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A violent night in Belize City; seven shot and two dead
Wednesday afternoon’s murder of 56 year old Cyril McFoy Robinson would not, in ordinary circumstances, inspire retaliation. But when you are the father of a key member of a criminal gang which inspires fear in many hearts, then Belize City residents could expect to fear the worst.
In the span of a ...
KHMH activates Mass Casualty Plan due to murderous Wednesday night
Due to the six gunshot causalities that all happened around the same time, the strain was also felt at the Karl Heusner Memorial hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department...
Police target quick response team to crime spike
On Thursday afternoon, following a meeting between Police High Command and Prime Minister Dean Barrow, as well as Acting Minister of National Security Anthony “Boots” Martinez, there was a briefing held at the Racoon Street Police Station.
Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie outlined the Department’...
Prime Minister calls for gang related laws to be enforcement
Prime Minister Dean Barrow is no stranger to national security as a former Minister and Attorney General. But even then, he never presided over a period of incidents as brazen and in-your-face as what has been happening...
5 year old allegedly sodomized in primary school bathroom
Reliable reports inform us that there was an act of an indecent nature, at a school in the San Martin Area Belmopan. Sources allege that during school hours, a 5 year old boy from Kush Lin Ha Primary School, located in San Martin, was sodomized inside the boys’ bathroom when he went to use it.
Pol...
Acres of Toledo rice farms damaged due to flooding
Rice Farmers in the Toledo district are facing extreme loss, after the recent heavy rains caused flooding in the district. One Farmer, Ben Romero, spoke to our colleagues at PGTV, and said that as much as 35 acres of his rice fields are under water. That is some one hundred thousand pounds of rice...
Launch of project for free electricity hook up
In 2011 an agreement was signed between the European Union and the Government of Belize to expand the electricity grid to 43 rural communities across the country. But though it was more accessible , many people were still unable to connect due to the high cost of the service entrance...
Bert Vasquez back in court
Bert Vasquez, the man believed to have kidnapped and murdered 13 year old Jasmine Lowe, of Santa Elena, Cayo, was arraigned at the Magistrate’s court in San Ignacio on Tuesday earlier this week.
In June 2012, Vasquez was arraigned on charges based on the complaint of 13 girls, all from the District ...
Perfilio Rodriquez back in court; this time for burglary
Perfilio Rodriguez, a transvestite who goes by the name of Vanessa Champagne Paris, made his way into the public spotlight in early April 2014, when he was allegedly attacked by an angry mob, who followed him as he dressed in woman’s clothing, and was walking along Vernon Street, Belize City.
Then o...
Two women charged for using found ATM card
A court prosecutor is out $910 because the persons who found his lost automatic teller machine (ATM) card refused to return it, despite his warnings, and dishonestly obtained money using it...
Belmopan’s Got Talent; another September Celebrations event
Celebrations and activities leading up to the 21st of September continue across the nation.
On Wednesday night, September 17, The Belmopan City Council’s Celebration put on the first ever “Belmopan’s Got Talent” exhibition, where schools from Belmopan and surrounding areas showcased their students’ ...
Amandala
Cops make 41-pound, $12 mil cocaine bust
Axel Fuentes, 36, a Guatemalan who resides in Ranchito in the Corozal District, was remanded to prison until October 29 when he appeared this afternoon in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court after police busted him at about 8:30 last night with over 40 pounds of pure cocaine, valued at about $12.3 million dollars.
Police said that they and Orange Walk District Customs officials had been operating a vehicle checkpoint between Miles 56 and 57 on the Philip Goldson Highway when they stopped a Toyota pickup driven by Fuentes, a Guatemalan/Belizean of Ranchito Village and searched for contraband goods.
PUP “disciplines” Arthur!
People’s United Party (PUP), yesterday afternoon at a National Executive meeting at their headquarters on Queen Street, removed Arthur Saldivar as the Party’s Belize Rural North standard-bearer.
Party Leader Francis Fonseca made the announcement to the media, party supporters and other interested persons after the party had made the decision.
On August 27, the PUP suspended Saldivar from the National Executive and also from his position as the candidate for the Belize Rural North constituency, and announced that an investigative committee had been set up to look into “very serious allegations made against him.”
The report of that investigative committee was delivered to Party Leader Fonseca on September 12, and the PUP national executive met today to consider Saldivar’s fate.
Dominoes player shot dead on Euphrates
A man was shot dead and another was injured on Wednesday afternoon at about 2:45 when a gunman entered a yard at a house at the corner of Euphrates Avenue and Dean Street and opened fire at a group of men playing dominoes.
Cyril McFoy Robinson, 56, died after being shot in the head, and Shawn Cherrington, 45, was shot in the leg.
Unofficial reports to Amandala are that another man – a reputed George Street gang figure who is the son of Robinson — was the target, but he escaped unhurt after the men scrambled for cover. The killer then escaped.
Lead, lead, and more lead …
An orgy of gun violence seemed to have gripped the city after the murder of Cyril McFoy Robinson, 56, the father of a known gang affiliate, which occurred just a few minutes after 2:00 p.m. right beside St. Ignatius Primary School at the corner of Dean Street and Euphrates Avenue yesterday, Wednesday.
Wednesday night ended with eight people being shot, three fatally, in about six and a half hours. The last murder was that of John Avilez, 26, of Angel Lane.
Avilez and three of his friends were relaxing near a house on Handyside Street at about 9:15 last night when a vehicle drove up from North Front Street into Angel Lane, opposite St. Mary’s Primary School.
The vehicle stopped opposite where the men were, and then a gunman exited the vehicle and began shooting at the men. The gunman fired about 15 shots, after which he got back into the vehicle, which sped off.
Diaspora Garinagu join the fight!
During the last few weeks of the ongoing situation at First Caribbean International Bank in Belize, we have monitored with hope that FCIB would take positive and meaningful steps to resolve the situation in Dangriga of discrimination against the Garifuna language being spoken. A simple apology and some sensitivity training and resolving the dispute amicably with the workers in question would have probably sufficed. When Ms. Ella Hoyos came from Barbados with fanfare it was our hope in the Garifuna Diaspora she would help to correct the situation. She did not! Instead she announced only that the bank would be drafting a new written policy about languages. Does that mean then there was an unwritten policy of not speaking Garifuna as Uwahnie Martinez has maintained she was told by the now soon-to-be reassigned bank manager? This situation reeks of violations of our Belizean Constitutional rights and of our Human Rights.
IMF prods GOB to “undo” unions’ salary deal
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued its annual consultation report on Belize today, signaling its disapproval of the Government of Belize’s decision to share surplus revenues with public servants to meet their demand for a salary adjustment to compensate for accrued inflation.
The first installment of that salary adjustment came at the end of July 2014, when teachers and public servants received a 6% increase, retroactive to April 2014; and the Government has committed to a three-tier program to implement the wage adjustment.
“Staff encouraged the authorities to undo their recent commitment to allocate half of the annual growth in recurrent revenue to raise public wages,” said the IMF report.
Bert Vasquez on trial for common assault
Bert Vasquez, 32, who presently has a murder charge hanging over his head in connection with the death of a teenage girl who was abducted and killed in San Ignacio Town two years ago, appeared in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court today to answer to misdemeanor charges based on complaints which were lodged by several underage girls from the Cayo District, who came forward and alleged that Vasquez had also tried to lure them into his vehicle back in June of 2012.
We have been reliably informed that while no reporters were allowed inside the courtroom due to the nature of the case, so far, one young girl has testified in chambers.
Chief Magistrate rules cop has case to answer
On August 8, 2014, attorney Anthony Sylvestre had made a no-case-to-answer submission before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith on behalf of his client, Darius Martinez, a police officer who was charged with attempting to corrupt a public officer.
Today, the Chief Magistrate delivered her ruling on Sylvestre’s no-case submission, saying that the prosecutor, Senior Crown Counsel Linbert Willis, had made out a prima facie case against Martinez and consequently, Martinez has a case to answer.
On August 8, Willis had called two witnesses to testify for the prosecution in the case against Martinez — Sergeant Francisco Ack, the officer who arrested Martinez when he located him at a football game in Belmopan, and Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) officer Stacy Smith.
Saving the next generation of “killers”
Today, a deadly gang war was raging in Belize City, resulting in three homicides by gunfire, highlighting the fact that the persistent crime crisis in Belize City, which has also been impacting youth not in any way engaged in gang activities as “collateral damage,” needs urgent attention.
It was this shocking reality that inspired Dr. Philip Castillo, lecturer in the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences at the University of Belize, to pitch a presentation dubbed “Operation Rescue .0007”, on the occasion of the national lecture: Futuring Belize: Exploring Options and Challenges for Economic Development, held tonight at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts in Belize City.
Woman, 27, found guilty of harm, remanded to prison until sentencing
A Belize City woman has been remanded to the Central Prison after she was found guilty of causing harm to another woman when her case concluded at the Magistrate’s Court late this morning.
Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith told Crystal Nunez, 27, an employee at the Belize Best Western Biltmore Plaza Hotel, “I find you guilty of harm. You are a belligerent woman. I believe that the same behavior you exhibited in this court is the same way you acted when you caused harm to Ms. Clark.”
After finding her guilty, Smith told Nunez, “I am remanding you until September 30, when you will be sentenced.”
A historical look at Belize City’s homicide rate
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PUP “disciplines” Arthur!
The People’s United Party (PUP), yesterday afternoon at a National Executive meeting at their headquarters on Queen Street, removed Arthur Saldivar as the Party’s Belize Rural North standard-bearer.
Party Leader Francis Fonseca made the announcement to the media, party supporters and other interested persons after the party had made the decision.
On August 27, the PUP suspended Saldivar from the National Executive and also from his position as the candidate for the Belize Rural North constituency, and announced that an investigative committee had been set up to look into “very serious allegations made against him.”
Road races results at BDF Sports Day on August 30
Though somewhat belatedly, we take the opportunity to print the results of the BDF Sports Day races held recently at Price Barracks on Saturday, August 30. Thanks to Kevin Anderson of the BDF for forwarding the detailed results of the 5k, 10k and Half-Marathon races.
Back in the 1970’s and earlier, it was an established tradition to have a big Track & Field Meet at the MCC Grounds on the afternoon of Tenth of September or another date close to the Tenth.
With track events so few and far between nowadays, we think it is important to record the results of the most recent road races, though they were not held under the auspices of the Belize Athletic Association.
Living legend “Pine” Hernandez visits along with “Fudge” Burgess
A number of Belizeans resident in the U.S are back in the Jewel for the Independence Day celebrations, and visiting the sports desk this afternoon were two former Belize City football players who had joined the exodus north in the 1960’s and ‘70’s – Gilbert “Pine” Hernandez, M.B.E., and Roy “Fudge” Burgess, respectively.
Pine was captain of the legendary Dunlop football team, junior champions and then Belize City senior champions of the 1958-59 season. After Dunlop folded, Pine, along with some of his teammates, then joined BEC, and won a few more championships before migrating to the U.S., where he continued his playing and later coaching career in Chicago. He received the M.B.E. in 2011 for his service to sports and athletics in Belize.
2014 champions of CitCo/Leslie’s Imports September Criterium
The Cycling Federation of Belize today released the results of the 2014 Belize City Council/Leslie’s Imports September Criterium, which took place yesterday, Sunday, September 14, on the Albert & Regent Streets Circuit.
The event began at 10:30 in the morning with the Youth Program races for various youth age categories; while the big races, for Female, Junior, Masters and Open Senior/Elite were held in the afternoon.
Here are the top finishers in each category:
YOUTH PROGRAM RACES
5 Years and Under – 1st place Kyron Staine; 2nd Kaelie Burgess; 3rd Jayden Tillett; 4th Damine Myles.
Female – 1st place Kaelie Burgess; 2nd Jadah Muschamp.
6-7 Years – 1st place Zaheem Gentle; 2nd Harry Mahler.
8-10 Years – 1st place Derek Brown; 2nd Jahmai Scott; Jose Guerra; 4th Cuba Perrote.
Belize Jaguars exit Central American Cup with heads held high
Belizean fans who knew better, and were aware of the huge handicap in training and preparation that the Belize National “A” Team faced going into the Central American Cup 2014, could not realistically set their hopes too high. Winning the tournament was definitely out of the question. Qualifying for the final day of games on September 13 would mean upsetting the plans of either Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala, all much higher ranked and better prepared for the tournament than Belize – a big task, indeed.
But hope springs eternal, and the Belize Jaguars have repeatedly proven that one thing we don’t lack is heart.
Editorial: Violence, passports, and real estate
The incidence of gun violence on the Southside of Belize City, which remains the population center of the nation of Belize, has been established as having reached what the United Nations considers civil war levels. This is not what Amandala is saying: this is what regional experts have calculated.
This gun violence has been taking place for the last quarter century and more. As soon as the United Democratic Party (UDP) came to power for the first time, they sprayed Belize’s profitable marijuana plantations with the deadly herbicide called paraquat. This was 1985. Around the same time, crack cocaine was introduced into Belize. Two years later the Crips and Bloods gang phenomenon entered Belize from Los Angeles, and soon the old capital became a killing field.
From the Publisher
I listened to the Rt. Hon. Said Musa discuss the process leading up to Belize’s 1981 independence on the PUP radio station on Tuesday morning. I would say I heard perhaps 60 or 70 percent of his discourse.
I first met Said after returning home from Dartmouth in 1968, and later that year I worked with him and Assad Shoman on preparations for a demonstration against the Vietnam War. The two Belizeans, of Palestinian paternity, had studied law in England. The choice of a demonstration target was theirs, not mine. I was following them, but I believed that the Vietnam War was an abomination. So.
Letters: Lay-waiting the express James buses …
Being a frequent commuter on Belize’s public transport buses, I would like to address some issues being faced daily by myself as well as by most Belizean commuters. I personally dread riding Belize’s public transport buses for various reasons but in most instances I have no other choice; most can relate to that.
As we all know, Belize’s public transportation system has a lot to be desired in terms of the common sense of its functionality. Why does it seem as though in Belize we do almost everything haphazardly, with no real method or purpose? It begs me to question, what’s really going on in the Ministry of Transport? Who is making all these rash changes and decisions? They seem to be doing more harm than actual good to the public transport system.
Letters: Archaeological plundering at Sarteneja
Please publish this letter in order to bring out cultural awareness and to stop illegal archeological excavations in the village of Sarteneja.
Last month I had the magnificent opportunity and pleasure to spend a few days in the beautiful and friendly village of Sarteneja, a place where any adventurous kid would want to live his childhood days. The lengthy and bumpy bus ride on that narrow coarse road is no deterrent for the amazing views and thrills which are experienced in the harmonious community. The thick greenish-brownish foliage along the roadside waits patiently for the rains just as the farmer looks helplessly at his droopy fields. The rain gods must be mad at the villagers for the silent sacrilege which is befalling upon the village.
Letters: Move the PG market to the airstrip: Christina
It seems PG Town has decided to renovate both the front street market and the main street community center and park all one time, leaving the many vendors scurrying to find any space available. The result is chaos and ever more crowding. I know this situation is supposed to be temporary but are the existing plans innovative enough to serve us for the long run?
A leading businesswoman and I were discussing the situation—when I suggested splitting the market, putting part of it in the public works compound out near Indianville. She said, “Oh no, Tina, the whole market should be on the airstrip!”
Suddenly I could envision it and the idea certainly made sense—the existing airstrip site would allow for future market expansion, less crowding in the downtown areas, and better sanitation for the public toilets (which now drain into the sea) and it would make for much more convenient shopping with all vendors being in one central area.
Letters: Ray Lockey arrives November 2nd
Hope this finds you well. Thought I would let you know that plans are complete for my Belize trip. Arrive in Belize on the 2nd November and spend the month travelling around Belize including a ten-day trip to Guatemala before leaving on the 29th.
Have heard from some old friends – Oscar Ramos and Ronald Hulse. Teddy Gonzalez is returning from Florida for a few days to meet up.
Whilst I made many friends through the football all over Belize I also worked as a lecturer at the then Belize Teachers Training College and supervised a number of students who may still be around as old teachers or retired! They were Simeon Lopez, Paul Mahung, Luciano Manzanero, Henry Neal, Ruby Harris, Lucille Jacobs, and Sonia McKenzie (who was an outstanding sportswoman).
The invisibility of the Maya in September celebrations
September in Belize is a time when the nation focuses on its national identity, so a question recently arose in my mind over the invisibility of the Maya heritage during this festive time of the year.
Before Belize had a colonial history, it had a Maya history, so why should the celebration of nationhood not strongly reflect this dimension of Belize’s heritage? Is it only popular to talk about Mundo Maya when selling the Belize tourism product? Should not celebrations of Belize’s national identity reach way back in the annals of time to the era when the inhabitants of this land were truly independent of any colonial control? In fact, given all that plays out on the international political front, some would even argue that those pre-colonial times were truly the days of independence.
US university recognizes Dr. Sol Yam for attaining Doctorate degree in Education
The Nova Southeastern University, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has conferred a Doctorate degree in Education based on two concentrations in Organizational Leadership and Higher Education during summer 2014 to vice principal of St. John’s College, Ms. Sol Yam, this past Friday, September 12th.
Dr. Yam, who has cited the challenges in the area of mathematics in Belize’s educational system, particularly for the past ten years, completed her requirements by producing a dissertation entitled “Teachers’ Perceptions and Use of Manipulatives to Teach Mathematics in Middle Primary Schools in Belize”, which was supported by stakeholders at all levels in our educational system due to its relevance to Belize, and because of the perception that it is imperative that interventions are in place to address such challenges in the continuation of the work towards national development.
KHMH celebrates 19 years; upgrades ICUs
As the country’s premier public health facility, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), observed its 19th year of existence today, its administrators unveiled a series of upgrades which had been carried out on both its adult and infant Intensive Care Units (ICUs), as well as on its statistical laboratory.
The improvements were the result of several recommendations which had been provided to the hospital’s authorities by officials of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in the wake of a disastrous bacterial outbreak which claimed the lives of at least eight newborn neonatal patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital back in May of 2013.
The incidents have severely marred the hospital’s public image since then, and when we spoke to Minister of Health, Hon. Pablo Marin, at the ceremony today, he explained the significance of the upgrades, which include an additional wing of the adult ICU.
Belize’s Ambassador to EU, Dr. Dylan Vernon, appointed to ACP Bureau
Belize’s Ambassador to the EU, H.E. Dr. Dylan Vernon, has been picked to serve for the next six months on the Bureau of the Committee of Ambassadors for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), an organization composed of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states created back in 1975.
According to the ACP, the Bureau of the Committee of Ambassadors is comprised of a representative of each of the six ACP regions. H.E. Mr. Johnson Weru of Kenya will serve for East Africa, H.E. Dr. Alfredo Lopez Cabral of Guinea Bissau for West Africa, H.E. Mrs. Grace Kabwe of Zambia for Southern Africa, H.E. Mr. Ousmane Matar Breme of Chad for Central Africa, H.E. Vernon of Belize for the Caribbean, and H.E. Mr. Joshua Kalinoe of Papua New Guinea for the Pacific.
OAS body presses Belize to reactivate Integrity Commission
The Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) of the Organization of American States (OAS) has released its Belize report on the implementation of the treaty, following the Twenty-Fourth Meeting held last week at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, D.C.
The Committee notes that at the time of the on-site visit April 23-25, 2014, representatives of the country under review had explained that no member of the Integrity Commission was formally in place and there was no functioning Integrity Commission.
“The Committee believes that it is important for the country under review to consider taking the steps necessary to ensure that the members of the Integrity Commission are appointed so that the Commission can, inter-alia, perform the important functions assigned to it with regard to the system of financial declarations in Belize,” the MESICIC report said.
Victim of vicious dog attack dies
On the night of Friday, July 4, 2014, three dogs attacked and killed Jeffrey O’Brien, 23, a fisherman of Independence, and 15 days after, on Saturday evening, July 19, an eerily similar incident occurred, in which a senior citizen was attacked and viciously mauled by four Rottweilers.
The victim of this attack, McKesson Garrett, 71, of Belize City, at about 7:30 that evening, was bitten on the hands, arms, legs, and foot, and a piece of his nose was ripped off by the dogs. He was admitted to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, and remained there until he died at about 2:00 Sunday morning, September 14, two months after the mauling.
McKesson Garrett was attacked by the dogs at the home of a friend of his at Mile 4 on the Philip Goldson Highway.
The Reporter
PUP remembers Father of the Nation with wreath ceremony
The People’s United Party (PUP), observed National Service Day on Friday with a now customary wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of the late George Price, Father of the Nation.
The event took place on September 19, the date that Mr Price passed – incidentally just two days before Independence Day – the single most important national event that he fought for and attained.
In addressing students of Saint Martin de Porres Primary, scouts, and relatives and friends of the fallen former leader, Francis Fonseca, the current PUP leader said that it is imperative for his party to ensure that the legacy and memory of Mr Price is preserved and passed on to future generations.
“There is a sense of longing for George Price’s leadership, his commitment to Belize that seems to be lacking today in 2014″, Fonseca opined.
Former Prime Minister, Said Musa reflected on one of Mr Price’s pieces of work. “As he said in one of his poems ‘Little people have tried and turned away. Nation building is task for giants.’”
Drug cartel leader murdered in Mexico
Mexican police have found the body of Aquiles Gomez, who was thought to be one of the main leaders of the Knights Templar drug cartel.
The body was found with a bullet wound in a house in central Michoacan state.
Aguilles was believed to be the brother of Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, head of the Knights Templars and one the country’s most-wanted drug suspects.
Several of the cartel’s top commanders have been killed recently, but La Tuta remains at large.
The Knights Templar controls much of the methamphetamine and marijuana trade in western Mexico.
GSU boss plans to address socio-economic needs of criminals
Inspector Mark Flowers, Commander of the Gang Suppression Unit, says he wants to meet with relevant government ministries to address the socio-economic needs of criminals to keep them from committing crime. Flowers told The Reporter that his plan takes into account the lack of […]
Carnival Road March 2014
Hundreds of revellers dressed in ornate, brightly coloured costumes took to the streets in the blazing heat to perform for thousands of spectators in the Carnival Road March 2014. The carnival held on Saturday September 2013, featured 13 of the 14 registered bands divided into […]
Mayor Bradley introduces Seashore Children’s Park
Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley introduced the newly-dubbed Seashore Children’s Park in the Buttonwood Bay area complete with a landmark Belize monument on Wednesday. Bradley explained that the designation of the area as a children’s park came after the property was almost privatized last […]
Policeman dies in road traffic accident
Marvin Sedacey, 29, a police constable attached to the Punta Gorda Police Formation, was killed instantly around 7:45 on Wednesday morning near mile four on the Southern Highway. Sedacey was reportedly driving a Ford Escort car from Cattle Landing Village towards Forest Home when […]
Eleven-year-old motivational speaker receives key to the city
Mayor Darrell Bradley presented eleven-year-old motivational speaker Anthony Gill with the key to Belize City at a ceremony held at City Hall on Monday. Bradley said Gill has been doing great inspirational work with youths in Belize and in the United States and said […]
Jamaican producers looking to promote Belizean talent
A group of Jamaican producers based in Canada has been in Belize over the past three weeks recording material with Belizean artists to promote in Jamaican, Canadian and European markets and eventually book shows for the artists. According to Garth “Papa” White, owner of […]
Guatemalan man almost decapitated; another Guatemalan detained
Pedro Diaz Guien, 34, a Guatemalan who has made Duck Run III, Spanish Lookout his home for the past five years, was discovered almost decapitated a around 4 a.m. on Sunday on Emerald Trail, a road that leads to his house. According to police, […]
Taiwan shares culture with Belize during September celebrations
A group of students who are attending top universities in Taiwan left Belize this week after they staged a super cultural presentation for Belizeans on Monday night at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts in Belize City. The students, youth ambassadors chosen by […]
Belize Solid Waste Management Authority emphasizes occupational safety
The Belize Solid Waste Management Authority held a two-day Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) training exercise with their workers to improve operational standards and highlight best practices. Tyronne Chimilio, Belize Solid Waste Management Authority social communications officer, explained that the training is part of […]
Belize adopts National Climate Resilience Investment Plan
The government of Belize has adopted a National Climate Resilience Investment Plan (NCRIP) to improve the country’s disaster risk management initiatives. The project is being funded by the European Union and the World Bank as part of the Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-EU Natural […]
Two Bahamians pending extradition for money laundering
Two Bahamian nationals arrested in Belize are pending an extradition request by the United States for their involvement in a billion dollar securities fraud and money laundering scheme. Rohn Knowles and Kelvin Leach were arrested last week at the Phillip Goldson International Airport for […]
Orange Walk police seize 41 pounds of cocaine!
Axel Fuentes, 36, a Guatemalan/Belizean who lives in Ranchito Village, Corozal, is on remand until October 29 on a charge of drug trafficking after police nabbed him with 41 pounds of cocaine. The drug bust was made around 8:30 . on Wednesday night between miles […]
Editorial
Two weeks ago at a meeting of the House of Representatives the Prime Minister of Belize publicly excoriated the Mayor of the Punta Gorda Town Council, Mr. Anthony Fuentes, for using subvention money provided by the Government of Belize to pay off a personal debt with the Toledo Teachers Credit […]
War in the City! Authorities say Situation under Control
Prime Minister Dean Barrow and top brass within the police department held a press conference Thursday to address the recent upsurge in violent crime in Belize City which has resulted in four murders in less than twelve hours. The police confirmed that between 2 p.m. […]
Man, 56, shot dead during dominoes game
An afternoon shooting in Belize City last Wednesday has left one man dead and another injured. Cyril McFoy Robinson, 56, was shot once in the head around 1:55 Wednesday afternoon,September 17 and died on the way to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Injured also in […]
PUP drops Arthur Saldivar
At a National Executive Meeting last Wednesday the People’s United Party high command made a unanimous decision to remove Arthur Saldivar as its standard-bearer for the Belize Rural North constituency. PUP Leader Francis Fonseca, told reporters that “with immediate effect Mr Arthur Saldivar is removed […]
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Patrick Jones
Toledo residents clean up the coastline
Various organizations in Toledo came out this morning to take part in a coastal cleanup activity. The event was led by the Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment, TIDE. Correspondent Juan Caal reports.
Minister Mark King says lawbreakers will be fully dealt with
The Honorable the Minister of State with responsibility for Gangs, Mr. Mark King has issued a statement expressing condolences to all the families affected by the recent spike in crimes in Belize City.
Minister King, in his statement, said that “as a nation, we continue to see young people are more and more at risk of being drawn into gangs and will be targeted at every stage of their lives – from toddlers to teenagers – and the onus is on the Government and all its partners to use a comprehensive approach aimed at preventing the next generation of gang members.”
The Minister, who is the area representative for Lake Independence, says that the full weight of the law will be brought to bear on individuals who are bent on disrupting the “climate of peace in our beloved nation,” and he called on everyone “to continue promoting a message of peace and harmony” as Belize prepares to celebrate 33 years of Independence on Sunday.
Roman Catholic Bishop slams “Alkaline” concert
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belize, Bishop Dorrick Wright has spoken out against a planned concert this weekend by Jamaican artist Alkaline, whose real name is Earlan Bartley.
“As the Bishop of Belize, I strongly oppose this event, which represents a serious error in judgment on the part of the Administration of Sacred Heart in allowing it to take place on their campus.”
El Gran Mestizo Hotel, Orange Walk & Heading Back Home
I JUST got back from Belize’s North-Westernist district, Orange Walk. The 4th largest town in Belize (can you name the first three?) is getting ready for their biggest event of the year – the September 21st, Belize’s 33rd birthday celebrations.
Orange Walk really doesn’t grown oranges anymore – the wetter climate in the south was found much more conducive to the citrus industry, it’s all about sugar.
And with sugar comes rum. Cuello’s and Old Master’s are both located in da OW. Cuello’s makes, most famously, Caribbean Dark and Light Rum.
And here are just some random pictures around town. Lovely sign for powder buns. I made a mental note to bike down here early the next morning. I did and the place was locked up tight at 7:30am. Sign gone and not a soul or a 50 cent powder bun in sight. Just my luck.
Dynamic duo teams up in San Pedro
Many San Pedro folks have been have been missing her culinary talent myself included. I was jumping for joy when I got the message Wednesday that Dulce was back in action and teamed up with Chap to do home cooked lunches on Thursdays.
How could I resist homemade chicken dumplings cooked by the dynamic duo and delivered right to my door for $10 pus $2 delivery? I couldn’t so I put an order in asap and bumped it up to two yesterday when Christian dropped by for a visit.
Dulce texted me when delivery was on it’s way. Sure enough Orvin our dumpling delivery guy was riding his bike down our street within a few minutes and he did not spill a drop. They had packed our food very well and used tape on the lids.
International Sources
The European Development Funds in Belize
The European Development Fund is the main instrument by which the EU provides development aid in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. EDF funds are programmed in 5-years Country Strategy Papers (CSP). There have been 10 European Development Funds between 1959 and now.
Belize has been the beneficiary successive European Development Funds embracing a number of key projects in areas essential to the country’s human and economic development. Total financial assistance to Belize from the EU since the beginning of the Lomé Convention is estimated at over 93 million euros. This amount does not include bilateral cooperation by EU Member States or benefits from the regional programme or the trade preferences and protocols.
The current Country Strategy Paper (CSP) presents the framework that will govern European Commission assistance to Belize for the period 2008-2013. In line with the Government priorities as outlined in the National Poverty Elimination Strategy 2007-2013, the focal area of the Country Strategy Paper 2008-2013 under the 10th EDF support is poverty reduction through integrated rural development.
Officials: Caribbean Destinations Must Focus on Tourism Strengths
Caribbean destinations must “operate like businesses” and focus on their inherent and individual strengths to surmount significant regional challenges and remain competitive with global vacation destinations, said Alex Zozaya, chief executive officer of Apple Leisure Group.
Speaking as the keynote presenter at this week’s Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s “State of the Industry” conference in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Zozaya offered a view of regional tourism that highlighted opportunities while also warning of dwindling significance for destinations unwilling to cast aside politics and bureaucracy to focus on challenges that range from high energy costs to restrictive policies that limit visitor access to wider regional travel.
Zozaya’s comments come amidst several key conference developments. Richard Sealy, Barbados’ minister of tourism, was elected CTO’s chairman, succeeding Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the U.S. Virgin Islands' commissioner of tourism.
Caribbean, Latin American festival to be held in Taipei
A weekend event in Taipei aims to highlight Latin American and Caribbean cultures as part of an effort to promote cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the regions, organizers said yesterday.
The Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Festival opens today at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, with music and dance performances by artists from Paraguay, Belize, Argentina, Mexico and Peru, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is organizing the event.
At the nearby Spot Huashan Cinema, there are to be free showings of 12 films from Latin American and Caribbean nations, offering a glimpse into their diverse cultures, Deputy Foreign Minister Simon Ko (柯森耀) said.
Videos
Video: Belize's Global Crime Statistics SD, 3min.
Video: Belize second half, 14min.
My first diving with a sea turtle! Turtle @ 11:30.
Video: DH Belize 2014, 8min.
Nice video of a scuba vacation on Ambergris Caye
Video: Host Macarena Rose~Belize 1st Lady- Kim Simplis Barrow- Grand Opening Inspiration Center, 64min.
Last year Belize Talk Radio asked listeners to be part of the Telethon in raising funds for the First Lady Of Belize's, Kim Simplis Barrow brainchild, The Inspiration Center for Special Needs Children. Today we share with you the completed Center for which we were invited guests to the grand opening. People helping people is what it is all about !
Video: CCFS Swimathon Challenge, 3min.
The University of Belize is having its first every swim relay competition! The competition is a fundraiser for the University of Belize Calabash Caye Field Station at the Turneffe Atoll.
Teams of 5 are to secure sponsorship and take on a gruelling 8 km relay swim over 2 days broken down into 1km a day per person starting April 24th and 25th 2015. Teams must complete the swim on Day 1 within 6.5 hours and Day 2 within 4 hours or be disqualified.
Get out your books folks! Teams must consist of a mix of, are you ready? 1 faculty member, 1 student, 1 corporate member, 1 female and 1 more of any other of these categories. That’s 5 right?
Video: Shark Ray Alley - Belize, 2min.
Came across a bit of an under water feeding frenzy when one of the boat attracted a bunch of sharks, fish and rays when they threw chum over the side. I snorkeled around trying to see what was going on and capture the activity on my mask mounted GoPro. At times it felt like I was getting sucked into the action and had to keep pulling myself back.
Video: Coming at you like a spider monkey!, 1min.
Gary's encounter with a spider monkey on our honeymoon trip to Belize
Video: Belize city 10th of September parade jump up behind the big trucks, 3min.
Video: Belize City Carnival Road March 2014, 6min.
Highlights of the 2014 Belize City Carnival Road March.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
