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Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English |
Torrential Rains Inundate Coastal Plain Highway, Forcing Road Closure After Pavement Disintegrates At Soldier Creek Bridge
Submerged vehicles, sliding buses, and 36 miles of road closed for the day - that's what those traversing the Coastal Plain Highway endured today. The first heavy June rains inundated the Coastal and even broke it near the Soldier Creek Bridge.
The Coastal Highway took a beating and so did our news team. Courtney Menzies was on the ground and has this story.
Courtney Menzies
"It's the first major rainfall of the 2026 rainy season and in its wake, the Coastal Plain Highway has been closed. That's because, as you can see here near the Gales Manatee junction, floodwaters have inundated it. Parts of this highway have also been shredded by fast moving floodwaters and vehicles have been caught in its depths. But this area is only one that has been severely affected by the heavy rainfall."
And today when we spoke with the Minister of Infrastructure, he explained that it's not the contractor or the chip and seal to blame - these things happen in natural disasters.
Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure
"the contract was signed before our term, the contractor was awarded the contract, the work was being done while we were there. The contractor I think he did a good job in my opinion. As I said before 36 miles of road and you have 20 feet with a problem and another 40 feet with a problem. People say the chip and seal is very thin but that's what it is, you can do you investigation, the strength of a road is not the pavement itself, the chip and seal, it's all the substructure that comes and the compaction that needs to be done. There are levels of quality of roads, you have the chip and seal as the third option, you have the hot mix as your second option, and the best one no doubt is concreting but the cost increases depending on which one we use. The coastal, we continued with the specifications that were there but we can't blame the contractor or the engineer what natural disasters bring."
And part of that disaster was our news team getting caught in the flood:
Courtney Menzies
"Currently, it is 1:30 in the afternoon and we are stuck around mile 16 of the coastal plain highway, where we've been for two hours. We entered the highway at 10 this morning when the water was low all the way to the Gales Point Junction. But in just an hour and a half it has risen several feet, blocking us from continuing north to La Democracia. The southern end of the highway is made impassible by flood waters as well."
The southern end ultimately cleared and the hummingbird highway was fully accessible. But while the Coastal Road was unusable for most of today, Minister Espat said it balances out.
Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure
"but look at the statistics, look at the numbers, 36 miles and you have a combination of 50 to 60 feet that has to be dealt with, I think percentage wise it's a fair formula to have. And those two sections, we will probably have to concrete it like what we did with the other sections last year and it worked."
"you use the road 395.7% of the time and 1% of the year you can't use it, that's acceptable too."
Up to news time, the Coastal Highway is still blocked by floodwaters that are slowly receding.
Infrastructure Minister Attributes Unprecedented Hummingbird Highway Flooding to Widespread Deforestation
In the interview with Espat he also discussed how they are seeing flooding in unusual areas such as mile 7 on the Hummingbird - which is not known to flood. Espat says the increasing expansion of flood areas is due to deforestation:
Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure
"The Coastal was the one that gave us problems earlier on and it still has some problems but now we're experiencing problems at mile 7 on the Hummingbird close to Xaibel Gas Station, a bus was washed off the road. We sent in equipment, they're there already to be able to pull the bus back on the highway and to help residents to see if they can cross it in case it's an emergency. We also closed that road temporarily, the engineer Triston Usher is on site personally, he's the guy in charge of that zone. So we're doing everything possible from our side to be able to help people."
"the south, you're seeing a lot because of the mountainous terrain and we're starting to deforest the mountains, some call it hills not mountains. And so all of this deforestation is affecting us considerably. We have been saying this from I got into the ministry. Because that was one of the items that we noticed. And that's why in Cabinet it was decided to put a moratorium on logging for a while to see where the country is and how we can look at the situation. We are not putting enough attention to the environment, and we're changing the whole ecosystem and these are the results, the infrastructure that you design will not be able to hold up to it entirely."
"What concerns me though is that the main arteries to the south, both the Coastal and the Hummingbird experienced problems at the same time and it's an indication that we have to look at that and see where the weak points are and how we can do better."
"the entire south right now is the problem, village by village you will see the problem because we have some of the problems on the main highway but a lot of the villages are not reporting, some of the bridges that are by the rivers will rise and have flooding, the wooden bridges in those small communities will have problems."
Belize Inundated by Highest Daily Rainfall Volume Since the Start of the Rainy Season
Chief Met Officer Warns Adverse Weather and Heavy Downpours Will Persist Through the Weekend
And if you have any big plans for the weekend, the current weather conditions are not expected to clear up or completely ease off until Sunday going into Monday according to Chief Met Officer Gordon.
Ronald Gordon - Chief Meteorologist
"Now looking at what is happening going forward, many persons would have seen that the National Hurricane Center has indicated a small potential for that system which is over us now to develop as it enters the Bay of Campeche. That system, of course moving to the west of us won't have an impact if it develops. Development is very very small; we don't expect it to develop. There is a very low 10% chance. Very strong level winds would tend to discourage or suppress any sort of development but in either case it would not be a threat for us in terms of a tropical cyclone but as you have seen, and as we have said always, rainfall it does not take a tropical storm or a tropical depression for you to get heavy rainfall. And so that system will move away but the upper level support will remain. And so we do expect in the immediate future term a decrease in rainfall during the afternoon there will be some breaks but we do expect another downpour tonight again into tomorrow morning early and the areas that will be most impacted again will be central Belize the same areas that were affected this morning but especially with a focus to the north so people up north need to begin preparing because we expect that the conditions will be there for up to 4-6 inches of rainfall within the next 24 hours with potential of up to 8 inches over central areas again with a heavy focus for the north. On Saturday morning we see another increase, not as much as before, about 2-4 inches, that general area and we do see some improvement going into Sunday and Monday. So it will be a trend for decrease after that period."
Chief Hydrologist Urges Extreme Caution as Floodwaters Rise Along Southern Highway
Based on the images and videos we have received from the southern parts of the country, along the Coastal Highway and even in smaller communities, Chief Hydrologist Tennille Hendy is urging the public to exercise extreme caution when travelling through these flooded areas, for those who can make it through on the highways. She shared with us what their data on flooding has looked like so far.
Tennille Hendy - Chief Hydrologist
"We have some areas where there is visible reports or pictures, videos being shared, some collected by our office as it relates to flooding. I have to highlight that at the mile 17 post on the Coastal Highway that is already impassable so it is not advisable that you use the Coastal Road at this time. In the Hummingbird there have been some cases of flooding but we have not been able to document those for ourselves as yet, but we also would say exercise extreme caution in those areas. In our flood forecast from yesterday we showed the 12, 24 and 36 hour outlook in terms of flash flooding and so it is aligning quite well with the areas that we had alerted yesterday to monitor your environment. Looking at the new dates that we have, we see that area advancing to most of the country, and aligning as well with Chief Met in terms of the precipitation moving into the north. We are also seeing very high potential for flooding in the north as well mainly linked to what we call or often refer to as localized flooding, urban flooding associated with excessive rainfall so quite literally the entire country has to be on call from what we are seeing right now especially for those in the central areas as mentioned before and on the south. Recall that we have these hills when the rainfall hits those features within the environment. they tend to travel rather quickly down the slope and into the lower lying areas so if you are off the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains into the south you definitely need to be on the look out when there is an excessive rainfall, notice or advisory for your area. As well we need to consider double impacts or double contributors especially for those who are on the western side of the country near to riverine systems, we have our neighbors, Guatemala and Mexico being affected by the event that is in their area so we also need to be on the lookout for riverine flooding, and you have the combination of excessive rainfall which is flooding caused by rain events."
NEMO Activates Emergency Response Mechanisms
NEMO and Ministry of Education Assess Potential Weather Closures for Schools
For parents wondering whether the weather will impact school attendance, Mendez says they are working with the Ministry of Education to determine this.
Daniel Mendez - NEMO Coordinator
" In that regard, we are in communication with the Ministry of Education. We coordinate with them and then they do their own risk assessments on determine using all the information that's available to make that determination."
"It's not a decision that's made by NEMO. It's really a decision made by the Ministry of Education, but that's done in close coordination with our departments, the Met Service, Hydrology, and NEMO."
MIDH Minister Evaluates Road Infrastructure Vulnerabilities Amid Rising Village Flood Risks
A large part of determining whether schools will open - especially village schools - depends on how well the roads hold up. We asked Minister Espat what and where are the vulnerabilities:
Julius Espat - Minister of Infrastructure, Development & Housing
"So right now it is the south and then it will come closer to us in the West, if it happens in the north then you will have a different problem: there is no water flow so everything will rise at the same time. At least here in the West and the South you have water flow meaning that you willl have flash floods and then it will dissipate quite rapidly but in the northern areas that is a bit scarier when it is not flowing as fast so when you have flooding it will remain for a longer period of time. Nobody is perfect in this scenario. We will consult with our local engineers; we will consult with our foreign engineers, and we will try to address the situation before it occurs as best as we can. But in general terms it is a coordinated effort. MIDH can do as much as we can but we need the help of the communities to maintain our drains properly clean to stop throwing garbage to clog up culverts to stop deforesting or minimize it as much as possible, so it is a coordinated effort."
Panic in San Lazaro After Pickup Explodes Near Gas Station Pumps
At the top of the news we showed you the intense flooding affecting various parts of the country. But while those communities dealt with heavy rainfall, in San Lazaro, Orange Walk, panic erupted after a vehicle exploded around midday. What made it worse, though, was that it occurred directly in front of the San Lazaro Gas Station, dangerously close to the fuel pumps. Police got the report at 12:46 in the afternoon and by 12:50, the fire truck was already deployed and en route to the scene. They brought the blaze under control.
Fortunately no one was injured. The pickup was registered to Brandon Vasquez and so far first responders believe it was an electrical fire.
Calcutta Businessman Convicted on Four Counts of Human Trafficking For Forcing Women Into Prositituion
And in other news, today in Dangriga's High Court, a man was convicted of 4 counts of trafficking in persons. Jin Zhou Wu faced 2 counts of labor trafficking and 2 counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation. He was represented by Emerita Anderson while the DPP appeared for the crown. Wu is now remanded to prison pending sentencing, which will occur on June 26th.
In 2020, Police arrested and charged Wu with three counts of trafficking in persons based on a 2019 complaint. The Chinese Businessman of Calcutta Village was being accused of compelling three women to prostitute.
Tour Operator Yohny Rosado Charged for Disorderly Conduct Outside Tourism Village
Tour operator and businessman Yohny Rosado is out on bail tonight after he was charged for disorderly conduct and insulting an on duty police officer.
The incident happened yesterday outside of the tourism village when Rosado claims one of his tour vehicles was being held back from leaving the terminal.
Rosado then had a testy exchange with one of the BTB security personnels outside of the tourist village and that's when things reportedly escalated and police were called in.
He was arraigned today before senior magistrate Mannon Dennison and pleaded not guilty. Rosado told the magistrate that he never uttered any insulting words to the officer. Here's what he shared following his arraignment.
Reporter
"What are the charges or charge you were levied with?"
Yhony Rosado - Tour Operator
"Oh for insulting an officer, no 2 charges for insulting an officer and disorder conduct but apparently they called BTB, and BTB reviewed the cameras and how will you charge me for disorderly conduct when I am cooperating. So they dropped that charged but they want to give me the 48, and I'll tell you that is not PISS house that is SH*T house. That place is terrible."
Reporter
"How will you plea this morning at your arraignment?"
Yhony Rosado - Tour Operator
"No guilty because I did nothing wrong"
Reporter
"You didn't say those words?"
Yhony Rosado - Tour Operator
"No no I told the police to go and do your job that is what I told the police but he got upset. Any officer or any anybody gets vex when they tell you to go and do your job, BTB have the video that I told the officer please call somebody, call your superior they have the van held up. After 25-28 years working in tourism you are no value to them you are just another citizen. You work with the program work with PUP or BTB or else you get arrested, that is what they did to me."
Rosado was granted bail in the sum of $500 plus one surety of the same amount, which he was able to meet. His next court date is set for August 5th 2026. He appeared unrepresented in court
US Charge d'Affaires Says GOB Agreed To Wind Up Cuban Medical Brigade Operation
For months, the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been going back and forth about the 94-person Cuban Medical Brigade working in Belize's healthcare system.
The US State Department - which has characterized these medical missions as a "coercive labor export scheme" is pressuring the Briceno Administration to send the Cuban doctors home.
There has been no definitive pronouncement from the government of Belize, but the US Charge d'Affaires Katharine Beamer was much clearer about it; she says it's being wound up:
Katharine Beamer - Chargé d'Affaires
"Well, we are supportive of the government's decision to wind down this program in Belize and we are committed to encouraging all the countries throughout the world to region to adhere to international labor standards and we are very interested in human dignity and those types of employment relations."
Reporter:
"Has any conversations been had with the government about how we replace the support that those doctors have provided to the health system here in Belize?"
Katharine Beamer - Chargé d'Affaires
"I am not going to comment on specific conversations that I've had with the government but I do know there is a strong commitment to ensuring that healthcare in Belize remains robust and services the Belizean people."
Defence CEO Questioned Over Alleged SmartStream Payment Structuring as PSU Files FOIA Request
For the past two nights we've been reporting an an explosive leak of 497 rows of SMARTSTREAM invoices paid - most from the Ministry of Defence to Jenny Mira - sister of Oscar Mira for fruits and vegetable supplied mostly to the Ministry of Defence.
Today we asked the man who has been the CEO of that Ministry since 2025 about some of the suspicious patterns we saw in those payments:
Jules Vasquez:
"What jumps out is that there is such a systematic pattern of keeping under that that $10,000 threshold. In fact, on one day in 2023, when an invoice was booked for $18,000, it was quickly canceled. And then two days later, we saw two sums up here that add up to the same exact amount right down to the cent."
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"So the, the cancellation of one invoice and then breaking it down into two invoices that add up to the amount, I can't necessarily speak to that because I wasn't the CEO here, but what I can say is that, at no point has anyone from the ministry at the BDF or the Coast Guard gone to a vendor and said, you know, I know this computer costs $12,000, but can you break it up into two quotations of eight and 4 or 6 and six so that they kind of fly under the radar?"
"Because it is a more efficient way for them to actually see the invoices be processed and for, money to appear in their accounts. That's not an indictment on the Ministry of Finance, the Treasury, anyone else, It's just it eliminates a layer of bureaucracy. And the vendors have learned that. And so they if they are providing 30 different items, they will quote or give you pro forma estimates that I'm certain they know the thresholds and that they keep it below that so that their funds can be, can be paid out quicker upon the delivery of the items."
Jules Vasquez:
"so many times we see recurrences of the exact same figures, one of them appearing 14 times, another being 12 times, another appearing nine times. What do you make of a pattern like that?"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"while the the individuals who are on duty may vary, the number of people on duty and on standby and working on every camp for the most part, on a week to week basis, remain the same."
"So for the most part, the ration bid and the numbers that we are feeding remain the same. So it's not an asinine belief or anything crazy that the quantities of things that we, require remain the same."
Jules Vasquez:
"But prices would fluctuate,"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"I agree, I agree, and prices do fluctuate with inflation. There are varying factors. We require people to deliver these goods, so the price of fuel varies and therefore the, the delivery costs do vary as well. But for the most part, all of these items are tendered items. And when you lock into a certain, contract or a certain, obligation to maintain a certain price, when you are doing your planning, you lock yourself, you plan accordingly. You plan according to any inflationary increases, any fluctuations, anything like that."
Jules Vasquez:
"Would you say what we have seen in the 497 entries we have reviewed, the 47 screenshots, would you say that those transactions appeared to you to be on the level?"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"On on the level of?"
Jules Vasquez:
"That they appear to be legitimate, not fraudulent transaction for goods fairly purchased and received by the Ministry of Defense?"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"So I can say that from, March 18th, 2025 to now, there have not been any - especially not from Mira's Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - anything that was quoted or paid for that was not received. And I likewise have not seen any pattern or any practice or any behavior from that vendor to indicate that she might have done that in the past. I don't put my hand on the block for anybody, but I can pretty confidently say that whatever was coated for whatever the invoice had on the the itemized invoice, was in fact delivered."
Jules Vasquez:
"Is Jenny Mira still a supplier for the Ministry of Defense? And The Belize coast guard?"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"So she's still in the system from time to time. If we would need some, emergency items or items that other suppliers don't have, she would still be called upon. But the actually the main supplier, because we did go through the open tendering process as per the finance and audit reform act. And she came in second, in that process, not first. So actually there is another supplier that's supplying, I would say the majority of vegetables currently."
Jules Vasquez:
"Do you think it's appropriate that the minister's sister, at the time the Minister of State's Sister, would be one of the major suppliers for the Army and the Coast Guard? And did she get the privilege to do so by a fair competitive bidding process?"
Francis Usher - CEO (2025 -) - Ministry of Defence
"So during, my time as CEO, everything was aboveboard. There was a fair, competitive and open bidding process where, all of the vendors were, they were, vetted and they were there was, evaluation criteria for all the vendors of all the items."
"I can definitely see and understand why there is the perception of nepotism. I can definitely understand that she is, after all, the sister of the minister. And that would be a very credible allegation had she just become a vegetable supplier in 2020. But they have been supplying well, they've had a vegetable shop for decades."
"I do understand the perception of nepotism, but they haven't just become one of the bigger vegetable suppliers, certainly in Belmopan, but across the country."
We'll have part two of that interview tomorrow when we ask Usher about some telling trickery in how invoice numbers were entered.
Notably, based on our reporting the Public Service Union has put a Freedom of Information request into the Accountant General, the Auditor General and
The Contractor General, quote, "to raise grave concerns regarding a widespread and deeply troubling practice within the Government of Belize involving the deliberate splitting (structuring) of payments to evade proper financial oversight and approval." More on that tomorrow.
AG Addresses Former Ombudsman’s Lawsuit Against Government Over Contract Termination
As we have been reporting, Belize still does not have an Ombudsman. The last Ombudsman, Major Gilbert Swaso's contract was not renewed in December.
He is now taking legal action against the government for paying him $100,000 a year (!) less than they were legally obligated to, and for the politically curious circumstances surrounding his termination. The lawsuit falls before Attorney General, Anthony Sylvester who gave us his thoughts:
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"So the office of the Ombudsman is independent of government. So it makes requests for whatever expenditure that it be for additional staff and whatever needs. And so a request for an independent counsel, that would be made, through the clerk's office because the Ombudsman is... so the parliamentary, the parliamentary officer so, so what the what should happen is that that request should be made through the Clerk of the National Assembly's office, and in turn, that would be transmitted to the Financial Secretary. But, as I had been, I see no difficulty, no no reason or no issue why the office should not have independent counsel."
Reporter
"The Ombudsman, in his decision against you, was acting in the interest of a citizen who was pressing on the public's right to know how public funds are being spent. Being that he is no longer there, who will now stand for the citizen's rights to know how public funds are being spent?"
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"So, as explained by the honorable Prime Minister, it knows the office still exists. You still have all the different, officers of the of the office and and those functions still can be addressed. And so there is, there is, there is really and unfortunately, let us, let me see this. The, the delay which, which is regrettable in terms of the appointment of the Ombudsman, it is not something that, that certainly we wanted. It's as a result of the process that now follows, incorporating a National Human Rights institute in the office of the Ombudsman. So, as you well know, the office of the Ombudsman has really already has a large number of functions in addressing citizens complaints with respect to maladministration and and so on, so forth. The, the proposed creation, establishment of a National Human Rights Institute is one which would further extend the functions and responsibilities of the Ombudsman's office. And that includes, for instance, promoting and addressing human rights issues, as well as providing as well issues relating to education and advocacy of human rights. Now question would be, how do you host this meeting? Is this to be done? So there is a working team that has been established, which includes, both private sector, social partners and persons from the Ministry, of some government ministers. My understanding is that they meet Monday to continue that process in terms of trying to formalize. How do we do this? Because what will necessarily, follow from this is that the qualification of the Ombudsman may need to change. So these are things which, which regrettably, unfortunately have delayed the process. But what I can say is that, we are moving as, as, as fast and as quickly as possible, obviously not to total dissatisfaction understandably so of of of persons who are concerned. But what I can say. Unquestionably. That we are moving and that we seek to address this issue, as soon as possible."
Government Prepares CCJ Appeal Following $6-Million Communal Land Ruling in Favor of Jalacte Village
We also asked the AG about the Court of Appeal ruling ordering it to pay Jalacte for using communal lands to build a major Highway.
The Government of Belize has been ordered by both the High Court and the Court of Appeal to pay over $6 million to the village for unauthorized seizure and destruction of communal lands to build the highway. Government plans to appeal to the CCJ and the AG also commented on this:
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"So so the concern of the government is this: and as I explained, you will see why this is very necessary for us to to at least have a "no" if if this is to be the case moving forward. That would be the state of the law. So there are aspects of and it's, it's its assessment of compensation for land use in using a metric which is not used when determining and when assessing compensation for other land, for private land. So the concern is that what you will have and what we fear is that you will have two regime for compensation of land in the country: one for private land which is non communal and one which is for communal, and that creates, can, has a potential to create some issues, particularly where in that, in the Toledo district you have some third party interests, private land which may potentially be subsumed or be considered communal land. So it has some serious, serious, serious, implications, financial implications. And so, the government sees it, sees it fit, and there's wisdom in approaching the highest court, the apex court, and say, look, this is a position: two regimes with respect to compensation for land now eems to be the state of law in the country. Tell us, is this the case or is, is is it not the case? That certainly would be extremely helpful and beneficial to all of them."
Reporter
"The challenge would be in relation to the quantum. Correct, because it meant that it was unlawfully acquired."
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"Well, there is still and there was an issue, we did raise the issue that, yes, obviously it was being utilized. But the issue that as raised ,the courts ruled against us in respect to that was whether the, that, that that area would in fact, actually form part of communal land, particularly since there has not been any formal establishment of boundaries. So so those are things as well that, that, that we would ask the court to, to look at."
Attorney General Weighs Options in Ongoing Joseph Budna Constitutional Case
And we discussed the Budna case which is still in court. A preliminary ruling from the High Court did not bode well for the government. The court found that there is a valid case in the claim of violation of Budna's constitutional rights. The AG says that they are still processing the files and have not decided to settle:Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"We are still in the process of that, I believe yesterday there was a case management conference in terms of the time for filing of witness statements and, and other court documents. I don't recall the, the timelines offhand. But suffice it to say, we are still in the process. And what I should point out: as part of the court process there are two very key, very important mechanisms that the court utilize. They utilize a mediation mechanism, where they are encourage parties to say look, try to discuss and see if you could arrive at some resolution. They also use a mechanism known as a judicial settlement conference. That one in my view has has more, more, more, more usefulness because what it does, it allows the parties to have a senior attorney, a senior counsel explain to them to say, look, you filed this constitutional claim, you're asking for x, y, z; you file your defense and you're saying XYZ. But, you know, you both of you may really need to really rethink your position. So, so I think, as part of that process, which comes up a little ways on, you know, we would be in a better position to know where we go with respect to that matter."
Reporter
"If you guys choose to go to trial, is it because the state is taking responsibility for what has up here, what has all appearances of a high level cover up?"
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"If we don't go to trial. No. I would not say that. I just explained, I think, the position with respect to what happens in court proceedings. And it's not necessarily a matter of based only on facts, but also based on the law. If it is that the court may say, well, listen, say as what you may see what these persons or what police officers. And so you can't escape."
Belizean Football Fans Join Global Celebrations as Expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup Kicks Off
Changing gears now…..the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end as fans of "the beautiful game" celebrated kickoff today. Hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the competition will feature an expanded 48-team format, bringing more nations into the spotlight. While Belize did not qualify, excitement remains high across the country as fans gear up for the world's most-watched tournament. We hit the city streets to find out which teams Belizeans are supporting and why the football continues to be one of the nation's most beloved sports:The world's biggest sporting spectacle kicked off today, the FIFA World Cup 2026 - and Belizeans countrywide celebrated the kickoff at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City:
Jaleeza Roberts
"It is officially the start of the 2026 Fifa World Cup and we're going around Belize city and looking at other parts of Belize to see exactly how Belizeans start off their World Cup. We know that football is a big deal in the region and in Belize as well, so take a look with us"
We found fans at popular bars - taking a few hours off work - or an extended lunch to share in the excitement.
UB in Belmopan hosted a watch party. Fans wore merch and repped their teams:
Reporter
"What are you guys doing for the entire World Cup?"
Interviewee
"Well we think that it's important for everyone to get the best experience in TV so we're bringing our 98 inch tv to all the restaurants here in Belize City and we're gonna go to Belmopan and Orange Walk in the following weeks so we're gonna be here tonight at Tavern, Midpoint and Thursdays this week."
Reporter
"Who do you want to win this year?"
Interviewee
"Definitely has to be Argentina."
Reporter
"Why?"
Interviewee
"Because it has to go out with a blow, biggest team ever."
Reporter
"This is Messi's last World Cup, how does that make you feel?"
Interviewee
"Well I think it's a closing of an age, we need to see the next one coming up right now."
Interviewee
"I hope Argentina makes it double."
Reporter
"Why?"
Interviewee
"Argentina's been my team since I was a little kid so."
Reporter
"How do you feel with this being Messi's final year in the World Cup?"
Interviewee
"Sad it's like a end of an era but he had a good run"
Reporter
"Which team you hope win?"
Interviewee
"Portugal."
Reporter
"Why?"
Interviewee
"Because of Ronaldo"
Interviewee
"ARGENTINAAA!"
Reporter
"Why?"
Interviewee
"Messi the goat."
Reporter
"This is Messi's last year, how do you feel?"
Interviewee
"Oh my God, I feel like Argentina should win again, back to back."
And when we asked these fans why they enjoy the World Cup they told us it's a global celebraiton:
Interviewee
"I think it's just the biggest sport in the world so you really can't miss being a part of it"
Interviewee
"Probably because it's something that is very famous and I notice many Belizeans like sports."
Reporter
"Do you watch it?"
Interviewee
"Sometimes"
Interviewee
"I don't think I have a great answer for that but I just think we love it just like any other country, football is a great sport"
And so Belizeans will be watching this up until the Finale on July 19th giving sports bars a chance to capitalize on a love for sport and football fans, followers and true believers a chance to socialize on one common ground. Who will win? We are yet to know.
Select Senior Justices of the Peace Receive Specialized Training to Issue Emergency Domestic Violence Orders
A group of Select Senior Justices of the Peace has begun specialized training to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence across Belize.The two-day programme, being held at ITVET in Belize City, is a joint initiative of the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Belize Judiciary, the Family Court, and the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs.
The training forms part of the implementation of the Justices of the Peace Act, 2025, which created the designation of Select Senior Justices of the Peace. Under the new legislation, qualified officers are empowered to issue emergency Interim Protection Orders in situations where a magistrate is unavailable. During her speech, the Chief Magistrate Deborah Rogers said that this is most important because domestic violence doesn't wait until Monday morning when a court opens:
Deborah Rogers - Chief Magistrate
"You all are select senior justices of the peace who sit before us today are being entrusted with something of great consequence. The authority to issue ex parte interim protection orders under the domestic violence act is very serious business. It is a direct extension of the judicial function into the community itself and it carries with it both privilege and even more responsibility upon you all. Just to give you a bit of insight on our intention among the ministries and the magistracy for streamlining the implementation of this act."
"While the justices of the peace are not strictly judicial officers they are you all are and you have always been a very vital extension of our justice system. You are directly embedded in the heart of our villages, our towns, our communities and you are embedded in such a way that the courts can't always be. With this new designation we're not simply adding a function to the JP role we are formally recognizing and strengthening that relationship between justices of the peace, the magistracy but more importantly bringing them closer to the court system and by extension bringing the court system closer to the people that we serve."
"When the public knows that help is closer than they thought, that protection is accessible in their own communities, it changes things. It strengthens and enhances confidence in the justice system and we welcome your role in communicating that message."
Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre also explained why it took so long to implement:
Anthony Sylvestre, SC - Attorney General
"This is the start of the process of having those stakeholders be properly equipped, with the knowledge of the laws and the protocols necessary to ensure that the service that is provided, that it is that it is, discharge efficiently, that is discharged without fear and without in favor and impartially. And those are critical aspects of, any service that is that is provided by the justice system."
"The issue, of course, was, properly ventilating and properly educating the justice of the peace, family as it relates to. So the the scope and nature of of these additional duties. And so it did take a time for that process to, to be done. But suffice it to say, I'm happy to say that we we've reached a point where we can properly implement and rule out, the service in all the districts in Parliament."
"So when a person who, who who's a victim of domestic violence, they would ordinarily approach the court. So when a court is not sitting or on weekends on a long holiday, what this mechanism now allows is for that person to attend at the police station. So, as was explained, there'll be training of subsequent training with the police, department and their, there are 40 or So officers who have been identified. So these persons, these officers, they would be attuned and to, to to what are required the protocols that that that are to be applied and as well the obvious human element that is necessary when treating and dealing with cases of these nature and the police stations that would be identified and having identified those would be, those police stations would be separate and apart from where the police where Other police activity takes place."
The initiative will help close critical gaps in access to protection by allowing emergency orders to be issued during court closures, outside regular court hours, or when immediate access to a magistrate is not possible.
Allan Pollard and Eluide Miller Officially Launch Competing Bids for PUP Belize City Mayoral Nomination
We've been talking about it for weeks and now it's official: the PUP has two mayoral aspirants: Allan Pollard and Eluide Miller.
Both men announced today that they will seek the party's support to be nominated as the PUP's mayoral candidate for the 2027 Municipal elections.
Pollard launched with a flashy ad celebrating his deep Belize City roots - while Mller posted a photo with 7 supporting councillors.
Pollard has been an elected councillor for 8 years while Miller has served for 2 years.
Both men have support within the higher ranks of the PUP and both are considered prime candidates. Applications end on June 19 but no date has been announced for a convention.
US State Department Gathers Regional Entrepreneurs in Belize for Young Leaders of the Americas Forum
The US State Department is hosting a regional forum for its Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative in Belize, inviting former alumni to engage with their counterparts in a knowledge exchange and panel discussion. Today was the second day of the event and Jomarie Lanza stopped by to speak with some of the entrepreneurs:
These entrepreneurs are scaling up their businesses using tools from the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. Now, they're in Belize to talk strategy with fellow alumni. Out of the group, eight are local, while the rest represent Caribbean neighbors like St. Lucia and Jamaica. The U.S. Embassy's Chargé d'Affaires explained why bringing these cohorts together matters.
Katharine Beamer - Chargé d'Affaires
"This is part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative which has existed for many years. And so what we are doing today and yesterday is bringing together alumni of this program from across the Caribbean to get together and continue to build their network and grow their businesses and acumen, they are here to share experiences and see what they learned in the United States during their exchange program and how they are applying that to their lives and businesses in their home communities and seeing sort of what is working what is not working and how they can continue to grow because of course in the United States small businesses are the engine of our economic growth and we are committed to helping entrepreneurs in other countries succeed as well."
"All of our exchange programs are focused on developing promising young leaders in countries and building sort of long term relationships with them so the United States considers you know our alumni to be a long term investment in the future of those people and that country and so many of our entrepreneurs that have participated in this program before come back and are very prominent members of society they are contributing a lot to our community so it is a good way United States to maintain that relationship and connection with those people."
And one of those entrepreneurs we got to connect with today was Belizean Fashion Designer, Ronelli Requena, she shared with us how the program has helped her to grow her business.
Ronelli Requena - Fashion Designer, Zayvha Sarai
"So we are lucky that we are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the YLAI program and they gathered a lot of the alumni from across the region to com to Belize and I am so fortunate that I am able to be here because I did my program in 2021 but because of covid we were not able to travel so this is kind of my YLAI experience and I love it because it is so warm it is all the Caribbean entrepreneurs and we are working together and finding ways on how we can collaborate with each other and kind of make the Caribbean region reachable and helping our businesses, but more over how we can help each other expand."
"One of the my biggest challenges was how to organize myself and from one experience, I loss my agenda and I was not able to tell who were my clients for the next 3 months so my mentor said okay so that is one of your challenges how can we use technology to help you? So you have your phone, you have your laptop, so you don't rely heavily on that one written, that book you write your stuff on. So we have the Setmore app and that way we are able to reach to all our clients and that way alleviates me sometimes where I don't have to have that direct contact with the client we have the CRM taking care of that."
We also spoke with 2 other businesses owners based in St Lucia and Antigua
Michelle Samuel - Owner of MNS Consultancy
"So in terms of the businesses I would say it started with SLUDTERA and that is right after my fellowship in 2017. My experience actually caused me to pivot business from workforce development to social enterprise and with SLUDTERA, business development and social impact firm, and with MNS consultancy it was developed right after trying to address the gaps in dealing with all of the entrepreneurs that I dealt with where we provide mentorship and one of one support to them. With BIZ Connect Caribbean I was looking at a way for us to solve challenges for people across the Caribbean and not just St Lucia so that was born just after and as of recent I am the chair of the Caribbean franchise development council."
Elijah James - CEO, Founder, The Local App
"So YLAI for me is all about celebrating entrepreneurship it has been a decade of impact, it has been amazing. When I went to the US I went to Kansas City Missouri and I stayed, my partner in the US was Kansas City, visit KC which is kind of like of the economic and tourism unit for Kansas City and I had the opportunity to literally learn how they do what they do and replicate a lot of that stuff back home in Antigua and Barbuda. It has helped me to not only scale my business but replicate a lot of that stuff back home in Antigua and Barbuda that has helped me to not only scale my business because we are at the point now where we are looking to expand and actually launch a Caribbean market place that will be able to help promote businesses around the region and their products and businesses as well."
From Antigua to St. Lucia, and right here in Belize, the consensus among these alumni is that the Caribbean market is no longer isolated.
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And while the highways took a pounding, Belizeans in the northern and central areas of the country woke up to a heavy downpour.
If you happen to find yourself in the danger zone, caught in the middle of these flash floods, NEMO is already on standby to respond to those in need of evacuation. NEMO Coordinator, Daniel Mendez explained what response mechanism they have set in place.
