Combating the spread of H.I.V. and AIDS requires a multidimensional approach, taking into consideration both treatment and preventative measures. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, more commonly known as PREP, is a form of medication used to prevent H.I.V. infection. The National AIDS Commission, NAC, is encouraging the public to make use of this potentially life-saving drug. Enrique Romero, Executive Director of NAC, further explains the benefits of PREP.
Enrique Romero
Enrique Romero, Executive Director, NAC
“So pre-exposure prophylaxis basically is a pill that is taken daily, and it’s for persons who are H.I.V. negative but who may be at higher risk of contracting H.I.V. So let me give you an example, let’s say you have a relationship, a partner, where the, one of the person; Listen the husband is positive and the wife is negative, for whatever reason. So in order for the wife to eliminate or mitigate the risk of contracting H.I.V. from the husband the woman, the wife would take the pill, the pre-exposure prophylaxis daily, and that would prevent, impede the wife getting, contracting H.I.V. from the husband, and again, these are not things we grab because its being done in the U.S. or is done in Europe and in other countries, there is evidence-based data that shows that pre-exposure prophylaxis has a ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of mitigating H.I.V. transmission, H.I.V. self-testing has ninety-nine percent accuracy and sensitivity.”
Human trafficking is a global problem that governments are trying to control, if their efforts to stomp it out are overwhelmed by people’s economic reality. Today, RET International formally completed an awareness campaign among persons who work in the transportation industry and launched a training module as a guide to individuals who want to enroll in a course at U.B. on the topic. Today News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the closing ceremony and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Key individuals who work in the transportation service industry were part of a training on anti-human trafficking to teach them to look for signs of activity around them. It included the participation of over five hundred persons across the country. Joshua Muñoz, who is the monitoring and evaluation officer for RET International, said it took the form of a train- the -trainers who then shared their skills. Taxi and bus drivers were included in the campaign, and a module was used to capture the key areas of concern.
Joshua Munoz
Joshua Munoz, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, RET Int’l
“We had to condense the module itself just enough to the four elements to give a short presentation between fifteen to thirty minutes and to ensure to pass on that information to them so they could understand how trafficking and how the transportation itself is vulnerable to human trafficking and how they themselves may be without their even their knowledge, might be assisting in terms of transporting persons from one who might be victims of trafficking from one place to one location to the other.”
As a part of the campaign, the University of Belize has signed on to offer an e-course on human trafficking, using the module in digital form, for anyone who wants to register. It gives insight on what the crime is and how one can help to counter it.
Joshua Munoz
“It goes in detail in terms of what is human trafficking and as well how the transportation industry itself. With this partnership we have with the University of Belize, we’re going to continue advertising the e-course module, so that anyone can register, sign in and get their certification with this e course module itself. If you’re getting a phone call at 10 o’clock at night and you want, they want the person to transport you from the border, or from one part of the district to the next part of the district, that should be a cause of alarm. And so those are the things that we try to bring awareness to them.”
Kamesh Chivukula is the U.S. Embassy’s political officer in Belize. He is also the grants officer for the CARSI Grants Program, which funded this project. He hopes that the campaign will help reduce the incidences of human trafficking in Belize.
Kamesh Chivukula
Kamesh Chivukula, U.S. Embassy
“This particular project was designed to enhance the capacity of all the stakeholders, especially in the transportation industry, to identify and report suspected cases of human trafficking. The transportation industry plays a significant, it’s a significant link in the chain of trafficking and it’s the training that was conducted as part of this project, we hope will play its part in reducing or breaking that chain.”
The reality is, however, that many of the persons in the transportation service industry assist in transporting victims of human trafficking because of the nature of their job. RET Country Representative in Belize, Cherese Ferguson is hopeful that the collaboration of the law enforcement authorities will help to put a dent in that practice.
Cherese Ferguson
Cherese Ferguson, RET Country Representative, Belize
“These persons are not in offices for their eight to five, they are on the move. They have they work on shift. And so we had to be creative in reaching or target audience. We may not be able to stop it 100%, however, because we know that they are vulnerable to being used, and maybe some of them have been participating in facilitating trafficking, that’s why it was important for us to target this population. So they have the information, and the key part of our training that we highlighted was the law. The anti-trafficking prohibition act, which outlines the offenses and the penalties for those so that if they’re knowledgeable, if they’re culpable in participating in this act, they know what the consequences will be.”
The campaign was conducted for twenty-one months. Marion Ali for News Five.
Today, the U.S. Embassy distributed one million U.S. dollars among four organisations in Belize as part of the Central America Regional Security Initiative’s Economic Support Fund. This fund aims to foster social and economic development in Central American countries by supporting the initiatives of civil society organizations. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the award ceremony in Belmopan to find out which organisations will benefit from this generous grant.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Since 2012, the United States government has awarded over eleven million dollars in CARSI-ESF grants to civil society organizations in Belize. These grants have funded projects that enhance emergency response services, healthcare, and the national response to gender-based violence. This year, four organizations each received a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar grant. U.S. Ambassador to Belize, Michelle Kwan, shared that this event is the highlight of her ambassadorship.
Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan, U.S. Ambassador to Belize
“Today was handing over a million U.S. dollars, uh, to civil society organizations, really doing incredible work as you heard from their speeches from the UNDP to RET International to Love Foundation and Galen University. Today, I am thrilled that we have a senior high level senior visitors from Washington. We have the Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric Jacobstein also having important meetings across, um, on shared issues and so today is just a spectacular event really celebrating and really acknowledging the hard work that’s being done across this country.”
The grant is highly competitive. To qualify, the objectives of the organisations must align with the US Embassy’s goal to improve Belize’s civil society. RET International is a third-time recipient of this award. Cherese Ferguson, Country Director of RET International Belize, explains the organisation’s continuous efforts to create a safe environment for youth and women.
Cherese Ferguson
Cherese Ferguson, Country Director, RET International Belize
“Our core commitment has always been to provide multidimensional solutions, including formal and informal educational initiatives with the goal of building the capacity of youth and women. to be positive change makers. When we realized that Objective three of the call included a focus on youth, we proceeded to start our research and put pen to paper. Adolescents are uniquely impacted by GBV, or gender based violence. Their young age and inexperience with relationships can heighten their risk for physical and sexual intimate partner violence. Being a victim of, a victim of G.B.V. during adolescence can lead to long lasting negative mental and physical health outcomes and can set young women on a trajectory for subsequent abuse. In order to combat these issues among youth, it is important to socialize them in a way that does not perpetuate violent behavior.”
Galen University, Ret International, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Love Foundation will continue to work with the U.S. Embassy to ensure transparency and that the goals proposed by the organisations are achieved for the betterment of the country.
Michelle Kwan
“In terms of these grantees, it’s good governance, fighting corruption. And we have had grantees fighting on empowering youth and adolescents, as you heard from an organization today, one of the grantees. So across the board it’s providing assistance, building the capacity for the government of Belize addressing some real issues that concern civil society.”
According to local crime statistics, ninety-nine percent of the sexual assault victims in 2023 were women. Eamon Courtenay, the Lead Senator for Government Business further noted that women are far more likely to experience sexual harassment in the workplace than men. To combat the scourge of sexual harassment, the Briceño Administration introduced an Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill to the National Assembly. The bill seeks to modernise the current sexual harassment bill currently in place. Among other things, it stipulates that companies must have in place an anti-sexual harassment policy and that victims of sexual harassment have up to eighteen months to make a report.
Eamon Courtenay
Eamon Courtenay, Lead Government Senator
“This bill and I want to start by saying this. We are repealing a bill that provides protection for sexual harassment. This is modernizing and improving that legislation. The point is this, it is already the laws of Belize that one should not sexually harass another person. it is already the law of Belize that there is protection for persons who believe that they are subjected to sexual harassment. This bill seeks to streamline, modernize and update the current legislation. It is a critically important bill in a society where far too often and it is mostly male, there is sexual harassment.”
Michael Peyrefitte
Michael Peyrefitte, Lead Opposition Senator
“It is a good concept of a bill. It is a good bill. And there has to be a structure. It is excellent that it is fine tuned even more a process by which you can report sexual predators and there is a process where businesses are required to put out that policy to the public to let them know that sexual harassment is an offense and that it will be punished because it cannot be tolerated. I think the opportunity could have been used, I know it is there for the workplace and for the public, that the time to report it is eighteen months. Madam President I think that is kind of long. We are not talking Bill Cosby or anything. But I think if somebody is sexually assaulted, they should report it immediately.”
Senator for the Unions, Glenfield Denison, acknowledged that while women are among the most vulnerable, as it pertains to sexual harassment, men are also subjected to unwanted sexual advancements. N.G.O. Senator, Doctor Elma Kay, noted in her contributions that the N.G.O.s she represents are elated to see the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill brought before the Senate.
Glenfield Denison, N.T.U.C.B. Senator
“Just on a point that I think need to be brought a little bit more clear to the fore, our international obligations for nondiscrimination lends themselves to ensure that we don’t have separate standards for class of citizens. So I want to at this point drive it home that men are equally susceptible to sexual harassment in and out of the work place even the appropriate circumstance. So, I wish to appreciate that women bear the brunt of sexual harassment in the workplace as it currently stands. I don’t want it to be lost upon us that there are many instances of our young men being subjected to unwanted sexual harassment.”
Elma Kay
Dr. Elma Kay, N.G.O. Senator
“As non-governmental organizations we will always support legislation that in anyway advances the human rights of Belizeans citizens, particularly anti-discrimination in our society. So, we are very happy to see this being brought forward today. Not just one bull but too bills of this nature. We do have a request of everyone here and our Belizean public and that request is for all of us to be circumspect on the context, the human rights context for this bill, the disabilities bill, and the potential to further strengthen the protection against all discrimination faced by Belizeans, particularly the vulnerable groups. And I hear Senator Denison on not having different standards but certainly those vulnerable groups today include women and girls who are unfortunately the disproportionate victims of gender-based violence and it is not just sexual harassment.”
The National Security Council Bill was brought from the House of Representatives to the Senate for debate on Tuesday. The bill seeks to formalise the council that has been in operation since the early nineties. Eamon Courtenay, the Lead Senator for Government Business, explained that roles are not clearly defined under the informal system. On the other hand, Lead Opposition Senator, Michael Peyreffite contended that the opposition is not comfortable with the fact that the council’s director general will be subjected to the directions of the prime minister.
Eamon Courtenay, Lead Government Senator
“The bill seeks to formalize something that has existed in an informal way. The National Security Council has existed for decades, and I believe Senator Peyrefitte and myself are two senators who have served on the national security council. One of the challenges is the operationalizing of national security issues in the absence of a legislative framework. Who is in charge? Is it ministry of defense, ministry of national security or the prime minister? Who is responsible for intelligence gathering, the police, the Belize Defense Force, private agents? Who is responsible for coordinating, collating intelligence and ensuring it reaches the right eyes and ears in the national security apparatus of the country.”
Michael Peyrefitte
Michael Peyrefitte, Lead Opposition Senator
“The director general shall be subjected to the directions of the prime minister. That is the part I don’t like. What it says here when you look at the powers of the director general, it says in section twelve, the prime minister may from time to time give the director general directions of a general of specific nature to be observed with relation to his powers. When you look at the powers for example it says that the director general can even request for the interception of communication. More recently that was reserved for the police Department through the D.P.P. Now that same director general can, it is not just an advisor position, this person is taking on operational duties. I don’t know if any protocols will be worked out to ensure there is no overlapping with those duties with the police primarily.”
Caye Caulker now has a Digital Connect Center. This facility offers residents free Wi-Fi access, laptops, and computers, marking a significant step forward in digital inclusion. The center is a result of the ongoing partnership between Belize and the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Beyond providing internet access, the center will also offer free training to enhance residents’ digital skills. Here’s News Five’s Azain Heredia with more details.
Azain Heredia, Reporting
The residents of Caye Caulker Village now have access to the Caye Caulker Digital Connect Center. And, for residents of La Isla Cariñosa, staying connected is important. The newly opened center, which officially launched on Tuesday, offers residents a dedicated space for studying and working, along with access to essential digital tools to thrive in today’s society. At the grand opening, Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, highlighted the center’s potential to significantly benefit the island community.
Michel Chebat
Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities
“The Caye Caulker Digital Connect Center is intended to have a significant impact and benefit approximately two thousand community members by giving unprecedented access To digital resources and services, the center will function as a hub for education, business, and community interaction, providing high-speed internet, computer access, and digital literacy training. These resources are critical in today’s society as digital skills are becoming more important for personal and professional development.”
This center offers more than just internet access; it provides comprehensive digital literacy training courses, enhancing the community’s skills and equipping them for success in today’s digital age.
Lily Li-Wen Hsu
Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Ambassador of Taiwan to Belize
“This Digital Connect Center is not just a facility with computers and internet connections. It will also carry out digital literacy training courses so that members of the community could be equipped with the tools and the capabilities needed in today’s digital era. In fact, I think I noticed that the village council already announced on his Facebook a workshop for children to learn introduction to Microsoft Office. How wonderful. With such proactive attitude and strong support of the council, I am confident this Digital Connect Centre will surely serve as a gateway that empowers members of the Caye Caulker village to embrace the endless digital opportunities.”
As many Belizeans are aware, accessing government services can be time-consuming, particularly for residents of island communities who are geographically isolated from the mainland. Minister Chebat explains that the new Digital Connect Center aims to bridge this gap, making it easier for island residents to access essential services. This initiative is part of the government’s broader transition to online services, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of location, can benefit from digital advancements.
Michel Chebat
“One of our major projects we’re working on, and we’re hoping to be able to launch that by December of this year. is our vital statistics unit. And so instead of you having to travel to Belize city to go and apply for a birth certificate and you get there, and you realize you’re missing some information and the person at the counter is probably not having the best day and they send you back and you have to travel to Caye Caulker without having obtained your birth certificate. You’ve lost your day’s wages. You’ve lost an opportunity having left your home and so on. And so what we’re trying to do is and what we will do is we’re going to transform that. We’re going to change that so that by December, God willing, from wherever you are across the country, you’ll be able to log on from a smartphone, from a computer center, and you’ll be able to apply online for your birth certificate, your marriage certificate, your death certificate.”
Today a Belizean medical student who lives in the U.S. introduced one of several books that she has authored. Madeline Dyer told News Five at the Angelus Press that the book, “My Mom, the Cook” was inspired by her daughter, who is autistic. She says that she is also giving back to her community that she needed when she was going to school in Belize.
Madeline Dyer
Madeline Dyer, Author, “My Mom, the Cook”
“I got into writing as an author because of my daughter. But the one, “MyInspiration” is literally talking about a time where I had to juggle both mom life and school with my little one, and she’s looking at me like I’m strong. And I said to her, no, you actually inspire me to be a better person than I was before. So my inspiration is literally about a mother’s love towards her child. I have an autistic child. She’s 12 years old and a part of why I became a writer was because of her. Because she’s taught me so much about the way to look at life and just parenting itself is very different. So what I decided to do when I came this summer was to partner with Autism Awareness here in Belize and try to give back to them because I know that autism is, seeming like something that’s just coming around, even though it existed prior to and those individual need a lot of support in whatever way they can get it. I feel like most people that pick up that book, they connect with certain pages. Parenting is difficult. It’s hard and it’s a topic I feel like a lot of people don’t really talk about. They don’t really give you much information on how to navigate parenthood, etc, so when you open the pages of one of my books whether it be my inspiration or my mom, the cook, you will definitely find a page or two that you will feel connected to. I’ve had a review from a thirteen-year-old once where she connected with the page that said I love her most even when I think she’s not fair. My book, if you’re in the U.S. can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, and on Amazon. In in Belize, they’re going to be available at every Angelus Press in the different districts. The “My Inspiration” is, I believe that they’re going to be doing it for twenty dollars and then My Mom, the Cook” is going to be twenty-five dollars. Alongside with the book I wanted to do a little bit more for my community and I’ve decided to give away school supplies as well while doing the book signing. The purpose of this is because I really do appreciate giving back. I was once one of those students that needed support when going to school and I’m sure there are still a lot of bullies and parents that can use that support as well. I’ve partnered with a few other individuals Phenomenal Nails. So I’m here to be giving away gift vouchers for high school students to get their nails done. She’s at 37 Mapp Street, and then I also have B.C.V.I. that donated vouchers for students to get their eyes checked. As it pertains to the school supplies, I don’t have a dollar amount really put on it, but each book bag is filled with school supplies.”
An explosion and subsequent fire at a Jose Cuervo tequila factory in Tequila, Jalisco State, claimed the lives of at least 5 workers and left two injured, local officials confirmed. The disaster occurred at Casa Cuervo’s Rojeña distillery.
According to local officials, the explosion initially involved a tank, triggering fires in three additional tanks, each with a capacity of 219,000 liters. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Emergency response teams, including 40 firefighting and civil protection units, swiftly mobilised to the scene to contain the blaze and assist affected personnel. In an official statement, Casa Cuervo expressed condolences and pledged full cooperation with authorities in their investigation.
The incident has prompted safety concerns in Tequila, a town renowned for its tequila production and tourism, with Mayor Alfonso Magallanes urging caution and advising residents to avoid the factory area amidst ongoing operations.
In a 52-minute address to the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised the importance of US-Israel solidarity amidst the escalating war in Gaza while issuing a warning against rising antisemitism.
Netanyahu’s speech was largely what experts and U.S. officials expected: an effort to deflect criticism of Israel by framing its war as an existential battle for its survival in an effort to maintain bipartisan U.S. support. “For the forces of civilisation to triumph, America and Israel must stand together. Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu asserted, “The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself.” The Israeli PM made no mention of ongoing ceasefire negotiations despite international pressures for progress. However, while expressing gratitude for bipartisan support in the US, he said, “As we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back, and I thank you for it—all sides of the aisle.”
Addressing antisemitism, Netanyahu condemned what he termed as ‘malicious lies’ aimed at delegitimizing Israel and demonising Jews worldwide. “Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred,” he asserted. “Just as malicious lies were levelled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being levelled at the Jewish state. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonise the Jewish state, and to demonise Jews everywhere.”
