The European Union has contributed six million dollars to the Office of the O.A.S. in the Belize/Guatemala Adjacency Zone. The funds will be used to support the O.A.S. in its ongoing work to maintain peace between Belize and Guatemala through its verification exercises and cultural investments. A cooperation agreement was signed today at the Office of the O.A.S. out west. Representatives from the European Union, ambassadors from both Belize and Guatemala, as well as the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amalia Mai was present. C.E.O Mai described the E.U’s financial support as a lifeline for the project.
Amalia Mai
Amalia Mai, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“I always have to recognize that they have gone far beyond the issue of verification. They have now included the cultural aspect, the peace aspect has always been there. But I have found that the trainings being conducted here through grants have been extremely good for both communities on both sides of the adjacency zone. You have extended a lifeline for this project and I can only know and recognize what you said earlier that after the ruling of the court the project takes a new fashion and I am also very happy that you recognize that we will keep knocking at doors for the demarcation of our borders. That will have to come. You cannot have a court ruling and not be ready for that. So we have to prepare for that. We have to prepare our friends for that moment. I think it is going to be we estimate sometime next year after the oral hearings which we don’t have a date but we believe it will be sometime in the first quarter of next year we should have a decision from the I.C.J. I think on both sides of the fence we have done the right thing. I can’t speak for Guatemala but I think we recognize the referendum, taking this issue to the international Court for a definitive solution has been the right move but both governments from the Guatemala and from Belize. The process was emotional and extensive at times but both populations decided that going to the I.C.J. is the right thing.”
We also heard from Marianne Van Steen, the Ambassador of the European Union to Belize. She explained why the E.U. continues to back the work of the O.A.S. financially. Ambassador Van Steen lauded the decision taken by both Belize and Guatemala to place the border dispute in the hands of the International Court of Justice. She noted that funds will aid the work of the O.A.S. for the next three years which will likely extend beyond the time the I.C.J. hands down it decision on the border dispute.
Marianne Van Steen
Marianne Van Steen, E.U. Ambassador to Belize
“Everytime I go back and I am explaing to my colleagues in my office and in Brussels that this is exactly the kind of project we should be supporting and we should continue to support because it is all about peace and conflict prevention and peace has always been at the core of the European Union. We have seen the important work that has been done by the mission here in the adjacency zone and the uncertainty of the border between Belize and Guatemala could indeed lead to tensions and that is exactly what we don’t want and why we are supporting this project. Let me express here again the E.U.’s appreciation of the decision taken by the two countries, by Guatemala by Belize to have agreed to ask the international Court of Justice to examine the matter to commit to its ruling once established and to have initiated under the guidance under the compliment of the O.A.S., a political diplomatic process of coming closer together, dialoguing, talking to each other whenever that appears necessary and useful. I very much hope this project is going to be the last one. We are very much expecting that the ICJ will issue its judgment within a year from now. I think that is more or less within our perspective and that will not end the work that has been done. We will continue here for another three years.”
In the bustling halls of Toledo Community College, a transformative movement is underway. Students and faculty have joined forces to tackle one of society’s most pressing issues: bullying. Through an innovative approach to competency-based learning, Toledo Community College is rewriting the narrative on preventing bullying. Sabreena Daly tells us more in this week’s Look on The Bright Side.
Jeremiah Logan
Jeremiah Logan, Student, Toledo Community College
“I believe a bully is someone who doesn’t love themselves to a certain extent that they want to hurt you. They want to make you feel bad about yourself. If you’re a bully, then you’re always going to try to do negative things. Sometimes people who are bullies are people who have low self esteem, who are being treated badly, probably at home, and they don’t know how to control themselves. So they go on, you know, they bully others to get that comfort.”
Jeremiah Logan is a proud member of this year’s graduating class at Toledo Community College. Known for his easygoing nature, he holds kindness and humility as core values. Ironically, these very qualities made him a target for bullies.
Jeremiah Logan
“Well, my experience is that, you know, um, because I’m a male, people would expect me to, as they say something to me, I would be a bit more rowdy with them, but I walk away. So, for these reasons People think I’m kind of soft, I’m weak, or so, but I try to, you know, be more, be more on the upper side and not to engage myself with any kind of conflict.”
A similar experience was shared by Lynel Arzu, also a member of this year’s graduating class. Bullies targeted her because of her skin color.
Lynel Arzu
Lynel Arzu, Student, Toledo Community College
“My experience with bullying I would say is that I was a part of being discriminated against because of my skin color. It was something hard to deal with because there wasn’t much of my skin color where I used to live. So it was really hard fitting in. And I remember I used to try to go out of my way to make myself be seen or heard because no one really wanted to listen to me or hear my ideas, which were very brilliant. They would always say, Oh, you’re not smart. You’re black. You look like a monkey.”
T.C.C. has a population of over seven hundred students. Vice Principal Joanna Monk explains that while the wellness center and counselors educate students on STIs, teenage pregnancy, bullying, and mental health, she collaborates with parents to address significant student issues.
Joanna Monk
Joanna Monk, Vice Principal, Student Affairs, Toledo Community College
“They come to me when we have, you know, much larger issues that we need to address so we have to reach out to our parents, to solve difficulties that students are having, so we work hand in hand. Now, the Wellness Centre, our counselors, they also do a lot of education on pertinent social issues affecting teenagers; STIs, teenage pregnancy, bullying, you know, mental health awareness, all those things that they are also responsible for engaging students in. I’ve noticed that it’s a post-pandemic issue, particularly the amount of online cyber bullying has increased substantially since the pandemic. I think it was always, if you’re, if you’re my age, you always remember that there was somebody who was trying to steal your money or shove you around, and that was the bullying that we dealt with. But this is very different because this is saying horrible things about people, derogatory things. that really have an impact on people’s mental health.”
The Ministry of Education, through its competency-based curriculum, champions innovative approaches to education, promising a more impactful learning experience. Althea Sanchez is an English teacher who challenges her students to confront bullying.
Althea Sanchez
Althea Sanchez, English Teacher, Toledo Community College “We were discussing a new topic, persuasive writing, and we were talking about the three appeals, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, and I wanted a project that highlighted the students’ creativity, and also highlighted a social issue that many of our students were facing. And at the time, a lot of bullying videos were coming about, and other scenarios were coming about, and other situations, and I thought we needed something to highlight that issue, especially with our students because they experience it. I said it would be a perfect time to actually showcase that. And send a message out to the school population that bullying is not okay.”
These three persuasive appeals are often used together to create compelling arguments and effectively influence the audience’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
Jeremiah Logan
“We did ethos, pathos, and logos, whereby the ethos is based upon your character, the pathos is based upon your emotions, and the logos is based upon facts and data.Based upon someone’s character that causes you to want to bully them and your emotions is how you respond to the bullying if you’re aggressive towards it if you’re passive or so and the logos is based upon the facts like if you go and start a problem, some people you would say they fight fire with fire and then they have some whereby they would just walk away. So the outcome of our video was that the person got sent to the principal’s office where they got either expelled or suspended. And then they have in the other videos where the outcome of the bullying was death or suicide or depression or so.”
The assignment proved effective, as the students understood the concept being shared. But what Sanchez did not expect was how moved she would be by the message.
Althea Sanchez
“They were very emotional for me when I watched them. I myself was a student of T.C.C. and I was bullied also. So to see them actually highlighting different aspects of bullying and the fact that they themselves were victims of it really resonated with me and the fact that they and the teachers threw themselves into this project, and they did so excellent, Iit was emotional. It was captivating, and you can see the message being important. I brought it to the attention of our VPSS, Ms. Joanna Monk, the idea I had, and I told her that since we have a Facebook page, I would love if we can showcase the students projects on our Facebook page, to show it on social media, to have the wider population view it and see that you’re not alone when it comes to bullying, and everyone experiences bullying at some level, and there’s ways that you can actually mitigate that.”
Joanna Monk “When I saw the videos, I was so impressed that they really, there was one of them that actually gave me shivers when I saw it. That these are issues that are actually impacting students. And that it’s something we have to absolutely address. We have to identify where students are being bullied, how they’re being bullied, and how we address it.”
The activity provided an opportunity for students to simulate bullying, as well as its effects on victims. The students feel that they’ve created a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Sabreena Daly
“What do you think will be the impact of this project that they carried out?”
Althea Sancez
“I think it links back to the competency base that we’re doing now with the new curriculum. And it’s all about authentic, realistic, showing the kids that you can go beyond the classroom. And that’s what I wanted to showcase with our kids that shows your competency. You have collaboration, you have digital literacy, you have communication, and all of that, I think it works perfectly with what the ministry has aligned for us.”
Sabreena Daly
“So now that you are graduating from the school, a school that has sent a strong message against bullying, how do you feel?”
Lynel Arzu
“I’m so, I’m filled with joy. I actually am because bullying is nothing nice.”
Jeremiah Logan
“Hopefully this helps someone. Hopefully this changes someone’s mentality towards someone else. So I believe we left a great impact and hopefully there’s better to come.”
Last week, Belize’s U18/U20 athletes travelled to Costa Rica to compete in several sporting events. During the two-day event, the athletes won several medals.
In the U-20 category, Kali Magana, the reigning Central American 400m champion, continued her reign by winning both the 800m (2:19.82) and 400m (56.06) events. In the U-18 division, Jouvann Morgan impressed with two medals in the long and triple jumps, achieving a personal best of 5.85m in the long jump (bronze) and a personal record of 13.36m in the triple jump (silver).
Dario Crunckshanck secured a bronze in the high jump with a personal record of 1.85m, while Summer Francis earned a bronze in the U18 shot put with a new personal best of 10.24m. Other notable performances included Ruper Cardinez’s personal best of 11.25 in the 100m finals, Kamron Gentel’s personal records of 11.39 in the 100m and 23.13 in the 200m, and Aquile Flores’ 200m personal record of 23.80.
Nathan Pettingale set a new personal record in the javelin with a throw of 40.73m, finishing 4th, while Elvis Guzman’s 41.33m throw in the U20 javelin earned him 8th place in the finals. Emiain Sandoval reached the finals in the U18 100m with a personal record of 13.23, and Tamiai Bennett cleared 1.40m in the high jump for 7th place.
NOAA National Weather Service forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.
NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges.
The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation.
A summary infographic showing hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms predicted from NOAA’s 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. (Image credit: NOAA)
“With another active hurricane season approaching, NOAA’s commitment to keeping every American informed with life-saving information is unwavering,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “AI-enabled language translations and a new depiction of inland wind threats in the forecast cone are just two examples of the proactive steps our agency is taking to meet our mission of saving lives and protecting property.”
“Severe weather and emergencies can happen at any moment, which is why individuals and communities need to be prepared today,” said FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks. “Already, we are seeing storms move across the country that can bring additional hazards like tornadoes, flooding and hail. Taking a proactive approach to our increasingly challenging climate landscape today can make a difference in how people can recover tomorrow.”
A summary graphic showing an alphabetical list of the 2024 Atlantic tropical cyclone names as selected by the World Meteorological Organization. The official start of the Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 and runs through November 30. (Image credit: NOAA)
As one of the strongest El Ninos ever observed nears its end, NOAA scientists predict a quick transition to La Nina conditions, which are conducive to Atlantic hurricane activity because La Nina tends to lessen wind shear in the tropics. At the same time, abundant oceanic heat content in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea creates more energy to fuel storm development.
This hurricane season also features the potential for an above-normal west African monsoon, which can produce African easterly waves that seed some of the strongest and longer-lived Atlantic storms. Finally, light trade winds allow hurricanes to grow in strength without the disruption of strong wind shear,and also minimize ocean cooling. Human-caused climate change is warming our ocean globally and in the Atlantic basin, and melting ice on land, leading to sea level rise, which increases the risk of storm surge. Sea level rise represents a clear human influence on the damage potential from a given hurricane.
A stage collapse caused by strong winds at a campaign rally in San Pedro Garza García, Mexico, resulted in nine deaths and 121 injuries. Candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez was present but uninjured. Governor Samuel García Sepúlveda pledged to cover funeral and hospital costs for the victims, including a minor who died.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday was captured on video, showed a sudden gust causing the stage to fall, injuring many. Videos shared on social media showed the moment a strong gust caused the stage to collapse. Álvarez Máynez and his team can be seen running for cover as the structure, which included a large video screen, falls onto the stage and part of the audience area. Footage taken in the aftermath of the accident shows a large number of emergency vehicles at the scene, their lights flashing in the darkness, as injured people are carried away. The area was cordoned off and guarded by heavily armed security personnel.
Álvarez Máynez has suspended his campaign to focus on the victims.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed condolences and urged an investigation. The accident occurred amid preparations for Mexico’s largest election on June 2, marked by significant political violence, with 28 candidates attacked and 16 killed this year. The presidential race features two leading female candidates, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Gálvez.
Pope Francis has attributed a second miracle to Carlo Acutis, moving him closer to canonization, the Vatican announced on Thursday.
Carlo Acutis, often referred to as the patron saint of the internet among Roman Catholics, passed away from leukaemia at the age of 15 in 2006. Known for his computer skills, Carlo used the internet to share his faith.
After his death, Antonia Acutis received messages from people worldwide claiming medical miracles, such as cures for infertility and cancer, after praying to Carlo.
Carlo’s path to sainthood began in 2020, when the Diocese of Assisi petitioned the Vatican. In February of that year, Pope Francis attributed the healing of a boy with a malformed pancreas to Carlo, marking his beatification. For canonization, a second miracle was required.
The second recognised miracle involves a woman from Costa Rica named Liliana, who prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi on July 8, 2022. Liliana’s daughter Valeria had suffered severe head trauma from a bicycle accident in Florence on July 2. She required critical brain surgery with a low survival chance. Liliana’s secretary began praying to Blessed Carlo, and Liliana herself made a pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb. That same day, Valeria began breathing spontaneously, followed by improvements in movement and speech. A CAT scan on July 18 showed the haemorrhage had disappeared, and Valeria was moved to rehabilitation on August 11. On September 2, Liliana and Valeria returned to Assisi to thank Blessed Carlo.
Wildfires have destroyed more than six hundred acres of farmland in Toledo District over the past three weeks. An initial damage assessment conducted by the National Emergency Management Organization estimates over three million dollars in losses. More than two hundred families have been affected, the equivalent of just under a thousand residents. They describe these events as the worst they have seen in their lifetime. Compounding the challenges brought on by wildfires is an extensive period of drought and little to no access to water in some villages. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled to Toledo today. He filed the following reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Over six hundred acres of farmland, in addition to a vast expanse of forest, have been destroyed by wildfire in Toledo District.
Novelo Chiac
Novelo Chiac, Blue Creek Village Resident
“That is our, that is where we get our food and we call it our home because we get our lumber there and stuff for our house.”
This is Novelo Chiac, a resident of Blue Creek Village in Toledo District. For the past two weeks, wildfires have been burning through his community.
Novelo Chiac
“Last week Friday the fire reached close to neighbors on this side and we couldn’t find no help.”
Paul Lopez
“Is this the worst you have ever seen?”
Novelo Chiac
“This is the worst one, yeah.”
Wildfires are not uncommon in these parts at this time of year. But increased temperatures, coupled with the absence of rainfall for more than a month, have led to a wildfire fire crisis in Toledo. We came across a brushfire that was growing quickly on a hillside in Blue Creek. Most of the hilly terrain in this community is covered with lush rainforest. At the foot of this hill, one family was on high alert as the fire threatened to destroy their life’s work.
Voice of: Nelson
Voice of: Nelson, Blue Creek Resident
“This has been an area that my dad has invested in. You can see a lot of cacao trees, coconut trees. So what I went and did earlier was try to create a little path as close as I can to it so that in case it reaches down we have our little spray pump there, assuming that it wouldn’t get as big as how it is in other areas around that side.”
Nelson and his family have already lost four acres of corn and two acres of pepitos to this year’s wildfires. Government trucks deliver water to communities in the area almost on a daily basis for general use due to limited water access caused by the drought. Creeks have dried up. River levels are at an all-time low. With limited access, villagers who come together to fight fires are required to travel long distances to fetch and carry water in buckets and gallon bottles.
Voice of: Nelson
“It is a little hard because it is dry, everything is dry but we are trying to salvage what we can because this is the daily livelihood of us here in the village and we rely on this house. This thatch house, it may look small and thing but that is somebody’s home and that is where somebody is living but it means a lot to them.”
West of Blue Creek lies Santa Cruz Village. Both communities are separated by the flaming hills. Francisco and his family live in the village on of top a hill that provides a panoramic view of the smoke-filled horizon and scorched earth. Overwhelmed by the smoke in the air, Francisco has had to relocate his wife and children several times over the past few weeks. His experience has been similar to that of his neighbors.
Voice of: Francisco
Voice of: Francisco, Santa Cruz Village Resident
“Deh same farm pumps we use to do chemicals in the farm and the five gallons to go for water wherever we could find water source. We don’t have specific like the water system is down foe the moment, not down to say that it is not working but we are out of water under the ground so we don’t have that much availability of water anywhere around close.”
It has been established that most of the communities in Toledo live off the land. And for decades, farmers have been practicing slash and burn, a method used to clear forested land for farming. Ironically, this traditional method, practiced by villagers, is believed to be one of the root causes of the fires that are leveling farms in the village. There is now a growing call for safer agricultural practices and stricter penalties for law breakers.
Voice of: Francisco
“To me that is something that could be dealt with with some type of care. The thing is with slash and burn is that we as the farmers we depend on those and that is our main source of food. Without those, if we can’t do that then we can’t plant crop this year. I think the solution to that is when there is slash and burn it shouldn’t just be one person out there to do the slash and burn we need to ensure there is enough water around and man to out the fire if it goes out and off thr limit. And before that we need to make sure we do the fire pass around it and make sure it is wide enough not to pass the fire to the other side.”
Voice of: Nelson
“I would hope that out leaders would come together just like they did for the COVID19 regulations and implement it and be strict about it. We are destroying this environment. What will we have for the future?”
The National Emergency Management Organization activated its operations last Thursday in Toledo District. Since then, NEMO has been partnering with Belize Defense Force soldiers to deploy aid and assist residents in putting out fires. According to NEMO officials, teams are being deployed to various communities on a regular basis. By their account, firefighting efforts run past midnight most days. NEMO’s National Coordinator Daniel Mendez and Oscar Requena, the Area Representative for Toledo West, held a press conference this morning in Machaca to provide an update on the efforts. There, Requena announced that Prime Minister John Briceno would be joining them on a flyover of the affected areas this afternoon.
Oscar Requena
Oscar Requena , Area Representative, Toledo West
“Right now it is really to get on the ground to see first hand what is happening to get a thorough assessment and evaluation and really to quantify the damage so as to be able to put together in place a plan to address the needs both short term and long term. Today the Prime Minister is going myself, Minister Perez, along with captain Mendez and other fire experts and NEMO personnel to get a first hand view of what the situation looks like, because as you are aware the Prime Minister was out of the country I believe he came in yesterday. So certainly we are all working together, all the Government agencies and even our partners and stakeholders are working together so that we can respond adequately to the situation on the ground. Fire continues to be a major problem every year in the Toledo District. I think this year has been the worst we have ever seen and certainly moving forward we need to find a way to put in place a very viable plan. A community based plan together with the Government agencies and all stakeholders to ensure that as much as possible this kind to occurrence is mitigated as much as possible.”
NEMO representatives and Area Representative Oscar Requena were also asked about growing concerns over the use of slash and burn practices by farmers. One reporter questioned what will be done by authorities to penalize farmers who act with a degree of negligence. NEMO says its priority is to first put out fires and provide aid for those affected. Requena says, it is time for farmers to revisit the issue of burning.
Reporter
“Not to point fingers at anybody but the reality in Toledo is that some of these fires are caused by humans, negligence, is the organization doing anything to find out who are these individuals and what will be done to avoid this from happening again?”
Kenton Parham
Kenton Parham, Toledo Coordinator, NEMO
“At this stage our priority is trying to contain and suppress the fire and look at the impact to farmers. If an agency wants to pick that up later on they might. I don’t know if that is something that might be very difficult to pinpoint on who but our focus is on suppressing the fires and getting aid to the affected population as quickly as possible after the assessments are done.”
Oscar Requena
Oscar Requena, Area Representative, Toledo West
“I am aware that there have been instances where it is actually people going in and lighting. What has to be done, and I agree with Mr. Parham, at this point the focus is on trying to contain the fires, trying to be as supportive to the community out there but we cannot overlook that side of the equation in that as community members we have to be more responsible in how we deal with fires. There are clear regulations in terms of what farmers must do when they go and light a fire. They have to create a fire pass. They have to ensure they inform the Ministry of Agriculture. They have to pick certain time to light the fire. They have to make sure they have enough help in order to contain the fire in the event it escapes. But really what has happened, to be honest, we have not seen enforcement of the regulations. I think the time has come for us as farmers, I am a farmer myself and I don’t burn, for years, I have over fifteen years of not burning and I think it is time for us as farmers to revisit the whole issue of burning.”
