Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have become the latest countries in the Americas to receive certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. This milestone was celebrated at a special event organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Kingston, Jamaica, with support from UNICEF and UNAIDS, and with the participation of health ministers from these three nations.
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness of Belize, described the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis as a significant accomplishment for the country, made possible through the commitment and dedication of health care workers. Bernard said, “Eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis is an extremely significant accomplishment for the people and the country of Belize. The activities leading up to this momentous goal were not always easy, however, with the commitment and motivation of our health care workers, in all areas of health, this has become a reality. We continue to work towards achieving public health goals for a healthier and more productive Belize.”
In 2010, countries in the Americas committed to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and endorsed a regional strategy updated in 2016 under the PAHO Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Globally, 19 countries and territories have been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis, with 11 in the Americas. Cuba made history in 2015 by becoming the first country to achieve dual elimination of HIV and syphilis. This progress continued with other countries in subsequent years.
To achieve elimination targets, countries focused on strengthening prevention and treatment services in primary health care and maternal and child health, updating guidelines, ensuring effective screening of pregnant women, monitoring cases, and following up with HIV and syphilis-exposed infants.
A man and a woman were murdered inside their small home in the Hilltop area of Roaring Creek just before nine-thirty on Sunday night. A third person, the woman’s fifteen-year-old son, was shot in his leg but survived. He is in the Western Regional Hospital receiving treatment. The incident has come as a shock to the community because the residents say the couple were peaceful residents who have lived there for the past five years. But while police are looking for leads and suspects, they say it has nothing to do with the recent State of Emergency which also saw some residents of Roaring Creek swept up and incarcerated. The victims are Morcel Neal and Saida Perez. Investigators have different perspectives on who the intended target was. Marion Ali visited Roaring Creek today and has that report.
Voice of: First Responder
Voice of: First Responder
“He said “they just shot Ms Chaya da back deh,” he said “but I afraid fi goh me one. I want somebody to go with me.” So I tell ah right now because the place is relatively dark.”
Son
Marion Ali, Reporting
The voice that this Roaring Creek resident heard calling out in front of his house last night was that of another resident who heard the shots that had just killed two residents and wounded a minor. The victims, Saida Perez and her common-law husband, Morcel Neal, both forty-seven, were at home when they came under attack. Perez’s fifteen-year-old son was also shot in his leg and is in the Western Regional Hospital. The resident told News Five that he accompanied his neighbour to the murder scene and tried to keep the premises secure for police processing.
Voice of: First Responder
“I went with him and then that is when the other people arrived – a lady who identified herself as the daughter and said she wanted to check for her mother so I tell her “you could go in but try not to contaminate the scene. And it went into the metal house, the zinc house. And that’s where she found her mother.”
Saida Perez
Another resident said she was talking to a neighbour when she heard a barrage of gunshots.
Voice of: Neighbour
Voice of: Neighbour
“I was sitting with the next neighbor. We were talking and we heard like a lot of shots. So I nuh count how much and then I tell her that sound like shots, right? And then she said “I’m going home.” So I tell her go home because I wa lock up.”
Today, Police Commissioner, Chester Williams assured that this attack was not related to the recent state of emergency in which a number of Roaring Creek residents were incarcerated. He and Assistant Commissioner, Hilberto Romero said the incident had to do with a dispute.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The victims are not known to be involved in drugs or gangs or anything other than the fact that we know that the deceased’s husband was somewhat of an alcoholic. What we’re gathering that there was some dispute with some people yesterday, and that is what may have led to that particular murder. We’re still trying to confirm certain things.”
Hilberto Romero
ASP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“Information is that both were at their house at Warren Creek when a person with a firearm entered and fired shots towards Syedah Pierce, causing her fatal injuries. Thereafter, Morcel Neal appeared and he was also shot. We are trying to establish a motive for this murder. The information we have got out that the female was the target. She was shot and when the other person showed up, he was also shot.”
Alicia Perez, who lives in Belmopan, told us that her sister visited them two weeks ago and told them she wanted to see her son through high school.
Voice of: Alicia Perez
Voice of: Alicia Perez, Sister of Deceased
“She come here and then she just here, like here, and we was. She was talking about her son that she loved him a lot and she need to work hard for him. And that’s the only because his son father passed away. She was the only one who could help him. She was like two years. She didn’t come here till that day. She come and she was talking to us like, like a normal day and she went.”
On Saturday, a young man was shot while socializing in Majestic Alley in Belize City. Reports are that around ten p.m, twenty-year-old Jahshiel Cervantes was standing in front of a wooden structure when he was approached by someone who fired several shots in his direction. Jahshiel was injured and taken to the K.H.M.H. where he was still recovering today, but was reported to be in a stable condition.
“On Saturday, fourth day of May 2024 around ten fifteen, there was a shooting in Majestic Alley, Belize City. Police responded where they found Jahshiel Cervantes with a gunshot injury. He was taken to the KHMH where he is in a stable condition at this time. Information is that he was Majestic Alley when a vehicle drove by and an occupant from the vehicle fired shots towards his area and causing his injury. Three persons are in custody and the vehicle is impounded and we’re doing follow up investigation at this time.”
Reporter
“Does he know why anybody would want to shoot him?”
Hilberto Romero
“No, he’s recovering at the KHMH. The suspects will be interviewed, and further information will be obtained.”
Reporter
“How are you able to pinpoint these suspects?”
Hilberto Romero
“The police responded quickly. We had some video footage. A follow up was done. The vehicle was found in an area in Belize City.”
There was a shooting in the Gungulung area of Belize City over the weekend. The victim has been identified as forty-seven-year-old Eugene Gabourel, who is no stranger to the law. He was in the vicinity of CET Site along with several other persons when they came under gunfire. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero provided additional details.
“There was a shooting near CET Site. Police visited [the area] where Eugene Gabourel was seen with one gunshot injury. He was taken to the KHMH where he is now in a stable condition. Information is that he was there along with several other persons working on a vehicle when a male person came by and fired several shots towards the direction. He received a gunshot injury and we are looking for one suspect in regards to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Was he the target?”
Hilberto Romero
“He was along with several other persons, so we are not certain who was the target. There were several persons at the are at the area at the time. No motive at this time.”
Hamas has approved a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, the Palestinian group says, although Israel has yet to comment on the proposal.
The announcement follows a mass exodus from eastern Rafah as Israel instructs tens of thousands to evacuate. Specifics of the proposal remain unclear.
The statement was issued as residents of southern Gaza’s Rafah began fleeing in response to Israel’s evacuation orders amid escalating fears of a significant military operation. Over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians seek refuge in the region.
Israel and Hamas have engaged in indirect negotiations facilitated by Qatar and Egypt regarding a potential Gaza war ceasefire and the exchange of captives. Egyptian and Hamas officials have suggested a multi-stage ceasefire involving the release of Israeli captives by Hamas in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza.
It remained uncertain whether the agreement would meet Hamas’ main demands, including a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of displaced families to their homes.
Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expressing “its concern over the mass floods in the southern region of Brazil and offers its condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.”
The death toll from severe floods in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state has reached at least 83, with authorities investigating four additional deaths possibly linked to the storms. Over 276 people are injured and 111 remain missing, while more than 121,000 individuals have been displaced, according to the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul.
This disaster has impacted over 850,000 people across 345 municipalities, causing widespread destruction of homes, roads, and bridges. Local residents and evacuees have reported seeing bodies in floodwaters, potentially not yet included in the official death count.
Around 1,000 firefighters are engaged in rescue missions. Operations have intensified as weather conditions allow, with rescue teams using inflatable rafts to evacuate people and pets.
The region has experienced a surge in extreme weather events, with at least 54 fatalities in September following a sub-tropical cyclone. The escalating climate crisis, driven primarily by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, is exacerbating these extreme weather phenomena worldwide, intensifying their frequency and impact.
Belizean Ronelli Requena is competing in the #Made_In_TheCaribbean: UNESCO Transcultura Fashion Design competition. The UNESCO Transcultura Programme, supported by the European Union, highlights the creative brilliance of young talent across the Caribbean.
The Transcultura Fashion Design Competition marks the debut in a series of themed calls for the Transcultura Awards, celebrating and acknowledging the imaginative flair of emerging fashion professionals in the Caribbean.
Requena’s collection is called MEst-HIZO. She was challenged to craft an avant-garde mini-collection (consisting of 3 to 5 pieces) that embodies the essence of the Caribbean—its cultural diversity, artistic expressions, mutual exchanges and influences, or shared cultural traits.
You can vote for Requena by visiting unescohabana‘s Instagram page and commenting ‘MEst-HIZO’ under the post.
Two people were fatally shot on Sunday night in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District. The victims, Marcel Neal and his spouse, were inside their house with their fifteen-year-old son when they were attacked. The couple died on the scene. The teenage son was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital after being shot in the leg.
Roaring Creek Village falls under the state of emergency, which expired last week. Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters last week that he requested an extension of the state of emergency. That request was rejected by cabinet.
Williams is expected to brief the media about the double murder and other incidents that occurred over the weekend.
The quiet of Patchakan Village in the Corozal District was rattled by the sound of gunshots on Thursday night. When the dust settled, twenty-eight-year-old Benito Canela lay dead in front of his common-law-wife Indy Ruiz and a group of neighbors. They were all socializing inside a park at the entrance of the village just before nine o’clock when a gunman attacked. Canela is said to be a respected person in his community, known and loved by everyone there. So, what was the motive behind his murder? Who wanted him dead, and is his execution related to the increased presence of cartel elements from neighboring Chetumal? News Five’s Paul Lopez travelled to Patchakan Village today to find out more about the gruesome murder of Canela. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A father of two was executed on Thursday night in Patchakan Village while socializing with a group of family and friends. Twenty-eight-year-old Benito Canela and his partner Indy Cruz were sitting in a park next to their home when a gunman targeted him. Cruz says they sat in the park almost every night after having dinner.
Indy Ruiz
Indy Ruiz, Common Law of Deceased
“I asked him where he was going and he said he is going to call his daughter because it was her birthday. And so he said lets go so you can tell her happy birthday as well. I went with him and we sat down there he took out his phone to call his daughter and she wasn’t answering. I told him it’s Thursday and on thursdays they go to church. He hung up and gave me his phone and also told me to hold onto the key for the motorcycle because he doesn’t like holding onto things he always gives them to me. And so we were talking and he was hugging me and then our neighbor came over. She asked us what were we doing out here and I said we were just getting some fresh air, and so she sat with us. She was with her daughter walking with us when my mom called me and asked me to come and see the baby, I didn’t even take longer than five minutes and then I went back out with them.”
Ruiz and Canela had been seeing each other for just over a year. Together, they have four children. She says that when she got back from speaking with her mom, they continued talking and hanging out as they would normally do. That is when a man wearing a mask to conceal his identity approached them.
Indy Ruiz
“One of my cousins were there with her two year old baby and we were all sitting, talking relaxing and there he was telling us jokes when a man come out from my father’s yard and he called him “Hey” where are you going? And he said he came to buy a volt, and so he told him that its bad for him. We then saw him leave and he was laughing and we were still there. Then all of a sudden we saw another person walking towards us but he was covered, all his head, he was covered and when this person arrived in front of us he lifted up his head and his face was also covered.”
She says, Canela sprang into action and pushed her away from him. That is when the gunman opened fire in Canela’s direction. The shooter had his weapon trained on Canela and no one else that was around at the time.
Indy Ruiz
“He saw it and he pushed me to his side and I fell that’s when I heard the shots. I yelled at him to get up but he was already on the ground and so I ran to where he was and the shots continued. I hugged him and not a single shot touched me only him. No one else only him. They only wanted him, and there he was lying on the ground. The police came quickly and when he rolled over to look at me he only opened his eyes as if he wanted to say something but I don’t know what he wanted to say. My little brother came and called him, brother-in-law and he tried to speak again but he started vomiting blood and there we stayed. He couldn’t anymore. He was shot more than nine times and there he was lying. Asking for help but we couldn’t do anything.”
According to Ruiz, Canela never told her that he had issues with anyone.She spent most of her time at home with the family. News Five understands that the shooter fled the scene in a white Ford Ranger pickup truck. Police retrieved ten nine-millimeter expended shells from the scene. A suspect is yet to be identified in this latest homicide. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa was asked if Canela’s murder is related to the increased presence of cartel elements from neighboring Chetumal.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister, Home Affairs
“The preliminary information is that it’s not leading in that direction. But as you rightly mentioned with the very tense situation that is taking place in Chetumal at the moment, we cannot rule that as a motive, as a possible connection and so the police is looking at that angle as well but so far that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Reporter
“Are you able to say whether or not that was related to the Arana murder? And Did you receive reports that mister Arana may have not been the intended target?”
Kareem Musa
“I have not received that report, no. And I cannot say at this point in time. We have not been briefed as yet as to whether there is a connection between the two.”
Reporter
“Do you know whether it was drug related in general?”
Kareem Musa
“Again, I cannot say at this very point. I’m sure as the day progresses, we’ll get more information.”
Indy Ruiz
“When he came here, he told me he was happy because he cut his cane and everything. But he didn’t have a problem with anyone here in the village. Here, everyone knows him as he is.”
Reporter
“Previously, he had a second family, that is, he had a family before he got together with you. Do you think it’s perhaps an act of jealousy?”
Indy Ruiz
“No, because, as far as I know, he has nothing to do with that family.”
Tensions up north have been on the rise as acts of violence in Chetumal, Mexico continue to plague the city. These violent crimes are due to heightened cartel activity in the area which many Belizeans are concerned will spill over into Corozal. We spoke with Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa, who said that Belizeans can rest assured that the increase of border security has been a primary mission.
Reporter
“We know a couple days ago you held a meeting with the police department and other stakeholders in a free zone. Can you talk a little bit about the police’s operations to ensure that narco activity doesn’t trickle into Belize?”
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister, Home Affairs & New Growth Industries
“I cannot go in too much detail. As approximately a year ago we commenced operations in the north of our country along the Rio Hondo in particular villages. Along the Rio Hondo and in the Corozal free zone as well. And so the meetings that we had earlier this week was with the Ministry of Defense and Border security along with minister Marin, minister Mira of course general Loria. In terms of our collaborative efforts along the border to not just continue the good work that this unit has been doing, but to increase our presence along the border in light of the recent buildup in Chetumal. So we are deploying further personnel and again, I cannot go into further detail, but I can say we are deploying additional personnel.”
Reporter
“How successful was that operation?”
Kareem Musa
“I would say it’s been successful so far. I think one of the biggest threats coming out of the activities that have been taking place in Chetumal and the response by the Mexican government to deploy some two hundred National Guard and Marines is that there is a likelihood, a possibility rather that some of these individuals may try to seek safe haven in our country. And so it really is about preserving and protecting our borders so that these individuals do not come across.”
