NIGERIAN COUPLE DROWN CROSSING KENDALL

Just when it looked like the silver lining in the flooding was that there were no casualties, Dangriga police report that two Nigerians drowned Wednesday night in the treacherous waters of the Sittee River in Southern Belize. As far as has been ascertained, the two persons hired canoe owner, thirty-seven year old Carlos Balona, to transport them to Punta Gorda. According to the report, near to the Kendall Causeway, the canoe capsized and the three occupants were thrown into the waters.

Balona, a resident of Maya Center, who swam safely to shore reported the incident to the police and has been questioned because he appeared to be intoxicated. Balona claims that the incident happened when the woman was shaking the canoe and that when her companion stood up, the canoe overturned. A search team early this morning recovered the body of one of the victims, a woman. News Five has not been able to ascertain if the body of the other person has been located. Up to news time the woman’s identity had not been confirmed but a passport that has been recovered is believed to be hers.

The rains in Belize is now affecting the south of this beautiful jewel we call home. There is flooding as the rivers have now passed the level they should be. As Tropical Deprssion number 16 continues to pour down on Belize and Mexico, there are many prayers going out for the families who will have to leave their homes and seek refuge from this terrible weather. It is strange that at this time of the year we are seeing such changes in weather conditions even though we know this is the hurrican season.

My daughter, Carolyn who lives in Georgia, informs me that they were expreiencing a drought. What a freaky world. We have too much and they have too little.

Anyway, we have to go keep on smiling and helping those in need.

God Bless you all in the south and hopefully it will all soon be over.

Love, Brenda

CZECH NATIONAL ORDERED TO LEAVE BELIZE FOLLOWING AIRPORT SCARE

Published on Thursday, October 2, 2008
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com

BELIZE CITY, Belize: A citizen of the Czech Republic was ordered to leave Belize after he pleaded guilty to overstaying his visit in the country.

Forty-three-year-old Tomas Kahan was responsible for a bomb scare at the Philip Goldson Airport last Friday. He was seen leaving the airport with four coffee bottles with wires attached to them in his luggage, which Kahan said he wanted to export to Spain as a device to be used in gas tanks for vehicles to improve fuel efficiency.

Kahan was detained along with another Czech Marek Bilik, but no additional charges have been placed on them.

He was given permission to stay in the country from May 17 to May 31 2007, and was given a further extension up to September 22. He was arrested four days after the expiration of his visa.

JOE BIDEN'S BROTHER DOING CHARITY WORK IN BELIZE

Published on Thursday, October 2, 2008
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com

BELIZE CITY, Belize: While US vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is busy preparing for his debate on Thursday night with his opponent Sarah Palin, as well as campaigning for the November 4 general elections, his younger brother is in Belize.

Belize 7 News reported that Frank Biden is doing charity work in Belize called the "Major Gifts Officers" at Hand in Hands Ministry which has its head office in Louisville, Kentuky.

Biden's trip was planned before it was known that his older brother would be the vice presidential nominee.

He has been working primarily in the Belize District, where he is seeing first hand the work of the Hand in Hands Ministry. This is his second trip to Belize.

He is expected to return home before election day.

POLITICAL DONATIONS IN BRITAIN MAY HAVE BEEN CHANNELLED THROUGH BELIZE

Published on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com

BELIZE CITY, Belize: A report published in the London Times and reproduced in Belize newspapers has claimed that Lord Ashcroft, Deputy Chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party, channelled money into party funds from Belize.

The report stated that, despite a ban on overseas donations, about 4.79 million pounds sterling was transferred via a chain of companies to Bearwood Corporate Services, a key donor to the Conservative Party, according to company documents.

The report added that some of these funds appear to have been used for political donations.

The Times report also stated that Ashcroft faced questions over whether tax was paid on the donations and whether he is now officially resident in the UK for tax purposes, as he pledged when he became a peer.

His scheme is legal because the donations have been made by a company registered in Britain, but the newspaper stated that the "exploitation of an apparent loophole in the law has triggered calls for an inquiry by the Electoral Commission”.

Sir Alistair Graham, former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said, "Money is being bounced around the world before it ends up in Conservative Party accounts. This breaks the spirit of the law on foreign donations." .

LONG WEEKEND

ONCE AGAIN BELIZEANS ARE ON THE GO WITH ANOTHER LONG WEEKEND.

As all true Belizeans know, we celebrate everything and we celebrate it well! When a holiday falls on a Sunday, have a holiday on the Monday. September we had that for Independence Day and this weekend we will celebrate Columbus Day, Pan Amaericn Day or Dia de la Raza (all are on the same day, depending where you are in this side of the world).

Belizeans will be leaving town for Mexico ( Chetumal, Cancun, Merida - any of these)or Guatemala. But we love Mexico more!!! Sory Guatemala but I am borm Mexican and I have to love my country first.

Anyway, as we set of to enjoying a great weekend, let us look back at the week that was and try to make the next week better.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY, PAN AMERICAN DAY, DIA DE LA RAZA!!!

NOTICIAS DE BELICE - NO TODO QUE BRILLA ...

WHAT'S HAPPENING BELIZE
Viernes, 10 de octubre de 2008.


Decisión contra Telemedia.
La Corte de Apelaciones resolvió contra un recurso promovido por la empresa Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) en el juicio por el que varias organizaciones impugnaron la Ley de Derechos Adquiridos de 2007. Esta ley disolvió la anterior empresa Belize Telecommunications Limited para convertirla en Telemedia. De acuerdo con los demandantes, la ley les había negado la compensación apropiada y varios de sus derechos habían sido violados. El asunto pasará ahora a la Suprema Corte (News 5, 7 News).

Conflicto con electricistas.
Mediante un comunicado, la empresa Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) indicó ayer que ha cumplido con el acuerdo alcanzado con sus trabajadores en julio del presente año. Subrayó que el despido de dos líderes del sindicato de electricistas no tiene que ver con su posición sindical; más bien, sus puestos eran parte del programa de reducción de la plantilla (Love FM, The Reporter, The Guardian).
Nueva donación a Cuba. A nombres del gobierno y pueblo de Belice, la Administración Nacional de Emergencias de Belice (NEMO) entregó un segundo contenedor con alimentos al Embajador de Cuba en Belice. Las provisiones serán destinadas a las víctimas del paso de los huracanes en la isla (News 5, Love FM).

Fiesta Centroamericana de Turismo.
La Asociación de la Industria del Turismo de Belice (BTIA) organizó una gran delegación para participar en la Fiesta Centroamericana de Turismo CATM 2008 que se celebra en Nicaragua del 8 al 13 de octubre (The Guardian).
Comité contra la delincuencia. El Departamento de Policía reactivó el Comité de Coalición el Pueblo, como órgano de consulta, el cual integra a diversos ciudadanos en la lucha contra la delincuencia. El comité lanzó la convocatoria a la población para designar a sus integrantes (News 5).

Policías condecorados.
17 policías de la División Oriental fueron condecorados ayer por su servicio destacado durante septiembre. En la ceremonia, el Belize Bank donó dos computadoras al Departamento de Policía (News 5, 7 News, Love FM).
Entrenamiento sobre SIDA. El Ministerio del Trabajo, en colaboración con el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA), llevará a cabo este fin de semana un taller de entrenamiento sobre el VIH/SIDA destinado a trabajadores de turismo y servicios del distrito de Cayo (occidente de Belice) (Love FM, The Guardian).
Competitividad regional. De acuerdo con el reciente informe del Foro Económico Mundial, el Caribe muestra signos de mejoría en el rango de competitividad mundial. Barbados, Puerto Rico, Guyana y Surinam han mejorado. Sin embargo, Jamaica, Trinidad y Tobago y República Dominicana han visto retrocesos (Love FM).

Noticias relacionadas con México
Exposición fotográfica. La exposición “Project Poverty” de Richard Holder fue abierta ayer en el Instituto de México en Belice. El evento, organizado por la Lifeline Foundation, tuvo el objetivo de recaudar fondos y explorar el contexto de la pobreza. La exposición estará abierta por dos semanas (News 5, 7 News).