He may be new to the Ministry of Sports, but Minister Anthony Mahler isn’t wasting any time getting down to business. From day one, he promised big changes and today, during the 2025 budget debate, he doubled down on that promise. Minister Mahler laid out a bold vision: upgraded sports facilities, better training and pay for athletes, and a fresh leadership approach for youth and sports programs. It’s clear he’s aiming to turn potential into performance, and he’s bringing energy and ambition to the job. Here’s more from Minister Mahler on what’s ahead for sports in Belize.
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Youth and Sports
“This will take time and effort, but we will see marked improvements in years to come. In 2025 our investments will focus on improving athlete development programs, elite training and scholarship pathways, and improve school programs and district leagues to expand participation at the grassroots level. My program, Mundialito in Belize City is a testament to that. Upgrading and maintaining sporting facilities in all districts, developing a new sports policy and strategy, revamping the sports act, establishing a national advisory council that includes all federations and identifying creative ways to finance youth and sports initiatives in a sustainable way. I know first hand the importance of getting sports right to be able to provide an education for young people for better healthcare, because if we have a healthier nation we have a more productive nation, for national pride. When you see this flag you should beam with pride and we have to have a portion of our athletes be able earn a decent living from sports. We have established a new board of directors for the National Sports Council will competent people who are passionate about driving the sporting renaissance forward.”
There’s growing concern in the agricultural sector tonight as cases of paralytic rabies are on the rise in Belize. The Belize Agricultural Health Authority, along with the Ministry of Agriculture, is sounding the alarm, urging farmers and the public to stay alert and take action. Paralytic rabies is a serious disease that affects both domestic and wild animals, and it can be passed on to humans. The warning comes after a spike in infections among horses and cattle, raising red flags across rural communities. So, what should you look out for? Infected animals may show unusual behavior, nervousness, aggression, excessive drooling, trouble eating or swallowing, and eventually, death. Authorities are urging everyone to handle sick animals with extreme caution, as the virus spreads through saliva. To protect your animals, and yourself, BAHA is advising that all pets and livestock be vaccinated by a licensed vet. They’re also reminding the public to keep animals confined to their property and avoid leaving food or garbage out, which could attract wild animals. If you suspect a case of rabies, don’t wait, report it immediately to BAHA’s Animal Health Department. Early action could save lives.
There’s a wave of empowerment rising in Southern Belize. In the villages of Gales Point and Mullins River, residents are turning opportunity into action. This week, sixty Belizeans proudly completed a skills training program designed to boost livelihoods and open new doors, part of a major initiative tied to the Coastal Plain Highway Project. With support from BELTRAIDE and several international and local partners, these communities are proving that when opportunity knocks, they’re ready to answer. News Five’s Britney Gordon brings us the story from Gales Point.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The Livelihood Strategic Action Plan aims to build economic resilience and create sustainable livelihood opportunities in Gales Point Village and Mullins River Village. This week, fifty-nine villagers proudly completed an entrepreneurial development training program, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to launch and grow their own businesses. But that’s not all, BELTRAIDE, the agency leading the charge, has been working together with the community to formalize and register a total of eighty micro and small enterprises.
Ishmael Quiroz
Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE
“BELTRAIDE for its part has been tremendously honored to be the lead agency in the entrepreneurial development component of this project, which focuses on the formalization of businesses, capacity building and increasing market access, and what these things speak to is helping you to register your businesses, register your business names because they are yours and they’re sacred and special, and we’re giving you that security capacity, building through the training, through the knowledge, through the refreshers that you’ve heard during the lessons, and of course increasing market access, helping you to be able to get to your clients, to your customers, and to retain them.”
When communities are given the right tools, they don’t just survive, they thrive. That’s the vision behind the Belize Social Investment Fund’s latest efforts. By backing initiatives that build stronger local economies and support self-reliance, SIF is helping to lay the foundation for long-term success in villages across the country.
Carlos Tun
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, Belize Social Investment Fund
“We are best known for our contribution to infrastructure projects in the areas of water education and health. But an equally important pillar of our mission is the social component. it is this component. That brings us here today as we witness the tangible results of a program focused not just on infrastructure, but on people. This training initiative is a critical part of empowering individuals and communities by enhancing knowledge, by nurturing innovation, and by fostering entrepreneurship.”
Transforming communities, one project at a time—that’s the goal behind the UK-funded Coastal Road Upgrading Project. Backed by a generous thirty-two-million-dollar grant from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, this initiative is already making a difference in places like Gales Point. And for residents like Leroy Andrewin, the impact is personal.
Leroy Andrewin
Leroy Andrewin, Gales Point Mantee Resident
“Now you all give us the tools to work with and everything, and we have the seed to plant. And so when we plant the seed, we hope for the seed to go and make Gales Point into a better Gales Point business to spread, to help spread the news about this business, and thank the teachers, especially teachers, and you all to do this for us. Gales Point is a beautiful village and we always feel like we’re left behind. But now this happened to Gales Point. We know we didn’t left behind. We are part of the system.”
The program supported forty-three female-owned and thirty-seven male-owned businesses in sectors such as food, agriculture, tourism, and electrical sectors. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The organization’s plan to further support the villages growing entrepreneurial community by hosting a Buy Belizean Expo in Dangriga Town on June fourteenth, 2025.
The Court of Appeal has delivered a decisive blow to the Belize Tourism Board (BTB). The court dismissed BTB’s appeal and upholding a ruling that found the statutory body wrongfully terminated Misty Michael, its former Director of Marketing and Industry Relations.
In a unanimous decision, the appellate panel affirmed that Michael’s dismissal in May 2021 was without cause and in breach of her fixed-term employment contract. BTB was ordered to pay Michael BZ$217,822.18 in damages, along with interest and legal costs.
Michael, who was appointed under a three-year contract beginning April 2020, was abruptly terminated just over a year later. The BTB cited Clause 7.1.3 of her contract, which allows for termination due to a “material change in circumstances” such as a financial crisis caused by external events like the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the court found that the BTB failed to prove it was financially incapable of paying Michael. Evidence presented showed the organization had between BZ$10 to $12 million in cash reserves at the time and had even budgeted for her position in the 2021–2022 fiscal year.
The BTB’s appeal was based on nine grounds, including claims that Michael’s contract was invalid due to lack of formal ministerial and board approval, and that the compensation clause for early termination was an unenforceable penalty.
The Court of Appeal rejected these arguments, finding that the Minister’s verbal approval of the contract, while not recorded in writing, was legally sufficient under the Belize Tourism Board Act, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the BTB had ostensible authority to execute the contract, and their actions bound the organization and that Clause 7.1.1, which entitled Michael to full compensation for the remainder of her contract if terminated without cause, was a valid and enforceable liquidated damages clause, not a penalty.
“The appeal is dismissed with costs to the respondent,” wrote Court President Madam Justice Minnet Hafiz Bertram in the judgment. Justices Peter I. Foster and Arif Bulkan concurred.
El Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. ha ordenado a sus embajadas y consulados en todo el mundo pausar la programación de nuevas citas para visas de estudiante, mientras desarrolla una nueva guía para ampliar la verificación de redes sociales a todos los solicitantes de visas tipo F, M y J.
Esta medida, instruida mediante un cable diplomático firmado por el secretario de Estado interino Marco Rubio y revelada por CNN, forma parte de los esfuerzos del Gobierno de Trump por restringir el ingreso de estudiantes internacionales.
La revisión podría tener importantes implicaciones operativas y ralentizar el proceso de emisión de visas. El cable también instruye a eliminar las citas no tomadas y a no abrir nuevos espacios hasta que se emita una guía oficial. Las citas ya agendadas sí se podrán llevar a cabo.
The U.S. Department of State has ordered all American embassies and consulates worldwide to pause new student visa appointments while it develops new guidelines to expand social media screening for all student visa applicants, according to CNN
This move is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to deter international students from attending U.S. universities. The cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes as the administration has already revoked multiple student visas and attempted to block foreign students from enrolling at Harvard, an effort temporarily halted by a court ruling.
The State Department is reviewing its current processes for screening applicants for F, M, and J visas (student and exchange visitor categories) and plans to issue guidance that would expand mandatory social media checks. While some screening was previously conducted, mostly related to alleged antisemitism, applying it universally could significantly slow down the visa issuance process.
The cable warns that expanded screening could have “significant implications for consular operations, processes, and resource allocation.” As a result, embassies and consulates have been instructed not to add new appointment slots and to cancel untaken appointments created before the cable was issued. However, previously scheduled appointments may proceed.
An Amazonian tribe, the Marubo, is suing the New York Times for defamation, claiming a report about their access to high-speed internet falsely portrayed them as porn addicts.
The lawsuit, seeking at least $180 million, argues that the article depicted the tribe as unable to handle the internet and highlighted unverified claims that their youth were consumed by pornography, according to the BBC.
TMZ and Yahoo are also named in the suit for allegedly sensationalising the story and mocking the tribe’s youth. The NYT denies saying anyone was addicted to porn, and later published a follow-up article titled, “No, A Remote Amazon Tribe Did Not Get Addicted to Porn.”
Marubo leader Enoque Marubo and Brazilian activist Flora Dutra, who helped bring internet to the community, said the coverage caused global humiliation and put their reputations and safety at risk.
As salary negotiations between the Government of Belize and the Belize National Teachers Union remain unresolved, Minister of Education Oscar Requena has expressed strong support for the teaching profession.
Requena acknowledged the significance of teachers’ contributions while reiterating government’s current offer—an initial 3% salary adjustment scheduled for October 2025, as previously approved by Cabinet.
Requena stated: “On the matter of teachers, I want to say and reiterate that this Ministry of Education and our government fully supports, respects, appreciates and values the great work of our teachers across this country. We know that our teachers are important partners in development and education. It is only through education that we can truly develop this nation. That is why we value our teachers.”
He added, “I want to say I support the presentation made by our Deputy Prime Ministers in terms of the proposals made to our teachers and public servants.”
Requena said “Rest assured that we understand the very important duty of our teachers and public servants, and we will continue to endeavor to work with our teachers and public servants in good faith, so that together we can arrive at some meaningful consensus on how we can move forward—understanding that as a government we have a responsibility to the good for the wider nation. But we also have responsibility to them and the great work they do.”
Tensions continue to mount across Belize as the nation anxiously awaits a response from the Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT) regarding the government’s latest salary proposal. With the possibility of a nationwide strike looming, all eyes are on the Joint Union Negotiation Team, which has yet to issue a formal decision on whether to accept or reject the offer.
Last week, the Briceño Administration submitted its Cabinet-approved proposal to the unions, outlining what it describes as a significant compensation package for teachers and public servants.
Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher addressed the matter during this morning’s budget debate. “In reference to the salary adjustment, the government is proposing a 3% adjustment in October 2025 and an additional increment at the start of fiscal year 2026–2027 to make up for the frozen increment in 2021. In addition, the remaining 5.5% and a second frozen increment will be adjusted within a maximum three-year period.”
Minister Usher said that each increment is valued between 2.5% and 3%, noting, “So the actual figure is not 8.5%, but over three years, it’ll be closer to 14.5% in this three-year period.”
Romano Cal, 50, was fatally attacked with a machete outside his home on Sunday, shortly after returning from refueling his bus. Police have detained his brother, 55-year-old Rafael Cal, in Tambran Village for questioning. He is being accused of killing his own sibling.
Romano’s daughter, Modesta Cal, witnessed the attack. She told News 5, “I was shocked to see that happen, because I was there, I saw it. I didn’t know what to do next, because when seeing my dad in that situation I didn’t know what to do after that. We just informed our family and they come assist us as well,” she said.
She believes the attack was driven by “jealousy and hatred,” adding there was no fight leading up to the incident, stating that the attack appened “from nowhere.”
Modesta described her father as “very respected, trustworthy, humble,” and always willing to help others.
The Toledo Alcaldes Association condemned Romano’s killing, calling it a “heinous crime” that violates their core values of peace, unity, and hard work. “We condemn any act of violence in our communities,” it said in a statement on Monday.
