August, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held in Dangriga, Commerce Bight Port Reopens

Belize is set to welcome a new port following a groundbreaking ceremony held on Friday, August 9, at the Commerce Bight Port. The project has been contentious since 2020, when the previous administration awarded Recological Services Limited a 25-year management contract, which the Briceño administration later cancelled.

Despite delays, the Briceño administration proposed transforming the site into a tourism hub. Investors, including Basilio Zabaneh, are expected to invest approximately sixty million dollars in the redevelopment of Commerce Bight Port.

At the ceremony, PM Briceño recalled, “I remember way back as early as probably as 2006, that the PUP, we made a commitment to Dangriga and to the people in the south that we are going to reopen Commerce Bight. Fast forward to today, as you know in December of last year we had to buy over the port of Belize, because no investments were being done.”

The port’s reopening is expected to create significant employment opportunities, with over 100 workers planned for the three-year construction phase and more than 60 full-time positions once it is completed. “We look forward to this project moving forward. All of us have collaborated on making this a reality. Certainly this will have a huge impact in terms of employment, in terms of quality of life,” stated Zabaneh.

“I believe that Belize is one of the few countries around the world, that we don’t monetize our waterways and seafront,” said Minister Anthony Mahler at the ceremony. “Commerce Bight was once the epicenter of commerce in this entire area, for agriculture, logging, cargo. Now, it is transitioning to what we are catering for these days. It’s transitioning to nautical tourism, which I strong believe, it is a sector of the tourism industry that we haven’t fully developed as yet,” he added.

The port will accommodate large vessels and cruise ships, aiming to enhance tourism, improve accessibility, and boost economic activity in southern Belize.

National Hurricane Center Monitors Potential Tropical Disturbance Five

The National Hurricane Center issues advisories on potential tropical cyclone Five. The disturbance is currently a few hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

There is a high chance of formation, with a 90 percent probability through both 48 hours and 7 days.

The next named storm for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will be Ernesto.

Training on Greenhouse Gas Reporting for Belize’s Transport Sector

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, through the National Climate Change Office (NCCO), hosted a three-day training on greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting for the transport sector in Belize from August 6th to 8th, 2024.

Supported by the Initiatives for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) and National Communication Biennial Transparency Report (NC/BTR) projects, the training aimed to enhance skills in monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of GHG emissions.

With the transport sector contributing 40% of Belize’s GHG emissions, the training was critical for effective emission management. Participants were provided with technical knowledge on the reporting process and necessary data collection to meet obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.

This training comes as Belize prepares its first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) to the UNFCCC.

Dr. Lorna McKay Endorsed as PUP’s Standard Bearer for Queen Square

The People’s United Party (PUP) is banking on Dr. Lorna McKay to flip Queen Square in favour of the ruling party. Denise ‘Sista B’ Barrow of the United Democratic Party is the current area representative. She does not plan to run again. Queen Square is considered a UDP stronghold.

PUP Leader, Prime Minister John Briceño, posted on Facebook, “The blue wave was strong in Queen Square as our Party leadership and supporters turned out for Dr. Lorna McKay’s endorsement convention. Dr. McKay is a career educator now seeking to elevate her community service to the national level as standard bearer for Queen Square.”

Dr. McKay was endorsed over the weekend, during a rally in Belize City. She said, “Today, my official endorsement for Standard Bearer for the PUP in the Queen Square Division kicked off. I promise to work hard to serve the community and make a meaningful difference in the lives of every resident.”

Dr. McKay is a career educator.

In 2023, Godwin Haylock was declared the new Queen Square standard bearer for the UDP.

Climate Risk Information System (CRIS) extends IDB-Funded Climate Data training in Belize

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, through the National Climate Change Office (NCCO), has extended its Climate Risk Information System (CRIS) training in Belize. This initiative, supported by the Ministry of Economic Development (MED), the University of Belize (UB), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), took place at the Jaguar Building in Belmopan. The training was funded by the IDB.

CRIS focuses on the collection, analysis, and dissemination of essential climate data. The recent training aimed to enhance the capabilities of agriculture field officers and other key stakeholders. It also provided important insights into the use of CRIS in the tourism and agriculture sectors, helping participants understand its practical applications.

The collaboration between NCCO and its partners aims to enhance climate resilience and sustainability in Belize. The training is designed to support informed decision-making and strengthen the country’s ability to manage climate-related challenges.

Shark Attack Survivor Annabelle Carlson Receiving Treatment in Miami

Annabelle Carlson, 15, from Aspen, Colorado, is now receiving medical care in her home country. The teenage girl was injured in a shark attack while scuba diving between Hot Caye and Halfmoon Caye in Belize.

Carlson was flown to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where she remains in paediatric intensive care and is scheduled for at least one more surgery on her leg.

A family friend launched a GoFundMe page to support Carlson’s recovery journey. The page said, “On a family vacation to Belize, Annabelle was scuba diving with a tour group and her family. After she was finished scuba diving and was on the boat, she jumped back into the water for a swim. That’s when the unimaginable encounter happened. The odds are 1 in 11.5 million that this could happen. That unimaginable encounter was a shark attack. It was a very aggressive, very traumatic, terror-filled fight for her life.”

It continued, “Annabelle was able to fight off the attack as best as she could but was critically injured in the fight. The emergency responders in Belize acted very quickly. She was airlifted by helicopter to a trauma medical center in Belize City. The quick action from the emergency response team in Belize saved her life. They were able to stabilise her, at which point she was medically flown to the United States and is currently receiving care at the top trauma center. Annabelle will have a very long road of recovery ahead of her.”

The GoFundMe page aims to fundraise its $250,000 USD goal. A total of $155,288 USD has been raised so far.

Caribbean Journalists Converge in Belize for CBU AGM, Media Awards

Belize is hosting this year’s Caribbean Broadcast Union’s 55th Annual General Assembly in Placencia from August 11–14. The keynote speaker is Belize’s Prime Minister, John Briceño. The AGM is being held under the theme ‘Media and the Environment’.

The opening ceremony takes place tonight at the Naia Resort and Spa and will be broadcast by Great Belize Productions (News 5). The 35th Caribbean Media Awards is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night at the same venue.

In 2024, the CBU Secretariat set a new record, receiving 484 submissions across 63 categories from 34 organisations representing 13 countries and territories in the Dutch, English, and Spanish Caribbean.

The single outlet with the highest number of nominations is Great Belize Productions Limited. GBPL’s television service, Channel 5, garnered twenty-five (25) nominations.

One of the sponsors of this year’s CBU award is the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The Centre is sponsoring seven climate change categories. “The CCCCC’s sponsorship underscores its commitment to promoting climate change education and advocacy through diverse media channels.”

“The CCCCC is proud to support these CBU awards to celebrate media excellence in climate change,” said Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director of the CCCCC. In addition to the awards, the CCCCC, in collaboration with the CBU, is hosting a regional media forum on climate change on August 12. This forum encourages more extensive coverage of climate issues, underscoring the media’s vital role in climate reporting. Participants for the forum began arriving in Belize on Saturday. On Sunday, the group travelled to Laughing Bird Caye off the coast of Placencia to familiarise themselves with the work that Fragments of Hope is doing, specifically coral restoration at different sites.

Fragments of Hope is a community-based organisation in Placencia, Belize, dedicated to the restoration of coral reef habitats and the sustainable management of associated ecosystems. They have been particularly successful in their efforts at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, where they have outplanted about 96,000 nursery-grown coral fragments.

Coral bleaching is a significant issue affecting reefs worldwide. It occurs when corals, stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn white and often leading to coral death. Fragments of Hope focusses on re-seeding reefs with resilient coral species to help them recover from such events.

Monique Vernon of Fragments of Hope told reporters that the organisation employs several methods to restore corals. “Right now, the one we are focussing on is using cement. We would mix cement. Put those in those ziploc bags and then we would have divers waiting for those with corals. Basically, it’s going and finding a sturdy area…there is a criteria how we go about selecting a site to restore. Once all of that is checked we go to that site and basically, we take the same cement, put it on a study dead coral and then we attach a live fragmented coral in that.” Monitoring efforts continue.

The Caribbean journalists also had the opportunity to snorkel and see first-hand the works of Fragments of Hope.

Belize Indigenous Groups Demand Climate Action on Indigenous Peoples Day

On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, August 9, 2024, the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Julian Cho Society have highlighted the resilience and contributions of Belize’s Indigenous communities. This year’s observance focuses on the Maya Q’eqchi, Mopan, Yucatec, and Garifuna Peoples, along with their organisations under the Belize National Indigenous Council (BENIC).

An official statement addressed the severe impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities in southern Belize. Recent forest fires in the Toledo and Cayo Districts, resulting in $8.4 million in damages, have disproportionately affected the Maya communities, despite their minimal contribution to climate change.

The Julian Cho Society and the Toledo Alcaldes Association launched a comprehensive relief initiative, which includes distributing 78,500 pounds of food, planting materials, and rebuilding three homes destroyed by the fires.

The organisations call for continued collaboration from the Government of Belize, civil society, and other stakeholders to support Indigenous communities effectively. They advocate for adherence to international standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to ensure no one is left behind.

CEPI and WHO Urge Expanded Research to Prepare for Future Pandemics

In a major call to action, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have urged global researchers and governments to broaden their research strategies in preparation of a possible next pandemic. The organizations, addressing the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlighted the need for a more inclusive research approach that not only targets individual high-risk pathogens but also explores entire families of pathogens that could potentially infect humans.

The new strategy, as outlined in the WHO R&D Blueprint for Epidemics report, emphasizes using prototype pathogens as a basis for developing comprehensive knowledge about various pathogen families. This approach aims to enhance global preparedness by creating broadly applicable tools and countermeasures that can be swiftly adapted to emerging threats. The report also stresses the importance of improving surveillance and research to better understand pathogen transmission, human infection mechanisms, and immune responses.

Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, emphasized the significance of this updated framework saying, ““WHO’s scientific framework for epidemic and pandemic research preparedness is a vital shift in how the world approaches countermeasure development, and one that is strongly supported by CEPI. As presented at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this framework will help steer and coordinate research into entire pathogen families, a strategy that aims to bolster the world’s ability to swiftly respond to unforeseen variants, emerging pathogens, zoonotic spillover, and unknown threats referred to as pathogen X.”

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized the need for a united global effort, stating, “History teaches us that the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. It also teaches us the importance of science and political resolve in blunting its impact.” He called for increased scientific and political resolve to tackle the impending threat, advocating for the establishment of Collaborative Open Research Consortiums (CORCs) to facilitate global research collaboration. These CORCs will focus on each pathogen family and involve researchers, developers, and funders worldwide, particularly from regions where these pathogens are likely to emerge.

Pakistani National Charged in Foiled Plot Against Trump and U.S. Officials

A Pakistani national with alleged links to Iran has been charged in connection with a plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump and other public officials, according to a federal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn. Asif Merchant, 46, was arrested on July 12, one day before Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The complaint reveals that Merchant, who had traveled from Pakistan after spending time in Iran, sought to hire hitmen to execute the plan.

Merchant reportedly engaged a confidential FBI informant, believing the person to be a potential accomplice. The FBI subsequently foiled the plot, arresting Merchant before he could carry out the murders or leave the country. Merchant faces charges of murder for hire.

The Justice Department has emphasized its commitment to countering threats from Iran, following heightened concerns over potential retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Merchant allegedly sought around 25 individuals to stage a protest as a distraction and arranged to pay $5,000 as an advance on the planned assassinations, reports CNN.

Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis praised the FBI’s efforts in preventing what could have been a devastating attack, while Attorney General Merrick Garland reaffirmed the U.S. government’s resolve to protect its officials from international threats.