2024 - Channel 5 Belize

US Funding Bill Bans U.S. Embassies from Flying Pride

Embedded within the extensive government funding package signed by President Biden on Saturday is a provision prohibiting the flying of LGBTQ Pride flags at U.S. embassies. Despite this inclusion, the White House immediately expressed its intention to overturn the ban.

The provision was just one of numerous ancillary issues included in the $1.2 trillion funding package aimed at financing the government until September. Its passage saw Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly leverage the Pride flag ban to secure support from his party members.

The White House says it will repeal the ban, citing concerns over the exploitation of the legislative process to target LGBTQI+ Americans.

Immigration Officer Charged with Extortion

Immigration officer Monique Escalante is being accused of extortion. Investigators say that she extorted Jamaican, Jahnoi Shaun Dhee Richards last week. Richards claims that she extorted him of three thousand US dollars while he was at the Philip Goldson International Airport. Prime Minister John Briceño, who is also the Minister of Immigration said that if the immigration officer is found guilty, she will have to face the music.

Escalante was charged with extortion.

Defenders in Haiti Fight Gang Assaults with Determination

In Haiti’s capital, where violence is rampant and death is a daily occurrence, residents are taking a stand against gang attacks. They are determined to safeguard their neighborhoods at any cost.

Each day in Port-au-Prince begins with updates on the ongoing clashes plaguing the city. Bodies litter the streets, ignored by passersby due to financial constraints preventing proper burials. Scenes of violence, from shootings to charred remains, have become commonplace, desensitizing the populace to the horrors unfolding around them.

The city’s atmosphere is tense and perilous, with roads once bustling now deserted, signaling danger. Even the route to the international airport, guarded by the military, is treacherous, reflecting the city’s isolation from the outside world. Port-au-Prince feels like a besieged enclave, its residents trapped within its confines.

France will provide special flights for its “most vulnerable” citizens to leave Haiti, the French foreign ministry said Sunday, after air links with Port-au-Prince were cut during political chaos.

Police Report Filed Against “Yellowman”

UDP Leader, Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, told News Five on Saturday that two police reports have been filed against Brian “Yellowman” Audinette. Audinette who has been posting several messages on Facebook against Barrow is being accused of theft and making threats. Barrow told News Five, “I know that the police, two police reports were filed against him, one for stealing and one for threatening one of our party officials…He stole a fridge and a TV and a microwave from our property, which is why he was terminated.”

COCESNA endorses Belize’s CEO of Civil Aviation as Central American Candidate to the ICAO

During the 262nd Ordinary Board Meeting of COCESNA convened in Madrid, Spain, on March 19, Prime Minister John Briceño nominated s CEO in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, Kennedy Carrillo for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the term 2025-2028.

The Central American member countries on the COCESNA Board unanimously endorsed CEO Carrillo’s candidacy.

ICAO, a global UN body established to advance the safe and systematic development of civil aviation worldwide, convenes every three years to chart its course with input from its 193 member states. During these sessions, 36 member states are elected to the ICAO Council. Belize, as per its rotation agreement, is slated to occupy the Central American seat from 2025 to 2028.

Beverly Williams Replaced as UDP Senator

In a letter dated March 25, Opposition Leader Moses Barrow informs Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam of the appointment of Mark O’Brian as UDP senator. The letter says, “I write to you on this occasion in accordance with Part VI Section 64(2)(e) of the Belize Constitution to advise Her Excellency to declare the seat of Senator Beverly Williams vacant. In accordance with Part VI Section 61(4)(b) of the Belize Constitution, I hereby nominate Mr. Mark O’Brian to fill the seat left vacant by Beverly Williams.”

We note that Williams boycotted the UDP’s National Party Council meeting, which was held on Saturday at the party’s headquarters in Belize City. Instead, Williams joined John Saldivar, Patrick Faber, Edmund Castro, and others for a private meeting at the Biltmore Hotel.

Tensions between Venezuela and Guyana Escalate

Venezuela’s parliament has given the green light to establish a new state in the contentious and oil-rich Essequibo region, situated across the border in Guyana.

This move has drawn strong criticism from Guyana, which denounces it as a blatant infringement on its sovereignty. The decision comes after years of Venezuela asserting its claim over Essequibo, particularly since significant offshore oil reserves were discovered in 2015.

In response, Guyana’s foreign ministry condemned the action, labeling it a direct violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The international community was urged to reject Venezuela’s expansionist agenda and uphold the rule of law.

Essequibo, historically administered by Guyana and subject to ongoing border disputes at the International Court of Justice, has become a focal point of geopolitical tensions, exacerbated by the discovery of substantial oil reserves.

Official Police Report of Police Officer’s Murder

The Belize Police Department has released official details of the fatal shooting of twenty-nine-year-old Dylan Anthony, a resident of Camalote Village. The murder happened on the Roaring Creek bridge just before nine o’clock last night. Anthony was shot multiple times. Police say that Anthony “was travelling from an east-to-west direction towards Camalote Village when an unknown male assailant opened fire on him near the Roaring Creek Bridge. As a result, Anthony lost control of his motorcycle and fell onto the pavement where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Reports suggest that it is a case of mistaken identity.

UDP Holds NPC Meeting, Saldivar, Patrick Et.al. Boycotted It

The United Democratic Party (UDP) held its National Party Council meeting today at its Headquarters in Belize City. however, some high-ranking members of the UDP held their own meeting at the Biltmore Hotel. That meeting had the participation of John Saldivar, Patrick Faber, Beverly Williams, Ivan Williams, Denny Grijalva and Daniel Guerrero. Reports are that the group and others discussed the removal of Party Leader, Moses Shyne Barrow.

After a lengthy NPC meeting which concluded after three o’clock this afternoon, a confident Barrow told us he has the majority.

One Injured in Shooting in Roaring Creek

One man was injured following a shooting in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo, last night. The victim has been identified as twenty-three-year-old Daniel Lopez. Witnesses say that the shooters fired at a crowd, injuring Lopez in the leg.

Lopez was at a social gathering when two men on a motorcycle opened fire. Police are investigating.