The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) is closely monitoring an area of disorganised showers and thunderstorms in the central Caribbean Sea, south of Hispaniola. The system is expected to move slowly westward over the next few days.
The NHC reported that “environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development,” giving the system 50% chance of development in the next seven days.
Forecasters say it could form later this week or over the weekend. If it strengthens, it could become Tropical Storm Sara.
Jacito Learns to Budget by Education Director at Holy Redeemer Credit Union, Dr. Carol Babb, joined the Jacito Learns Financial Literacy series on Saturday at the Holy Redeemer Credit Union Office in Belize City. The third book launched in the series continues Dr. Babb’s mission to equip children with the essential skill of managing money and provide young readers the tools to make smart financial decisions.
“Financial literacy… is extremely important if we want to ensure that our economy grows and that our people are productive,” said Dr. Babb. “The cure for that [financial wellness] is financial literacy.”
The Jacito series started with Jacito Learns to Save, where Jacito learns the value of working for what he wants, and followed with Jacito Opens an Account at HRCU, which encourages financial independence. In this new book, Jacito goes deeper into budgeting.
Gemayel Babb, Executive Director of the Belize Credit Union League, explained how the book introduces more complex financial concepts like the difference between “wants and needs” and the basics of income and expenses.
Over the weekend, the University of Belize issued a statement addressing recent incidents of cyberbullying. This follows reports of fake social media accounts created using the university’s logo, where pictures of students were posted alongside inappropriate and humiliating statements intended to embarrass or harm them.
In its statement, the university made it clear that it strongly condemns these actions. “The University of Belize is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful online environment for everyone,” the university said. “We remind all students that cyberbullying is strictly prohibited on any university platform or social media associated with the university.”
The university also warned that students found participating or encouraging cyberbullying could face serious disciplinary action, including possible suspension. The university made it clear that these reports will be forwarded to the Cyberbullying Unit of the police department for further investigation.
The university urged students to report any incidents of cyberbullying to the administration or counselling services.
Following Donald Trump’s win in the U.S. presidential election, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that “the time has come” for Israel to extend full sovereignty over the West Bank, a territory under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he has spoken with Trump multiple times since the election and that they share a common view on addressing the Iranian threat.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has warned that it has “enough weapons, equipment, and supplies for a long battle” against Israel. Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people, including at least 20 children, in Gaza and Lebanon. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 43,603 Palestinians have been killed, with 102,929 injured since the war began, while Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports 3,189 deaths and 14,078 injuries.
Israel’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has made claims about the handling of the war in Gaza. Gallant, who was fired by Netanyahu last week, stated that Netanyahu’s refusal to accept the ceasefire deal was rooted in personal political interests, not military strategy. Gallant said, “We killed all of them,” referring to the high-ranking Hamas leaders killed by Israeli forces. As the Minister of Defence, he said, “I did my job.”.
Gallant’s firing, announced on the same day as the U.S. election, has fuelled protests across Israel, with many Israelis accusing Netanyahu of putting his own political survival ahead of national security. “We feel that our country is slipping away, and tonight is just the last nail on the coffin,” said Maayan Oz, a protester in Tel Aviv.
Critics argue that Netanyahu’s actions reflect a dangerous shift away from democratic norms.
Police are investigating a fire that destroyed a wooden house on Freetown Road in Belize City late Sunday night, November 10. The fire broke out just before midnight and quickly engulfed the entire house.
Video footage from the scene shows the house fully engulfed in flames.
The property is located next to Korea Electronics.
There are no reports of injuries. The homeowner, 32-year-old Brandon Daniels, a delivery man, was not at the house then. Daniels, along with his wife and seven-year-old child, had been staying at a relative’s home when the fire started.
Despite the efforts of fire personnel, the fire had already caused extensive damage to the house. Daniels and his family lost all of their belongings.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, is just days away, set to take place in Azerbaijan. Following COP28, this event is another crucial opportunity for countries to be held accountable for their environmental commitments.
Belize’s Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Orlando Habet, spoke to the media today about the priorities for COP29. He said the conference will focus on financing climate change efforts and addressing the urgent funding needs of vulnerable nations, like Belize, which face the highest risks from climate change. A key issue will be scaling up the $100 billion pledge made by developed countries to support developing nations in their climate efforts. “The talk is in the trillions of dollars,” Minister Habet said.
While Belize’s delegation to the conference normally includes around 12 to 14 members from various government ministries, this year it will be much smaller. “It’s a very small team this year,” Habet explained. In addition to Kenrick Williams, the CEO of Belize’s Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, other officials from the Forest Department and the Ministry of Agriculture will attend. Belize will also send staff from its New York office, including Ambassador Carlos Fuller and one other embassy representative. Habet said that the Ministry of Agriculture is being involved in this year’s COO and will be attending through a different sponsorship.
In a previous interview, Habet stressed the importance of Belize’s participation in these international discussions to protect the country’s interests. However, Minister Mai has been more sceptical about the impact of global climate summits. “They often serve as more of a talk shop than a platform for meaningful action on climate change and other pressing environmental issues,” he said. Despite this scepticism, Minister Mai confirmed that he will still be attending COP29 in Monday’s episode of the Open Your Eyes morning show.
Habet said that the funding for the delegation will largely come from foreign sources, with only limited contributions from Belize.
Belize is joining forces with the UK’s Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) to enhance the monitoring and protection of its Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). According to the OCPP, the partnership is focused on “establishing clearer standards and thresholds for tracking the health of marine habitats and species.”
A workshop held on Monday and Tuesday in Belize City brought together stakeholders from the Belize Government, NGOs, and other organisations to develop “a unified approach to MPA monitoring through standardised indicators.” The goal is to adopt “standard protocols for MPAs.” This is to ensure that best practices are followed in monitoring marine health across the country.
Additionally, the OCPP is assisting the Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute (CZMAI) by funding MarFishEco, a consulting firm, to help process a backlog of marine data. This will support Belize’s commitment to the Blue Bonds Agreement to protect 30% of its marine environment.
In its statement, the OCPP said that it will “support countries by equipping them with the skills and expertise needed to tackle, reduce, and mitigate marine pollution,” while also helping establish “designated, well-managed, and enforced marine protected areas.”
Earlier today, we reported that police are investigating the death of 28-year-old Selvin Humes, who was found with stab wounds on November 7 in Independence Village, Stann Creek. Humes’s cousin, Jeremy Garbutt, spoke to News 5 about the tragic news. “All of us, the family, were stressing… who hands he was under… I never knew the man would distance himself from us like that,” Garbutt said. He explained that Humes had moved out three weeks ago and had been distancing himself from the family.
“He wasn’t a troubled person… He just chilled. He just chilled. He didn’t talk to anyone less,” he said. Garbutt described how he first heard about the incident, saying, “I get the news like everybody else… my auntie Arlene… called me almost 11 o’clock… two fellas came in and were intoxicated… they just tell me, ‘I hear your cousin just get stabbed up.'”
According to Garbutt, the attackers were strangers to his cousin, as he has never seen them socialising with Humes.
Humes’s body was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Valerie Woods, along with other senior officials from Belize, attended the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Sydney, Australia. The six-day conference concludes today.
Under the theme “Engage, Empower, Sustain: Charting the course for resilient democracy,” over 700 parliamentarians from around the world convened to focus on critical issues such as strengthening democracy, advancing gender equality, and promoting disability inclusion.
Key events at the conference include the 40th CPA Small Branches Conference, where Speaker Woods was elected as Chairperson for a three-year term. Other notable gatherings include the 8th CPA Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Conference, meetings of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD), the CPA Executive Committee, and the CPA Interim Executive.
In a press release, the National Assembly of Belize stated that the travel costs for the Belize delegation are being covered by the event organisers.
Police are investigating the death of a 28-year-old man who was found with stab wounds on November 7.
The victim has been identified as Selvin Humes, a labourer from Independence Village. He was taken to the Independence Poly Clinic on Thursday morning. The victim was later transported to the Southern Regional Hospital, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.
This is an ongoing investigation; a motive has not yet been determined.
