News Five has confirmed that three individuals were rushed to the hospital following a road traffic incident earlier this morning. Two of them are police officers.
We are told that investigators are at the scene.
The vehicular crash happened in Ladyville Village, Belize District.
Video of the accident shows persons rescuing the accident victims.
This is a developing story.
At least three lives were claimed by the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alberto, after making landfall along the Mexican coast and southern Texas, the BBC reports. The three deaths occurred in the northern Nuevo León state due to the rains brought by the system. According to the Mexican government, one of them, age fifteen, drowned while trying to retrieve a ball in the La Silla River, south of Monterrey. The other two, both ages twelve, died from an electric shock in the municipality of Allende. The three deaths were confirmed by Nuevo León’s governor, Samuel García, Telemundo reported.
In response to the situation, García implemented a temporary halt to public transportation, while schools in nearby Tamaulipas have been shut down. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration over the border in Texas, saying that “widespread and severe property damage, injury, and loss of life” are possible. Although the system has been upgraded from a tropical cyclone, there are warnings of “life-threatening” flooding and possible mudslides in north-eastern Mexico and southern Texas.
There was a murder in Belize City on Tuesday night and police are trying to figure out who the gunmen were that ambushed Jahiem Fitzgibbon and his father near La Croix Boulevard. The deadly shooting happened sometime around seven p.m., as the men were wrapping up some repair work they were doing on a vehicle that fifty-three-year-old Nimrod Fitzgibbon had recently bought. The fatal attack comes a surprise to the Fitzgibbon family, especially since Jaheim was described as an easygoing individual. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has more on the latest homicide in the Old Capital.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A father and son duo came under deadly gunfire on Tuesday night just off La Croix Boulevard in the Lake Independence area. Nimrod Fitzgibbon and twenty-year-old Jaheim Fitzgibbon were winding down for the evening after spending the day repairing a vehicle. The father is a mechanic who was working on a van that he had recently purchased. His sister is Christobel Fitzgibbon.
Christobel Fitzgibbon, Aunt of Deceased
“He tell me that dehn mi di fix this vehicle because he just buy this vehicle because he run di dollar van and then he seh di two persons dehn just pass. From deh, after a while ih seh well he gaan upstairs because dehn deh eena di vehicle di sihdown, so he gaan gaan light wahn mosquito coil fi bring down cause dehn di chill eena di vehicle.”
“When he come, he sih ih son drop. Soh when he sih ih son drop now, like he just gwein behind di gunman dehn and dehn staat to fire shot and one graze ahn ya pan ih left side and soh he seh he pick up ih son and he holla fi di neighbors and ask dehn fi help, and then dehn pick up ahn and ker ahn to the hospital.”
Christobel Fitzgibbon
“He have no issue with nobody. He like talk and he like run joke, you know, and he da somebody he wahn play games, you know, and dehn wah quarrel ova games, “Bwai, I di beat you.” Things like that. But he da noh wahn person weh trouble nobody or nothing, nothing, nothing.”
So, were the gunmen there to execute Nimrod Fitzgibbon instead?
“Last month, my bredda get a death threat and he call me and seh, “Bella, I get a death threat.” And I seh, “Okay then, we gwein da di police go report this because then we noh play like that, you know.” And he seh, “I noh gwein da no police.” Ah tell ahn, yes, we gwein.” Ah tell ahn I noh play, we gwein, and so we gaan by Mahogany [Street] Extension and we mek di report. I call di person and mek di police dehn hear all ah di conversation we me and this person have and weh paat dis person seh he work and everything. And when di police dehn gaan he noh work da di call center or nothing by Coney Drive weh ih seh ih work. And from deh di police dehn neva did tek wahn statement or so fahn he.”
Instead, Fitzgibbons was informed that he needed to get in touch with CIB personnel for a request to be made through the telephone company to determine who the number belongs to. To date, the owner of the SIM card remains undetermined. In the aftermath of last night’s shooting, police have detained a close relative of the deceased.
“So while at the hospital now, the GI3 gaan and dehn just start rough up Ervin Fitzgibbon and have ahn eena custody, stating that dehn di pick up ahn fi gang affiliation, and he done get charged fi gang affiliation and he di goh da court right now fi gang affiliation. Soh I really noh know how dehn di pick up ahn again fi that.”
Isani Cayetano
Christobel Fitzgibbon
“Yes, that’s my son and he not even mi deh round when di incident happened or nothing. He neva deh nowhere near this area.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
A murder trial involving twenty-three-year-old Earl Baptist as a prime suspect in the shooting death of Burrell Boom businessman Leslie Gillett has concluded in the High Court. Baptist is one of two men who allegedly entered Matilda’s Shop and executed Gillett in January 2022. A second suspect was never identified. Tonight, Baptist remains at the Belize Central Prison after appearing before Justice Derick Sylvester earlier today. The crown is relying on testimonies from Sergeant Santiago Perez, the police officer who retrieved the surveillance footage that captured Gillett’s murder, and Sergeant Rollington Fuller who positively identified Baptist as one of two shooters seen at Matilda’s Shop on the night in question. However, attorney Leeroy Banner is challenging the crown’s evidence, submitting that footage of the individual that Fuller claims to be Earl Baptist is not clear for anyone to identify with a degree of certainty. Justice Sylvester has reserved his ruling for June twenty-seventh.
Today, a man was handed two years and two months in prison for assaulting a police officer with a firearm. He is twenty-one-year-old Kenyon Flores. Reports are that around eight a.m. on June eighteenth, 2024, Luis Santoya, an off-duty police officer, was walking towards Wood Street in Belize City when he heard a woman shouting for help. He then spotted two men in the area, both of whom he recognized. One of the men, ran past Santoya while the other, identified as Flores, threw a purse, he had grabbed from the woman in his accomplice’s direction, causing it to fall to the ground. Santoya said that when he bent down to pick up the fallen bag, he came face-to-face with a revolver pistol, which he alleges Flores pulled from his pants. Fearing for his life, Santoya remained still, allowing the men to grab the purse and make good their escape. Shortly after, Santoya filed a report against Flores who was found guilty in court earlier today. The second suspect remains at large but his identity is known to the police. No charges have been levied for the robbery as the victim has yet to file a report.
Health authorities in Japan are on high alert as the country has recorded a significant increase in cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), caused by a rare and aggressive group A streptococcus bacteria, also known as “flesh-eating bacteria.”
In an interview with Bloomberg, Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Adalja explains that “In certain individuals,” STSS “can be a much more severe infection, where it cause what we call necrotizing or flesh-eating type of skin infection. And can also spread systemically, and cause multiple different organ systems to shut down, that’s when we use the kind of term toxic shock syndrome,” leading to “high levels of morbidity and mortality.”
The alarming rise in STSS cases had Japan reporting over 1,000 cases by early June, surpassing last year’s total. Experts fear the number could climb to 2,500 by the end of this year. This “flesh-eating bacteria” progresses rapidly, often proving fatal within 48 hours.
Tokyo has seen a significant impact, particularly among adults over thirty years. Health officials in Japan emphasise early detection and swift medical response with appropriate antibiotics as critical in combating this deadly outbreak.
The Biden administration announced a new policy on Tuesday that is expected to benefit thousands of undocumented immigrants in the United States. President Biden says, “The steps I’m taking today are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, no matter what the other team says. In fact, polls show over seventy percent of Americans support this effort.”
Applicants must have lived in the US for at least ten years and be legally married to a US citizen. The programme is expected to open for applications by the end of summer.
This action of embracing “the American principle” of keeping “families together” alludes to a similar action in 2013 during the Obama administration that allowed “undocumented spouses and children of America’s servicemen to stay together while they apply for legal status,” Biden says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a significant diplomatic visit to North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un. Putin’s first visit in 24 years was welcomed by thousands of North Koreans chanting “Welcome Putin!”
The visit led to the signing of a new strategic partnership agreement. This pact includes mutual assistance provisions that extend into the political, trade, investment, cultural, and security spheres.
Putin’s visit highlighted deepening ties between Russia and North Korea. Kim Jong Un expressed solidarity with Russia over its actions in Ukraine, emphasising strategic alignment in the face of evolving global challenges amid US concerns about arms supplies to the Kremlin.
The visit concluded with both leaders reaffirming mutual respect, cementing a strengthened partnership that could shape regional dynamics for years to come.
UPDATE
The longest serving Clerk of the National Assembly since independence in 1981 has tendered his resignation from parliament. Sixty-two-year-old Eddie Webster served two years as a senator, between 2008 and 2010, before being appointed Clerk of the National Assembly. Webster, a native of Dangriga, has served in that capacity for the past fourteen years. But tonight, News Five has confirmed that Webster is demitting office at the end of June. We understand that his relationship with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Valerie Woods, was oftentimes contentious. Webster’s recent notice of departure was delivered to Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie who has forwarded the letter to the Governor General. News Five attempted to get a comment from the Speaker of the House, but our calls have gone unanswered.
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News Five has confirmed that the Clerk of the National Assembly, Eddie Webster, has tendered his resignation. The specific date when he did so is not confirmed. News Five has learned that Webster’s resignation takes effect on June 30th.
Webster has been the Clerk of the National Assembly since 2010.
We have been informed that Webster’s resignation was due to a contentious relationship with the Speaker of the House.
This is a developing story.
This story was updated at 6:24 p.m. 6/19/2024
This story was originally published on Earth Observatory
Belize, a small country in Central America, lies east of Guatemala along the Atlantic Ocean. Forests cover roughly 62 percent of its land, making it one of the most forested countries in Central America.
Broadleaf deciduous forests thrive in the limestone soils in the northern part of the country, while tropical rainforests flourish in wet areas in the south. Mangroves line the coastline toward the country’s east, and pine forests grow in areas with well-drained, acidic soils in the Maya Mountains in the southwest.
However, these forested areas have lost ground in recent decades. According to forest cover loss data collected by Landsat satellites and processed by the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) laboratory at the University of Maryland, Belize lost 3,020 square kilometers (1,170 square miles) of forest cover between 2001 and 2023, a 17 percent decrease. That’s an area nearly the size of Rhode Island.
Some of the most noticeable changes occurred in central and northern Belize in the Orange Walk District, the area shown in the map below. Older forest cover loss appears purple, while more recent clearing appears yellow. The rectangular features scattered throughout the images are pastures or cropland, said Emil Cherrington, a NASA scientist who has researched forest cover trends in Belize as part of his work with the NASA-USAID SERVIR program. In this area, many farms grow sugar cane. Production of the increasingly popular crop in Belize has nearly doubled between 2010 and 2020, now accounting for about 8 percent of the country’s GDP.
In this area, farming by Mennonite communities is another important driver of forest loss, especially the largest patches. Mennonites began to immigrate to the communities of Shipyard and Blue Creek in 1958, with the goal of building productive farming communities and living in relative isolation. As the population grew over the decades, farmland became scarce. This drove the establishment of new communities to the south in Indian Creek (1991) and to the east in Neuland (2011), and led to the clearing of many large parcels of forest. Mennonite farms typically raise a mixture of crops and livestock products, including vegetables, fruit, milk, cheese, poultry, beef, and pork.
Most of the forest loss shown in this map is the product of intentional clearing by farmers for crops or livestock. However, forests degraded by other factors—such as fires, insect infestations, or hurricanes—can also appear as forest cover loss in these data, said Santos Chicas, a Belizean remote sensing scientist based at Kyushu University who has studied Belize’s susceptibility to wildfires. Forest losses driven by these other factors generally appear in patches that are blotchy and less rectilinear than forests cleared for agriculture.
One of the largest areas of forest loss within a protected area occurred in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in south-central Belize. Landsat observed widespread change there because a potent pine bark beetle infestation killed up to 90 percent of the reserve’s pine trees between 2000 and 2002. This die-off was followed by waves of wildfires, often ignited by lightning, in subsequent years. Reserve managers also routinely conducted controlled burns to protect the ecosystem from large and destructive wildfires.
“Other ecosystems susceptible to fires are lowland savanna and broadleaved rainforests, especially in the months of April and May during dry years,” Chicas said. “Fires can escape from farmers, who use it as a form of land management.”
Researchers are seeing some evidence that the rate of deforestation—excluding forest losses associated with wildfires, insects, or other natural factors—is trending downward. In a study published in 2010, Cherrington assessed that Belize lost roughly 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest per year between 1980 and 2010.
“Our latest numbers show the rate of forest loss is down to about 80 square kilometers per year over the past decade—an improvement but a modest one,” said Edgar Correa, an officer with the Belize Forest Department. He added that the number needs to drop even lower to meet the 2030 sustainable development goals adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015.
To aid progress toward those goals and others established as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreements, Cherrington has worked closely with SERVIR to share information, tools, and expertise from NASA with Belize’s forest and marine monitoring agencies. In 2023, for instance, SERVIR held a workshop with the Belize Forest Department focused on developing approaches to integrating automated land classification and change detection information from Landsat, including a mapping tool called LandTrendr, into Belize’s national forest monitoring system. The photograph above shows workshop participants looking at a land cover validation map of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
“One of the patterns that comes through clearly in the satellite data is how the protected areas in Belize have been so effective in heading off deforestation in most areas,” Cherrington said. As seen in the map at the top of the page, Belize has dozens of protected areas, including national parks, nature reserves, natural monuments, forest reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries that serve as sharp buffers against forest loss.
There are some exceptions. “We see some areas, typically along the border with Guatemala, where people are making incursions into protected areas to farm livestock and practice slash-and-burn agriculture,” said Chicas, who has used Landsat to track the phenomenon in the Maya Mountains in southeastern Belize.
“Big challenges certainly remain for Belize,” added Cherrington. “But this is a country where I see deep interest across a broad spectrum of society and government in tapping into remote sensing data and keeping forests intact.”
Editor’s Note: Read an accompanying story about forest cover loss in Guatemala.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using forest loss data from the University of Maryland and protected areas from Protected Planet. Photograph courtesy of Emil Cherrington (NASA/SERVIR). Story by Adam Voiland.
