#belizean politics

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil donates sanitizing alcohol gel to Belize Ministry of Health and Wellness

Оn Dесеmbеr 12, 2022, thе Міnіѕtrу оf Неаlth аnd Wеllnеѕѕ rесеіvеd а dоnаtіоn оf 1,200 bохеѕ (14,000 tоnѕ) оf ѕаnіtіzіng аlсоhоl-gеl frоm thе Еmbаѕѕу оf thе Fеdеrаl Rерublіс оf Вrаzіl аnd thе Раn Аmеrісаn Неаlth Оrgаnіzаtіоn/Wоrld Неаlth Оrgаnіzаtіоn (РАНО/WНО).

Тhе Міnіѕtrу nоtеd thаt thіѕ dеrmаtоlоgісаllу tеѕtеd ѕаnіtіzіng аlсоhоl-gеl, whісh іѕ расkаgеd іn а 1,156 ml bоttlе (еquіvаlеnt tо 39 fluіd оz.) аnd соntаіnѕ а mоіѕturіzеr, fіghtѕ thе соrоnаvіruѕ аnd kіllѕ 99.9% оf bасtеrіа.

Тhrоugh thе аѕѕіѕtаnсе оf thе Вrаzіlіаn Соореrаtіоn Аgеnсу, РАНО/WНО сооrdіnаtеd thе асquіѕіtіоn, trаnѕроrtаtіоn аnd dеlіvеrу оf thе ѕаnіtіzіng аlсоhоl-gеl tо Веlіzе.

Continue reading.

[clonerightsagenda]

#recently read 1/24

Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead by KJ Parker. Saevus ran from his past but is dragged into a series of political schemes as he tries to wriggle out of the consequences and maybe stop a war. *I've read one other book by Parker (16 Ways to Defend a Walled City) and I feel like if you've read one you've read them all.

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein. An out of her depth author in Hollywood for her book's unfaithful adaptation begins to suspect her character has come alive to take vengeance over her betrayal. *Loved the concept, iffy on execution.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark. Maryse and other Black women battle Klan members who are actually demonic entities from another world feeding on hatred.

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne. 3 intertwined narratives influenced by Maya cosmology following a group of royal siblings in 1212, a tourist and her two Belizean guides in 2012, and two people in religious conflict in 3012. *Odd, but an interesting take on a potential post-climate crisis culture.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey. A literary description of one day in the life of six ISS astronauts/cosmonauts.

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell. Prince Kiem is forced into an arranged marriage after his cousin's death and into a political maelstrom of schemes and murder. *Not my typical fare but helped me envision this new 'I could fix him the empire' microgenre. Got jumpscared by learning it started on ao3.

Penance by Eliza Clark. An unreliable reporter crafts a narrative about bullying and murder committed by teen girls in a commentary on the pitfalls of true crime. *Similar vibes to What Happens Next in terms of awful tumblr culture.

[voidsuites]

i need to know 🌙 + ✈️ + 🍊 (politely)

the photo ��� (so real tho)

🌙 - libra sun, capricorn moon, scorpio rising!

✈️ - this one’s hard… but probably belize! my dad’s side of the family is belizean, and my grandparents live there so i’ve taken a few trips to stay with them. but i love curaçao too!

🍊 - i live in cali so it’s warm year-round 😭 but i like winter bc temps here finally drop to like 68-70ish degrees n whatnot so i actually don’t feel like i’m melting

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Majority of Biden’s 2020 Voters Now Say He’s Too Old to Be Effective (NYT) Widespread concerns about President Biden’s age pose a deepening threat to his re-election bid, with a majority of voters who supported him in 2020 now saying he is too old to lead the country effectively, according to a new poll by The New York Times and Siena College. The survey pointed to a fundamental shift in how voters who backed Mr. Biden four years ago have come to see him. A striking 61 percent said they thought he was “just too old” to be an effective president. A sizable share was even more worried: Nineteen percent of those who voted for Mr. Biden in 2020, and 13 percent of those who said they would back him in November, said the 81-year-old president’s age was such a problem that he was no longer capable of handling the job. The misgivings about Mr. Biden’s age cut across generations, gender, race and education, underscoring the president’s failure to dispel both concerns within his own party and Republican attacks painting him as senile. Seventy-three percent of all registered voters said he was too old to be effective, and 45 percent expressed a belief that he could not do the job.

A Supreme Court ruling restored former President Donald Trump’s name to Colorado’s ballot and ended similar challenges to his candidacy elsewhere. (WSJ) The justices ruled unanimously that states lack the power to reject presidential candidates on the grounds they engaged in rebellion or insurrection against the U.S. Allowing state-by-state determinations of a presidential candidate’s eligibility could lead to a chaotic patchwork of outcomes that would disrupt a national election, the court said.

Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs. Now It’s Reversing Course. (WSJ) As a firefighter-paramedic in suburban Portland, Dacia Grayber has seen the ravages of Oregon’s drug epidemic: fentanyl addicts stumbling around like zombies or collapsed in fetal positions. Last year she watched a young addict pass away with his 2-year-old daughter curled up on his chest. Like many people in the state, Grayber thinks the problem has gotten worse since voters in 2020 passed a ballot measure decriminalizing the possession of all drugs. Oregon’s political leaders have reached the same conclusion and are now on the cusp of ending a three-year experiment as the first and only state in the nation to allow people to freely use drugs from heroin to cocaine to fentanyl. On Friday, the Oregon Senate voted to make possession of small amounts of hard drugs a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail.

More mountain snow expected even as powerful blizzard moves out of Northern California (AP) A powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts had mostly moved through the Sierra Nevada by early Monday but forecasters warned that more snow was on the way for Northern California mountains. Sections of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe were still shut down late Sunday, with no estimate for reopening, the California Highway Patrol said. Blizzard warnings had mostly expired but scattered thunderstorms were likely and another 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow was possible at higher elevations, the National Weather Service office in Sacramento said. Palisades Tahoe, the largest resort on the north end of the lake, was among several ski mountains that closed most or all chairlifts for a second straight day Sunday because of snow, wind and low visibility. Palisades reported a three-day snow total of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with more falling.

A Boring Capital for a Young Democracy. Just the Way Residents Like It. (NYT) Mention Belmopan, Belize’s capital that sits deep in the country���s interior, and many Belizeans will belittle the city as a bastion of pencil-pushing bureaucrats that’s not just dull, but also devoid of nightlife. “I was warned, ‘Belmopan is for the newlyweds or the nearly deads,’” said Raquel Rodriguez, 45, owner of an art school, about the reactions when she moved to Belmopan from coastal, bustling Belize City. Not exactly known as an Eden for young urbanites, Belmopan figures among the smallest capital cities anywhere in the Americas. It has only about 25,000 residents and a cluster of hurricane-proof, heavy-on-the-concrete, Maya-inspired Brutalist buildings. But Belmopan is also, perhaps, a prism through which to view the development of Belize, which has emerged as something of an exception in Central America. In a region where rulers are embracing authoritarian tactics, Belize has developed into a relatively stable (albeit young) parliamentary democracy with a history of peaceful transitions of power.

Haiti orders nightly curfew trying to restore calm after a weekend of violence and prison break (AP) Authorities have ordered a nighttime curfew trying to regain control of Haiti’s streets after an explosion of violence during the weekend, including gunmen from gangs overrunning the country’s two biggest prisons and freeing their inmates. A 72-hour state of emergency began Sunday night, and the government said it would set out to find the killers, kidnappers and other violent criminals that it reported escaped from prison. Almost all of the estimated 4,000 inmates escaped, leaving the normally overcrowded prison eerily empty Sunday with no guards in sight and plastic sandals, clothing and furniture strewn across the concrete patio. Three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance.

Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway and Sweden in defense of its Nordic turf (AP) NATO will kick off an exercise on Monday to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden. With over 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part, the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 represents the NATO newcomer’s largest ever participation in a foreign exercise, according to Finland’s military. Roughly half of the participating troops will drill on land. The rest will train at sea, with over 50 participating submarines, frigates, corvettes, aircraft carriers, and various amphibious vessels, and in the air with more than 100 fighter jets, transport aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft and helicopters, according to the Norwegian military.

Kremlin says German army discussing strikes on Russia, asks if Scholz is in control (Reuters) The Kremlin said on Monday a purported recording of German military discussions showed Germany’s armed forces were discussing plans to launch strikes on Russian territory, and questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation. Russian media last week published an audio recording of what they said was a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation. Germany says it is investigating the recording. Russia has summoned Germany’s ambassador to demand an explanation.

Russia’s early warning aircraft fleet probably grounded (Business Insider) Russia has likely grounded its fleet of A-50 early warning and control aircraft after Ukraine shot down a second one in two months, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Saturday. The fleet is likely to remain grounded while internal investigations take place into why the losses happened and how Russia can better combat Ukrainian air defenses, the UK department said. The A-50 is an airborne radar system that detects enemy aircraft, missiles, and air defense systems. They also provide daily command and control to Russian air operations and identify ground targets. The high-value aircraft cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.

Zelensky in bind over how to draft more troops as Russian forces advance (Washington Post) Even as he promises international partners that Ukraine will handle the fighting if given needed weapons and other support, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military commanders have failed so far to come up with a clear plan to conscript or recruit many thousands of new soldiers critically needed to defend against Russia’s continuing attacks. Zelensky’s inability to forge a political consensus on a mobilization strategy—despite months of warnings about a severe shortage of qualified troops on the front—has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society. It has left the military relying on a hodgepodge of recruiting efforts and sown panic among fighting-age men, some of whom have gone into hiding, worried that they will be drafted into an ill-equipped army and sent to certain death. The quandary over how to fill the ranks has confronted Zelensky with perhaps the greatest challenge to his leadership since the start of the February 2022 invasion.

Chinese exports (WSJ) In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the U.S. and the global economy experienced a “China shock,” a boom in imports of cheap Chinese-made goods that helped keep inflation low but at the cost of local manufacturing jobs. A sequel might be in the making as Beijing doubles down on exports to revive the country’s growth. Its factories are churning out more cars, machinery and consumer electronics than its domestic economy can absorb. Propped up by cheap, state-directed loans, Chinese companies are glutting foreign markets with products they can’t sell at home.

Iran stages a dismal election (Washington Post) Voter turnout in elections in Iran hit what appears a historic low. According to unofficial accounts, only about 40 percent of the electorate cast a ballot Friday in separate votes for the country’s national parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the political body that will select the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 84-year-old supreme leader. An opposition boycott and widespread disenchantment set the mood, even as the theocratic regime pushed its citizens to come out to the polls. In Tehran, the capital, as little as 11 percent of the electorate may have voted. Ordinary Iranians signaled their despair at a miserable economy, their anger over the repression of landmark protests in 2022, and their cynicism about a regime that disqualified myriad candidates who were not in Khamenei’s hard-line camp from contesting seats.

West Bank Raids (Foreign Policy) Israel conducted an overnight raid on the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian officials announced on Monday. During the six-hour-long so-called counterterrorism operation, which took place mostly at al-Amari refugee camp, Israeli forces apprehended two wanted suspects and seized “inciting material spread by Hamas,” Israeli officials said. When fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinians broke out during the offensive, Israeli forces opened fire and killed a 16-year-old boy, Palestinian officials said. Israeli forces also detained at least 55 Palestinians across the West Bank in a series of separate raids last night, the Palestinian Prisoners Club reported. Israeli officials have detained around 7,400 Palestinians since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Deaths of Gazan Children Likely to ‘Rapidly’ Rise Amid Aid Snarls, U.N. Warns (NYT) Days after an aid delivery in Gaza turned into a deadly disaster, Israel pushed ahead with another convoy bound for northern Gaza on Sunday, a Palestinian businessman involved in the initiative said, as the United Nations warned that deaths of children and infants are likely to “rapidly increase” if food and medical supplies are not delivered immediately. Izzat Aqel, the businessman, said the renewed aid delivery effort on Sunday came after only one of at least 16 trucks carrying supplies to the north a day earlier made it to Gaza City. The rest, he said, had been surrounded by desperate Gazans and emptied in the Nuseirat neighborhood in central Gaza. Delivering supplies into Gaza, especially the north, has taken on increased urgency in recent days as the United Nations has warned that many Gazans are on the edge of famine.

[remaxbelizerealestate08]

The Booming Real Estate Market in Belize: An Overview of Opportunities and Trends

Introduction: Belize’s real estate market has been experiencing significant growth in recent years, attracting both local and international investors. This article provides an in-depth overview of the booming real estate market in Belize, highlighting the opportunities and trends that make it a lucrative investment destination.

Factors Driving the Market Growth: Explore the factors fueling the growth of the real estate market in Belize, such as the country’s political stability, attractive investment incentives, and its reputation as a prime tourist destination. Additionally, the government’s efforts to streamline property acquisition and enhance investor confidence have played a pivotal role in attracting real estate investors.

Diverse Property Options: Discover the diverse range of property options available in Belize Real Estate, including beachfront villas, luxury condos, residential homes, and investment properties. Each region offers unique characteristics and attractions, allowing investors to choose from a variety of locations that suit their preferences and investment goals.

Investment Opportunities: Learn about the different investment opportunities in Belize’s real estate market, such as rental properties, vacation homes, and commercial ventures. Explore the potential returns on investment, rental income possibilities, and long-term appreciation of property values in various regions across the country.

Legal Considerations: Understand the legal framework for purchasing and owning real estate in Belize. This section covers topics such as property ownership regulations, residency requirements, taxes, and the process of acquiring property as a foreign investor. Having a clear understanding of the legal aspects is essential for a successful real estate investment in Belize.

Regions with Promising Growth: Explore the regions in Belize that are experiencing rapid development and are poised for growth. Discover the emerging hotspots, such as Ambergris Caye, Placencia, and Cayo District, which offer attractive investment opportunities due to their natural beauty, tourism potential, and infrastructure development.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Real Estate: Belize is known for its commitment to sustainable development and eco-tourism. Learn about the growing trend of sustainable and eco-friendly real estate in Belize, including green building practices, solar-powered homes, and environmentally conscious communities. Investing in eco-friendly properties not only benefits the environment but also attracts environmentally conscious travelers and tenants.

Challenges and Risks: While the Belizean real estate market offers numerous opportunities, it’s important to be aware of the challenges and risks associated with investing in the country. This section covers potential pitfalls such as fluctuating market conditions, title and ownership issues, and the importance of conducting thorough due diligence before making a purchase.

Conclusion: Belize’s real estate market is flourishing, presenting a wide array of investment opportunities for both local and international buyers. By understanding the market trends, legal considerations, and regional growth prospects, investors can make informed decisions and capitalize on the potential of Belize’s booming real estate market.

[newsbites]

News from Belize, 20 June.

The Senate considered a request from Belizean government for $69 million from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.

The money is sought for various projects across the country, including upgrades to highways and ports and financing programs.

Some senators expressed concerns over the need for a supplementary budget so soon after the original budget was approved and cautioned for better budget planning in the future.

2. The body of a retired U.S. Navy man was found in an advanced state of decomposition in his house in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

3. A police inspector in Belize has been criminally charged for assaulting a detainee inside a cell block.

The detainee was being questioned in relation to a shooting incident at the police inspector's home a month ago.

The victim's family claims that the police inspector had been harassing him for months and even pulled a firearm at him in front of his family.

4. A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in Orange Walk Town, with no known motive or suspects at this time.

5. A domestic dispute in the Cayo District escalated to murder, leaving one man dead and two others injured.

The suspect, Jose Reyes, is on the lam and police have issued a wanted poster for him.

The shooting was believed to be the result of a domestic dispute, and the nature of the argument is still being investigated.

6. A former journalist's home in Ladyville, Belize District was destroyed by fire over the weekend.

Despite efforts by the fire department, the blaze consumed all the contents of the home and damaged the building's infrastructure.

7. The Belizean Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson, has denied politics played a role in the revocation of Hernan Serrano's Bus Service permit. The company in question had recently acquired two additional buses at a cost forty thousand dollars, reportedly in an effort to comply with the government’s bus upgrades. 

[ausetkmt]

The Guardian: ‘Colonialism lingers’: Belize shrugs off coronation amid calls for reparations

When Dr Harold Young, an eminent Belizean political scientist, takes visitors on a journey around Belize City, the first stop is an unremarkable building, whose basement entrance is partly shrouded by creeping pink bougainvillea.

Its padlocked gates and broken windows back on to a parking lot in the city’s historic centre. Most passersby ignore the innocuous plaque outside. Belize, a country of 400,000 citizens, is geographically located in Central America but a part of the English-speaking Caribbean. A former British settlement and then colony, it is one of the region’s eight remaining Commonwealth realms – independent countries where the monarch remains the head of state.

Belize is the only Commonwealth realm King Charles has never visited.

But for those who are aware, the building serves as a horrifying reminder of the brutality of British rule here. “It’s the last remnants of a holding dungeon for slaves,” Young says. “Before they were put out for sale.”

Unlike the island states in the Caribbean, where plantation slavery underpinned the colonial economy, enslaved labour in Belize revolved around the logging of mahogany at camps in the country’s interior.

The major settlements in British Honduras, as it was known until 1973, were thus sparsely populated, and the remnants of violent enslavement are now mostly absent from public view.

The building’s story has been passed down for generations, and is noted in certain tourist literature. But the historic plaque outside, while acknowledging its use in the mahogany trade, presents its connections to slavery merely as “local folklore”.

As Young describes it, the building is a symbol of a broader identity crisis here, associated with the intimacy of colonialism itself and wounds that have not healed well into independence. History is still not fully told. Crimes remain unacknowledged.

“That colonialism,” he says. “It still lingers.”

But as the United Kingdom prepares to crown its new king, the citizens of Belize are laying the groundwork for a similarly historic event: they could be the first nation to remove Charles as head of state.

In November last year, the recently elected centre-left government announced that a people’s commission would review the country’s constitution – written at the time of its independence in 1981. A year earlier, a resolution in parliamentcalled for reparatory justice from the United Kingdom “on behalf of the former slaves and their descendants”.

Asked what relevance the coronation has to the lives of Belizeans, Briceño was honest: “There is no excitement,” he said. “We are so far away from the UK … You don’t see people taking out their Union Jack flags or anything.”

Briceño is unable to travel to the event in London, although Belize’s governor general will attend. There will be no public holiday here.

Walking around Belize City’s historic downtown, where an old Post Office building still bears the insignia of Elizabeth II and an occasional red post box is spotted on the street, it is hard to dispute Briceño’s frank assessment.

“It is time that the head of state, both ceremonial and legally, be Belize and Belizian,” says Orson “OJ” Elrington, an attorney and member of the constitutional commission. . He admits he did not know the coronation was due to take place within a week. “It is more than just symbolism. Ultimately it is the last stage of our decolonization. It is the last stage of true independence.”

Belize is not alone in pushing forward constitutional reform efforts. Following the Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley’s decision to use her party’s parliamentary supermajority to transition the country into a republic, discussions over the future of the British monarchy have accelerated throughout the region.

Now, officials in seven of the remaining realm countries in the Caribbean have indicated they will seek to follow the same path – thoughtimetables, procedures and government commitment vary in each country. Belize is the only remaining state in the Caribbean where, as in Barbados, the monarchy could be removed without a referendum. Briceño has committed to holding a referendum on the recommendations of the constitutional commission – but he did not rule out the possibility of removing the monarchy with a vote in parliament.

“Referenda come at the end of a long process, so change elsewhere [in the Caribbean] will not come overnight,” said Dr Kate Quinn, associate professor in Caribbean history at University College London. “And the outcome of referenda in general is unpredictable. There’s a danger that they become polls on the government of the day rather than the issues on the card. If the issue of moving to a republic becomes strongly associated with one party over another, they can be scuppered by partisan politics.”

Such debate is far from new to the English-speaking Caribbean and did not begin with Barbados’s decision in 2021, nor the death of Queen Elizabeth last year. Carried by a wave of Black nationalism and socialism, three former British colonies, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the newly independent Dominica, removed the monarch as head of state throughout the 1970s. Alternatives to the crown had been debated in popular circles long before even then.

Quinn, who is part of a research project, The Visible Crown, examining the history of the Caribbean’s relationship with the monarchy, points to groups like the early Rastafarians in Jamaica during the 1930s, whose belief in the divinity of Haile Selassie was itself viewed as an act of sedition.

Still, symbolism and imagery of the current moment – from the impending coronation to recent royal tours – matter, particularly as relations between the English-speaking Caribbean and the UK fall to new lows in the aftermath of the Windrush scandal and both the government and the monarchy’s recent refusals to go beyond passive expressions of regret and offer a formal apology for the atrocities of slavery.

In Belize, the couple were forced to abandon plans to visit a Mayan village in the country’s south, following protest. William’s connections to a conservation charity involved in a local land dispute and plans to land their helicopter on a nearby football field without consultation were deemed offensive.

“There’s only so much the fig leaf of public relations and exercises in ‘soft power’ can cover,” said Quinn. “These images and videos were widely shared on social media, and undoubtedly were a gift to the republican cause as well as to the case for reparations.”

Bryton Codd, a 28-year-old government policy adviser and a founder of the Young Leaders Alliance of Belize, was baptised here. Towering and charismatic, he has conflicting emotions as we walk around the rows of mahogany pews inside. At the front is a bench that seated Queen Elizabeth during her visit in 1994 – pointed out with pride by a staff member showing us around.

Codd remembers the royal visit of last year with a calm disdain. “From my perspective it was a colonial celebration,” he says. “There should have been a deeper discussion on broadening the conversation on reparations, acknowledging the atrocities of our colonial past and for them [the royal family], condemning the actions of their ancestors.”

His organisation is represented in the People’s Constitutional Commission here, along with the National Union of Students, a recognition of the need for younger voices to have a say in the country’s reform efforts. Belize is a young country: the median age is just 25.5 years.

Like many, Codd articulates a perceived intergenerational divide among attitudes to the monarchy.

“My grandmother was from the colonial era. She grew up singing God Save the Queen,” he says, “But I don’t even know the words.

“There has been a paradigm shift in terms of the culture of young people today. We are independent thinkers. We challenge the status quo.”

Codd is attuned to the need to keep people informed and educated about the work of the PCC, which held its first private workshop meetings last week. He is mobilising an information campaign over WhatsApp, preparing bite-sized chunks of pertinent discussion to share with hundreds of his young members.

The review extends well beyond the future of the monarchy, into issues like enshrining human rights, reforming the judiciary and changing the country’s electoral system, currently based on the Westminster system, meaning most members of the ruling party also serve in government cabinet.

Beyond the Caribbean, the coronation of a new monarch has so far done little to outwardly shift the needle in remaining realm states.

For the three largest, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, all former British dominions with majority-white populations and established republican movements, the dynamics of the debate are different by historical design, and the political will mired in other issues.

In Australia, for example, the recently elected Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has long articulated his support for a republic. But his government’s priority in its first term is a referendum on a constitutional amendment to formally recognise Indigenous Australians and establish a permanent Indigenous advisory body to parliament.

Albanese has said any vote on the future of the monarchy would occur if his government wins a second term after 2025. He has appointed a new minister overseeing Australia’s transition to a republic.

The sentiment is similar in New Zealand, where parliament has the power to remove the monarchy without calling a referendum. In the immediate aftermath of the Queen’s death, the former prime minister Jacinta Ardern predicted the move would happen but laid out no timeframe.

Charles’s position as head of the Commonwealth of Nations, the broader political association of 56 states, mostly former territories of the British empire, has also been cemented for the immediate future. In 2018, Commonwealth leaders voted at the request of Queen Elizabeth to install Charles as her successor, ensuring that, for the time being at least, the crown remained symbolically atop of what is essentially a voluntary club of member states with little political or economic sway.

“The Commonwealth’s obituary has been written so many times, but it’s never been true,” said Dr Harshan Kumarasingham, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Edinburgh. “Somehow it keeps surviving. And one of the reasons is that it does continue in the fabric of British society, and in the societies of all the member states.”

Nonetheless, said Kumarasingham, there is nothing to guarantee Charles will remain its ceremonial head throughout his reign if a significant number of member states raise dissent at a heads of government meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for 2024 in Samoa. .

In Belmopan, Belize’s capital city, Briceño acknowledges that should Belize move away from the monarchy, the country would remain in the Commonwealth of Nations, as Barbados has done.

There are no guarantees, however, and despite Briceño’s optimism he realises that there are still challenges to dispel the many myths that surround transitioning into a republic. Primary among them is a fear that departure from the crown would re-intensify an ongoing border dispute with neighbouring Guatemala, which has long laid claim to swathes of territory in Belize. (There are no guarantees of British military assistance in the current constitution.)

But above anything else, Briceño says, the constitutional reform effort must overcome a broader apathy in Belize, where 42% of citizens live in poverty and the climate crisis poses an ever-evolving threat.

“I just don’t think it [the monarchy] is up there in the minds of people at the moment,” Briceño says. Aside from the pressing issues of the economy, crime and climate, Briceño focuses repeatedly on the need for reparations.

“The United Kingdom became great on the backs of the colonies and they do have a responsibility to have some form of reparations. They will never be able to pay back what was plundered and probably the millions of lives that were lost.”

But, he adds: “A public apology is a start.”

[apptworadioapps]

Radio Belize FM & AM + Radio Online + (Radio Android Application 🇧🇿📻)

Belize is a small Central American country with a diverse and vibrant radio landscape. From national broadcasters to local community stations, there are a variety of options for listeners across the country.

One of the most well-known radio stations in Belize is Love FM. Love FM is a national radio station that broadcasts news, current affairs, music, and entertainment programs across the country. Love FM is known for its in-depth news coverage and current affairs analysis, as well as its popular morning show, which features news, interviews, and listener call-ins.

Another major player in the Belizean radio landscape is KREM FM. KREM FM is a commercial radio station that plays a mix of local and international music, as well as providing news and current affairs programming. KREM FM is particularly well-known for its political commentary and analysis, and is a popular choice for listeners interested in Belizean politics and social issues.

In addition to the major broadcasters, Belize is also home to a number of community radio stations. Community radio stations are run by volunteers and focus on providing programming that is relevant to local communities. These stations often specialize in niche music genres or cultural programming, and are a great way to discover new artists and perspectives.

Some popular community radio stations in Belize include Radio Lighthouse in Belize City, which focuses on religious programming and community events, and PGTV in Punta Gorda, which broadcasts a mix of local news, music, and cultural programming.

No matter what your interests or preferences, there is sure to be a radio station in Belize that suits your needs. With a diverse range of broadcasters and programming, Belizean radio is a vibrant and dynamic part of the country's media landscape. So why not tune in today and discover what the Belizean airwaves have to offer?

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✔✔ UPTODOWN ANDROID STORE: ▶ https://radio-belize-all-stations-online-fm-am-free-live-music-app.en.uptodown.com/android

[sexcromancy]

okay making this my full recommendation post for the actual star by monica byrne. absolutely mind-blowing book that blends historical fiction/present day coming of age narrative/futuristic scifi in three parallel timelines, taking place in 1012 (ancient Mayan civilization), 2012 (contemporary Belize) and 3012 (globalized nomadic egalitarian religion called Laviaja). in each of those timelines, the book explores themes of the formation and execution of religion, the role that hegemonic control plays in every day lives, connection with others and connection with culture. the characters are well realized and fun, the worldbuilding is incredible -- detailed explorations of how identity politics plays out in this future society, examinations of how the collapse of capitalism and the global climate will lead to refugee societies, using Mayan+Belizean culture as cornerstones of a future society, multivalent attachment theory as a way to raise children communally... it's all there. it's so good it's so smart it had my brain ACTIVATED the entire time I was reading, it gave me so much to think about and cry over. I don't want to say "it's just like locked tomb!" because it really isn't, but it does explore some similar themes, especially deep time, and overall just made me feel a similar way in terms of lighting my brain up. in that way, also similar to leguin. incredible book, very obviously the product of years of research, and so enjoyable. HIGHLY recommended.

one last note - there is a glossary at the back, it is useful+not spoilery to look up the words as they come up in the narrative. totally possible to get through just on context clues, but it's available if you'd like. also, the book contains untranslated Spanish+Belizean Kriol, but it's not hard to intuit.

girlies everyone needs to read the actual star right now immediamente. stat.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Belize government receives humanitarian relief donation from Brazil

Оn Frіdау, thе Gоvеrnmеnt оf Веlіzе rесеіvеd а dоnаtіоn оf humаnіtаrіаn rеlіеf whісh іnсludеѕ fооd іtеmѕ, hуgіеnе kіtѕ, wаtеr аnd mаttrеѕѕеѕ frоm thе Gоvеrnmеnt оf Вrаzіl tо аѕѕіѕt іn thе аftеrmаth оf Тrорісаl Dерrеѕѕіоn ЕТА аnd flооdѕ саuѕеd bу Нurrісаnе Іоtа.

Міnіѕtеr оf Нumаn Dеvеlорmеnt, Fаmіlіеѕ аnd Іndіgеnоuѕ Реорlеѕ’ Аffаіr��, Dоlоrеѕ Gаrсіа аnd Міnіѕtеr оf Ѕuѕtаіnаblе Dеvеlорmеnt, Сlіmаtе Сhаngе & Dіѕаѕtеr Rіѕk Маnаgеmеnt, Оrlаndо Наbеt wеrе оn hаnd tо rесеіvе thе dоnаtіоn frоm Luсіаnо Неlmоld Масіеіrа, Аmbаѕѕаdоr оf Вrаzіl tо Веlіzе.

Continue reading.

[yaworldchallenge]

🇧🇿 Belize

Region: Central America

Beka Lamb

Author: Zee Edgell

176 pages, published 1982

Original language: English

Native author? Yes

Age: Teen-adult

Blurb:

Subtle yet rich descriptions of culture, society, and family life in Belize adorn Zee Edgell’s beautifully narrated story of a short time in the life of 14-year-old Beka Lamb. Through flashbacks, points on politics and independence are animated, since the political struggles for independence in Belize reflect Beka’s own developing maturity and need to assert herself. Two main features of this heartwarming story are Beka’s penchant for lying and her relationship with her older friend Toycie, whose troubling choices lead her down a self-destructive path. The pride of winning an essay contest at her convent school releases Beka’s grief over Toycie and empowers her to embrace the next phase of her life.

Other reps: #christian

Genres: #historical, 20th century #colonialism #slice-of-life #friendship #school

My thoughts:

Looking for a native Belizean author, I found Zee Edgell, who has several novels steeped in Belize history. I first selected Time and the River, but there doesn’t seem to be an ebook available for that one. Beka Lamb takes place in 1950s Belize on the brink of (or just after?) independence from the British. Might be a little dense for those not fond of classics.

Review to come.

Kindle link | OpenLibrary link

[newstfionline]

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Judge orders Trump to pay more than $350 million in N.Y. civil fraud trial (Washington Post) New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron on Friday ordered former president Donald Trump to pay more than $350 million in penalties, handing down a hefty penalty following a months-long civil trial in which Trump and others were accused of financial fraud by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Engoron also said Trump could not serve as an officer or a director for any New York company for three years. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and assailed the case. Attorneys for Trump sharply criticized the ruling, with one calling it “manifest injustice" and saying they hoped it would be overturned on appeal. With this decision, Trump now owes more than $440 million in fines and damages across multiple civil trials.

Hang Out (The Atlantic) The average amount of time that American men spent socializing face to face has fallen 30 percent from 2003 to 2022, and among teenagers that’s fallen over 45 percent. That’s happened at the same time that people of all ages are citing increased levels of loneliness and other symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Mexico will likely elect a woman as its next president (AP) Mexico is almost certain to elect its first female president in June—both leading candidates are women—but it’s almost equally as certain that she won’t have much room to act independently of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The populist president has continued proposing new, expensive projects in the closing months of his administration, before he leaves office on Sept. 30. He will also leave a lot of big-ticket projects unfinished. That will probably leave his successor with her hands tied for much of her six-year term. “The next administration will inherit a country with a financial hole that will limit the maneuvering room throughout the next term,” said Moody’s Analytics Director Alfredo Coutiño.

Centuries-Old Border Dispute in Central America (NYT) The boat edged its way past the mangrove swamps, a tangled maze of thorn-covered branches sheltering jaguars and shrieking howler monkeys. We were in Belize, our GPS signals showed, the English-speaking Central American country where British pirates put down stakes centuries ago. But then members of Guatemala’s military, clad in camouflage and berets, spotted us. Pulling up in their own boat, they grasped rifles, index fingers close to the triggers. “You’ve just entered Guatemalan waters!” one shouted in Spanish when they were just a few feet away. “We request that you steer toward the nearest Guatemalan command post.” Wil Maheia, the leader of the Belizean group we were embedded with, yelled back: “No, you’re trespassing in Belizean waters! If you take us into custody that will be kidnapping!” The episode laid bare a simmering political dispute in one of the most volatile corners of Central America, in which Belize, Central America’s least populous country with only about half a million people, is pitted against Guatemala, the region’s giant with a population of 18 million. The unresolved territorial feud—one of the oldest in the Americas—has tensions flaring, raising fears over greater instability in a region already marked by drug wars and the exodus of migrants to the United States.

The UK tips into recession (Guardian) According to new data released by the Office for National Statistics, the U.K.’s economy fell into a recession at the end of last year. The data shows that gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 0.3% in the last three months of 2023 thanks to a weak holiday retail showing and a general decline in all sectors of the national economy. The recession is another blow for Rishi Sunak’s government, which is already struggling ahead of national elections slated for later this year. “This is Rishi Sunak’s recession, and the news will be deeply worrying for families and business across Britain,” said Rachel Reeves, the second-most senior leader of the Labour Party. The ONS projects that economic growth was just 0.1% in 2023, making it the country’s weakest year since 2009 (excluding the Covid pandemic years). The economic stagnation has brought soaring consumer prices, higher cost of living, and a spike in borrowing costs to the British population.

Sarkozy’s Prison Sentence Halved to 6 Months (NYT) A Paris appeals court upheld on Wednesday the 2021 conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy for illegal financing an election campaign but cut his sentence from one year to six months with a further six months suspended. Mr. Sarkozy’s lawyer, Vincent Desry, immediately said that Mr. Sarkozy would appeal to France’s highest court. The appeal could take years to be resolved, ensuring that Mr. Sarkozy remains free for the foreseeable future. Whether he will ever serve time in prison remains an open question. Although his legal travails are many and various, Mr. Sarkozy has remained an important political figure, with some influence over President Emmanuel Macron, who often turns to Mr. Sarkozy’s center-right Republicans party for support in Parliament.

Alexei Navalny, who galvanized Russia’s political opposition, died in prison. (WSJ) The cause of his death was still being established, authorities said. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, Navalny lost consciousness and couldn’t be revived after taking a walk. The Kremlin denied responsibility. The 47-year-old activist had been in jail since 2021, serving 30-plus years on charges he and his supporters said were fabricated.

Russia’s Wounded Soldiers (NYT) A shell slammed into the ground just feet from where the Russian soldier was deployed, and the explosion tossed him into the air. “I felt my arm fall off, then a blow to my leg, everything slowed down, just a frozen picture in my eyes—no sounds, no other sensations,” said the soldier, Andrei, a 29-year-old former convict recruited into the Wagner private military company. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he was convinced that death loomed. As shells exploded on all sides in the fighting near the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, fellow soldiers dragged him to an evacuation point. He eventually spent more than a year in hospitals, with the remnants of his left arm amputated and one leg still at risk. Cases like Andrei’s do not receive much publicity in Russia, where—as in Ukraine—the total number of war wounded is not disclosed. But, according to American and Ukrainian officials and numerous military analysts, the number is staggering, perhaps in the hundreds of thousands. And one senior Russian official estimated that amputees represented more than half of the seriously wounded.

Russian sanctions (NYT) After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western nations imposed the most extensive sanctions and trade restrictions in history on Moscow. Today, Russia appears to be doing OK. Its economy is growing steadily. Russia can’t buy much from the West but has found new providers for drones, surveillance gear, computer chips and other gear. Its oil and gas sales are still strong, despite attempts to stop them. Russian officials say they have plenty of money to pay for their war. Moscow’s continued strength is a humbling result for the U.S. and its allies. These nations make up more than half of the global economy, and they tried to weaponize their influence over trade and finance to weaken Russia. They hoped to make President Vladimir Putin a pariah and maybe even stop the war. Those efforts have fallen short. “The instruments and the policies of the United States are ineffective,” Putin bragged during an interview last week. He is surely not the only leader to notice the U.S. failure to cripple Russia. When China wants to menace Taiwan or India wants to assassinate perceived enemies on foreign soil, they will know that Washington couldn’t turn Russia into a pariah when it broke the rules. Sanctions in Russia have exposed the limits of U.S. power.

As Israel corners Rafah, Netanyahu defies the world (Washington Post) The chorus of warnings is hard to ignore. International organizations, rights group advocates and even a growing number of Western leaders are all urging Israel to refrain from launching a full-scale ground offensive on Rafah, the overwhelmed city on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. Close to a million and a half displaced Palestinians are crammed in makeshift encampments there, the majority having fled other parts of Gaza already ravaged by the Israeli military campaign that followed the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. In a Wednesday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel risked a “humanitarian disaster of a new magnitude.” A joint statement from the leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand said “a military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic” and called on Israel to “listen to its friends.” The prime ministers of Spain and Ireland wrote to authorities in Brussels, suggesting Israel may be in breach of its association agreement with the European Union and demanding an “urgent review.” “We will fight until complete victory, and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.

Family grieves after American teenager shot dead in West Bank (Washington Post) A 17-year-old Palestinian American was killed in the West Bank on Saturday, a family member told The Washington Post, making him the second known U.S. citizen killed there since the start of the Israel-Gaza war. Mohammad Ahmad Alkhdour was shot twice in the head near the town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, before he was rushed to a hospital, his aunt Sana’a Ayesha Alkhdour said. He was pronounced dead Saturday night. Israeli forces were allegedly behind the shooting, according to the human rights group Defense for Children International—Palestine and Sana’a Ayesha Alkhdour. Mohammad Ahmad Alkhdour’s death comes just weeks after the killing of Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, another 17-year-old American, in the West Bank. While the toll of Israel’s war in Gaza has captured global attention, Israel has also stepped up its military activity in the West Bank. Settler violence in the area has risen at an unprecedented rate since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. At least 388 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since then, according to the United Nations.

A small business in war-time Gaza sews padded cloth diapers, creating jobs and helping weary parents (AP) Their scissors move quickly, shearing pieces of white cloth to be stitched together with cotton pads and taken to market in battered cardboard boxes. Before the day is done, the Palestinian seamstresses will have sewn 500 diapers and distributed them to war-weary parents in Gaza for about $4 per package of eight, half of what mass-produced disposable diapers cost in the besieged enclave. Maysaa Qatati, the manager of the sewing workshop, knows the output will barely make a dent in the huge demand—but the little business is thriving and creating jobs. “People were looking for pampers and could not find them,” she said from the whirring workshop in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. “They would stand in line at the merchant and buy it at a very high price.” In some cases, parents say they have resorted to easily soiled cloth diapers. But cleaning those is difficult when water is so scarce. The disposable diapers made in Qatati’s sewing workshop are an improvement because of the cotton pads.

UN envoy says Libya will slide into ‘disintegration’ if politicians don’t move toward elections (AP) The U.N. special envoy for Libya warned the country’s feuding political actors Thursday that if they don’t urgently form a unified government and move toward elections the oil-rich North African nation will slide into “disintegration.” Abdoulaye Bathily told the U.N. Security Council there are numerous alarming signs of such a slide and urged all political leaders to put aside “their self-interests” and come together to negotiate and reach a compromise “to restore the dignity of their motherland.” Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

[artofalexfields]

Alternative Girl of Color 6: Ellie Ishida She's African American and Asian (Belizean and Japanese). She's the lead guitarist of her band, The Pyroclastics. Being that one of her band's biggest influences are Rage Against the Machine, many of their songs have political messages against government corruption and bigotry. Ellie is a lesbian and she's single. She finds it difficult to maintain relationships while on tour. She's a huge anime fan and particularly loves mecha and sci-fi animes like Akira, Ghost in The Shell, Evangelion, Gundam and Eureka 7. Before joining a band, Ellie worked as a teaching artist and taught music classes for non-profits.  ~Photoshop The photo in the background was taken by me in Vienna, Austria. 

[peachgardenias]

I am currently visiting my parents in Tennessee (we are from Chicago but they retired down here for cheaper taxes) tonight I took my boyfriend down to Gatlinburg. I, as a white women has always had pleasant visits here when I was younger. My boyfriend is Mexican and belizean. We pulled into a gas station to fuel up before we left. A pickup truck with about a dozen confederate flags pulled up behind us after following us off the main road. They screamed and beeped at us yelled yeehaw (I shit you not). And pulled away. Our license pleates are Illinois so I figured they thought they’d scare us. They drive away my bf went into the gas station and when he was leaving the door was blocked by two more young white yeehaw lookin ass motherfuckers. He said excuse me politely they refused to let him out. He pushed his way through the door and they stared him down as he walked out. When he got back in the car and told me he refused to let me go back in there out of fear for our lives. He said it wouldn’t make a difference what you say. My boyfriend is a light skin Hispanic man. There are people in this town much darker than him. I can’t imagine what they face. I am on my way home to Chicago tomorrow to protest ( I planned on go back to anyway but cutting it short by two days) this shit is ridiculous. Please get out and vote protest sign petitions whatever. This shit is so real. I alway last knew it was but fuck am I angry and sickened and tired. PLEASE VOTE ANS PROTEST AND USE YOUR VOICE. BLACK LIVES MATTER.

[newsbites]

News from Belize, 15 June

A special needs toddler died in a house fire, and conflicting reports from family members and neighbors have left investigators puzzled as to the cause of the blaze.

Fire personnel were not alerted to the fact that someone was trapped inside until several minutes into trying to extinguish the fire.

While the family believes a faulty electrical wire caused the fire, fire personnel have ruled out electrical flaws and are struggling to determine the exact cause due to lack of cooperation from the family.

2. A young man died in a road traffic incident in the Cayo District after being hit by a double cab Ford pickup truck while riding his bicycle.

3. Belmopan Mayor Sharon Palacio has been recognized by Campbellsville University in Kentucky for her efforts to create opportunities for Belizean students to study at the private Christian university.

4. Police Commissioner Chester Williams is seeking compensation for damages caused by a video aired on Channel 5 and Channel 7 regarding a gun license matter.

Williams' attorney is requesting a retraction, apology, and compensation for legal fees and damages caused by the statement made by opposition leader Shyne Barrow.

Channel 7's attorney claims that the video aired was a paid political ad.

5. Actor Barry Williams has demanded a retraction and apology from Channel 7 News in Belize over allegations of money laundering and immigration irregularities.

Williams, who admits he changed his name to Boris Sokholov, denies any wrongdoing and has hired a law firm to seek damages and legal costs. He is also linked to the Definitive Agreement between the government of Belize and Portico Enterprises Limited, but denies any direct involvement beyond the sale of land to businessman David Gegg. Channel Seven has asked for clarification on where the defamation lies in their reporting.

6. The Ministry of Transport is being questioned about a payment of over $108,000 made to a new company called The Sign Factory for license plates.

The CEO is asking if procurement procedures were followed in accordance with guidelines.

Reports suggest that the contract was given to a relative of a government minister, but this has not been confirmed.

7. Counterfeit Sudagrip (cold) medication has entered the Belizean market and an investigation is underway.

The Chief Drug Inspector advises consumers to look out for packaging inconsistencies, spelling mistakes, and changes in color or texture of medication to avoid fake products.

There have been no reports of consumers getting sick from the counterfeit medication, but the Ministry urges anyone with adverse reactions to contact them.

8. Fortis will conduct a testing of the Early Warning System or Siren Warning System in portions of the Cayo District.