FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

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

Take advantage of BCVI monthly Eye Exams
On Wednesday, October 7th, The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI) held its monthly eye exam at the Lions Den in San Pedro Town. From 8Am to 2PM, many island residents took advantage of the free service. Even though the exam, which takes place every first Wednesday of each month, is free of charge, patients are still required to pay for glasses and eye drops. The BCVI provides these types of exams countrywide, and has been coming to San Pedro for the past six years. Optometrist Rita Witzil explained the importance of the program and why people need to check their eyes more often. "Our main objective is to prevent blindness, which is avoidable, by offering this free service. Many people cannot afford to go to a private doctor so we come here to offer our free service to everybody. This service is available to all ages from small babies to the oldest person," stated Witzil.

One man's quest to rid island of unsightly graffiti
The campaign aims at getting residents involved in painting over graffiti riddled structures by always carrying small containers of paint thinner and a paint brush with them. "The plan is very simple; just cover it over within a day or two upon seeing it. If it's taken off the same day; very few people will even know it's there. If nobody cares, it will stay up forever and spread. Graffiti left up tends to breed more graffiti. In a heavy area, it needs to be eradicated daily, if necessary." Rosenthal has already taken it upon himself to remove some of the unsightly graffiti around town. The process is simple, it only takes a small paint brush or sponge to be dipped into paint thinner and then erase the marking away. "This is a very simple process that takes ten minutes to resolve. Fortunately it's not a big issue in tourist areas. Property owners need to take care of their own graffiti as quickly as possible," says Rosenthal. Rosenthal is positive that if this project is implemented in San Pedro, it will alleviate and ultimately, eliminate graffiti. "I personally care about what tourists say when they come to this island and see the graffiti. I am doing this just this once to demonstrate how easy it is to remove. In the future; it can be a complaint to the San Pedro Town Council if they care about tourism," said Rosenthal.

Ambergris Today

Belize Wins Two Biggest Travel Oscars for the Continent at World Travel Awards
Ambergris Caye and Placencia win big at the 2015 World Travel Awards that took place in Bogota, Colombia over the weekend with Ambergris Caye taking the award for Leading Destination 2015 Mexico & Central America category and Placencia winning the Leading Beach Destination 2015 Mexico & Central America category. The Heads of Tourism from all around Central America were present for the ceremony. The BTB is extremely proud and excited to announce that for the first time in the 22 years history of the World Travel Awards, Belize has won the two biggest Travel Oscars for the Continent.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

Passing of Mrs. Cecilia Lara
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Lara family & friends on the passing of Mrs. Cecilia Lara. May her soul rest in peace. Mrs. Cecilia was 100 years old and 11 months. One month away from here 101 year birthday.

Ms. Amelia Young passes away
Condolences to the Young family on the passing of an island icon on Caye Caulker, Ms. Amelia Young. May she R.I.P.

Halloween Bazaar, Oct. 31, Caye Caulker
At La Isla Carinosa Academy, campus, starting at 4pm-10pm. Lots to eat and drink! Delicious treats and snacks! Tons of games and prizes!

The Reporter

Fire affects four buildings in Belize City
A fire early Monday morning in Belize City destroyed a bar and damaged three other buildings. The blaze which started at a few minutes before 6:00 a.m., on Handyside Street, gutted the upper flat of Fenders Bar, a landmark which has been there for at least four decades. Fire officials are investigating the origin and cause of the blaze, as well as gathering details of whether the buildings were insured and who owned them. No one was hurt in the blaze.

Climate change causing biggest coral destruction in the Caribbean
The Caribbean is currently experiencing the biggest mass coral destruction ever recorded. This according to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which confirmed that the bleaching of reefs in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific may affect over 38 percent of the world's reefs, and kill over 12,000 square kilometer of them. Reefs are the breeding ground for tropical fisheries and this reality endangers the livelihoods of 500 million people who rely on the seas and oceans, which also provide shelter from the waves for tropical islands and bring tourist revenues. Scientists warn that if spectacular coral reefs as we know them are not killed firdt by human activities, they are unlikely to survive increase in temperatures by the end of this century. The current worldwide bleaching is predicted to be the worst on record as the warming Pacific current, known as El Nino, increases in strength. Water temperatures are being further increased by a separate natural warm-water mass called the Pacific Blob.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

UDP holds rally in Punta Gorda
On Sunday night in Punta Gorda Town, the highly anticipated United Democratic Party's pre-election rally took place at the town's Central Park where thousands gathered to show support for standard bearers Peter Eden Martinez for Toledo East, and Juan Coy for the Toledo West Constituencies. Guests of honor graced the stage with words of encouragement and confidence, some even dancing in celebration of what they are predicting to be the first ever UDP Administration to serve three consecutive terms. Respected members of the UDP such as Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, Hon. John Saldivar, Hon. Frank "Papa" Mena and Mayor Fern Guttierez of Punta Gorda addressed the massive crowd, as well as the men they came to support - Mr. Peter Eden Martinez and Mr. Juan Coy who were well received by enthusiastic UDP supporters.

PUP holds rally in Orange Walk
Orange Walk Central Park was the venue for thousands of PUP supporters as the "Power to the People Tour" took place on Sunday October 11th, 2015. The rally initiated with a massive march to victory with the four standard bearers from the four corners of Sugar City with the support of Party leader Francis Fonseca. As the crowd made its way to the central park, the blue and white machine prepare for the November 4th Elections.

Blogs

Sunday morning coming down . .
And this Sunday kicked off in unique style. With a dull thump. A small bird flew right into the sliding glass door on the living room porch and was sitting there motionless, stunned. The sight took me back to a year earlier when we found a bird, motionless, on its side but still breathing. It tried to stand up. And fell. I tried everything I could to revive it. Gentle strokes on the feathers, water, whispering and even a slight gentle rolling in a paper towel. The hit it took was too much and the bird died. Later that day I was sitting on the steps, fixing my bicycle and still feeling badly about not being able to save the bird. A bird with very similar coloring landed next to me on the railing. Close enough that I could touch it. I did touch it. I stroked it on the beak and feathers on the back of its neck. It didn't flinch. It didn't flee.. I even brought it a little saucer of water, but it wasn't interested.

"It's My Chapati (I'll Cry If I Want To)" at El Fogon, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
James ("JimJam") and Jamila Janmohamed couldn't have chosen a better date for the Poppy Appeal Dinner at El Fogon on Saturday night even had they spoken to me first. Why, well yesterday was Rose's birthday (38 again if you must know - she has Dorian Grey traits!) and a four course Indian meal was just perfect to make it an extra special day. I'd made reservations for the 20.00 hours sitting as soon as the event was announced - it's an extremely popular dinner and tickets sell out fast,really fast - and we , Rose, Chrissy (Chrissy is a member of the British Army and serving as a member of BATSUB) and I got to El Fogon around 19.45 hours for a pre-dinner tipple. We eventually were seated at our table at 20.20 hours so it wasn't quite a pre-dinner tipple but it wasn't a pre-dinner torrent. Let's just say that we were lubricated. Very nicely lubricated.

Come Fly With ME�Southwest Airlines First Flight To Belize is October 15th
We've been talking about this since the official announcement in May. Southwest, the largest airline in the United States, is flying to Belize! Since them prices have dropped and continued competition and lower prices are highly anticipated. FREE CHECKED BAGS! FRIENDLY FUN FLIGHT ATTENDANTS! NO CHANGE FEES! PEANUTS SERVED ON PLANES! FREE WINE AND BEER ON HOLIDAYS! It's all pretty fantastic. And what is even more fantastic, is that I am going on the FIRST SOUTHWEST FLIGHT TO BELIZE!!!! I have requested that we make our route over the Blue Hole and was instantly told NO by the Chairman of the Belize Aviation Development Committee. But maybe I'll talk to the pilots on the plane�it's always better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, right?

Chuletas de Cerdo con Salsa de Mostaza y Vino
En primer lugar, marcamos las chuletas a la plancha. Cuando le demos la vuelta, salamos y reservamos. Por otro lado, en la misma sart�n, doramos la cebolla picada con una pizca de sal. Cuando est� dorada, a�adimos la harina y rehogamos bien para que se tueste. Mojamos con el vino y dejamos que reduzca. Cuando el alcohol haya evaporado, a�adimos el caldo, la mostaza, la chuleta, los pepinillos y el perejil picado y cocinamos durante 10 minutos para que la salsa reduzca. Se le pone a las chuletas la salsa Se acompa�a con arroz blanco como guarnici�n.

International Sourcesizz

50 Years of BBC's Horizon
A collection of programmes specially chosen to celebrate Horizon's 50th anniversary.

Southwest set to open int'l concourse at Houston Hobby
Southwest Airlines will beef up its international portfolio on Thursday with the opening of a new concourse it financed at Houston Hobby Airport. The five-gate concourse will house Hobby's first customs facility as well as a Southwest ticket counter. It has been under construction since September 2013. "We just believe that by funding this facility, it shows Houston how excited we are and that we're dedicated to growing our international footprint," Southwest spokeswoman Thais Hanson said. The airline will begin service from Houston to Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, Belize City and San Jose (Costa Rica) on Thursday. Southwest flights between Houston and Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Liberia, Costa Rica, will begin on Nov. 1. Previously, Southwest offered just one international route from Hobby - to and from Aruba, where passengers cleared customs prior to boarding their flights to the United States.

Writer tells of antics by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft whilst studying in Chelmsford during 1960s
A writer who shared a student house in Chelmsford with Lord Ashcroft has told of how he was offered �10,000 not to write a biography of the Tory peer. Alastair Primrose first met Lord Ashcroft in the 1965, when both were students at Mid Essex Technical College, now Anglia Ruskin University. However, 40 years after they met, Mr Primrose received a '"gift" of �10,000 after he failed to find a publisher for his Ashcroft biography, You Were On My Mind: The Early Years Of Lord Ashcroft. Writing in the Daily Mail, which has been serialising Lord Ashcroft's book on David Cameron, he said: "His letter was very cleverly worded - there was no suggestion of blocking my book or conditions for payment - but it felt as if it was quite manipulative.

Caribbean, Mexico fighting sargassum with heavy-duty machines
Two companies, one U.S.-based and the other French, recently found themselves in the front lines in the battle to rid beaches of sargassum, the stinky, brown, ugly masses of floating seaweed that are carpeting the shorelines of popular destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Sargassum shows up every year, but this summer's onslaught is the largest on record, leading Brian Lapointe, a professor and oceanographer with Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, to declare it "the worst year ever. I'd say we've hit a crisis level." That makes it a good year for Connecticut-based H. Barber & Sons, which has manufactured beach-cleaning equipment since 1966, and CDO Innov, a French company that manufactures industrial equipment used for environmental issues. Sargassum presents several challenges as well as a rotten-eggs odor. On many beaches, the stuff washes up with every tide. Workers can rake it and remove it in the morning, only to have it return on the next tide, pushed along by ocean currents and winds.

Insider Selling: Fortis Director Jamie Roberts Sells 8,373 Shares of Stock
Fortis (TSE:FTS) Director Jamie Roberts sold 8,373 shares of Fortis stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$38.60, for a total transaction of C$323,206.17. Several research firms have recently issued reports on FTS. RBC Capital reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a C$44.00 price target on shares of Fortis in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Scotiabank restated a "sector outperform" rating and issued a C$43.00 price objective on shares of Fortis in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th.

Videos

  • Snorkeling Experience in Belize, 2min. The spectacular, wildlife-rich barrier reef of Belize makes a snorkeling trip a MUST. Monica's FIRST snorkeling experience....see how it goes!

  • Bocawina Zipline in Belize, 2min. Geared up and ready to FLY! Join Nikki, Dusty, & Monica as they zipline through the canopy of the jungle. Better Belize it!

  • Belize Mission Trip 2015, 12min. Mission Trip to Holy Cross Anglican School Belize.

  • Island Living in Caye Caulker, Belize C.A, 4min. perhaps you should Explore Belize

  • Diving The Blue Hole, Belize, 8min. Video of the decent and the dive down to 41m of the Blue Hole in the Lighthouse Reef in Belize.

  • Rays/Sharks Belize _1 2015, 2min.

  • Belize Black Hole Drop 300 ft. Rapell, 3.5min.

  • Feeding Tarpon before heading back to Belize, 1min.

  • Belize (Pompion Caye) wall dive, 6.5min. Placencia Belize, wall dive at Pompion Caye (Key) on 10-8-15. Dive Guide: Doren (Splash DIve Center, Placencia Belize C.A.)

  • Scuba Diving Belize Feb 2015, 2min.

  • Jungle Guy shows jungle in Belize, 2.5min. A brief walk through a jungle on Belize.

  • Snorkelling in Caye Caulker, Belize: Sharks, Turtles and Manta Rays!, 4min. In this video I recorded the amazing wildlife oc Caye Caulker, the beautiful Island of Belize. During a snorkeling tour we had the luck to see big sea turtles, sharks and mantas.

  • Belize Independence Parade Drone Footage, 1/2min. Here's a little taste of our drone video from the Independence Parade in San Pedro!

  • Belize Aggressor III & Sun Dancer II, 6.5 min. Turneffe Атолл и Маяк Риф в том числе Blue Hole.