2025-06-10 - Greater Belize Media

ChatGPT Goes Down Leaving Users ‘To Type Their Own Emails’

A major outage hit ChatGPT today, leaving users around the world unable to access OpenAI’s popular chatbot. The disruption affected not only ChatGPT but also related services like APIs and the AI-powered video tool Sora.

According to OpenAI, users were experiencing “elevated error rates and latency.” The company confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 10:22 a.m. ET that engineers had identified the root cause and were working swiftly to resolve the issue.

As of early afternoon, OpenAI reported that systems were gradually recovering, though the company continues to “monitor the fix” and push toward full service restoration.

Outage tracking site DownDetector showed the number of reported issues peaking at nearly 2,000 just after 11 a.m. ET, but by 2:30 p.m., that number had dropped to around 500, indicating progress.

GBM Leads the Pack in 2025 CBU Media Awards with Record Number of Nominations

Greater Belize Media (GBM) has emerged as the top nominee in this year’s 36th annual Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards. With a staggering 103 entries submitted across multiple categories, GBM outpaced competitors from across the Caribbean, including Jamaica’s media giant RJRGLEANER Communications Group, which secured 95 nominations.

GBM’s nominations span both traditional and digital platforms, including Best Documentary, Best Magazine, and top categories for News, Sports, Investigative Reporting, Entertainment, and Commercial content. GBM is also recognised for impactful journalism on key social and environmental issues, earning nods in all three Child Rights Champion categories and for coverage of mangroves, coral reefs, healthy nutrition policy, land degradation, and financial literacy. Additionally, the network stands out for its celebration of Caribbean arts and culture, and its behind-the-scenes talent received nominations for Best Videographer, Best Producer – TV, and Best Director – TV.

The announcement comes as part of a record-breaking year for the CBU Media Awards. A total of 551 entries were submitted by 30 media organisations across 11 countries and territories, plus one pan-regional entity, marking a 13% increase in submissions compared to last year.

GBM’s strong showing was further highlighted in the People’s Choice category, which saw 13,339 total votes cast via social media across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Belize was among the five territories with entries in the newly revamped short-form digital content format in areas such as News, Comedy, Music, and Education.

Full list can be found here.

BSCFA Warns: Don’t Give “Rose” Your 6-Digit Code

The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) has issued an urgent warning to its members about a potential cyberattack targeting cane farmers.

According to the association, several members have reported receiving suspicious Zoom invitations from a person identifying herself as “Rose.” The calls, reportedly scheduled for 8:00 p.m., claim to be aimed at “empowering cane farmers” and ask recipients to confirm their identity using a six-digit code and provide their email addresses.

The BSCFA is urging farmers not to share any personal information, warning that the calls are not affiliated with the organization and may be part of a scheme to gain access to individuals’ phones or bank accounts. Some farmers have even reported losing access to their WhatsApp accounts after engaging with the call.

Belize Bank Issues Urgent Warning About Rising Phone Scams

Belize Bank has issued a public alert warning customers about a surge in fraudulent phone calls impersonating bank representatives. The alert urges the public to remain vigilant and protect their personal and financial information.

According to the bank, several customers have reported receiving suspicious calls from individuals falsely claiming to be from Belize Bank. These scammers attempt to extract sensitive information such as full credit card numbers, PINs, usernames, and passwords.

“Belize Bank NEVER asks for personal or credit card information over the phone.”

The bank is reminding customers of its core security principles, known as the “Golden Rules,” which include:

Never provide your credit card information, PINs, usernames, or passwords to anyone over the phone.

Avoid clicking on suspicious links.

Use the bank’s Secure Online Message Center, BBL Assist, for official communication.

PSU: We Will Apply Pain on Briceño Administration

The Public Service Union of Belize has once again taken a stand against the Briceño administration with a resounding rejection of the government’s offer of two increments to be phased over a three-year period.

After nearly ninety-five percent of the union’s membership voted to reject the government’s offer and over ninety-one percent voted to declare a trade dispute, PSU leadership peacefully marched to the Ministry of Labor this morning to hand-deliver their declaration.

PSU President Dean Flowers addressed the membership upon arriving at the office, reaffirming the union’s refusal to back down from their demands for an 8.5 percent salary adjustment in this fiscal year. Flowers outlined the union’s next steps, stating that coordinated action with other unions would begin within the coming weeks.

“Within that 21 days in coordination with the BNTU, in coordination with the APSSM, we shall start applying force and power and pain on the Briceño administration who is simply not listening to the workers,” Flowers declared.

The PSU President directed sharp criticism at Prime Minister John Briceño. “The Prime Minister has been in office for five years. He stands out of as one of the leaders, and I’m pretty quite sure they’re not, there may not be a whole lot of them, but he stands out as a leader that in five years he has not sat with the PSU,” Flowers said.

Flowers expressed frustration with what he characterized as the Prime Minister’s approach to public service management. “Imagine the man will lead the public service, has never sat with the PSU because he believes that PSU is his private company and he’s treating it like that and that that disrespect, he’s known his second term. He has held one meeting in five years with the joint unions and that was a meeting that he attempted to hijack our agenda.”

Flowers issued a stern warning about pension reforms, drawing distinctions between private and public sector labor relations. “And so while the honorable Minister of State might be accustomed to having his way in the private sector, I wish to serve a serious warning. It ain’t gonna happen in the public sector, my brother.”

“And we will die for that pension until such time. Until such time as we can adequately negotiate. A salary review exercise that fairly compensate public officers and allow them to contribute into a pension fund. We will continue to resist that. IMF. Recommendation to put more P in Pam public. We will not subscribe to that.”

Auditor General Responds to Protest Over Denied Promotion

Former PSU presidents Gerald Henry and Doreth Obermayer staged a protest in Belmopan yesterday against the Ministry of Public Service. Henry claimed the ministry unfairly denied his promotion to Supervisor of Audit.

Henry, who now serves as Examiner of Accounts II, said he was the most qualified candidate, citing both seniority and a master’s degree earned in 2016. He alleged the rejection was biased and personal and said no reason was provided.

But the Office of the Auditor General has since issued a formal response, stating that both Henry and Obermayer were previously deemed an “audit risk” after refusing to adhere to the office’s code of ethics aligned with international auditing standards.

According to the Auditor General, the pair declined to follow the internal policy requiring staff to sign a code of conduct under the International Standards for Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) 130.

The release further states that due to non-productivity, neither individual was eligible for appraisal. It also claims that one had not approached supervisors to complete required evaluations. While one officer has since been re-engaged and assigned to an audit team in hopes of improved performance, the office clarified that Obermayer is no longer employed there and cannot represent the office publicly. Her pension benefits have already been settled.