Today's Belize News: September 18, 2012

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Today's Belize News: September 18, 2012 #446882 09/18/12 07:48 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,398 oregon, spr Marty OP
OP Marty	FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5 Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials The San Pedro Sun Island students participate in annual children's rally Preschools, primary and secondary schools countrywide participated in the annual children's rally organized by the Ministry of Education. The rally is a part of the September Celebration events. San Pedro was no exception as the island's schools came out in full force on Friday, September 14th. Students along with their parents and teachers from all over the island assembled at the San Pedro Central Park for the short ceremony. Speaking to the parents, teachers and teachers at the San Pedro Central, the District Education Officer for Belize Rural South Miriam Codd said that the rally is a school day where the students learn to appreciate Belize through patriotism. Also speaking at the event was Guest Speaker Mayor Daniel Guerrero. "Let us try and revive this spirit of patriotism and pride which our forefathers had. Nowadays, we do not seem to have that love for country as they did. I encourage you to develop a sense of civic pride by respecting private and public properties, by not throwing garbage on the streets, by taking care of the plants in the parks and on the beach, by having a clean beach, by respecting our elders, by respecting our national anthem and our Belizean flag," said the Mayor to the gathering. Belize Has Been Recommend - ed Excitement continues to surround Belize! The country has been featured in the August "On location" issue of Recommend magazine. The magazine has been in existence for over 43 years and is one of the leaders in the travel trade marketplace. It aims to educate and inform travel agents about the latest happenings in various locations, which assists in selling the locations. The monthly issues highlight the different aspects of tourism. Recommend also has a very active website where interested viewers can read the current and past issues of the magazine as well as view the latest information on various destinations and events. "We're always ecstatic to see Belize highlighted in respected publications such as Recommend. We want the world to realize all that ourcountry has to offer and consequently, make Belize a part of their future travels. This magazine in particular, keeps travel agents informed about what's new and exciting and we're really pleased to be featured" commented the Director of Marketing and Industry Relations, Alyssa Carnegie. Ambergris Today Miss Belize Destinee Arnold Heads to Miss International Pageant, Japan Miss Belize 2012 Destinee Arnold has recently completed phase one of her international pageant training and is ready to represent Belize with poise, grace, eloquence and pride. Along with a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, several resort vacations, and many modeling opportunities, the Official Miss Belize has received the honor of representing the jewel Belize in the highly prestigious Miss International Pageant to be held in Okinawa, Japan from October 1 to October 22, 2012. Miss International is hailed as one of the three most significant pageants in the world for its 53 year history and the ability to attract participants from over 100 countries. In addition to poise and elegance, delegates of Miss International are required to show documentation of charity work and actively promote goodwill and tourism throughout their country and express a genuine interest in strengthening their country's foreign relationship with China and Japan. September Celebrations in Full Swing The calendar of events for this year's September Celebrations was filled with educational activities. On Thursday, September 13, 2012, students from various primary schools on the island participated in the annual spelling bee. Celebrating is exactly what primary school children were doing on Friday, September 14, 2012. Students were invited to participate in a school rally where island students from pre-schools, primary schools and high school all gathered at the Central Park for a short ceremony after which they paraded through the streets of San Pedro. San Pedro Celebrates Central American Night On Saturday, September 15, 2012, five Central American nations - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua - celebrated 191 years of independence. On this day in 1821, Central American notables accepted a plan drafted by Mexican caudillo Agust�n de Iturbide that declared the five nations free from Spain. On this day in Central America most people celebrate their independence with a day off from school and work, full of parades, picnics, parties, and patriotism. Here in San Pedro, the Town Council was very successful in organizing a Central American Night what was celebrated at Central Park during the evening on Saturday, September 15. This was the first annual celebration held on the island in honor of the independence of all our Central American brothers and sister. In the mix was also Mexico that held its independence day festivities a day after, September 16. Miss San Pedro Exactly 25 Years Ago During the month of September when we celebrate anniversaries of the Battle of St. George's Caye and The Independence of Belize, many ladies reminisce with fondness on their days when they were either Miss San Pedro Queens or Maids of Honor of the Queen. This Flashback is exactly twenty five years 1987 ago when Miss Fiona Elliott was Miss San Pedro and was accompanied by her maids Yesenia Mu�oz, Sherlett Belisle, Mari Cruz Nu�ez, Maribel Ayuso and Carolina Serme�o. In the background is Susanne's Gift Shop and Rocks Store in a small wooden Building. No floats, no decorations, but the celebration went on. Miss San Pedro Pageant Without Bathing Suits Was it different? You bet! Oh yes, we had a grand celebration, but we did it in our own wonderful way. Twenty five years ago we did not have a lot of flags to fly around the town and at our homes. So what we did was to decorate the place by going into the bush and cutting small palm trees which were placed around the town to add more greenery and to make the place look joyful and in the celebration mood. There were no large flags or banners to decorate the stage where the beauty pageants were held. Therefore the organizers, who were the village council personnel, cut coconut palms and wove them to make the stage attractive. Palms remained green for up to a week before they started getting brown. As long as the children did not tamper with the palms, the stage remained beautiful for many days. The Blue, White And Red - Honoring Our Belizean Flag As a result of discussions on patriotism, lately there have been many questions surrounding the official image of the flag of Belize. Questions have asked on the coat of arms, the size of the round white center piece, and the real blue color that makes up the largest part of the Belize flag. Recalling that Belize was once a British Colony, the name of the colony and later on the country was named British Honduras. At that time from 1919 to 1981 the flag of Belize as designed by the British; it was the Union Jack or the flag of England with a modified coat of arms. This flag was not displayed too much in British Honduras and most folks were not even aware of it. Folks living in Belize even in the 1950's only recall using the official British flag in all of their patriotic events. Misc Belizean Sources Full Basket Belize The International Friends of Belize NGO has changed their name to Full Basket Belize. They've a new name, a new logo, and a new newsletter! They still have the same great goal, improving the education, health and environment of Belizean communities by providing educational scholarships and small project grants. They are currently accepting grant applications. "Full Basket Belize is pleased to announce that we are opening the application process for their 2013 Community Grant Program to continue the tradition of supporting local community projects. Grants will be awarded to cover project costs of up to $1000 USD for projects that benefit Belizean communities in the areas of education, health (HIV/AIDS), and the environment." Destinee Arnold Photo Shoot for Miss International Pageant Destinee Arnold, Miss Belize 2012, had a photoshoot with Jose Luis Zapata. Here's the associated video from Ambergris Today. Good luck, Destinee! "Miss Belize 2012 Destinee Arnold has received the honor of representing the jewel Belize in the highly prestigious Miss International Pageant to be held in Okinawa, Japan from October 1 to October 22, 2012. Prior to her departure for Japan, Destinee visited San Pedro to conduct her official Miss International Pageant photo shoot that was carried out by Jose Luis Zapata Photography at Xanadu Island Resort on Wednesday, September 13, 2012." National Service Day is Wednesday For the September Celebrations, in honor of George Price, Wednesday, September 19th is National Service Day. There are quite a few events planned around Cayo. There will also be a cadlelight vigil in the evening at the Sacred Heart Church. What do you have planned for National Service Day? Distributing of food baskets to widows in Cayo Central Repairs to basketball courts in Santa Elena Clean up of Octavia Waight compound Setting up signs (scientific and common names of trees) at the Macal River Park Planting of fruit and shade trees at orphanage in Cotton Tree Buena Vista School "Brightening" Project - installing of garbage drums and picnic tables, painting, bush-hogging, book drive, ... Scarlet Macaw Monitoring in the Chiquibul The Rainforest Restoration Foundation had a fundraiser this weekend at the Tulsa Zoo to help out with the monitoring of the Scarlet Macaws, which is an ongoing project here in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. Roni Martinez is the main Belizean contact. Thanks, Roni! "The Rainforest Restoration Foundation, a Tulsa-based conservation NGO, is supporting a local initiative to monitor Scarlet Macaw nesting sites in Belize and deter poachers from stealing macaw chicks. The monitoring program was led by Ronaldi 'Roni' Martinez. Roni lives in the nearest village, San Antonio. He works as the Conservation Officer for Blancaneaux Lodge, the premier ecotourism resort in the Maya Mountains of Belize. His son shares his love of birds and Roni wants to make sure that scarlet macaws are around for his children's children to admire. Roni hired men from his village and trained them with help from Charles Britt, a wildlife biologist from New Mexico who studies scarlet macaws in the area. These trained field workers paddle inflatable kayaks up the Chalillo Dam reservoir and into the Macal and Raspaculo rivers which flow into it. They record Scarlet Macaws sightings and look for nesting trees. They also search for camps used by wildlife poachers and report those to law enforcement authorities. They have digital cameras, GPS receivers and a satellite telephone so they can report precise information immediately." Lucky Boy's Happy Update Lucky Boy, the rescued jaguar, is doing fine at the Belize Zoo. Sharon Matola has released an update on him. "Lucky Boy, our recently rescued black jaguar, has settled well in his new home off exhibit at The Belize Zoo. Always eager for his dinner, the guy is clueless about how happy he is making all of his zoo caretakers with such an enthusiastic appetite. Not that we expected Lucky Boy to turn up his big nose at beef liver, but our consulting vet made a point in stating that some large cats are less-than-happy about eating the critical care canned feline food, which was brought in special for our Lucky Boy. Well, Lucky Boy simply loves the gooey mixture, and happily gives a jaguar 'high five' whenever it comes his way." You can still buy Lucky Boy t-shirts here. Happy Birthday Vito!! A big 'Happy Belated Birthday' shout out to Vito as it was his birthday yesterday!! Although it is only a year since Vito (Evaristo Rosado) joined Raggamuffin, it feels like we have been working together for years. Vito is really one of the favorite Guides for our crew to work with - really Captains fight over him for him to be on their boat!! Vito has been working on the sea for all of his life and therefore his sea skills and knowledge are second to none - twinned with his genuine concern and patience with all passengers in the water and his ability to entertain, all those that tour with him just love him! Vito is acknowledged by all that work with him to be a hard worker and for this above all has him highly regarded within the Raggamuffin team - something that is not easy to accomplish with the number of characters working here!! We want to wish Vito a huge 'Happy Birthday' and thank him for all his hard work here at Raggamuffin - we are truly blessed to have him as part of our crew!! Belize Mega Bingo Results For (15 September 2012) Straight Line 100.00 Each (7 Balls) 35 �71 �24 �45 �27 �60 �14� Y 125.00 Each (14 Balls) 35 �71 �24 �45 �27 �60 �14 �11 �23 �68 �15 �4 �10 �36� Channel 7 City's First Shooting Death Since September Up until this evening, there had not been a shooting death in the city for all of September. But the holiday from killing didn't last three weeks; this evening at around 5:30 there was a shooting in Belize City. Two men were hit on Jane Usher Boulevard; both were rushed to the KHMH, one of them has died - and the other survived. They are reportedly Andrew Usher Jr and Jermaine Usher - who are brothers and fishermen. Reports are that Andrew Usher Jr was fatally injured. The shooting occurred on Jane Usher Boulevard - right near a Chinese Grocery which had witnessed a murder earlier this year. We'll have more on this in tomorrow's newscast. Son Of Capital City Slain There was a homicide in Belmopan over the weekend. A 21 year old was killed as he tried to break up a fight outside a popular nightclub in the Capital city. It has left his family destroyed because Norval Belisle had never been in trouble - until trouble found him outside a popular nightclub. Here's the story:... Rachel Bennett, sister of deceased "My feelings right now - there is a lot of anger. This family is terribly hurt. What they did to him was cruel - no one deserves to die like that, no one. My brother was peaceful person, a very calm young man and you can ask anyone form this society. Norval has never been in any trouble." Jules Vasquez reporting And the peaceable nature is what may have brought an end to Norval Belisle Jr.'s life - as he tried to play peacemaker in a fight, which occurred on the street beside La Cabana Bar early on Saturday morning around 1:00 am. Kaylee's Mom Wants Someone Charged For Her Baby's Death Baby Kaylee Burgess was killed 12 days ago - and still no one has been charged for her murder. The tragedy has destroyed and divided her mother's family - and tonight the mother of the child is asking for someone to be charged - even if it is one of her own family members. Here's what she told Monica Bodden today:... Deidra Pratt, mother "I am really upset that Kevin and I haven't get our justice from our daughter as yet because I think the police are working a little bit too slow for my baby to get justice. We have meetings from the police and we have concrete evidence to show that my daughter was murdered. There are concrete evidence to charge someone for my daughter murder and nothing has been done as yet. Its 12 days that my daughter passed away and like what Kevin says that all we are heard what the police is that the file is at the DPP office and it's up to her now." "We are turning to the media because we are not getting fair justice of Kaylee's death. " Reporter "You feel that there is a cover-up that has happen?" Deidra Pratt, mother "I feel that it's a cover-up for everybody; my family and the police and everything because we just get certain information saying that one of my family members has been involve with someone from the police department recently, so it's like they are going lenient on my baby killer. They are giving me my fair justice that I want and I just want the fair justice." Bert Vasquez In City Supreme Court Three Months ago, Bert Vasquez was charged for killing 13 year-old Jasmine Lowe, a murder that inflamed the passions of Cayo residents. But, before Jasmine - there were others and in June, we spoke with another of his alleged victims who was abducted and sexually assaulted in the Belize district. That case was committed fro trial in the Supreme Court and so today, Bert Vasquez was escorted before Justice Troadio Gonzales for a final date to be set down for the matter to start. The court decided that on November 15, he should return, and if the prosecution is ready to proceed, the full trial will start then. Until that matter is heard once again, Vasquez remains on remand for aggravated assault with a firearm, and forcible abduction in relation to this case. He is also on remand for murder in connection with Jasmine Lowe's death. Karol Mello Gets Permanent Residence Restored Last month, we told you about the Immigration Department withdrawing all charges against Slovak National - and reputed mob boss - Karol Mello. The withdrawing of the charges signaled the end of fight from the Government of Belize in trying to eject Mello from the country. Well, there was still the issue of Mello's permanent residency's revocation, which remained in effect, and which was done by the Minister of Immigration, Hon. Godwin Hulse. Mello and his attorneys filed a claim a few months ago in the Supreme Court, in which they were going sue GOB to get back his permanent residency status. But, before the opening arguments for the start of the trial, which was scheduled for today, the Government Crown Counsel notified the court that the Minister of Immigration reversed it. This meant that the permanent residency was restored, and this was yet another abrupt end to the case. We spoke to Mello's attorney outside of court to get an explanation, and here's what he told us: Godfrey Smith, Attorney "This morning the counsel for the government informed Mr. Justice Legall that the minister of immigration would be withdrawing the letter of revocation of permanent residence of Karol Mello that had been issued on July 16th. With that development it means that the case will come to an end because by the act of the minister withdrawing his letter of revocation it means that Mr. Mello's permanent resident status will remain valid and in place. With that we will issue a notice of discontinuance and that will be the end of the matter - I believe the last chapter in this case as it were." Former Cop Missing 64 year-old Conrad Jones, a former police Sergeant and now a Customs Guard residing on West Street, has been missing since Thursday, and his family is worried sick about him. His family spoke to us today, and they said that he left for work and hasn't returned. Here's what they told us the last time he was seen: Shilpa Jones, daughter "My dad went to work on Wednesday morning; he left from here at 8 o' clock. He is guard with customs department - that means when these containers go they would go with them to different locations. Wednesday night he did not come home. Thursday we took it for granted that maybe he had an overnight trip and he would come home Thursday morning but he did not return. When I called his job they were as shock as us to find out that he had not returned as yet." "We found out that Wednesday at 4 o' clock he took a trip to Benque. They delivered what they needed to deliver and about 11:15 - 11:30 the gentleman he went with drop him off at the Hattieville roundabout. Up to about 2:30 that morning the security for retirement home notice that he was still out there sitting waiting for a ride and when he went to do hid rounds and came back my dad was gone." NTUCB Supports Superbond Restructuring/Makes Demands The National Trade Union Congress of Belize issued a lengthy statement today saying that it quote "supports the Government's move to renegotiate the payment of the Superbond under more favorable terms," end quote. But it doesn't end there: the NTUCB wants government to quote, "take deliberate steps to bring to justice persons, or at the very least, recover the millions from those that have benefitted from the public purse," end quote. And the NTUCB also has a list of demands - 11 of them - to be exact - that they say must be considered and initiated in exchange for their support. These include re-activating the Integrity Commission, pursuing meaningful negotiations on the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the public sector unions, and including the NTUCB in the formulation of the budget - among many other demands. Three Men Shot In Belmopan Five men were shot this weekend across the country: two in Belize City and two in Belmopan. Neither of the two victims in the city were seriously hurt, but the shootings in Belmopan caught our attention: because a police man was shot, his brother is critical, and in another case an alleged fuel thief was shot. We start with the shooting of the policeman. Officer in charge of CIB for Belmopan, Sinquest Martinez told us more:.. ASP Sinquest Martinez, Officer Commanding CIB Belmopan "A police officer PC Errol Jones was at his residence socializing with friend and family when apparently they were accuse someone there pertaining to some incident that happen prior to the shooting and two persons came by requesting to talk to one of the persons that were in the crowd and they did manage to talk to the person accusing him of something that he had stolen. Shortly after the said person and another person came by and fired shots in the direction of where PC Jones and his colleagues were injuring PC Jones and his cousin who is in the Western Regional Hospital in a critical condition." Teenager Jailed For A Gun 19 Year-old Trevor Flowers is on remand tonight after he was taken to Magistrate Court for allegedly robbing a 16 year-old male minor at gunpoint. According to police, the minor reported that at 3:45 p.m. on August 8, he was standing at the corner of Mex Avenue and Fairweather Street. The minor said that a young dark-complexioned man rode up to him on bicycle, pointed a gun at him and demanded his belongings. Fearing for his life, the young man handed over his 550-dollar graduation ring, his cap and his slippers, and his assailant rode away. Police arrested Flowers this weekend, and they put him in an identification parade in which they victim positively identified him as the assailant. As a result, Fowers was arraigned in Magistrate's Court for robbery today, and because the offence was allegedly committed with a firearm, he was remanded to prison until October 17, his next court date. EXPO Drew Thousands The Expo Belize Marketplace 2012 was a success; it drew approximately 18,000 visitors; that's up from last year when only fifteen thousand visited due to heavy rains. There were 152 booths, 12 more than last year. This year's Best Overall Booth was awarded to Karl H Menzies. Aurelio Honoured Andy The Andy Palacio Tribute Concert Dubbed "La Ceiba To Belize" was held on Saturday night at the Bliss Center. It was an effort organized by a group called Events Planners who wanted to thrust Andy Palacio back into the forefront of public attention with a concert and a book about his life. Indeed, as great as he was, the memory of this music and culture man has already started to fade. So, his friends and fans set up a concert to re-kindle that memory by singing his songs and celebrating that Garifuna culture that he guarded so zealously and propagated so passionately. It aired live on Channel 7 - and here are a few highlights. Jules Vasquez reporting The evening had a familiar sound - and the man whose songs they were singing - were being sung tonight in his honor. Member of band "Four years have gone since Andy left us but yet we are here with a heavy heart continuing the hard work that he has started off for us." It was a celebration of old friends - pulling off some classic moves - and that old voice, still belting Channel 5 Breaking News: Late evening murder in Belize City-bullet capital There is breaking news tonight. About an hour ago, there was a fatal shooting in the Jane Usher Boulevard area of Belize City. Early reports say that two brothers were shot, Andrew and Jordan Usher. The older sibling, twenty-four year old Andrew was shot four times on the upper body and has reportedly died. Eighteen [...] UB student killed in Belmopan Two persons lost their lives violently in the city and in the capital. A University of Belize student was murdered just after mid-night on Friday in Belmopan. Norval Belisle Junior, the youngest and only son for his family, was well liked and known among his peers and in his community. He was out socializing when [...] Honduran National stabbed in the heart In Belize City, neighbors found a Honduran national in his early twenties dead. When he was not seen this morning, tenants of the apartment building where he lived on St Thomas Street made the gruesome discovery. Wilmer Esquivel, aka Botas, was employed as a security guard; he was killed by a single stab wound to [...] Slovakian, Karol, mellow about permanent residency status Forty-two year old Karol Mello made an appearance before Justice Oswell Legall in court today, where his attorney was prepared to dispute the cancellation of his permanent residency in mid-July. Mello was nabbed by local authorities in San Pedro two months ago, following a tip by Interpol that he was wanted in Slovakia for murder. [...] Will alleged corruption list lead to 56 cops being dismissed? A two page document, labeled as top secret and making serious allegations against police officers, has the department in a major upheaval. The memorandum, dated June twelfth, is purportedly signed by the head of the Special Branch and addressed to the Commissioner of Police. The subject of the memorandum centers on allegations of corruption by [...] Mother talks about sister being a suspect for 2 year old's death The family of Kaylee Burgess, the toddler who was suffocated in Ladyville, says they still have no closure in the death of their daughter. It's almost two weeks since the child was killed and no one has been charged. Family members who were detained and questioned have been released. Kaylee's parents, Deidra Pratt and Kevin [...] Bert Vasquez tells Five's Duane Moody he's innocent Bert Vasquez has been in and out of the San Ignacio Magistrate's Court for a slew of charges-up to thirteen offences against female minors in the West, including the Murder of Jasmine Lowe. But Vasquez has prior charges of a sexual nature before the Belize City Courts. Back in February of this year, Magistrate Hettie [...] N.T.U.C.B. supports restricting; 11 point demand to G.O.B. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (N.T.U.C.B.) this afternoon sent out a press release with eleven points dealing on a wide range of issues of national priority including the five hundred and fifty-four million dollar Superbond. After meeting with the Debt Restructuring Team, the N.T.U.C.B. supports the government's desire to renegotiate the Super Bond [...] Conrad Jones still missing The search continues for former police officer, sixty-four year old Conrad Jones, who disappeared after being dropped off on the Western Highway in Hattieville last Wednesday night. Conrad, a Customs Guard, was returning from a trip to Benque Viejo, but was not brought all the way to Belize City because the company driver was taking [...] Tribute to the late great Andy Palacio Andy Palacio was born on December second, 1960 and he died on January nineteenth, 2008. In that short span of time Andy, the kid from the coastal village of Barranco, rose to prominence that would result in his creation of one of the best world music releases of 2007. That final album Watina is also [...] Feel the vibes at the Pan Yaad Concert As the pied piper commands children to follow his tune, so does the reverberation of a steel pan calls Caribbean people to sway to the beats that flow from one Island nation to another. And though the history of steel pan resounds with African history in the region, it is a musical form that unites [...] James Adderley with great sport highlights Good evening, I'm James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. We take you out immediately to the Norman Broaster Stadium inside San Ignacio where yesterday the PLB Fixture staged the battle for supremacy in Zone A as frontrunner the Belize Defense Force hosted its biggest rival FC Belize in a bid to remain on [...] LOVE FM Winners of Expo Belize Announced The annual business exposition, known simply as Expo Belize was staged this past weekend at the old Belize Technical College grounds now known as the ITVETT compound on Freetown Road. According to a statement from the organizers, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, close to eighteen thou... Belmopan Police Plans for Stricter Laws for Clubs Meanwhile Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sinquest Martinez, who heads the Belmopan CIB, told reporters that there will be some stringent measures taking place in that area as it relates to public socializing and violence that usually follows. This comes on the heels of Belisle's ... Right Honourable George Price Remembered National Service Day will be observed on Wednesday of this week. It was included on the calendar of activities for the September celebrations by the National Celebration Commission on the suggestion of the Executive Board of the George Price Centre for Peace and Development. Coordinat... Orange Walk Police Investigate Robbery Orange Walk Police are looking for two suspects following an armed hold up in that municipality. Reports are sometime after ten o'clock this morning a dark skinned man entered Belize Gas Limited on Belize Corozal Road and held up the office clerk and plant operator. The assailant made... University Student Killed In His Attempt to Stop Brawl This weekend saw a spurt of violence in Belmopan. Two shooting incidents were reported and a stabbing incident that left a University student dead. Reporter Marion Ali travelled to Belmopan for details. MARION ALI News Reporter Love FM "Rachel Bennett and the Be... Police News Nineteen year old Trevor Flowers, who allegedly robbed a 16 year student at gunpoint, was charged with robbery when he appeared in court today. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Magistrate Shona Griffith explained to that the court cannot offer him bail because of the nature of the offence. Sh... CTV3 Alarms Go Off About Possible Hezbollah Groups In Belzie Since 2009 raficThe case of Rafiq Mohammad Labboun Allaboun, who is named as a member of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, continues to attract attention internationally. In an article posted on El Diario De Quintana Roo on Wednesday it makes mention that for the past 4 years Mexico and the United States has had intelligence of terrorist forces operating in Chetumal and Belize. According to information released by WikiLeaks, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico found evidence that in Chetumal and Belize, at least in 2009, there was presence of radical Islamic groups such as Hezbollah. According to information from the U.S. Diplomatic Corps, Hezbollah cells used the same routes of drug traffickers and undocumented persons to reach the United States in 2009. Since then, the U.S. Embassy and its Consulate in Merida investigated the presence of radical groups in the Yucatan Peninsula, with the presumption that the very same drug routes were used to enter that country. Viewers might recall that on Sunday September 8th, an operation conducted in Merida resulted in the arrest of Rafiq Mohammad Labboun Allaboun, who is named as an alleged member of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Allaboun was found in possession of a Belizean Passport, driver's licence and birth certificate all issued under the name of Wilhelm Dyck who Belziean authorities say died two months after his birth in 1976 in the community of Shipyard in the Orange Walk District. High School Students Put Their Mind To The Test Today as well, Youth for the Future held their Stay in School Rally and Symposium under the theme "Building a Better World: Partnering With Youth." It was held at the People's Stadium where the 6 high schools from the Orange Walk District participated in the positive movement. According to Youth Empowerment Coordinator for Youth for the Future, Edmir Patt, the rally/symposium has a number of objectives. "The whole point of this symposium was to amalgamate youths, school and the youth for the future department to or so as for us to try to get the information and how can we partner, the youths and the department, as the theme says, building a better role partnering with the youths and our aim is to get to know how are the ways or which ways can we find so as for us to work along with the youths." Muffles College Holds Annual Symposium Every year just before Belize celebrates Independence Day, Muffles College holds a symposium. Today the high school's entire student body gathered at the Crystal Palace Auditorium where this year's symposium was held. Like every year, one student from each form level, brought to life this year's September Celebration's theme "Many Faces, Many Dreams, one Goal - Celebrating Belize through a speech written by them. The symposium was organized by the Student Government Association and president Briana Leiva says, the goal is to promote patriotism. Briana Leiva, Student Body President "Well first we started with the national anthem thereafter we have the guest speaker Mr. Arturio, who helps and advices the students about unity and coming together as Belizeans, from theron we have the panelists which also goes in depth with our team and lastly we acknowledge the students, teacher and anyone who make this day possible." Belizean Referees Qualify For International Matches Tonight the Football Federation of Belize is showing more signs of moving forward. In a press release the FFB is stating that a total of 6 football referees in Belize successfully completed their FIFA certified referee examination on Sunday September 9th. According to the release the examination was conducted and supervised by Nicaraguan Donald Campos who certified 6 out of the 8 referees that were taking the test to be FIFI qualified. According to FFB Executive Marlon Kuylen who is in charge of referees, this means that the 6 referees now qualify to be listed on the 2013 roster of referees that can perform their official duties internationally. Those six Belizean referees are Amir Castilla, Christopher Reid, Gerald Henry Jr, Ifran Basdemir and Assistant Referees Ricardo Ake & Daniel Catzim. The release concludes by stating that quote, "This is a milestone for Belizean football and it is hoped that additional referees will take the test to qualify for international officiating when the test is offered by FIFA again next year." end quote Fuel Prices Expected To Increase On September 8TH, Miramis Ship docked at the port of Belize with the first shipment of Venezuelan fuel under the agreement of Petrocaribe which was signed back in 2005. As soon as next week that very same fuel is expected to be pumped into your vehicle. But even though back in Venezuela the price for a gallon fuel is just 10 cents, don't expect the same to be here. In fact, expect the opposite because the prices of diesel and regular fuel are expected to rise. As a matter of fact, the price for a gallon of diesel is expected to increase by a dollar due to the increasing oil prices worldwide. Regular is also expected to take a hike and increase by 10 cents a gallon. As for the price for a gallon of premium, well, that is expected to decrease. How low the price will go, is another question. But even though you won't generally be paying less when you visit the gas station next week, the whole purpose of Petrocaribe is that the revenues from the sales should benefit Belize in such way that the government would be allowed to allocate 50% of the proceeds and transform it into a long term low interest loan. On the other hand, the Venezuelan government has expressed that the government utilize the savings for investments in projects that will have a beneficial social impact. PlusTV UB Student, Narval Belisle, Murdered outside La Cabana The City of Belmopan was the hub of criminal activity this past weekend: there were reports of at least two shootin... Adventist Youths march for Godly Principles in Belmopan The youth arm of the Union of Seventh Day Adventist Churches of Belize had a massive Church rally and march in the ... Belize Expo sees over 18000 visitors The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted its annual EXPO Belize Market Place this past weekend. Through t... La Cabana proprietor speaks about violence outside club La Cabana Entertainment Center is popular among many local citizens and visitors to the capital city. The nightspot... PLusNews talks to Belmopan Police about increasing Crime In our earlier interview with ASP MARTINEZ we probed him to find out what exactly was the department doing about th... Belmopan businessman shoots thief An early morning shooting in the City of Belmopan has left a man injured. On Sunday morning, a 45yr old Business ma... Home invasion in Santa Elena Cayo gets violent A residence was burglarized and a woman almost violated, in Santa Elena. On Saturday September 15 around 4:30pm San... Cayo Police intercept car with mucho marijuana Over the weekend Police received information of a Black Toyota Corolla Taxi car transporting drugs towards San Igna... Blogs A new beer on the block Not too long ago we were excited to hear that Carib beer, brewed in Trinidad and Tobago, was coming to Belize. Since only a small variety of beers are sold in the country due to the Bowen & Bowen Belikin brand being a virtual monopoly, it is always nice to have a new option. We first tasted this beer, served with the customary slice of lime, years ago in the British Virgin Islands, where it was as ubiquitous as Belikin is in Belize. We bought a few of new Carib Lagers recently to see if they were as tasty as we remembered. Interestingly, the bottles available in Belize are small, just like Belikin. This little guy is just 275 ml, which is approximately 9.3 oz, rather than the typical 12 oz bottle size in the United States. I don't know if that's done to hold prices down or in an attempt to get people to drink less. Or maybe it's just the opposite -- these go down so quickly on a hot day, it's likely you'll want another! Well deserved time off Since this was Dicks last weekend before heading back to Turkey for another month I decided to take some time off and just enjoy hanging out. This means I did not snap a single picture of our time spent together [Sorry Janet]. We did have loads of fun though starting with Bingo and barbecue on Friday night at the Lion's den. Dick and Erika came to pick me up then we went and got Elena and Glenn jr and headed to town. We stopped to say hi to Big Glenn at the Tropic Air hanger on the way. None of us won but everyone had a great time and Glenn jr kept us well entertained all night table dancing. Saturday I went to Dicks place before aquafit class and watched him, Glenn and Carlos winch the boat and take it out of the water. After class I went back so he and Carlos could put on my handle grips and my basket on, super exciting. I was very glad to have guys on hand to do this job and it was the first time I had seen anyone use a machete and hammer as part of their bike repairs. Glenn lowered my seat too so that it was a better height. Not only did I get my biked fixed, I learned that it is better to use liquid dish soap over wd40 to put handle grips on your bike. The reason is that it does not dry out the same way so it acts better as a lubricant and works better in the long run. A Trip to a Thermal Springs in Santa Rosa De Cabal, Colombia On our drive from Manizales to Salento, Colombia, we passed lots of signs for the hot springs of Santa Rosa de Cabal. And what better way to rest your weary bones after hours of hiking in the Valle Del Cocore than relaxing in a hot bath that just happens to be pouring out of a beautiful mountain? We packed our things at La Sarrenta Hostel in Salento, ate breakfast and headed back north a bit. Another crazy twisting and turning drive up and then down a huge mountain and we were in the town. There are lots of signs pointing you in the right direction. About 20 minutes outside of town, we found the springs. There are two different options and both are relatively pricey. The first is a small hike and $17,000COP (or about $9-10USD) and the second, nearer to the kitchsy Swiss Miss themed hotel, $28,000COP. More expensive must be better, right? We picked door number 2. You pay and go through a revolving outside door and run into this. The Maya 2012 Long Count-down Begins in Belize With the 2012 Winter Solstice approaching, a pivotal event not just for the Maya but many people around the world, some fearing apocalypse, awaiting a new era or just curious, the Lodge at Chaa Creek has begun counting the days until Belize's hugeDecember 21 2012 Maya celebrations. Chaa Creek owner and GM Lucy Fleming said she and her husband Mick and the entire 135 member staff, many of whom are direct descendants of the ancient Maya who developed the Long Count calendar at the heart of the worldwide controversy, have ticked off the first of the 100 day countdown. "It's really getting exciting now," Ms Fleming said, "The sense of anticipation is palatable as we begin preparations for the 2012 Winter Solstice celebrations in earnest. We've thrown some pretty big parties before, like our Chaa Creek New Year's packages, but this one will be amazing," she added. For several years world attention has been drawn to the 2012 Winter Solstice after a number of articles, internet posts and films, such as the Hollywood blockbuster 2012 highlighted the fact that the 13th Bak'tun of the Maya Long Count calendar completes its cycle on December 21 2012. The highly accurate ancient calendar, which gives the Maya a creation date of 11 August 3114 BC, has been a source of fascination for many scholars and, unfortunately, Ms Fleming said, for conspiracy and apocalypse buffs. International Sources Archaeologists Excavate Ancient Maya Center at Chan Chich, Belize Tucked away within a dense jungle shroud near the Guatemalan border in Belize are the remains of a largely unexplored ancient Maya center known as Chan Chich. The site is best known to the public and to tourists as the location of a top-ranked eco-lodge by the same name. Less known, however, is evidence of a likely array of ancient temples, tombs and artifacts that still rest mostly unseen beneath thick vegetation and rubble that have cloaked their features through centuries of time. Their only inhabitants now are small bats and spider monkeys. Before the lodge, access to the site was best approached with machetes and canoes. This was only the domain of loggers, pot hunters, and grave robbers. Then, an old logging road, originally created by logging operators through the Belize Estate and Produce Company, was reopened, and Chan Chich was rediscovered. Like so many other Maya sites, it was a target for looters. When rediscovered, three structures thought to be temples showed strong evidence of looting -- vertical slit trenches were dug into their sides. A large temple in the site's Upper Plaza area, perhaps the main temple, showed clear signs of intrusion into one or more burial chambers. This temple features a painted frieze that skirts around a low interior ceiling. Central America and Caribbean partner on sustainable management of fisheries The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Central America Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (Spanish acronym OSPESCA) have signed a Belize Declaration on and the Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources. According to Milton Haughton, CRFM Executive Director, "The long-term objective of the partnership between the CRFM and OPSESCA is to secure a brighter and more prosperous future for our fishing communities that rely on the marine resources for their livelihoods, and to ensure that the fish stocks are able, through prudent management, to make enhanced contribution to the social and economic development of our countries now and in the future." The CRFM and OSPESCA are the regional agents for the harmonization of fisheries management and development efforts across 24 states. The agreement was signed recently at the first joint meeting of the two bodies, which saw over 60 high-level delegates from 19 countries spanning Central America and the Caribbean meet in Belize to devise a comprehensive roadmap for collective action in tackling their biggest obstacles in fisheries and aquaculture. Photo Essay: Caye Caulker, Belize After my trip to Antarctica in January 2012 I wanted to go someplace where I could relax and work for week or two. I ended up going to Caye Caulker, Belize. With the exception of the exceptionally slow interent (which made uploading my photos extremely frustrating) I found it to be one of the most laid back places I have ever visited. With the exception of a few service trucks, there are no automobiles on the island and there are no large resorts. The entire island is walkable and you will find some of the freshest and cheapest lobster in the caribbean. If you are a looking for a place to go and relax, you can do a whole lot worse than Caye Caulker. Last edited by Marty; 11/17/12 09:48 AM.