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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials


The San Pedro Sun

Darnell Mossiah fined $2,000 for attacking female referee on-field in Corozal
On Sunday, August 12th, 27-year-old Belizean laborer Darnell Mossiah punched 32-year-old referee Yuri Daniels after she issued him a red card during a football game. On Tuesday, August 14th Mossiah was formally arraigned on a charge of wounding at the Corozal Magistrate's Court. He pleaded guilty and was fined $2000.

Team 'Nuh Worry Bout Nothin' wins Grand Caribe's 2nd Annual Deep Sea Classic
Grand Caribe held their 2nd Annual International Deep Sea Classic Fishing Tournament in collaboration with the Belize Game Fishing Association (BGFA) from Friday, August 10th to Sunday, August 12th. A total of 29 teams participated in the three-day fishing extravaganza, competing for $50,000 in cash and prizes. The tournament was a great success, and after three days of hard efforts out at sea, Team Nuh Worry Bout Nothin from Belize City captured the grand prize. Second Place went to Knotty Pirates, and Team As You Wish placed third, Trophy Hunter took fourth place and Seaductress placed fifth. On the last day of the tournament on Sunday, August 12th a large crowd of fishing fans gathered at Grand Caribe north of Ambergris Caye to support their favourite teams. All boats were back at the weigh station by 2PM and after points had been tallied, winners were announced, starting with the individual prizes.

An Evening of Food, Fellowship and Fundraising at Iguana Juan's
Iguana Juan's Restaurant and Bar and Chef Patrick Parmentier of Le Foo Frog Personal Chef Services and Catering (formerly of A French Touch) will join forces with a special event to raise funds for the victims of the recent San Pedro fire. A Celebration of Latin American Flavor will be an evening dedicated to fortifying community bonds through innovative cuisine and creative libations. The event, slated for Saturday, August 25, will feature a silent auction with goods from local businesses, live music and a three-course Latin American inspired dinner. All proceeds from the silent auction, as well as a portion of the dinner funds, will be donated to Hope Haven Belize for their fire relief efforts.

Jamaicans who drifted ashore on Ambergris Caye are back home safe
Three Jamaican nationals, 50-year-old Noel Samuels, 23-year-old Romeo Lewis and 44-year-old Karma Beckford are happy to be back home after being lost at sea, drifting 25 days until arriving at the shores of Ambergris Caye. The trio went out fishing off the west coast of Jamaica on June 23rd, and after their boat developed a fault, they helplessly drifted away. They arrived on the northern coast of Ambergris Caye on July 19th and it was until July 26th, when they were finally transported to Belmopan City, where the Jamaican Honorary Consul made arrangements for their return back home. In a phone conversation with Samuels, he told The San Pedro Sun that he was happy to be back home and that despite the initial hurdles they had in Belize, they have only good things to share about the country and Belizeans. "Some of my friends have been asking me about Belize and I tell them that it is a beautiful country and that we have good memories about it," he said.

Ambergris Today

NEMO Sets To Provide Timely Alerting Protocol In Times Of Disasters
Minister of National Emergency Management Hon Edmond Castro delivered the keynote address at Official Opening Ceremonies for the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Jump-Start Workshop, which started this morning, August 13, at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City. In his address, Hon Castro emphasized the importance of providing timely and accurate information to our people, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the effects of disasters. He thanked everyone attending the workshop, including those from government departments, non-government agencies and the media, saying they all have a key role to play in disaster management and risk reduction.

Misc Belizean Sources

mzz

Paint N Splash
See you this week at from 2-4pm Thursday Join us on Thursday to paint this "Lazy Day Palm Tree."

Croc caper
Rotten apples, these culprits, steel intellectual property, displace wildlife, Dr. Tellez (crocodile research collation) her associates, and accomplices, parade a crocodile selected from the Estuary at Caye Caulker. Scarlett is the animal, now known as Padma, this international team effort was the culmination of a plot to steel the breeder, she has been relocated to a secret location. The reality is everything you ever needed to know about Scarlett is, she is the Matriarch of American crocodiles we have observed at the Estuary for 25 years. The Crocodile Research Collation, is cherry picking our research, Scarlets social media presence is the only way they were able to target her she is famous at the Estuary her every move was well documented until Ms. Tellez decided to intervein. Everything the coalition fabricated on other people's hard work. Claiming they know this animal from observing her at the Estuary. She is the Matriarch for a biomass of island tame Saltwater Crocodile. Isolated on the island for thousands of years. This organization should be stricken from the N.G.O.'s and every publication or advocacy shunned by the conservation world. HER NAME IS SCARLETTE GIVE HER BACK!!!

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT FRAUD ALERT1 - PHISHING SCAM
The Financial Intelligence Unit (the Fill) has been made aware of numerous "spear phishing scams" that are being perpetrated by cyber criminals and targeted towards the Belizean public. They are designed to compromise personal banking information, access accounts and credit cards and eventually siphon funds to criminal third parties. Phishing is a form of fraud in which victims are contacted typically through electronic communication such as email or text message by someone posing as a reputable individual or entity, to lure them into providing sensitive data such as personal information, banking and credit card details and passwords, for malicious reasons.

Updates on the 2018 Re-registration of Electors Exercise
The Elections and Boundaries Department is once again pleased to update the public on the ongoing 2018 Re-registration of Electors Exercise. An update is hereby provided as follows for the period 5th to 11th August, 2018. During the period a total of nine thousand, three hundred and twenty (9,320) applications have been accepted, therefore the total number of applications received as at 11th August 2018 is ninety thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three (90,873). The figures reflect a decrease in the number of applications received. Registration Centers continue to be open in all thirty-one (31) electoral divisions country-wide to facilitate the acceptance of applications for the registration of electors.

A short power outage Friday as follows
Power outage scheduled from 6:00am to 6:30am for entire Corozal and Orange Walk Districts and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye on Wednesday, August 15. BEL to commission fault locator device at Westlake Substation at Mile 8 on George Price Highway.

Happening this Week - SAN JOAQUIN FIESTA
The Village of San Joaquin invites you for their 52nd Annual San Joaquin Fiesta from Thursday, August 16th to Sunday, August 19th. Schedule of Events Include the Following:- 16 August - Feastday Mass at 6:00 p.m. 17 August - 7:30 p.m. - Inaugural Ceremony and Coronation. - 9:45 p.m. Live Music by Dynamics of Belize Band. 18 August - 9:45 p.m. - Live Music by Dynamics of Belize Band. 19 August - 9:45 p.m. - Live Music by Gilharry 7 Band. Food and beverage, Art Work on Sale, Mechanical rides and Games for the entire family! Venue: San Joaquin Park Grounds.

Mr. Bill passes away in Corozal
Saying goodbye to a dear friend of Corozal. The entire community of Corozal, especially the Consejo Community mourns the silent passing away of a great man and human being. May you rest in everlasting Peace Mr. Bill. Sail on..Sail!

NSAA Bath and Body Grand Opening
Bullet Tree Falls is getting a Bath and Body Shop! The grand opening if this Sunday, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. They'll have more than just bath and body products. They'll have art, gifts, and souvenirs crafted by local artists. They are located on the Santa Familia side of Bullet Tree, right around where the pavement ends. "Announcing the Grand Opening of Belizean Made Gifts and Arts. This is the outlet for NSAA Bath and Body. You will be able to find one of a kind items for gifts, souvenirs and for the home. We will carry only BELIZE made items. Unique. Local artisans. Join us for the Grand Opening. Enjoy the river in Bullet Tree and find your place for the best of the best."

Chiangiodendron Mexicanum Highlighted on Tree Tuesday!
Belonging to the family Achariaceae, this endangered tree is the lone species in its genus. It is found in very few, disjointed locations in southeastern Mexico, pacific Costa Rica, and northeastern Bladen Nature Reserve. In BNR, fewer than 20 individuals are known. Ya'axche has monitored 4 trees in BNR since 2013. Earlier this year, we spotted a tree with flowers for the first time! However, C. mexicanum is dioecious, a rare reproductive strategy among flowering plants in which male and female flowers are found on separate trees. We did not find fruits in the following months, indicating that pollen exchange did not occur this year.

MAYA CODEX : MADRID CODEX
Most of the codices were destroyed by conquistadors and Catholic priests in the 16th century. Around 3 Maya codices survive . They have been named for the cities where they eventually settled. The Madrid Codex is the longest of the surviving Maya codices. The content of the Madrid Codex mainly consists of almanacs and horoscopes that were used to help Maya priests in the performance of their ceremonies and divinatory rituals. The codex also contains astronomical tables, although less than are found in the other two generally accepted surviving Maya codices. A close analysis of glyphic elements suggests that a number of scribes were involved in its production, perhaps as many as eight or nine, who produced consecutive sections of the manuscript; the scribes were likely to have been members of the priesthood. The Madrid Codex is held by the Museo de Am�rica in Madrid(Spain) and is considered to be the most important piece in its collection. The codex likely was produced in Yucat�n.The language used in the document is Yucatecan, a group of Mayan languages that includes Yucatec, Itza, Lacandon, and Mopan; these languages are distributed across the Yucat�n Peninsula, including lowland Chiapas, Belize, and the Guatemalan department of Pet�n.

Tropic moves up date to resume flights to Oct. 1
We are moving up the resumption date on our scheduled Caye Caulker service to October 1 (from November 15th). Cargo services and Blue Hole tours will also resume on the same day. We look forward to returning to our second home very soon!

Em WHAT is Wanaragua?
Wanaragua [also called Jankunu] is a popular masked processional rite� It is the most commonly performed and focal event of the four Christmas dance-dramas of the Garinagu of Belize... The word Wanaragua means "mask" and the ritual commonly features male dancers wearing Amerindian-influenced feathered headdresses with small circular mirrors, wire masks on which are painted the feature of a European faces, and plaid or check-patterned cotton head wraps. Costumes also include wide strips of colored ribbon word across the chest in a crossing pattern on top of the long sleeve white shirts, gloves, and knickers, knee rattles made of cowry shells, long black socks, and tennis shoes. Some men, in efforts to further amuse onlookers, dress up as hianro (women) by wearing communion or wedding veils, blouses, and skirts.

Movie Night at KoKo King
Family Movie Night once again at KoKo King, commencing as soon as the sun goes down ... Show Dogs - Max, a macho, solitary Rottweiler police dog is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious Dog Show, along with his human partner, to avert a disaster from happening. * Skyscraper (Dwayne Johnson - the Rock) A security expert must infiltrate a burning skyscraper, 225 stories above ground, when his family are trapped inside by criminals. * Plus our weekly kids meals, popcorn and adult beverages for those that deserve them!

Millennials are super into birding now. Here are the best places to go birding around the world
Belize named one of best places to go birding around the world. MILLENNIALS are ruining department stores. Millennials have put an end to the diamond industry. We've killed dinner dates, napkins, home ownership, and even sex. But, for all things we millennials have allegedly killed, you can thank us for bringing one thing back into popularity: birding. Millennials have made birdwatching trendy again, and are keeping the industry alive. The stereotypical demographic of birders was always decidedly older, possibly retired, but we somewhat-youngsters are breaking that mold. Central American rainforests are teeming with wildlife, but Belize, the western part in particular, is really into its birds. Most hotels and lodges offer bird-watching excursions to their guests, and some like Hidden Valley Inn go as far as to host bird conservationists and let them release rare species on the property. Professional birding guides in Belize are typically young, adventurous, and extremely enthusiastic about birds, making for a relatively high energy bird-watching experience (at least in the context of being quiet enough to not scare away animals).

Senator Osmany Salas was a guest presenter at a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) workshop here in Corozal
The workshop targeted primary school teachers of the Corozal District. Senator Salas spoke about impacts of corruption and strategies to reduce corruption. Friends of Corozal United for Sustainability (FOCUS), a member of the Belize Network of NGOs, has for years now been carrying out summer CPD workshops where they help primary school teachers develop lessons on environmental learning. FOCUS is comprised of a group of individuals that seek to promote environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Corozal District

World Culture Band Playing The Bluffs
The World Culture Band will be playing at the Bluffs on Sunday, August 26th. The WCB always impress with their unique World music style.

National Poetry Competition
A poetry competition based on celebrating Belize is on. Winning entries will be read during the September Celebrations.

BTB Customer Service & Front-line Destination Training for Tour Operators, Tour Guides & Taxi Service Providers
October 1 & 2, ITVET- Belize City

Channel 7

Not "Every Pan Weh Knock": One Less September Party
It is just mid-August but everyone has already been preparing for the ‘bashment’ month coming up. The carnival groups have already started to practice their routines and many Belizeans have already marked their calendars for all the September events they’ll attend. But one event you better forget about is City Council’s annual Municipal Multicultural Fair. It is usually held after the September 10th official ceremonies and citizens’ parade but there just isn’t enough money to host it. That’s because their budget was cut by 20 percent. Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold told us more at a press conference this morning. Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor: "It’s not that we're not able to build the support from the business community. From an outsider looking in - in the previous years the tent has been gotten smaller and smaller and with this with the budget being cut by 20 percent we had to see what we could do...""

Controversy Continues on CitCo's Bulldozer and Bobcat
We also asked Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold about the bulldozer that magically turned up last week Tuesday. That is just one of the heavy pieces of equipment that had been missing, there is also a Bobcat. Well, Arnold gave us an update today. He says they are still trying to get to the bottom of what happened with these machines since no official police report was filed. Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor: "At the Mayor’s desk we received a memo outlining an analysis of the ones we got in - in a state of this repair, some of the repairs that has been done on the bulldozer were done just roughshod, not done to any technical specifications. We got it without any diesel, any fluids in there, any oil, everything was taken out, there was no battery - so that is the update on the bulldozer. We understand also that the other piece of equipment which is the Bobcat is being repaired somewhere in Unitedville.

Dean Sealed the Deal in UDP Port Loyola Convention
Last month, we told you how Phillip Willoughby was forced to resign from his government job at NEMO. He wants to run in the UDP convention in Port Loyola. Well, so does his former councilor colleague Dean Samuels! Samuels is a contract worker under Anthony “Boots” Martinez’s Ministry: Human Development. When we spoke to “Boots” Martinez last week, he said he doesn’t think that Samuels will run.  And we thought Minister Boots should know, since he is the one who endorsed Samuel's application for the Port convention. But, Boots was wrong, and to prove it, Samuels resigned this week. So, he'll now face his former city council ally Willoughby and Boots Martinez's new favourite candidate, Mike Peyrefitte. We caught up with Samuels today. He told us that, because of personal and family reasons, he procrastinated for quite a bit before deciding to run. Here’s what he had to say about why he finally made up his mind to contest the convention:

Samuels Shrugs Shoulders on CitCo Missing Equipment
This morning’s press encounter with Dean Samuels also gave us the opportunity to ask him about the bulldozer, the bobcat, and the gooseneck trailer that was supposed to be in the possession of the Belize City Council when he was in elected office, but which were missing for years. These pieces of equipment were the subject of a recent audit by the Bernard Wagner Administration, which said that the equipment were purchases, but it ended up elsewhere, and not at City Hall, for which they were intended. They were a part of a grant of $173,000 that was given by Central Government to the former administration back in 2015. That’s when the Council was creating a sanitation department to absorb over 150 employees from the private sanitation company, Belize Maintenance Limited.

Fatal Family Dispute in Cayo
A 44 year old man was chopped to death by his nephew. It happened this morning in Cayo around 10. The victim is Israel Tesecum. We will have more details as soon as we get them. We note that there is a trend in the recent violent crimes where the attackers use either a knife or machete.

Referee Roughed up by Rogue Football Players Speaks Out
We know it isn’t out of the ordinary for football players to get mad or curse out the referee for pulling out a red card. Even the sports fanatics in the audience get riled up and throw a few choice words. But it is a WHOLE other level for a player to knockout a referee especially a female one. Well, that is exactly what 27 year old Darnell Mossiah did to referee Yuri Daniels at a football game in Libertad Village. Mossiah has been fined $2,000 for this attack. Now Daniels spoke to our colleagues from CTV-3 today. She says she pulled a red card for Mossiah because he elbowed another player. Mossiah snapped and punched Daniels in the face, knocking her out. She had to get about 7 stitches and her jaw is all busted up. But despite it all, she says she won’t let this hold her back from doing what she loves.

'Mal pago' Stabs Man in Lords Bank
They say money is the root of all evil. Well, I don’t know about all that but it certainly was at the center of a dispute that has landed one man in hospital with stab wounds. Last night about 7:30, 36 year old Lord’s Bank resident Marvin Rodriguez was at the 24/7 gas station at the junction of Philip Goldson Highway. Another resident who owes him money, Yayo Ardon showed up and that’s when the argument started. According to the police report, Ardon stabbed Rodriguez three times to the right side of his abdomen and cut him twice to the right hand. I guess Ardon was trying to get out of paying him. Well, Rodriguez is stable at the KHMH. Police are awaiting a statement from him as part of their investigations.

MacLachlan Wants To Make Good With Farmers
For the past 3 weeks, we’ve been telling you about the financial hardship that the cane farmers in the north are facing. This is after the second payment from the mill for their sugarcane was particularly low this year. It’s a direct consequence of the world market price for sugar which is substantially lower than previous years. The world market for sugar is over-saturated with supply, and the European market has also shifted for several months now. All the sugar producing nations who sell sugar on the EU must do so in direct competition with European sugar farmers who are more efficient at producing sugar at a lower cost. Some Belizean farmers are asserting that this year’s earnings from their cane are far too low to maintain their loan commitments to their banks, and they may have to abandon the industry altogether.

ASR/BSI Tackles Freight Debate
MacLachlan also took the opportunity to address the recent controversy that has taken root over the ocean freight costs that was quoted to the farmers to get their sugar exported to the European Union. As viewers will remember, cane farmers were suggesting that the 11.4 million dollars for shipping costs that BSI/ASR was quoting in their financial report was misleading, since there is also a “Free Alongside Ship” line item on the breakdown of charges. That started to breed mistrust between some of the farmers and the millers, and there were those in the farming community who were going as far as to suggest that ASR/BSI is trying to take advantage of the farmers in the calculation of prices for sugar cane delivery. In the most recent breakdown of costs that ASR/BSI sent to farmers, the company said that for the 95,000 tonnes of raw sugar that it sold to Tate and Lyle, there was an average “FAS” price of 526 dollars per tonne.

Belizean Senators To Join the Fight Against Hunger
The "Mesoamerica Hunger Free" project was first launched in 2015 in Mexico. It was implemented in Belize and about 13 other countries. Well, it has been a success so far, feeding kids at 4 schools in the south. But Belize can do more. So today at the Mexican Institute Belizean and Mexican project partners held a press conference to announce that they are planning to form what is called a Parlamentary Front against Hunger and Malnutrition. The idea is to get Belizean senators and other politicians involved in this hunger free fight to make more of an impact. Here is more from the conference.

Teachers Learn About Literacy
So while Belize and Mexico were discussing this hunger free initiative, teachers from all over the country were at St. John’s Anglican School discussing literacy. We dropped to find out more about the training. It is a 4 day training. About 80 teachers participated.

Special Session for Special Needs Training
And another group of educators were learning tips on working with people of diverse abilities. For the next three days, partipicants will be working with specialists from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to learn how to identify certain communication disorders and work out plans to mitigate them. Executive Director of the Inspiration Center, Joycelyn Lopez, says they teamed up with the Pan American Health Organization to address this specific need from teachers:

Final Call For Re-Registration Coming Up
The Elections and Boundaries Department is reporting tonight that as of August 11th, ninety thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three (90,873) Belizeans have re-registered, and can vote in any elections.  In week 6 of the re-registration exercise, which ran from August 5th to the 11th, only nine thousand, three hundred and twenty (9,320) applicants showed up to be added back to the country’s list of registered voters. Those numbers are the lowest to date. In week 5, just 11 thousand, 500 voters re-registered, and in week 4, there were 15 thousand, 500 applications.

Attempted To Murder: Welcome Charged
As we told you, Eugene Alexander Henderson Jr. died 2 months after he was shot the head. His shooter, 19 year old Alexander Rudolph Welcome was charged with attempted murder but since Henderson died, he has been charged with murder.

Fined Fishermen Frightened By GSU
They are accused of various fishing offences but three fishermen are making counter allegations against the Gang Suppression Unit. Fisheries officers busted seven persons including a minor for possession of conch outside of the closed season and of undersized conch on August 9 at Long Caye in the Lighthouse Atolls. 26 year old Vidal Orellano, 30 year old Gilmar Patt and 5 others were charged with several fisheries offences when they appeared yesterday before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. Two of them, Patt and a 14 year old boy, were charged with possession of 285 conch during closed season and possession of 282 undersized conch.

Volleyball Girls Still High On Silver Win
Last night you saw the motorcade for our volleyball girls. Now although the team will not advance to the continental championships, President Allan Sharp says Belize can be thankful for a successful and highly praised tournament that drew record crowds to the new Civic Center. He also spoke about plans for the future of Belize volleyball.

Sharp Says Back to Reality on Tournament Expenses
President Sharp also spoke about the cost of tournament. It costs about 200 thousand Belize dollars, with another 200 thousand as direct expenses for the tournament itself – without Honduras coming. Sharp admits Government has not made any contributions to date though it has promised to do so. But given a platform for his wish list, he called for purpose-built facilities and direct funding for sporting organization secretariats. Sharp also mentioned planned direct assistance for educational expenses for members of the team.

Burton: Belize's MVP
Sherika Burton impressed many during the tournament. Many felt she should have been named the tournament’s most valuable player. But it went to a member of the winning side. BVA president Allan Sharp is not pleased but insists that Sherika will always be MVP to Belizeans.

Fishing For Phishing Scams: Watch Out!
For weeks, we've been telling you about the email phishing scams targeting account holders at  Heritage Bank. And while Heritage sounded the alarm, email phishing scams are a widespread problem in Belize, targeting account holders at all the commercial banks, and BTL. And, there are shadowy local players who are working with international fraudsters to do the local legwork to clean out your account. It's enough to have stirred the FIU to make a rare public statement. It says, quote, "The Financial Intelligence Unit (the FIU) has been made aware of numerous “spear phishing scams” that are being perpetrated by cyber criminals and targeted towards the Belizean public.

Channel 5

Tenth Celebration Cut Short, No Municipal Fair This Year
The spirit of the annual September Celebrations has been dampened somewhat with a dismal announcement coming out of City Hall this evening.� A press release issued by the Belize City [...]

Festivities to be Pared Down, Is Party Politics Being Played with the Tenth?
In speaking with Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber this morning, News Five was made to understand that the overall budget for this year's festivities has taken a hit, Belize City [...]

Deputy Mayor Says Budget Cut Should be Evenly Spread Across All Municipalities
A former councilor tells News Five that the yearly subsidy is approximately eighty thousand dollars.� Twenty percent less is roughly sixty-four thousand dollars.� That individual, along with Deputy Prime Minister [...]

Where is the Missing CitCo Heavy Equipment?
There are additional details coming out of an investigation into missing heavy equipment that are the property of the Belize City Council.� A bulldozer, as well as a flatbed trailer, [...]

Former Works Councilor says CITCO Received the 'Unaccounted' Equipment
In an interview last week, former Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley confirmed to News Five that despite having made repeated requests about the missing equipment, the Caterpillar Bulldozer, the eighteen [...]

Re-registration Numbers decrease; Frustration builds at Vital Statistic Unit
We are seventeen days away from the culmination of the mass re-registration exercise. As of August eleventh, a total of ninety thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three applications have been received [...]

Five Year Ban for Football Player who Punched a Female Referee
A five-year ban has been levied against twenty-seven-year-old football player, Darnel Mossiah for punching referee Yuri Daniels. The National Sports Council has condemned what it describes as a cowardly act [...]

Dean Samuels Resigns From Government Job to Run for UDP Port Loyola Convention
Former Belize City Councilor Dean Samuels has officially resigned from his government job in the Ministry of Works. He had to do so in order to contest the U.D.P.'s Port [...]

Dean Samuels says Minister Martinez Supports Him
When the media interviewed Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony Martinez last week, he expressed support for Michael Peyrefitte. But according to Dean Samuels, Martinez's support was misplaced because Martinez was [...]

AC. Castillo says He is the Better Option for Port Loyola
Also contesting the U.D.P. Port Loyola Convention is AC. Castillo. The former disc jockey and cyclist received his official acceptance letter earlier this month and today he stopped by to [...]

BSI Invests Another $40 Million in Value Added Production
The Belize Sugar Industries has announced that it will invest an additional forty million dollars over the next eighteen months to improve efficiency and further increase value-added production to the [...]

Belizean & Mexican Parliamentarians Meet to End Hunger and Malnutrition
Mexican Senator Luisa Maria Calderon Hinojosa is in Belize to meet with the Ministers and C.E.O.s from the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Health and Human Development. The mission is for [...]

Local School Feeding Programme to be Extended Countrywide
The Food and Agriculture Organization, better known as F.A.O., has been assisting Belize in the fight against malnutrition and hunger. Back in November of 2017, a project to improve food [...]

How did Belize get the silver medal? BVA explains
By now you've seen or heard of the national female volleyball team. They made history last week in the Central American Volleyball Championships when they defeated Costa Rica - a [...]

400K to prepare the team and host the regional volleyball championship!
And now to the costs. President Allan Sharp told the press today that getting to the championship and producing the result has been years of hard work that has required [...]

The Volleyball Association Needs Help!
As you heard, Sharp says that there has been some verbal commitment of some form of assistance from G.O.B. towards the costs accumulated for the association to prepare the team [...]

KTV the Remix - Who Advances to the Finals?
Who has made the cut and will compete in the finals of season two of KTV the Remix? Find out tonight right here on Channel Five as five of the [...]

LOVE FM

Belize Female Volleyball Team host press conference
The entire country was tuned in last week as the Belizean female volleyball team competed in the 20th Central American Championship. Despite losing one game, Belize had to settle for the silver medal. Costa Rica also lost one game, but due to the point system, Costa Rica won gold. President of the Belize Volleyball Association, �

ASR/BSI's vice president speaks on Sugar Investments
American Sugar Refineries Belize Sugar Industries (ASR/BSI) has been under scrutiny after some cane farmers questioned an eleven million dollar figure on their balance sheet. Vice President of International Relations for ASR, Mac McLachlan addressed the issue at an impromptu session with the media. However, ASR's wanted to inform the public that the company is �

Speech Disorder Workshop hosted to improve Educational Sector
The Inspiration Center in collaboration with the American Speech Language Hearing Association and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has sponsored a three day workshop. The workshop,Evaluating Communication Disorders in Diverse Populations, is targeted at teachers and children in Belize's Educational Sector. Executive Director for the Inspiration Center, Joyceln Lopez, said the workshop will be �

NADO says Cattouse Urine Sample was not tampered with
The wheels of Brandon Cattouse's Cycling saga has a few more turns today. Cattouse was initially tested and found to have the banned substance EPO. After arbitration was completed, Cattouse's eligibility to ride had to be reinstated since there was doubt about the integrity of his urine sample. While claiming victory, Cattouse's attorney, Hector Guerra �

Justices of the Peace being regulated
The Attorney General's Ministry has made it mandatory for Justices of the Peace to verify their status by submitting relevant documents. The verification process has ended earlier this month. Crown Counsel, at the Attorney General's Ministry, Briana Williams they intend to regulate the system. Briana Williams - Crown Counsel, Attorney General's Ministry: "Everybody now will get �

Mexican Senator visits Belize on Mission to End Hunger
A press conference was held at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Belize City this morning. Mexico's Ambassador to Belize, Carlos Quesnel Melendez; Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education Carol Babb; and representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization all dialogued with Mexican Senator and coordinator for the Parliamentary Front against Hunger in Latin �

Man attacked by killer bees
A Belize City resident was surprised by Africanized bees also known as killer bees early this morning. Leonard Usher Junior who lives at the Corner of Mahogany and Mopan Streets was attacked by a swarm of bees as he stepped out of his yard. Love News spoke with Usher about the incident. Leonard Usher Jr.: "Coming �

CitCo: bobcat still remains missing
Earlier this month, a special audit was conducted by the Belize City Council and it was discovered that three pieces of heavy duty machinery were missing. Following the discovery, the Council made several inquiries including writing the Ministry of Finance trying to locate the equipment. Shortly after, two of the three pieces of equipment were �

NADO says no Urine Sample Testing Until issues clarified
Pitts said NADO is getting support from the National Sports Council for a new office. We also asked him if NADO would appeal the arbitrator's decision in the Cattouse case. Reporter: The arbitrator said that there is a possibility under the rules that you could appeal as NADO, do you intend to appeal? Dr.Michael Pitts,: �

Man stabbed in Maskall Village
A resident of Maskall Village was stabbed on Sunday night. Police went to the Karl Heuser Memorial Hospital, where they saw twenty year old, Samuel Torres suffering from several stab wounds. ASP Alejandro Cowo briefed the media on what transpired between Torres and his friend. ASP Alejandro Cowo, Officer Commanding Crimes Investigation Branch Belize City: �

Mexico to build New School in Pueblo Viejo
The press conference featuring Senator Hinojosa also provided an opportunity to be updated on another related initiative. Following the model it set with the Escuela Secundaria T�cnica M�xico, the Government of Mexico will invest in another school in Belize. This time it will be in the south at Pueblo Viejo Village in the Toledo District. Carlos Quesnel Melendez, Mexico's Ambassador to Belize says financing will come from the Yucatan Fund and work is expected to start in the next few months�

Canadian woman stabbed in San Pedro
A Canadian woman was stabbed on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye on Sunday evening. Police say they went to Mora Laguana Resort, located a mile off the North Side of San Pedro, where they saw forty-one year old Christiana Pott, with four stab wounds to the body. ASP Alejandro Cowo explains what occurred on the island in an attempted burglary�

Fatal road traffic accident in Xaibe, Corozal
Virgilio Mena, of Xaibe Village in the Corozal District was found dead by police on Sunday night between mile 74 and 75 on the Philip Goldson Highway. ACP Joseph Myvett shared the details. ACP Joseph Myvette, Head of National Crimes Investigation Branch: "Where they observed the body of a male Hispanic person on the side of the highway with several cut wounds and severe damage to his head. Upon inspection of the scene a bicycle was found some forty feet away from the body�"

Municipal Fair cancelled
The Municipal Fair was introduced by the Belize City Council under the stewardship of UDP's Mayor Zenaida Mayor in order to engage city residents in activities for September 10th. Now that a PUP council has been elected, the tradition has now come to an abrupt end. Deputy Mayor, Oscar Arnold, said the Tenth of September parade is still on schedule but due to financial constraints the municipal fair that traditionally followed the parade has been cancelled�

Vice President of ASR/BSI speaks on the FAS
In light of the recent controversy that has ensued between cane farmers and the sugar industry, Vice President of International Relations for ASR Mac McLachlan briefed the media today on the issue. He said that all contracts on sugar purchases are shared with all the cane farmers associations therefore enabling them to see what the freight elements are while also providing the final statement on all costs that have been audited�

FIU investigating "spear phishing scams"
In the wake of Belizeans receiving emails that resemble "spear phishing scams", the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has issued an alert for the public to be aware of these scams that are being committed by cyber criminals. Last month, Heritage Bank saw it necessary to close its online services for a short period since its customers were targeted by the scam �


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Amandala

Three murders - 1 in Hopkins, 2 in Belmopan
Three murders occurred on Saturday, August 11, in two different localities. First, a misunderstanding between coworkers led to the death of construction worker Marcus Sanchez, 28, a resident of Hope Creek, Stann Creek District, early Saturday morning, August 11. When the Dangriga police found Sanchez, he had a large open wound on the head and a chop wound on the left side of the neck. Sanchez and his assailant were working on a construction site just outside Hopkins, and the two men also lived at a campsite not too far away. According to police, the two men had a dispute, but the nature of that dispute is currently unknown. ACP Joseph Myvette also mentioned that the men were consuming alcohol prior to the incident.

Amandala's 49 years of dedication to Belize
Today is Amandala's birthday. Forty-nine years ago, the United Black Association for Development (UBAD) introduced its own newspaper, Amandala, on August 13, 1969. The early editions of Amandala were printed on a Gestetner machine which was bought with money that was donated to Evan X Hyde by one of his Dartmouth professors. Members of UBAD also raised funds through events such as dances and the selling of food. When it first hit the streets, Amandala was nothing but fire, pure and incorruptible fire, challenging the colonial status quo.

Female football referee beaten over red card
Outcries of rage were posted on social media after pictures of Yuri Daniels, 31, with injuries to her face, surfaced on Facebook. According to several posts, Daniels was the referee for a football match between the villages of Concepc�on and San Antonio, and she was punched in the face after she gave a San Antonio player a red card. According to an official police report, Daniels, who is a cook of San Andreas Village was refereeing a match at 5:30 p.m. when she issued a red card to a player, age unknown, for his violent behavior towards other players.

Noewellyn Williams, 44, charged with murder of ex-common-law wife
Noewellyn Williams, 44, a construction worker of Sandhill, was arraigned on a charge of murder when he was brought today before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. She explained to him that she would not take a plea from him because the offence for which he was charged is indictable, which means that a plea would only be taken when the matter is committed for trial in the Supreme Court. She also explained to him that she cannot offer him bail because of the nature of the offence, and remanded him into custody until October 16.

Second payment to cane farmers dismally low; questions emerge about transportation costs
On Wednesday, August 1, American Sugar Refinery (ASR) announced that cane farmers in the north would be getting their second payment for the 2017-2018 sugarcane crops. Farmers had already been given an initial payment of $36.02 per ton. ASR subsequently announced that the final price per ton of sugar cane for the season would be $45.47. Depending on the quality of sugar cane delivered, farmers are now expecting to receive an additional $3.81 to $6.34 per ton of sugar cane that was delivered to the factory. That payment by ASR, however, has been the subject of criticism from Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, the Opposition People's United Party (PUP) area representative for the Orange Walk South, who is considered to be the PUP's shadow minister of agriculture and who is also a cane farmer.

Doing business at Vital Statistics Unit requires a great expenditure of time and patience
The government department that is now known as the Vital Statistics Unit, with its primary function of issuing official birth, death and marriage certificates, has always been under the Judiciary. In fact, there was a time when the office was housed downstairs of the Supreme Court Registry, but as the country's population continued to grow, more space had to be found to house the office and its expanding staff. Word out of Belmopan last week is that the Vital Statistics Unit will now be under the control of Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte; so too will be the Companies Registry and the office of BELIPO.

BCC/APEX Summer Basketball Tournament concludes with Final Four weekend games at Civic
Youth basketball talent was center stage at the Belize Civic Center over the weekend, as the Belize City Council/APEX Summer Basketball Tournament concluded with Final Four playoff games on Saturday and Sunday for U-12 and U-15 teams. Ten teams each in U-12 and U15 categories had started the regular competition back on July 9, with "North Side" games being played at SJC gym, while "South Side" played at Bird's Isle. And the Final Four weekend playoff included the top 2 teams in each category from North Side and from South Side playing in knockout semifinals on Saturday, with the winners playing for the championship on Sunday.

FFB condemns referee assault
At a time when we are at a peak of celebrating the accomplishments of our female athletes, it has come to the attention of the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) that a female referee, Yuri Daniels, was allegedly assaulted by a player. The incident took place yesterday, August 12, after he was issued a red card. The Federation condemns this despicable act and will not tolerate such behavior. The Football Federation of Belize and the President, Mr. Sergio Chuc, take this opportunity to express that the Federation will not tolerate or encourage violence against women. FFB is in full support of Ms. Daniels and will be sure to provide support and guidance for legal actions to be taken.

Week 2 results in PLB 2018-2019 Opening Season
Three of the four scheduled games were played in Week 2 of the Premier League of Belize (PLB) 2018-2019 Opening Season over the weekend. The Freedom Fighters FC vs San Pedro Pirates FC game has been postponed to Saturday, September 8, at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday night at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium, defending champion, Belmopan Bandits SC got a 1-nil second half lead through Mexican Hector Martinez (62'), and held on for the 1-nil victory over Verdes FC, who now include former Bandits captain, Elroy Smith, as well as former Bandits midfielder, Honduran Darwin Bermudez in their line-up. It promises to be a treat when these two clash again this season.

Lopsided scores in first leg of National Over-40 semifinals
Game 1 in the best-of-two games semifinal series in the FFB National Over-40 Tournament 2018 was played over the weekend; and it does appear, unless there is a monster upset this weekend, that the semifinal game 1 winners will clash in the finals. Out at the Ambergris Stadium on Saturday night, the San Pedro Veterans crushed the visiting Mango Creek Veterans, 3-nil, to put themselves in a commanding position for game 2 in Independence this coming weekend.

Editorial: Two traumatic tragedies
We would like to comment on two traumatic tragedies which occurred last week in The Jewel. One was the apparent suicide by hanging of a 7-year-old boy in Seine Bight, which is a beautiful seacoast village a few miles north of the more famous Placencia, and the other is the murder, apparently by Belizeans, of Richard Foster, 74, a famous British photographer and filmmaker. More than four decades ago, a teenaged boy, no more than 14 or 15 years old, hanged himself in his home near the corner of King Street and West Canal. There was a dominoes team which used to play competitively called Hillico, or Hillico's. The team members were almost all senior citizens, including the now centenarian, Gilbert "Bertie" Ellis, Sr. It was a fine team, and the older men had introduced this teenager from the neighbourhood into their team. Their practice sessions were held on the streetside almost in front of the teenager's home. He was the only youth on the team, and he was an excellent player. We also believe he was attending high school.

From The Publisher
When we describe a Black person as an Uncle Tom (the original "Uncle Tom" being a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin), we mean that that person willingly submits to white supremacy, may actually collaborate with white supremacy, without any public show of regret or reluctance. (In the United States, the feminine equivalent of an Uncle Tom is described as an "Aunt Jemima.") Over the 49-year history of Amandala (and Monday, August 13, is our 49th anniversary, incidentally,) I have written some things which at the time could have justifiably been described as "radical." In August of 2018, however, I do not believe that it would be radical to describe a Black person who insists on rejecting the teaching of African and Mayan history to Belize's children as an Uncle Tom.

So, it was not Sedi's words
As one who accompanied the Territorial Volunteers' historic expedition to the Sarstoon Island on Sunday, August 16, 2015, I don't consider the approach of our present Foreign Affairs Minister in a favorable light where his championing of the cause of Belize versus the Guatemalan claim is concerned. I think he is too nice, to the point of condescending and acquiescing to the Guatemalan efforts to present themselves as the "good guys" and ourselves, Belizeans, as the "bad guys." Aggressive Guatemalan armed forces and coast guard actions against Belizean citizens in the Sarstoon area are too often overlooked, or treated as minor matters, not warranting a complaint to the international media, even when the opportunity is presented to him at the OAS or UN General Assembly.

Belizeans tu daam suspicious
I spent my childhood in Belize City, my youth in Belmopan, and my adult life has been shared, some years at sea and most years in the countryside. Sports dominated my childhood and youth, up to the eve of my 18th birthday, when I put away my ferocious gene. Work has dominated my adulthood, as that great gift from God has dominated the lives of all fortunate people. I have worked for myself, I have worked for others. I've been an employer, I've been employed. I haven't been to all the cays but I've been to every city, town, and village in my country. I'm just saying that I have my experiences. My experiences don't make it gospel when I say that Belizeans are too daam suspicious. But I've seen Belize as much as anyone, and it is my opinion. Belizeans would have to suffer from genetic amnesia, if they didn't harbor a hefty helping of skepticism, suspicion about the world and strangers. Yap, it is natural that Belizeans carry the suspicion gene. Lord knows that our African (slaves) and Mayan ancestors should be wary.

British filmmaker Richard Foster's alleged killers arraigned
Police's investigation into the death of award-winning British filmmaker Richard Foster, 74, who was the owner of Savannah Guest House at Mile 28 � on George Price Highway, has led to the arrest of three men - Andrew Robert "Pinkie" Clarke, 31, of La Democracia; Derwin Lincoln "Big D" Jones, 26, of Cotton Tree and Harmonyville; and Edmond Anthony Pascascio, 23. They were arraigned on a charge of murder when they appeared today before Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser. She explained to them that she would not take a plea from them because the offence for which they were charged is indictable, which means that it can only be tried in the Supreme Court after a preliminary inquiry is held to determine if there is enough evidence to send the case up to the Supreme Court for trial.

Puma Coral Grove Gas Station jacked: 2 arrested
Two gas attendants working at the PUMA Coral Grove Gas Station at Mile 2 on the Philip Goldson Highway were held up and robbed by two bandits who escaped with some cash and a number of cheques. Police who responded to a report about the robbery, chased a car in which two men were traveling, and when they stopped the car, they found a loaded 9mm pistol in the men's possession. The men were arrested and charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, which were also found in the vehicle.

Corozal branch of Quality Poultry burglarized; over $5,000 stolen
The Corozal Town branch of Quality Poultry Products was burglarized sometime last night by a thief or thieves who got away with $5,000 cash, $500 in gift certificates and about 15 cheques. Police told us that the culprits gained entry into the office by cutting the padlocks on the front shutters of the building, after which they opened the shutters and had easy access into the building, The manager of the Corozal branch of the company told police that at about 5:00 last evening, at the end of the workday, he and the staff locked the building and went home, but when they arrived at their workplace this morning, they found the locks on the shutters cut, and realized that the office had been broken into.

Man saved by police from being chopped up
A Hispanic man was saved from further injury from a machete-wielding man who was attacking him by a policeman who was in the area and saw the attack. The officer fired a warning shot, causing the machete-man to stop. He was then arrested. The incident occurred at about 5:00 Saturday evening near Benny's apartment complex on the Philip Goldson Highway. Police reported that two men became involved in an altercation that led to a fight. One of the men pulled out a machete and chopped the other man on his right arm, and was about to chop him again when the police officer fired the warning shot.

The Reporter

Darnell Mossiah, ASSAULTED REFEREE, NOW CHARGED & BANNED FOR 5 yrs.
Darnell Mossiah, a football player who two days ago punched referee Yuri Daniels after she issued him a red card during a game, was formally arraigned on a charge of Wounding this morning at the Corozal Magistrate's Court. He pleaded guilty and was fined $2000. In addition, he has been banned from all National Sport Council stadiums and facilities for five years. The National Sports Council, in a press release issued today, warned that "Any club or organisation who violates this ban in turn may find disciplinary sanctions brought against them."

EDITORIAL
Belize will have no trouble at all destroying the Guatemalan myth that she inherited and now owns the land in Belize from the Sibun River to the Sarstoon when the case comes up before the ICJ. All we have to do is show that there isa long-standing treaty defining the Belizeborders with Guatemala. . Belize does not have one treaty. We have two. The 1859 Treaty signed between Britainand Guatemala is the first. The Exchange ofNotes, signed on August 26, 1931 is the second.

CITCO BLAMES NICH AFTER MUNICIPAL BRAM CANCELLED
The usual September bram that follows the September Tenth parade every year will not take place this year, and the Belize City Council says it is all the fault of NICH, which cut its September Celebrations budget. Deputy Mayor, Oscar Arnold told reporters today that the city's budget, which NICH provides to each municipality to carry out their individual calendar of events, was cut this year by 20 percent.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

United Women's Group condemn attack against female referee
Today, the United Women's group (UWG), the women's arm of the People's United Party, issued a [�]

CITCO forced to cancel municipal fair due to budget cuts
Today, the Belize City council (CITCO) issued a release clarifying their reasons for the cancellation of [�]

Financial intelligence unit informs of fraud alert
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) today informed that it has been made aware of numerous [�]

UDP women demand justice for referee who was attacked
The women's arm of the United Democratic Party (UDP) issued a release today expressing [�]

Fair weather to continue
The 24-hour forecast is for mostly fair and warm weather to continue with sunny [�]

Over 90,000 Belizeans have re-registered
Today, the Elections and Boundaries Department issued an update on the ongoing 2018 Re-registration [�]

Accused Guatemalan murderers may be in Belize
Two Guatemalans accused of kidnapping and murdering a taxi operator and a money changer [�]

Blogs

Beachside Caribbean Real Estate Is More Affordable Than You Might Think In Belize
There's barely been a better time to look at the beachside real estate market in beautiful Belize. Prices have been dropping for the past year or two, making more homes affordable no matter what your budget, whether you intend to rent or buy. And while many prefer to rent (at least at first), another great benefit of Belize is that it allows foreigners to own land and property outright-even beachfront. So, what kind of property can you expect to get, and what can you expect to pay? Here are some examples of homes both for sale and for rent�

Eco Kids Camp 2018 Day 7: Belizean Wildlife & Final Farewell
The Eco Kids Summer Camp has once again come to an end. Thanks, Chaa Creek, for once again sponsoring an amazingly educational Summer camp! "What an incredible a week of camp we've had. Huge thank you to everyone who contributed towards the success of Eco Kids camp 2018, until next time! Bringing along birds that classify as raptors, you can bet that sharp claws, giant wings and menacing eyes instantly got everyone's attention. Getting the chance to touch and hold wings and Taxidermied birds, excitement quickly filled the air. Another topic of conversation that morning was the epic ECOLYMPICS!

This Gorgeous District is Belize's Most Overlooked Destination
Located far in the southern part of the country, Toledo District is the least visited of Belize's six districts. Yet this lovely stretch of lush rainforests and coastal lowland plains between Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea has a lot to offer for visitors. Toledo District is sparsely populated, home to around 10% of the people in Belize, but it is where a variety of different cultures can be found, including many of the living descendants of the ancient Maya people who built the cities of Lubaantun and Nim Li Punit. Other cultures represented in Toledo District include Mennonite farmers, Mestizos, Creoles, Garifuna, East Indians, and descendants of a band of Confederate soldiers who emigrated here following the American Civil War. Toledo District is primarily an agricultural district. Cacao, the base ingredient for chocolate, has been grown in Toledo for thousands of years. Today, chocolatiers such as Ixcaca, T'Chil, and Green & Black continue this rich tradition, producing fine chocolate products that are exported around the world. Many cacao farms host tours and workshops where visitors can learn to make their own chocolate.

The Importance of The Battle of St. George's Caye Day
Every year on September 10, the nation of Belize celebrates a brief encounter at sea in 1798 that forever changed the course of history in Central America. With no gold reserves and a mainland composed primarily of thick jungle and rainforest, Belize was only sporadically occupied by Spanish forces in the 17th century. A combination of the tropical climate and a fiercely resistant Maya population resisted colonization. The first European settlers were primarily loggers and former pirates from England who inhabited the coastal region. Beginning on September 3, a doughty band of English loggers with maritime support from a small British fleet based out of Jamaica took on the Spanish in the waters around St. George'sCaye, an island located just a few miles offshore from modern-day Belize City. Despite overwhelming navel superiority, the British prevailed on September 10, 1798, in the Battle of St. George's Caye, and Belize remained a British colony known as British Honduras until 1974. Today, Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America directly as a result of that historic naval battle.

Why Every Traveler Should Go Ziplining in Belize
What is zip lining? In its simplest form, it is the closest thing that most people will ever get to flying. Guided by sturdy steel cables attached to trees, participants "zip" through the jungle canopy, a unique opportunity to see the environment from a truly bird's eye perspective. Climbing up to the first platform and then stepping off into the unknown is guaranteed to get your heart racing, but zip lining is actually one of the safest activities that you can enjoy in the jungle. Securely fastened to a harness and sailing along a thick steel cable eliminates all of the risks but absolutely none of the fun. There's simply nothing comparable to feeling the wind rush in your hair as you let gravity carry you along at high speed through the air.

Decoding the Secrets of the Belize ATM Cave
One of the most mysterious archeological sites on the planet is located deep within the jungles of Belize. Now known as Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, this vast underground labyrinth was abandoned and forgotten about for more than 1,000 years. Only accidentally rediscovered in the 1980s, the cave is proving to be a treasure trove of information not just about the ancient Maya but also about climate change. It's easy to see why the Spanish and other European colonizers failed to find ATM Cave. The only way to get in is to swim across a spring-fed pool, navigate an underground river, and descend more than 400 meters (a quarter of a mile) beneath the surface. But once inside, a grand treasure revealed itself, an enormous stone sepulcher carved by ancient Maya priests out of the natural rock.

Fascinating Facts About the Lost City of Xunantunich
Thousands of years ago, the Maya empire stretched from Mexico in the north down to El Salvador in the south. They built enormous stone cities in the middle of the jungle, only to abandon them around the year 900 AD for reasons still unknown to modern archeologists. One of the largest Maya cities ever built, now called Xunantunich, was lost for centuries until it was discovered by accident when a villager in Belize came across a ghost of an ancient Maya maiden in the 1890s. At the time, Belize was still a British colony, and so an expedition set out from the capital to explore the villager's stories. They then discovered the site of Xunantunich, a Maya term meaning "stone woman". Xunantunich is unique in that it is the oldest continuously excavated Maya site in the country. One of the biggest and most impressive Maya buildings ever found was discovered in Xunantunich. Known as "El Castillo" (The Castle), it is covered in elaborately carved friezes, and remains the second-tallest tallest man-made structures in Belize. One of the figures carved on El Castillo is a three-dimensional seated person that may be the woman that the villager saw when he stumbled upon the site.

Is Belize A "Top Spot" For Retirees? Come See For Yourself
Of course, Belize has been on the retirement radar for years now, with the success stories of retirees who made the move inspiring others to consider it for themselves. And with the Belize government's Qualified Retired Person's program offering generous incentives such as exemption from "the payment of all taxes and duties on all income or receipts which accrue to him or her from a source outside of Belize," moving to Belize sounds more attractive all the time. The close proximity to North America - and by extension, the UK and Europe - combined with an increase in the number of airlines and routes servicing Belize, makes getting back and forth and keeping in touch with family and friends easier than ever. And something about living in a tropical paradise makes visiting grandma and grandpa even more attractive.

Belize Banking and ATM Fees
Some ATM operators apply a surcharge (or convenience fee) to use their banking machine if you do not have an account with their financial institution. The banking machine notifies you when they apply a convenience fee. The notice will appear on the screen before you complete your transaction, giving you the choice to proceed or not. This convenience fee is not a fee from your bank, but rather from the bank that provides the terminal. (All fees listed below are in Belize currency - unless otherwise stated.)

International Sourcesizz

Scuba Diving Magazine's 2018 Underwater Photo Contest Winners
The underwater photo contest continues to be one of our favorite issues to produce here at Scuba Diving magazine. With this year's reader photo contest, you've done it again - completely blown us away. For the 14th year, we've asked underwater photographers of all skill levels to submit their best work to the Through Your Lens photography competition, and we marvel at how many beautiful images you all have shared. Pick a photo -any photo - and it could have been a contender; imagine how we felt trying to narrow them down from more than 2,100 entries to the dozen or so winners you see here.

Hayfield Spanish students experience Belize culture
This past June ten Hayfield Spanish students traveled to Belize to experience the Mayan culture, learn from the local Belizeans, and speak a little Spanish. The students, along with two Moms and their teacher, flew from Minneapolis to Dallas and finally to Belize City. The first two nights were spent in the Lamanai region of Belize where we took a boat ride to the Lamanai Ruins, saw lots of wildlife, played soccer with neighboring villagers, drank from coconuts and helped local researchers catch crocodiles. We then traveled by bus to San Ignacio where we learned survival skills in the rainforest. Though we learned what foods a person can and cannot eat in the wild, we did not fare so well against the bugs and were eaten alive!

Sanibel Sea School hosts expedition to Belize
Sanibel Sea School campers recently embarked on a 10-day expedition to Belize. Participants ages 15-18 spent three days in the rainforest before venturing to a field station on South Water Caye to explore the Belize Barrier Reef and its surrounding habitats. Belize is a small Caribbean nation in Central America. Upon arrival, the group boarded a bus for the six-hour ride to Blue Creek, a small Mayan village near the country's southern border. They stayed in rustic accommodations and learned about the plants, animals and people that call the area home. "A local shaman led us on a hike through the forest and showed us the plants traditionally used to treat different ailments, such as snake bites, dizziness and fever," Emily Roudebush said.

Belize adventure inspires APA teacher
From jaguars to Mayan ruins to stargazing on a tropical island, Parrott Academy teacher Karen Barker joined 11 other intrepid science teachers for a week-long Tropical Ecology Institute in Belize. Sponsored by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, this institute immersed A.P. Environmental Science teacher Barker in the ecology of the tropics. Accompanied by two Belize educators, Barker and her colleagues were able to snorkel on one of the largest barrier reefs in the world. Canoeing down the Macal River, they observed a variety of tropical plants and animals. One night was spent in a jaguar preserve, created in 1984 as a model of conservation management for the large cats native to Belize. "We also visited the Belize Zoo and were honored to meet Sharon Matola, the zoo's founder, who took us on a special director's tour of the facility," Barker commented.

Videos

  • Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM), 24min. Froyla Tzalam, Executive Director, Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) was our first guest to talk about Maya Land Rights and other current issues

  • Maya Heroes Day Sept. 1, 1min. Presented by the Northern Maya Association of Belize

  • JZA Belize Anniversary Coral Reefs, 9.5min.

  • Belize 2018, 2.5min. 2 weeks in Belize city and San Pedro island had a lot of fun in those beautiful landscape and insane Secret beach Enjoy !

  • 2 murders 1 night in Belmopan, Foster Murderers arrested, Rise & Shine, 90min.

  • Baby shark follows scuba divers like a lost puppy, 1.5min. Scuba divers returning from a deep dive in Belize were making their way along the shallow grass bed to their dive boat. As they finished their dive, they met up with an adorable baby nurse shark who approached them much like a lost puppy. It paused and looked right at divemaster, Danny, waiting at his fins as if he would issue a command or dish out a treat. When he began to swim away, the shark moved under him as if it wanted something and he couldn't resist the urge to give it a little scratch on the back. As the divers continued, the baby shark followed along as if hew were a stray looking to be adopted by a family. It swam under Dave and seemed to be looking for attention.

  • BELIZE SPRING BREAK!!!, 4.5min. We went to Belize for spring break and it was incredible! One of the most beautiful countries on earth also has some of the nicest locals and greatest outdoor activities!

  • Belize Travels | Part 1, 10min. Join us as we travel to the amazing Belize for our 1 year Wedding Anniversary.

  • Never Kayaking With Her Again, 5min. Pause, but did y'all hear her say that she rather do water activities with the entire family around so that if there was a shark she wouldn't get eaten first???! Smh. Triflingggg. The only time I wasn't doing all of the work in that kayak, is the couple of minutes I was recording us out there! I promise, haha I did ALL of the work!! All she did was panic, complain, and call me names Never go kayaking with this girl again. Also, some minor alcoholism, featuring the family.

  • Dog attack by crocodile in belize, 1min.

  • Police Check Point Only, 60min.


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