7 News Belize

7 News Belize HeadlinesFriday, September 25, 2026

Guatemalan Military Aircraft Makes Airspace Incursion into Belize
Tonight, regular Belizeans and diplomatic officials are trying to come to terms with what can only be termed as an act of aerial aggression by Guatemala against Belize. Last nig...
Belize Prepares Official Protest Note to Guatemala Following Aerial Incursion
And according to CEO Arnold, Belize will be sending another protest note to Guatemala. But what will that accomplish? And is it enough? We asked him: Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Fo...
Foreign Affairs CEO Dismisses Guatemalan Military Defense Release as "Nothing Burger"
And in that statement by the Guatemalan Ministry of National Defence, it says, quote, "All activities and operations of the Guatemalan Army are conducted in strict compliance with the nation...
CEO Oscar Arnold Defends Diplomatic Protocols Amid Public Calls for Stronger Response
But the public is demanding more than just protest notes, especially since the Guatemalan military seems to be constantly escalating. But CEO Arnold explained that Belize has to follow pr...
Opposition Demands Direct Answers and International Action Over Airspace Incursion
And the UDP is demanding answers about the airspace incursion. The opposition is calling on the Government to, quote, "seek a direct explanation from Guatemala, including the purpose of the ...
Shooting Victim Succumbs to Injuries One Month After Being Shot By Licensed Weapon Holder
Fredrick Sutherland has died, weeks after he was critically injured in a shooting in Belize City. Twenty-nine-year-old Sutherland had remained hospitalized in critical condition followi...
Arson Suspect Ashema Chang Sent for Psychiatric Evaluation Prior to Arraignment
Twenty-five-year-old Ashema Chang, who police were seeking in connection with the alleged arson of Eugene Thompson's house in Belama Phase 5 on September 15th, appeared in court today bu...
Accused Belmopan Staffer Retains Legal Counsel Says He's Victim Of "Blatant Injustices in the Workplace”
Last night, we told you about the senior staffer at the Belmopan City Council reportedly sent home after an investigation into complaints of sexual harassment against him. We did reach ...
A Brief History of Briceno Outbursts
Switching now to national politics, for the past few weeks the Prime Minister has been a newsmaking machine. We've marveled at his public outbursts-moments that feel deliciously spontaneous ...
Rebar Rehabilitation Work Begins on Corozal Park Canary Structure Following Structural Deficiencies
And from matters of state to the Canary in a canefield... kind of. Work continues to rehabilitate the ill-fated Canary wharf structure in the Corozal Central Park. As we told you l...
NTUCB Signals Soft Protests to Press Government on 11-Point Demand List
The NTUCB is sending out a warning that they will be doing forms of "soft protest" in the coming weeks until the PM pays greater respect to their list of demands. This morning on Sunup on 7,...
Court of Appeal Dismisses Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington's Appeal in Misconduct Case
Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington has lost his appeal against a General Legal Council finding of professional misconduct. The Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Elrington's appeal, aff...
Harmonyville Business Owner Protests Highway Culvert Removal Amid Ongoing Roadworks
If you travel the George Price Highway with any regularity, you will no doubt be aware of the ongoing roadwork. A Harmonyville mechanic shop owner is protesting the removal of a culvert...
Construction Begins on New Roundabout at George Price Highway and Boulevard Intersection
In other infrastructure news coming out of that same area, travelers and commuters on the George Price Highway need to be aware that a new roundabout is being constructed at the intersecti...
Belizeans React as New National Symbols Coin Series Enters Circulation
Belize's new National Symbols Coin Series officially entered circulation on September 18th, replacing the old designs with coins featuring Belize's national symbols, including the Black Orch...
Central Health Region Concludes Wellness Week 2026 With Student Health Fair
Today was the final day of Wellness Week, an annual awareness initiative by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. They spent the week visiting schools and offices, providing wellness acti...
International Social Security Association Honors SSB and NHI with Good Practice Awards
The International Social Security Association has bestowed two awards on SSB and NHI. The awards were part of the Good Practices Americas competition for 2026, for which both entities submit...
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7 News Belize - News:
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

Guatemalan Military Aircraft Makes Airspace Incursion into Belize

Tonight, regular Belizeans and diplomatic officials are trying to come to terms with what can only be termed as an act of aerial aggression by Guatemala against Belize.

Last night around 7:30 p.m., a Guatemalan military reconnaissance aircraft entered Belize's airspace without authorization. It remained in the area, over the Lighthouse Reef, for over an hour before it left.

Almost 24 hours later, there are still many more questions than answers-and there is acknowledgement, but no apology from the Guatemalans.

So, what was the aircraft doing in Belize's airspace? And how will Belize respond? The CEOs in the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs held a press briefing today via Zoom and told us what they know so far. Courtney Menzies has this story:

A Guatemalan military aircraft entered Belize's airspace last night from the south, threading the border with Honduras and emerging over the Caribbean Sea. The aircraft maintained a holding pattern over Lighthouse Reef for in excess of one hour, at which point the flight crew deactivated the transponder.

Ministry of Defence CEO details the chain of events:

Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence
"We pulled the data from our primary and secondary radars that we have for the country, which are internationally recognized. And what we found was that one aircraft... a Guatemala Air Force aircraft, which is with the registration or tail number Foxtrot Alpha Golf 706 or FAG 706, did enter our airspace at 7:29 p.m. local time or 0129 Zulu time-on the 24th of September, Belize time, of course. And it entered from the east at an altitude of 4,000 feet. It began circling in the vicinity of Lighthouse Reef. In between here are road or markers... aviation markers, on the aviation maps we call them fixes. They circled in between the Lighthouse Reef and the aviation fix called KIRAP, and they began circling as if though they were looking for something. At approximately 8:07 p.m., Belize time, the aircraft fell off of the radar system-the secondary radar system, which indicates or should indicate to us that it turned off its transponder. But even if you fall off the secondary radar, we can still track you using the primary radar. So we were able to pick them up on the primary radar, and we continued following them. They were still in Belizean airspace. And at approximately 8:40-so one hour and ten minutes after they initially entered Belize airspace-they departed Belize airspace to the south. So they entered from the east, just east of Lighthouse Reef, circled in that area, and departed south past the Sarstoon River."

According to Usher, the authorities are still investigating the reason for the airspace incursion. However, one has to ask: was it another September flex by the Guatemalan military?

While that has not yet been ascertained, the CEO of the Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed it was an unauthorized entry:

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The type of aircraft-and we've been advised is that this type of aircraft is used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes-it doesn't really have any attack features. But again, that is the information t hat we are... we are receiving. If you noticed, we took a bit of time before from the Foreign Ministry to engage or to put any information out there, because we wanted to ensure that we received the relevant technical and accurate information from the Defence Ministry prior to that. The defense forces of Guatemala, I believe, because someone sent it to me, put out a release, neither confirming or not confirming what was there. I believe that they are very sensitive to the issue and wanted to do some damage control. However, we can categorically... categorically state now that there was an unauthorized entry by a military aircraft in our airspace. And the Government of Belize emphasizes that we had not given any authorization for this to take place."


Belize Prepares Official Protest Note to Guatemala Following Aerial Incursion

And according to CEO Arnold, Belize will be sending another protest note to Guatemala. But what will that accomplish? And is it enough? We asked him:

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"What happens now is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through official channels, will deliver a very strong protest note to the Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, giving them the official account of what took place-all the official information that we have, the locations, the GPS coordination, and all of that. And we will demand from them an explanation as to why this is taking place. We find it very troubling that the leadership would not have this information available to them at the time when they made the social media post stating that they operate within the scope of professionalism and respect of sovereignty."

Reporter
"But are you not... I mean, you... I know you said it's troubling, but I think that's minimizing it, especially with the Guatemalan press release where they sort of say, like, 'We make no apologies,' because why should we apologize for being in what they considered their airspace? They already incur in our, you know, waters. And now it seems that they're taking another step forward."

Oscar Arnold:
"The release say that they make no apologies for being in our airspace?"

Reporter
"Well, they don't... they don't apologize or anything in the letter."

Oscar Arnold:
"But you said that that was the statement that was made. And we have to be very careful."

Reporter
"It's implied."

Oscar Arnold:
"If we are inferring that, then that's a different scenario altogether. But I can... from my point of view, I don't have the luxury to... to be circumspect. I need to... I need to work with official information. And that is why, like I said, we did not put much emphasis on that, because we were still gathering the information and waiting for a report from the Ministry of National Defence, because it is on that strength that we will tell them now that whatever you said before, fine. But we are telling you now that this is the evidence and this is the information that we have, that you violated our airspace."


Foreign Affairs CEO Dismisses Guatemalan Military Defense Release as "Nothing Burger"

And in that statement by the Guatemalan Ministry of National Defence, it says, quote, "All activities and operations of the Guatemalan Army are conducted in strict compliance with the national and international legal framework. The institution acts with professionalism, discipline and transparency, in fulfillment of its constitutional mandate, in service to the Nation and with full respect for human rights. The Ministry of National Defense reiterates that its actions are governed at all times by respect for the law and by service to Guatemala." End quote.

That seems to say something like, "Belice es nuestro, so what?"

But Arnold doubled down, emphasizing that they're not placing much importance on the statement from the Guatemalan Ministry of National Defence. In fact, he called it a "nothing burger":

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"Obviously, they were responding to social media post. We had not put out anything official as yet, and so I really don't put a lot of capital on that release that the Ministry of Defense made on the Guatemalan side. Like I said, at the time when we saw it, we continued doing our investigations. We continue to waiting on the official information-a new report from the Ministry of National Defence."

"Speaking to the Prime Minister, he was very concerned. He understands that it is an escalation, but there are also diplomatic channels that are in place to ensure that we address these issues. We can't... we don't have the luxury, like I said, to jump up and then just cut ties with the Guatemalans. We are invested in this project, in this process with the ICJ. But again, like I... like you rightly mentioned, it seems to be an escalation. And so our protest to them and our demands from them will also be escalated."

"The facts that we have are the facts that we are acting upon now. I will not... I will not respond to a release that really, in the... in borrowing words from... from your colleague Jules Vasquez, is a nothing burger."


CEO Oscar Arnold Defends Diplomatic Protocols Amid Public Calls for Stronger Response

But the public is demanding more than just protest notes, especially since the Guatemalan military seems to be constantly escalating.

But CEO Arnold explained that Belize has to follow protocols-the same ones that brought us to independence:

Reporter
"I'm sure I speak on behalf of many Belizean people where they say, 'We don't no longer want to hear at this juncture about diplomatic notes and that sort of thing. They were in our airspace. We want answers! What the hell were they doing there? What business that they have there?' This is what we want to know. We understand this protocol, we understand that there's process, but we need answers. What do we tell the Belizean people?"

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"But then you're contradicting yourself if you're saying that you understand the protocols, but then don't have patience enough for the Government authorities and your officials to work those protocols. Our country gain independence because the architects internationalized the issues that we were having with the British at the time. And we came to the UN, we went to the Non-Aligned Movement, and we made friends. We provided our problems so that other countries would take note and that they would side with Belize. And if that worked for us for independence, that is a system... that is... that is a process that we will continue to work and that we will continue to rely on."




Opposition Demands Direct Answers and International Action Over Airspace Incursion

And the UDP is demanding answers about the airspace incursion. The opposition is calling on the Government to, quote, "seek a direct explanation from Guatemala, including the purpose of the flight and the aircraft's position near Lighthouse Reef and Caye Caulker."

They are also demanding that Belize bring the incident to the attention of the appropriate regional and international partners.

They noted that this follows the Guatemalan Navy's incursion into the Sarstoon on September 10th.

The release ends by stating, quote, "The UDP stands ready to support every lawful and peaceful measure required to defend Belize's sovereignty. Belizeans deserve the facts, and Guatemala must provide a direct answer." End quote.

As an aside, we note that the Prime Minister is expected to address the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow.


Shooting Victim Succumbs to Injuries One Month After Being Shot By Licensed Weapon Holder

Fredrick Sutherland has died, weeks after he was critically injured in a shooting in Belize City.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sutherland had remained hospitalized in critical condition following the August 28th shooting near Banak Street and Amandala Drive. According to police, officers on patrol were alerted to the sound of gunshots shortly before 8:00 p.m. that night. Investigators said Sutherland and another person were traveling on a motorcycle when they were fired upon by a man. Police detained a man in connection with the shooting and seized a licensed firearm.

At the time, investigators said the man claimed he had fired the weapon because he believed his life was in danger. That licensed weapon holder has not been charged.


Arson Suspect Ashema Chang Sent for Psychiatric Evaluation Prior to Arraignment

Twenty-five-year-old Ashema Chang, who police were seeking in connection with the alleged arson of Eugene Thompson's house in Belama Phase 5 on September 15th, appeared in court today but could not be arraigned after the Chief Magistrate determined that she was not in a position to enter a plea.

Chang was before the Chief Magistrate on a charge of damage to property.

However, when asked her name, she told the court "Erica" and gave inconsistent information about where she lived. Her sister was called into court and told the Chief Magistrate that Chang had recently seen a doctor and had been taking medication, although she could not provide details.

The Chief Magistrate ordered that Chang undergo a psychiatric evaluation and that her medical history be provided to the court. The damage to property charge was not read because the court determined that Chang was not in a position to enter a plea. Chang was granted bail of $300 and is due back in court on November 13, 2026.


Accused Belmopan Staffer Retains Legal Counsel Says He's Victim Of "Blatant Injustices in the Workplace”

Last night, we told you about the senior staffer at the Belmopan City Council reportedly sent home after an investigation into complaints of sexual harassment against him.

We did reach out to Novelo and the council for comment but got no response. However, he did post on his Facebook page today addressing what he called reports by a local media outlet.

Novelo thanked supporters and framed the situation as a fight against, quote, "blatant injustices in the workplace" targeting employees focused on eliminating waste and corruption.

He stated that he has hired a legal team to handle the matter on all fronts-including against the media, his employer, and his accusers. Novelo added that his family remains united and strong.


A Brief History of Briceno Outbursts

Switching now to national politics, for the past few weeks the Prime Minister has been a newsmaking machine. We've marveled at his public outbursts-moments that feel deliciously spontaneous on the surface, but carry the quiet precision of a pre-scripted strike. It's clear he has a few personal and political scores to settle, and he is more than comfortable letting things get a little messy along the way.

But what does it all mean in the broader picture of the PUP power dynamic? Jules Vasquez has an analysis:

The Prime Minister first appeared triggered in a press scrum on September 2nd. He was responding to statements made by Senator Glenfield Dennison, who had called politicians using Government fuel cards out of touch.

Briceno bristled; he flew off the handle and snapped at a journalist:

John Briceno, Prime Minister
"How can I not relate to that? You guys do not understand, you don't understand. Wait... wait, stop... interrupt, man, allow me to speak. Can you do that? Respect me and I will respect you, and you do that all the time. So again, I believe that all of us in Government, we can relate."

And then 14 days later, on September 16th, he kind of made the same point in an almost hysterical attack on his own Minister, Julius Espat:

John Briceno:
"There is one thing that I vehemently disagree with Francis… Misho, sorry, with Julius Espat when he said about only him and another minister are for social justice. He needs to look at what his Government is doing-we are for social justice. The People's United Party is based on social justice, and the time that we move from that, then we cannot be the People's United Party. So I really want to publicly correct Julius Espat, and I hope he would never, ever say that only he and the other minister..."

And then three days later, on September 19th, the PM was again triggered-this time not by a political colleague or Member of Parliament, but by George Price's nephew, Clement Usher, who called for more humility in politics at the great man's gravesite:

Clement Usher, George Price's Nephew
"Recently I have noticed in the news, even on social media, the horrible and unkind ways that our officials and people who hold high offices speak to or write about each other. Yes, we certainly can agree to disagree, but let us do it in the way of George Cadle Price-a little humility will not hurt or kill anyone."

That triggered the easily agitated PM big time:

John Briceno:
"Thank you so much for sharing your story from your family, Clement, but let's not forget that George Price was leader for 40-plus years. Not because he was an easygoing and soft man, but because he had steel built on him, and there are many people that were buried in the political graveyard that tried to go against him. And you don't always have to be nice to be able to do that for 40-plus years."

So, the PM doesn't like to be told he's out of touch, doesn't like to be told he lacks in humility-and also made it clear that he's going for a third term:

John Briceno:
"I've already served 33 years in the National Assembly. I've done my shared part, but we still have more to do, right, Chairman? We still have another election to win. I'm sorry if I sounded political, but that's George Price. He never lost a moment to be able to take opportunity to make that point."

And that's what makes Cordel Hyde's critical remarks of this week even more puzzling:

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
"I think we as a Government have to tighten our own belts, have to make some sacrifices, have to look at our own allowances too, because we can't be living one way and have the people living another way. I think that we have to really do something in that regard so that people understand, because if we don't do anything, then it will only allow people to continue to say that we are disconnected and out of touch, and we don't want that to happen..."

Another social justice caution-and another trigger for the PM. But for Hyde, what's the plan? Clearly Briceño isn't stepping down, meaning there's no vacancy in PUP leadership until at least 2035. So Hyde's public candor and cajoling of his Cabinet colleagues could not be strategic. So why did he do it? Is he just that fed up with the "dark impulses" of his own colleagues, which we see on the news regularly?


Rebar Rehabilitation Work Begins on Corozal Park Canary Structure Following Structural Deficiencies

And from matters of state to the Canary in a canefield... kind of.

Work continues to rehabilitate the ill-fated Canary wharf structure in the Corozal Central Park.

As we told you last week, the structure was being dismantled after an engineer's assessment "raised concerns about several structural elements, including deviations from the design drawings and issues with construction quality. Based on those findings, the engineer recommended demolishing and reconstructing the affected elements."

That's what a press release said, but today we saw video-not of a demolition, but of a kind of reworking. We can see the concrete dome fully removed, and workers seemed to be attempting to reshape and reinforce the rebars. It's not quite as graceful as Beijing's arc of history, but we'll see how it shapes up.


NTUCB Signals Soft Protests to Press Government on 11-Point Demand List

The NTUCB is sending out a warning that they will be doing forms of "soft protest" in the coming weeks until the PM pays greater respect to their list of demands. This morning on Sunup on 7, President Ella Waight discussed:

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB
"We are basically going through some soft protest actions, meaning that we're not going to the streets right away. It will be little bursts of that happening-of different unions taking to their... in front of their offices, maybe during lunch or during our break to say, 'We are still putting on some pressure. We still need these demands to be adhered.' But before that, we're going to go through. So every worker is in a constituency that has a constituency, but it's a minister, or whether it's a caretaker, whatever they call it. We need them now to go to these persons and tell them as a worker, as a Belizeans, 'I want those 11 demands that the NTUCB, who represents me, are taken seriously.' We'll be doing that through a phased process where we're reaching out to these persons and how to do that. We'll also be doing a campaign where we'll start to have markers on our vehicles. We're starting to go on social media with certain hashtags on the way forward. We have to get young people involved, and this is what young people do-they want to have this trend... this trending-that's the word, trending-aspect of how we can move things, get things along."

Sunup repeats at 8:00 p.m. tonight.


Court of Appeal Dismisses Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington's Appeal in Misconduct Case

Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington has lost his appeal against a General Legal Council finding of professional misconduct.

The Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Elrington's appeal, affirming that he acted with negligence and breached the Legal Profession Code of Conduct during his representation of former client Bruce Cho.

The case dates back to a 2016 lawsuit filed by Cho for assault and false imprisonment. Court records show Elrington failed to file witness statements, disclosures, or evidence required by case management orders. As a result, Cho's lawsuit was dismissed for lack of evidence, and Cho was ordered to pay $12,500 in costs to the defendants.

Elrington defended his actions by arguing that he chose to rely strictly on legal arguments and was entitled to conduct the case without his client's input. However, the court rejected that defense. The court held that non-compliance with court directives is not a valid legal strategy and that attorneys cannot act unilaterally while ignoring client instructions or leaving them without evidence.

While upholding the GLC's misconduct decision, the Court of Appeal extended the timeframe for Elrington to submit a written response explaining why disciplinary sanctions should not be imposed on him.

Elrington now has until November 30, 2026, to show cause to the General Legal Council before a final penalty is determined.


Harmonyville Business Owner Protests Highway Culvert Removal Amid Ongoing Roadworks

If you travel the George Price Highway with any regularity, you will no doubt be aware of the ongoing roadwork.

A Harmonyville mechanic shop owner is protesting the removal of a culvert outside his business, which sits on squatter-occupied land within a 200-foot buffer zone along the George Price Highway.

The affected area stretches from the King's Children's Home to the Beaver Dam Bridge and includes a number of families who have been occupying land within the highway's buffer zone.

Today we spoke extensively with the chief engineer, who explained that the removal of certain culverts is based on road safety, access planning, and the need to avoid unnecessary expenditure:

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer
"So the policy is with the Ministry in terms of the projects that we're implementing is that once you have an access onto the highway, or once we have a driveway or a side road, those areas will be replaced with a new culvert to facilitate the drainage path that we have along the highway. Within the section that you're referring to, there is a buffer zone, which has a width of approximately 200 feet. And this is basically from the Children's Home all the way to the Beaver Dam Bridge. Within that buffer zone, which falls within Harmonyville, you have a number of individuals and families that are squatting within the buffer zone, right? And so what we have done is that the buffer zone itself has a back road, which is going to provide access to the residents that are currently squatting in the buffer zone. However, the contractor went ahead and started to put in culverts along that section because he saw that there were residents living within those areas, even though those residents are illegally living within the buffer zone. And so when we saw that, we had to pinpoint that out to the contractor that that was not necessary and that will, in an effort basically, has a significant, significant financial cost to the project because we're putting a number of culverts in that are not supposed to go there. We had to instruct him to go and remove some of those culverts. The ones that we have removed are the properties and houses where those individuals have either access to a road that is perpendicular to the highway, or they could get access from the back-where a new road will be put in place, and in some instances, that road is there as well already. The ones that are in place now is because we have squatters that have squat within the 200-foot buffer zone, but they're squatting behind each other, right? And if you're squatting behind each other, then the one at the front towards the highway will not have access to the back road because another family is already squatting there. And so in an effort to be lenient and also to be considerate with these residents, these are the ones that we have allowed the contractor to leave those culverts in place because there's no other way for them to have access onto the highway."

"The others that we have to remove is because we cannot have so many accesses coming directly onto the main highway, which will create a safety issue for the Ministry and also for motorists using the highway, because you have multiple accesses already onto the highway."

But the Ministry is not leaving these families in the lurch; they are developing alternative roads for them to access the land they're squatting on:

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer
"Every other family that we have discussed this with are receptive to what we have explained to them, and they're of the fact that they're squatting within the buffer zone, which is not even official as yet. That is something that we have discussed with BGYEA and we have agreed with them to carry out an as-built survey to help them facilitate the cordial arrangement of those properties, because it has to be distributed to them, but it has to be surveyed before that is done. And that's where we are in terms of the culverts that we have removed within the Harmonyville area and those that have remained to be in place."

Reporter
"With these homes being located on this buffer zone, how will you solve this in the long term? Because construction will continue for a while. And so how will you continue? How will you solve this in the long term?"

Evondale Moody:
"Well, as a Ministry, our aim to solve this issue is for us to build that back road so that whoever was into the buffer zone will have access to that buffer zone from the road at the back. And so that's what we have agreed to do with those individuals to facilitate them in having access onto the highway. So yes, there's squatting there, and there may be other people that will encroach within that area, and so that is a discussion that has to be held between us and also BGYEA so that they could formalize what needs to be done and how those properties will be distributed to those individuals that are currently squatting there. As many of them... they are all squatters."

Reporter
"And so to be clear, they will not be getting back a driveway that is at the front of their property-or not their property, the place that they're staying, the place that they're squatting?"

Evondale Moody:
"No, those ones that have access from the rear will not be getting back an access, because we want to minimize as best as we can the number of accesses that we have entering the highway."

You can note that the Ministry has been issuing releases on removal of memorials and business signs from the buffer zones since January 28th.


Construction Begins on New Roundabout at George Price Highway and Boulevard Intersection

In other infrastructure news coming out of that same area, travelers and commuters on the George Price Highway need to be aware that a new roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of the GP Highway and George Price Boulevard.

Tonight, motorists are being warned to expect delays as civil works get underway.

The roundabout is part of the George Price Highway Upgrading Project and is intended to improve traffic flow and commuter safety in the area. Motorists and motorcyclists are being urged to plan ahead, reduce their speed, and exercise extreme caution while passing through the area.


Belizeans React as New National Symbols Coin Series Enters Circulation

Belize's new National Symbols Coin Series officially entered circulation on September 18th, replacing the old designs with coins featuring Belize's national symbols, including the Black Orchid, Baird's Tapir, the Toucan, the Mahogany Tree, and the map of Belize. The six denominations will circulate alongside the existing Queen Elizabeth II coins, which remain legal tender, as the old coins gradually phase out through normal circulation.

But the old Queen Betty was such a familiar face on those coins; we wondered how the streets felt about the replacements. Today we sampled public sentiment:


Central Health Region Concludes Wellness Week 2026 With Student Health Fair

Today was the final day of Wellness Week, an annual awareness initiative by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. They spent the week visiting schools and offices, providing wellness activities, free screenings, health education, sports, and recreational activities.

Today, the final event was a health fair for students. The health educator of the Central Health Region told us more:

Carolyn Augustine, Health Educator, Central Health Region
"Today we're out here celebrating the closing of Wellness Week 2026. Here we have different unit out-we have VCT, we have MCH, we have our community health workers here also providing free testing for the general public to come out and support and be a part of the closing ceremony of the Wellness Week."

"Today's theme, 'Promoting Health, Transforming Environments'-that was the theme for this year. And today's last activity, 'Active Communities and Strong Regions'-so basically we are just trying to ensure that we spread the word of wellness to ensure the community is aware of the services that we provide here.

"We were going to schools, we also went to other stakeholders as well to provide screening."

Courtney Menzies:
"Is there anything during the week that you heard from a student or an adult that really stood out to you, like, 'Wow, we really have to look at that a little bit closer?'"

Carolyn Augustine:
"Actually, with the teachers we noticed they have high readings, and they like the services we provide-taking the time to go in and providing the free service to them."

Courtney Menzies:
"So what's the advice you'd want the students to take back from today?"

Carolyn Augustine:
"Healthy eating... we want them to make the right choices in choosing better as in breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and making the right choices."

Courtney Menzies:
"Do you believe schools facilitate this? Do you see them serving healthier meals?"

Carolyn Augustine:
"Well, at the moment we have the Health Habits Program, and some schools are actually going in and doing the right choices in providing health snacks for the students as well."


International Social Security Association Honors SSB and NHI with Good Practice Awards

The International Social Security Association has bestowed two awards on SSB and NHI. The awards were part of the Good Practices Americas competition for 2026, for which both entities submitted entries. The General Manager of the NHI and CEO of the SSB explained more:

Dr. Ramon Figueroa, General Manager, NHI
"There's an ISSA Good Practices Competition for 2026, and they requested the different countries to submit proposals of good practice. NHI submitted one, which is the pay-for-performance scheme that we have been applying from early on when NHI started, and that got accepted-got meritorious recognition, which is the award that we received. Social Security also submitted four different submissions, and they also got meritorious award with special mention.

"It's a pay-for-performance scheme. Every year when we have a contractual agreement with the clinics that we contract out for services, we establish specific targets that they need to achieve throughout the year, and there's a bonus assigned to each one of the targets. If they meet the targets, they get that bonus. That financial incentive scheme is what drives performance and quality."

Jerome Palma, CEO, Social Security Board
"ISSA is the International Social Security Association, as the name indicates. It is an international body to which Belize's Social Security Board is able to be a part of. As an organization, ISSA produces guidelines, information booklet support, conduct seminars, webinars, conferences that actually support information sharing and gathering that develop on good practices, provide guidelines for things such as good governance, investments, information collection, data sharing, and all of that. So ISSA is then, for all intents and purposes, the overarching body in which social security associations across the world actually organize and participate in."



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