2016
The National Agriculture Trade Show (NATS) name has morphed into Agric Show. The 2016 Agric Show, held on the fairgrounds in Belmopan from April 29 – May 1, drew 39,500 visitors. The 50 acre plus fairgrounds have been updated each year with a vision to eventually use the NATS fairground for a year-round Saturday marketplace with new barns, a permanent horticulture garden and tilipia farm as a training ground for future farmers in Belize with the support of Minister of Agriculture Gaspar Vega. Mr. Vega is dedicated to helping small farms succeed with the goal of helping Belize reduce its dependence on imports and become more secure in food production and distribution. Some highlights of the 2016 Agric Show included…

Agriculture Prices At A Glance

The Reporter

Police drag Julius out of House of Representatives
For the first time in Belizean history, a member of parliament was forcibly removed from a meeting of the House of Representatives by police. The Speaker of the House, Michael Peyrefitte, ordered that the area representative for the Cayo South constituency, Julius Espat, be removed […]

Churches team up with COLA to protest at upcoming House meeting
The Alliance of Leaders and Ministers of Belize, a religious based organization, has joined with Citizens Organized for Liberty Through Action (COLA) and IWantMyCountryBack, to stage a protest at the upcoming sitting of the House of Representatives. The organizations said this week that the protest is not a form of […]

Government invests $15.8 million into CFII
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development launched the historic “Chiquibul Forest Investment Initiative” on Tuesday at the Biltmore Plaza, which will see over $15 million invested into the preservation of the Chiquibul forest (CFII). In trying to curb the amount […]

Yardman accused of burglarizing home
The home of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank ,Christine Maud Vellos was burglarized in mid August, and police say ther yard man is the culprit. Leon Prince, 32, a construction worker managed to deceived the Vellos family and steal more than $3,000 worth of jewellery from their home. […]

Doyle Garbutt shot in the head through his van
The lifeless body of Doyle Garbutt, 29, a resident of Dolphin Drive, was discovered in his white van on Balaam Street on Wednesday night. According to police reports, some time around 10:00 p.m., officers received reports of a shooting on Balaam Street. When they responded […]

Section 53 ruling will help the mental health of LGBT persons, says MHA
The Mental Health Association (MHA), this week, voiced its support of the Supreme Court striking down Belize’s sodomy laws, saying that it will have positive effects on the mental health of LGBT persons. The Association’s manager, Kathy Esquivel, on Monday described the move as “long overdue,” pointing […]

Zika virus harmful to adult brains too new study finds
As the Zika virus global health crisis continues to evolve, new data is suggesting that the virus attacks adult brain cells, not just children as previously thought. A new study done by researchers from both the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Rockefeller University in New York, […]

Woman appeals to driver who knocked down and killed her husband to provide for his child
The funeral service for Lionel Villanueva, 32, is still in the planning stage, but his untimely death comes at a time when his six year-old son will return to school and his wife is appealing to the driver who knocked him down for assistance. Adelino […]

Norwegian Cruise Line donates $100,000 to Belize
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Europe’s leading cruise line for eight consecutive years, responded to Belize’s plea for aid and donated BZ $100,000 to assist the Belize Red Cross in its hurricane relief efforts last Friday. Senior Vice President of Destination & Strategic Development for NCL, Colin Murphy, […]

BTB awards six with scholarships
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) awarded six students with scholarships to help them further their studies in the field of tourism, on Wednesday. The BTB invested approximately $50,000 into the scholarship initiative. BTB’s Director of Quality Assurance and Industrial Standards, Herbert Haylock called it a “worthwhile investment […]

APAMO needs help
The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO), Belize’s leading network of non-governmental conservation organizations, is asking for help in providing funds to recover from Hurricane Earl. According to APAMO, over 45 percent of its members suffered severe damages to their headquarters, field stations, gift shops, equipment, […]

Police look for man who killed mentally challenged woman
The investigation into the stabbing murder of Jennifer Coleman, 51, a mentally challenged woman, on Tuesday night continues in Caye Caulker and a manhunt is underway, after police found her bleeding on Aventura Street, where she lived. She had apparently been attacked inside her apartment […]

Man missing at sea
Deron Lizama, a Belize City resident, went missing while at sea last Friday and all attempts to find his thus fas far have been fruitless. According to Lizama’s sister, Kim Lizama, he went missing last Friday while making a cargo delivery trip to the different cayes. He, […]

Editorial
The special forensics report on the shooting and tragic death of 14 year old Julio Rene Alvarado Duarte in the Sapote area of the Chiquibul Forest on the evening of April 20, 2016 is in. It states conclusively that the child was not killed by any member of the BDF […]

Stench of Corruption AGâ€™s report reveals wrongdoing and proceedural sidestepping
The eyes and ears of the Belizean nation will be fixed on the National Assembly this weekend, at a meeting of the House of Representatives when the long awaited special audit into visa and nationality irregularities will be tabled, following the sensational Penner passport scandal of September, 2013. Those audits […]

Leaked OAS report vindicates Belize
The independent expert report on the shootings in the Adjacency Zone (AZ) involving the death of a 14 year old Guatemalan boy has vindicated the Belize Defense Force. While Guatemalan officials maintained that the BDF randomly began shooting at unarmed civilians on their side of […]

Nine-month-old baby kidnapped from home at gunpoint!
A young mother made an emotional plea for help on the Belize Buy & Sell Facebook page Thursday morning, claiming her nine-month-old son had been kidnapped at gunpoint. Police later confirmed the incident and an all points alert was sent out to the public to […]

Over 1000 protest at National Assembly
Over 1000 supporters gathered in Belmopan today as a sign of protest against the Government of Belize, on several national issues. The protest held in collaboration with the #IWantMyCountryBack group, Citizens Organized for Liberty Through Action, Alon with several unions amd other church groups, are […]

The Belize Times

TRAITORS! – UDP SOLD OUR BIRTHRIGHT
The list of UDP Ministers, Area Representatives and so-called UDP caretakers who are named in the very comprehensive Audit Department investigations into Visa, Immigration and Nationality irregularities between the years 2011-2013 is a scandal and disgrace, though certainly not a surprise. It is also, undoubtedly, the tip of the rotten iceberg in what has been proven to be a systematic, orchestrated and brazen sale of our Belizean birthright to the highest bidder. Contained in three booklets – one each for Visa, Immigration and Nationality, hundreds of pages chronicle the rape of our systems and procedures by unscrupulous officers put in place by their political bosses. The shameful evidence that Ministers of Government intervened to facilitate Visas, nationality documents and passports without any vetting, for foreign nationals In the Visa – many of them with questionable backgrounds – is highlighted throughout the pages of the reports by the Auditors.

CHURCHES TELL GOB – “ACT OR PAY THE CONSEQUENCES”
After almost 2 weeks of being taken lightly by the Barrow Government, the Christian leaders from the National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) staged a protest in front of the National Assembly building in Belmopan. Holding placards and banners condemning homosexuality and calling on the government to act NOW, they marched on the streets in front of the building which, at least symbolically is the seat of power in Belmopan. These protesters who came out, and many others via social media, talk-shows and other forums, continue to demand that the Prime Minister change his mind on appealing the Chief Justice’s ruling to legalize gay sexual acts conducted in private. About 1000 evangelists who are members of churches in the Orange Walk and Toledo Districts came out in support of the demonstration. Organizers had timed it for maximum effect to coincide with the weekly Cabinet meeting which unfortunately did not happen because Prime Minister Dean Barrow is out of the country.

The Disappearing Middle-Class in Belize
In August Category One Hurricane Earl made landfall somewhere around Ladyville or Sandhill. With winds of up to 90 mph, it battered Belize for more than 6 hours. After the all-clear was given, this relatively weak hurricane had, at least according to GOB, put a $158 million dollar beating on our people and economy. What Hurricane Earl really did was expose the growing level of poverty in Belize. This is a reality that not too many in the government want to accept or discuss at all. For years now people who look seriously into how our economy operates have been saying that collectively as a nation we are getting poorer and that the segment of our population most affected is the middle-class. What Earl did when it hammered us for hours is to expose a hidden reality in Belize; that there are many people who are one crisis from becoming impoverished or from losing their lifesavings.

OAS Reports Clears BDF in Chiquibul Shooting
The OAS investigation into the fatal shooting of a Guatemalan minor in the Chiquibul in April is done, and the report is FINALLY in. Initiated in June, 2016, it was conducted by retired US criminal investigator and forensic scientist Dr. James Hamby and a forensic scientist from the Mexican Federal Police, Dr. Patricia Trujillo Mariel. Both spent weeks visiting the site of the incident which resulted in the death of Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano and the wounding of his father and younger brother. The incident occurred within Belizean territory and the BDF and FCD Patrol involved maintained that they were fired on by unknown assailants in the dark, requiring them to return fire. Belize took unprecedented heat and condemnation from Guatemala, including an accusation of human rights violations by Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales.

A Teacher of All…to ALL!
Similar to the “teacher of all things” Jesus Christ, Mrs Jeanette Bennett was a teacher to many. Born to Edward Lord, a mercantile clerk and Rosita Ordonez, a domestic, on April 8th 1934 she began her steps in life. Mrs Bennett was a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Justice of Peace but first and foremost she was a teacher. Ms. B began her teaching career at a young age at Holy Redeemer in the early 1950’s. She often recognized a student of hers, the man behind the ‘zinc fence’ Evan X Hyde. Her teaching career at Holy Redeemer became short lived when she married her lifelong partner J Alexander Bennett, an educator and teacher at that Institution. J Alexander was given an assignment to teach in the little village of Succotz in the West. Ms. B bore her first of seven children in Succotz, Philip Bennett on May 11th 1957.

Belize City Man Dies in Tragic RTA
Lionel Hamilton, the 28 year-old Belize City resident who also went by the name “Lionel Villanueva”, was killed in a terrible traffic accident on Saturday morning, August 20. It happened sometime between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. at around mile 4 and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Police were called to that location where they saw a grey Dodge Neon Car with its front portion smashed in. A short distance away, they found Hamilton’s lifeless body lying on the side of the road. On the scene, they found a green van, which had collided with the car. Its front portion was also extensively damaged.

First Section 53…Next Gay Marriage?
The Church and the Government continue to disagree in the wake of the Section 53 judgement recently handed down by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin in the Supreme Court. The Church and many of their supporters claim that it is not just about Section 53, but about opening a door which should be left firmly closed. But what exactly does the judgment do in the context of gay rights in Belize? The Prime Minister, at a press conference held last week to address the ruling handed down after a three year delay, claims that the judgement does nothing more than decriminalize private consensual acts that were caught up with the net that is Section 53. He balked at the suggestion that it is opening the door to lawsuits from persons agitating for more gay rights gains.

That Special Machete…
Mr. Barrow has lost that special machete, his moral compass and without a doubt any golden legacy he hoped to leave in his wake. Always a conceited man, a legend in his own mind, it is a certainty that he became consumed with political success. All that fancy talk about doing better for the Belizean people has been reduced to nothing more than another rhetorical flourish for which the eloquent, hollow gentleman has become famous. On Friday, the Prime Minister will bellow and bluster and bleat like a rear-ended goat, but the reality is that anything he could tell the Belizean people will have lost its lustre, tarnished by the ripe, stinking evidence of most foul corruption pervading the sanctity of his own Cabinet. How will the Prime Minister explain away hundreds of pages outlining the most disgusting, disturbing rape of our birthright by his own Ministers with whom he broke bread? How will he dismiss not a suggestion – BUT A DECLARATION – by the Auditor-General, Dorothy Bradley that Ministers acted ILLEGALLY when they interfered in the established process to grant Visas at our borders?

The PUP Welcomes Queen of the Bay Candidates
Early this morning the beautiful candidates for the prestigious Queen of the Bay Pageant, along with chaperones and committee members, visited Independence Hall in the old capital, Belize City. There they spent some time on Vibes Radio before enjoying an informal breakfast with Party Leader John Briceño and other representatives of the Party. It was a pleasure to host the country’s brightest young, talented women who will carry on the long and proud tradition of the Queen of the Bay, to be held in Belize City this Saturday.

El Odio Plays UDP Blame Game
UDP Junior Minister and Orange Walk East Area Representative Elodio Aragon Jr. followed in the footsteps of his political boss Dean Barrow when he tried to deflect blame and shame from his fellow elected UDP politicians who are named in the Auditor General’s Special Audits into the disgraceful and criminal hustling at the Immigration and Nationality Department. By now Belizeans are starting to appreciate just how widespread the abuse and the cheapening of national patrimony has been under the UDP. While the audit were only for the period 2011-2013, who knows exactly how long it had been going on? Aragon’s UDP colleagues are being named as persons who issued instructions and manipulated systems all over the public service from port commanders to Immigration officials, to Belizean Embassy officials, clearing all the red tape, and all the checks and balances.

Stand Against Corruption
Corruption is the malignancy at the heart of a large number of issues in our lives today. It destroys employment and keeps down development, costing the Belizean economy millions of dollars consistently. It traps the poorest in the most desperate poverty as corrupt government officials siphon off funds and prevent hard-working people from getting the revenues and benefits of growth that are rightfully theirs. It takes indispensable assets from our schools and medical facilities. Corrupt individuals and companies evade the taxes they owe. If we continue to hide from this problem, how will we expect our country which is blessed with natural resources ever break out of the poverty trap? We have to deal with corruption if we are to have any hope of a truly prosperous and secure future. Yet while corruption is such a huge problem, the government’s efforts to deal with it are weak because so many times they are the root of the evil.

Did the Court Sentence a Mentally-Challenged Man to Prison?
A nineteen year old Lake Independence man who pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary was sentenced to serve two years in prison this morning, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith who imposed the sentence. On Saturday, August 20, 2016 Mikel Angel Longsworth entered the Atlantic Bank storeroom as a trespasser. Nothing, however, was stolen from the room which is located at #26 Mahogany Street Extension, in the Lake Independence area. An employee of the Atlantic Bank, Robert Leslie, was informed by Police that there was a burglary and when he went there sometime around 9:00 a.m. he found Police along with the man who had entered the store room.

Gunman’s Target Escapes Death after Gun Misfires
A man who went on a mission to kill another man but failed to do so because the firearm malfunctioned when he squeezed the trigger was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after unlicensed firearm and ammunition charges were read to him this afternoon. Linsford Acosta appeared before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza who read a charge of aggravated burglary to him. Acosta, 32, a fisherman residing in the Belama Phase 2 area, allegedly went to the home of Adolfo McKoy, 50, a construction worker, who resides at 50 Iguana Street and entered as a trespasser on Saturday, August 20.

Accused Kidnapper and Mason Employee Gets Bail
Ryan Rhaburn, Manager of William Danny Mason’s Outback Ranch, was in the Supreme Court today along with his attorney, Herbert Panton for a bail application hearing, before Justice John Troadio Gonzalez. Earlier during the week Rhaburn was arraigned in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court on two counts of kidnapping of Mennonite businessman Lloyd Friessen and his wife. Friessen and his wife ended up fleeing from Belize after Mason allegedly began extorting money from him. But he returned to the country after Mason was arrested and charged with the murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas. Lucas’ head was found in a bucket in Mason’s vehicle in Belmopan on July 15th, prompting Belmopan Police to charge him and four others with the murder and kidnapping of Lucas.

SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN BELIZE…
And that something is Dean Oliver Barrow. Dean Barrow was castigated by Church Leaders of the Evangelical Association during their historic march, prayers and speeches at the steps of the National Assembly.Mr. Barrow has become one of the things he has always feared. He is the object of mockery and scorn. His legacy is in tatters ever more. New heroes are emerging in the Battle for a Better Belize. Pastors from Stann Creek, Toledo, Belmopan, Orange Walk and Corozal addressed the historic gathering of almost two thousand religious citizens. Twenty-five buses from the southern districts and five from the north rolled into Belmopan early Tuesday in protest against Mr. Barrow and his Ministers. It was Pastor Victor Hernandez who eloquently, throughout his sermon, made reference to Shakespeare’s well-known phrase from the play Hamlet- “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”.

MY PERSPECTIVE – SPORTS LAMENT
The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are now history. I have not watched much of them at all, what with no electricity for five days after Hurricane Earl and another three or four days until cable supply was restored. However, it has been difficult to refrain from thinking about sports, or sport as the British call it. Of course we, as Caribbean people, have been exceedingly proud to see Usain Bolt cement his superstar status as the fastest human being over a period of more than eight years and three Olympics, the world’s most prestigious stage for track and field. I pondered on how this came about. Jamaica has less than four million inhabitants, but the emphasis placed by authorities on pre-eminence in track and field athletics has succeeded in producing dozens of top notch athletes and gold medalists. They simply cannot be beat, and they have to be highly commended for the astounding accomplishments of Jamaican track and field stars and superstars. We also remember the Cubans as well. I have learned that Cuba and Jamaica have tied for medals from the Rio Olympics.

Order…new or not
The Churches were able to draw a sizable crowd to Belmopan this past week where they protested against the government’s decision not to appeal the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in the United Belize Advocacy Movement’s (UNIBAM) case. Caleb Orozco was successful in challenging Sec. 53 of Belize’s Criminal Code which states that “Every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person … shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years.” Lawyers for Orozco were able to convince the high court that the law as it stood was in violation of his dignity and human rights as guaranteed by Part 2 of the Constitution. Having successfully argued that point, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin had no choice but to declare the law null and void since, according to Part 1 (sec. 2) of Belize’s Constitution, “This Constitution is the supreme law of Belize and if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”

Thinking Out Loud
The Prime Minister is out of the country again. It seems like he’s always out of the country when there’s a crisis, and these days, crises are the order of the week. There’s another one brewing and bubbling this week – one that has been in the pot for a very long time. Mr. Barrow has been trying as best he can to hold down the findings of the Audit Department into the multiple passport, nationality and Visa scandals under his watch. But it’s out now. I haven’t gotten a chance to go through the books just yet, but I hear the Audit Department is accusing multiple Ministers, Area Representatives and UDP caretakers of acting illegally in facilitating Visas and other documents for people who did not qualify. What has emerged seems like the worst nightmare for the Prime Minister who has stated publicly that corruption in Immigration would be one of those things that would bring down his administration. Based on what is in those audits, if the Prime Minister is serious and he has any principle, he should probably go ahead and call elections.

THINK ABOUT IT
Right in the midst of the hard time that has come upon our people a circle of hope has emerged. This is a circle of hope and help. Women are being encouraged to form a group of friends. One person brings in two friends. Four persons bring in eight and a circle is formed. Each person pays the person at the top of the circle. They then move from the bottom of the circle to the second level and then to a smaller third level and then to the top of the circle. Then it is their turn to collect. Nobody holds anyone else’s money. Each person pays the person at the top of the circle. This is a damn good idea – too good to be true. But it is working. So long as you can bring in two good and trusted friends the circle goes on.

Breaking Belize News

Julius Espat, media ejected from House Sitting
People’s United Party (PUP) area representative for Cayo South, Julius Espat, and Channel Seven News Director, Jules Vasquez, were both forcibly removed from today House Sitting in the National Assembly by police officers. Espat says the incident was fueled by the government, who did […]

Accident reported near Benque
Confirmed reports to Breaking Belize News desk is that a traffic accident occurred a short while ago on the George Price Highway near Benque Viejo Del Carmen in the Cayo District. The severity of the injuries sustained by passengers is not known yet. BBN will […]

House suspended after Cayo South member breaks protocol
There were extraordinary scenes inside the House of Representatives this afternoon as the Representative for Cayo South, Julius Espat, refused to leave his seat after he was “named” by Pickstock area representative and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington. Espat was speaking on the adjournment and […]

Protestors not charged after throwing missiles at Police during demonstration
Just around high noon, what had been a peaceful protest on the steps of the National Assembly descended into scenes of near-riot after a protestor began firing missiles toward the Assembly building. Police responded with live warning rounds fire over the protestors’ heads. One […]

Belizeans the time to fight corruption is now
If you were caught committing a crime publicly, what would the consequences be? Would the police arrest you and lock you up? Would they hesitate? If you resisted arrest how would the police respond? You would be met with physical force and if you […]

Governor General travels to Mexico
Belize’s Governor General H.E. Sir Colville Young is currently visiting Mexico City on an invitation made to him by the Anahuac University. During his visit to Mexico City Sir Colville Young will deliver readings in the CARICOM literature to the University including selections from […]

Person detained for throwing missile inside the national assembly
Reports reaching our newsroom are indicating that police have arrested a person for throwing missile inside the national assembly. This is a developing story and will be updated shortly. © 2016, www.breakingbelizenews.com. This article is the copyrighted property of Breaking Belize News. Written permission […]

Police fire warning shots at protestors in Belmopan
We have received reports that police in Belmopan have fired shots in the air to deter protestors from stoning them. According to reports, additional law enforcement officers have been deployed in the area. Our reporters are in Belmopan and have reported that things are […]

The Church’s Hypocrisy
Pope Francis once famously remarked that the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations should apologize to homosexuals for contributing to their marginalization in society, citing the catechism, which states, “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” This should be […]

Belizeans rise against corruption, social decay in Belmopan
The Belizeans standing in broiling Friday sun at the seat of their nation’s government made clear that they are mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore. “It”, they perceive, is the slippery slope of moral and social decay […]

Belize – Analysis of the current status of PetroCaribe
By Richard Harrison: Belize…..do not take your eyes off Petrocaribe…..there needs to be an independent and comprehensive audit…..the numbers that the Government of Belize claim do not add up….many millions not accounted for….in his 2016 budget speech the PM of Belize claims that Belize had only received $325 […]

Abducted child found in Belize City
The child who was abducted from Independence Village yesterday has been found. According to reports, a resident of cemetery road saw an unidentified man dropping off the baby shortly after 10 p.m. in the cemetery area. The man then quickly fled the scene. The […]

Blogs

8 Cool Belize TV Appearances
Being a small, relatively inconspicuous nation as far as media goes usually means that Belize sightings on tv are very few, and very far between, and that also means that when we do catch a glimpse of The Land of the Free, for better or for worse, we tend to get a little bit excited. The above being said, we could probably count on our digits how many times Belize has been seen in mainstream media. Here are the eight Belize TV appearances we think are the coolest:

Your Belize Cooking Guide - How To Make Belizean Powder Buns
Have you ever tried Belizean Powder Buns? Whether you’re dipping it in a delicious cup of morning brew, having it as a snack while on-the-go or at dinner-time with your favorite portions of cheese; powder buns are tasty treat no matter the time of day! Known locally as “Pow-da” bun, the pastry is a staple snack in Creole households across the country. Easy to make and even easier to eat, powder buns are a lightly sweetened, fluffy and typically crumbly, treat. Some seasoned travelers would even compare it to an English scone. If you're a foodie like us, you'll be sure to enjoy our cooking guide to making Belizean Powder Buns:

September Celebrations!!!! Here’s Your Guide to the Big Events
Just this past week, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) released the official schedule of events for September Celebrations in San Pedro and around the country.2016 Schedule of September Celebrations, San Pedro, Belize It IS my favorite time of year. So, if you are visiting Ambergris Caye in September or you are living here for the very first time, here is my guide to the activities. Get your red, white and blue ready! Don’t be shy. I am focusing on my home town of San Pedro in this post but there are some BIG events, like Carnival in Belize City or the Independence Day parade in Orange Walk that are SO worth thinking about. During the first days of September, you will see the town, houses and golf carts decorated for the holiday.

International Sources

Caribbean: Anti-gay law is ripe for reversal, Antigua says
If LGBTI rights activists in the Caribbean nation of Antigua & Barbuda mount a legal challenge, the courts there would likely nullify that nation’s ban on sexual relations between men, according to Antigua’s cabinet. But the Antiguan government won’t take such action on its own. As Antigua’s Daily Observer reported: The government has said an outright no to repealing the laws [criminalising] buggery, a decision which has disappointed the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LBGT) community. The Cabinet of Antigua & Barbuda, on [Aug. 24], agreed that “the buggery law will remain unchanged”. In the same breath, government acknowledged that the results which were obtained in the recent historic Belize case are likely to follow, should an interest group pursue this matter in the courts, since “our jurisprudence is similar”.

OAS probe absolves Belize in shooting of Guatemalan teen
Experts from the Organization for American States released a report Friday that indicates a Guatemalan teen killed in April near the two countries' border was shot by members of a conservation group. The bullets that killed 14-year-old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano came from a shotgun and a .22 rifle carried by members of a Belizean conservation group, the Friends for Conservation and Development. The group was accompanied by a lieutenant of the Belize Defense Forces, but he did not fire the shots that hit the boy. The patrol members said they fired in self-defense in a Belizean national park on the border. The shooting had threatened to turn into a diplomatic tussle between the two countries and the latest flashpoint in a longstanding territorial dispute. Guatemala claims parts of territory governed by Belize as its own.

This Tourism Campaign's 'No Beachside Honeymooners' Rule Boosted Belize's GDP
Tourism campaigns for Caribbean destinations often have a similar aesthetic—sandy beaches, honeymooning couples, frosty drinks by the pool. But the Belize Tourism Board and its agency, Olson, had enough of that. For its latest ad campaigns, the BTB focused on local experiences unique to Belize and making flying to the country easier. Three years ago, Olson started working with the BTB, launching "Discover How to Be," a campaign that showcased the country's culture and experiences you can have there. Olson and the BTB also worked with Southwest Airlines and WestJet Airlines to open up more routes and direct flights to Belize from the U.S. and Canada. The strategy worked—the campaign was responsible for increasing travel to Belize and boosting the country's GDP by 2.24 percent, according to the Central Bank of Belize. "We set rules from the beginning—no honeymooners, no frozen drinks, nobody getting a massage by the pool," said Kevin McKeon, chief creative officer at Olson. "We want to go for someone who's a little more ambitious about what they're looking for in a vacation. The takeaway is you're going to meet some fascinating people and come back with a story you didn't expect to have."

NAU Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Mayan Tomb In Belize
An archaeology expedition led by Northern Arizona University has uncovered one of the largest Mayan tombs ever found in Belize. It’s the most significant discovery in more than century of research at the site. The dig took place at Xunantunich in western Belize. NAU professor Jaime Awe brought his team of more than 30 students to the site. They uncovered a burial chamber five times as large as a typical Mayan tomb. “Most tombs in the Maya world are sort of dug into existing buildings,” Awe said. “Not in this case! In this case, they constructed this tomb and then built the pyramid on top of it.” The tomb holds the remains of what appears to be an important Mayan ruler, as well as animal bones and artifacts.

Videos

AdJENtures: Snorkeling in Belize, 2min. Footage taken on a snorkeling trip in Caye Caulker. Swam with some pretty cute sharks, stingrays, turtles, and fishes.

Belize Creole Brukdung Project, 3min. As you know singing is not easy. Here are some of our trainees learning proper singing techniques under the Belize Creole Brukdung Project which is being sponsored by the Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project.

Blackadore Group second EIA consultation, 3min. Local fishermen tried to voice their concerns about overwater structures to the Blackadore Group last night at the second EIA consultation. Here is the first compilation of important moments from the EIA:

, min. Channel 7's Jules Vasquez is dragged out of the House of Representatives as the media was ejected from the room. Video taken by our reporter as she was being removed.

Member of the media was manhandled by security forces as he was forcibly removed from the House of Representatives., 1min.

Honorable Julius Espat forcibly removed from the House of Assembly by armed forces., 1min. Despite the overwhelming number of police officers carrying him out, Hon. Julius Espat puts up resistance against further manhandling. When the leader of the opposition attempts to intervene, the police turn their attention on him as well.

Beautiful Belize - 5 weeks in 20 minutes, 14min.

Belize Carnival 2016, 22min.

Belize City Carnival Parade 2016, 7min.

3em3 :: Caracol e Placencia - Belize :: Um roteiro pelo país mais secreto do Caribe, 7min.

The Big Belize Surprise, 4min. Best reaction ever when my best friend realizes that we have shown up in Belize to surprise her. Living in separate parts of the country for almost 10 years means we don't get to see each other often, and this was the tropical vacation we always dreamt of taking together.

Belize Lazy River, 3min.

August 26, 2016