Oscar Arnold

Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico

“We would advise any car dealers if you are at the border to wait a few days, stay there a few days longer. I know it will cost them a little bit more with hotel and food, but it would be easier to do so. This morning on the press conference that President Sheinbaum did they said that they have looked at all the areas, addressed all the blockages and regained control of those areas where there were blockages or where there were major or significant blockage yesterday. But my advice would be, any car dealer that is coming down to wait a few more days to ensure that things are even more calm and then to make your journey to try to get home.”

Belizean Car Dealers Pause Amid Mexico’s Chaos

Belizean car dealers are also keeping a close eye on the unrest unfolding in Mexico, as cartel‑related violence continues to ripple through key travel routes. Many dealers who source vehicles from the United States are now in a holding pattern, waiting for the all‑clear that Ambassador Oscar Arnold says could still be days away. Among them is Tevonne Phillips, owner of Accelerate Belize, who knows the long road home better than most. He told News Five that several of his colleagues are still parked in place, literally, because safety has always been the biggest concern when crossing Mexico. For now, they’re watching, waiting, and hoping conditions stabilize before they get back on the road.

                Tevonne Phillips

Tevonne Phillips, Owner, Accelerate Belize

“My personal last trip was in December. I did two trips in December. That was a high pace month for me. I have one of my transporters who went up in January for two vehicles for me, Jose. I don’t have any trip currently planned, but from the feedback we are getting, right now, Maria the broker that I use she was not letting anybody cross up until maybe Tuesday. But that is not a definite that you are going to cross Tuesday. You have to monitor the situation in Mexico and see what will be the outcome. And then she will decide. At the end of the day, Maria is one of those brokers who have you back in any situation. Her first thing is always safety for us Belizeans especially because she has a good relationship with us. So, her thing is always safety, safety, safety. If she does not feel safer and her correspondence is not giving her the tombs up to move any operation then she halts until an all clear. Mexico dah Mexico, any number could play in Mexico. For me I understand how this thing works. These guys do what they need to do to survive. Our job is to follow the rules, regulations and simply abide by whatever structure they have in place. There are instances you get robbed. There are instances somebody come brush you a little five hundred peso, a thousand pesos. But from my experience, I have never gotten one of those violent experience where an M-16 is in your face. They stop you on the road but we understand that at the end of the day deh bally want deh piece and you trod on. If you try fight that you are creating an uproar that is not necessary. So, that is my experience, other guys can tell you different.”

In short, if you’re planning that road trip back to Belize with vehicles, the safest move right now is to wait it out.

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

Watch the full newscast here:

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                        Assad Shoman

Assad Shoman, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

“The whole purpose of their threat against Cuba, their sanctions, so called sanctions. It is not an sanction. It is an evil act that is done to people because you are sanctioned because you did something wrong. No, they have not done anything wrong. They are just being punished by the United States unduly, irrational and illegally. All of that is done in order to make the people suffer so much that they will overthrow the government. So the purpose the clearly to make the people suffer but they want them to suffer that they will overthrow the government. That’s terrorism. Absolutely, under any kind of definition. So that is a policy that they have continued. That is a policy that has been condemned by the United Nations over thirty times in the last few years. It started in the 1990s. The UN resolutions. So that has been condemned by the United Nations many times. All their European allies condemn them. So if that is to be condemned, what do you think about this? This additional thing which amounts to a death threat, Hipolito. That is what the United States is doing now. It has issued a death threat against Cuba, against the people of Cuba. That is a death threat. If that succeeds, and obviously they want it to succeed people in Cuba will die.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Do you think that the US, Donald Trump, is wrong when he says that Cuba is a threat.”

Assad Shoman

“He is absolutely wrong. There is no question about that or that Cuba is a terrorist state or anything like that. These are things that are made up. In fact, I have something here from the UN experts, a panel of UN experts on human rights. They issued a declaration on the twelfth of February when they said that characterizing Cuba as an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security of the US lacks credibility and appears designed to justify the use of extraordinary and coercive powers. There is no thread of evidence that they even tried to present to show that Cuba is a terrorist state.”

Belize Should Send Aid to Cuba, Shoman Says

Trump’s order threatened heavy tariffs on countries that continue sending oil to Cuba. With U.S. sanctions already cutting off Venezuelan oil, the warning was aimed at Cuba’s other key supplier, Mexico, putting Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in a tough spot between supporting Cuba and responding to U.S. pressure. Mexico has sent humanitarian aid, and Canada is considering doing the same. So, what about Belize and CARICOM? The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is in the Caribbean to meet with leaders during CARICOM’s fiftieth Heads of Government. Shoman says regional leaders will be too scared to condemn the US.

                         Assad Shoman

Assad Shoman, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

“They have no right to do this. This is illegal. It has been condemned by the United Nations and the reaction has been, in Belize, our prime minister called it out. Remember the House Meeting when the President of Guayana was here and he said that was wrong. Our Leader of the Opposition has condemned it, Tracy Panton. I don’t know if you carried her statement she gave out a week or so and today I noticed she put up another post because she realized this thing is getting out of hand. The leaders of the Caribbean remain silent. And not only that, they invite one of the architects of this murderous, criminal, policy, to come to the fiftieth meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM to address them.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Mexico halted its shipment of oil to Cuba. It did, however, sent humanitarian aid. I believe Canada is thinking about sending humanitarian aid. Should Belize send.”

Assad Shoman

“Absolutely, I am hoping against hope because as I have said, they have been silent. Except, you know, Briceno was not been silent. I think he is the only one who has spoken out, the only actual leader that I know of that has spoken out against what is happening in Cuba today. But, former leaders have done so. Obviously, I don’t except the CRICOM to make any statement condemning the United States for this. They are all afraid. But let us up that the least they would do is do what you just suggested: send a shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba. People are dying. People are suffering. People who are our brothers and sisters. They are part of our region. They have been an intimate part of our development of our region all along.”

Shoman’s says his comments on this issue is as a private citizen and not as an agent or representative of the government of Belize.

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

Watch the full newscast here:

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Paul Lopez, Reporting

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez, a transgender woman, is more than a viral personality, she’s a bold voice changing the online conversation. At twenty-seven, she’s built a huge following by championing inclusivity and giving Belize’s LGBTQ community space to be seen and celebrated. Her upbeat videos and big energy make her instantly likable. But on Wednesday, Bestie shared the part fans never saw, a tough journey shaped by migration struggles and years of living without legal status in Belize. Behind the laughter is someone who fought hard for the chance to belong.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez, Corozal Resident

“For those of you know me know that I have been struggling with my legal status ever since I arrived in Belize. Back in 2007 my mom brought me to this country illegally. She was trying to protect me from sexual…but what I want to emphasize is not that. I want to emphasize that during my period being here in Belize for my entire life, my twenty-seven years of life, I was illegal in this country, I was struggling in this country. I didn’t have a voice in this country.”

In the original video, now topping half a million views, Cortez opened up about how an immigration status kept her from landing steady work or chasing her dreams. She laid out the obstacles plainly, showing viewers just how hard life can be when opportunity is always out of reach. But everything changed for Cortez in 2022, when the Belize Amnesty Program opened a path forward.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

“And today, today I got everything done. If it was not for this fu***ng thing, you can’t do anything in Belize without this. You know how much you have changed my life. I can provide for my family without struggling in the streets.”

Cortez pulls back the curtain on the everyday hurdles immigrants face, things many Belizeans never have to think twice about. Even something as simple as enrolling in school becomes a major battle when your legal status is in limbo. Her story shows how complicated life gets when paperwork, not potential, decides your future.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

“I remember when I hit first form and fourth form I thought I was not going to go to first form because I did not have a social. They were charging a one thousand dollars fee for I believe in Escuela Mexico for you to be able to study. For CCC it was higher. I was not able to go to CCC but I went to Escuela Mexico. They opened up their doors for me and always was there. Until this day I can say that school still had my back. Until six form I went to the college right there and I was unable to finish sixth form due to financial hardships as well.”

Dropping out of sixth form due to financial hardship forced Cortez to seek employment, and the realities of being an illegal immigrant in Belize only kept piling on.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

“When I decided to stop sixth form and seek a job the first thing that everybody would ask would be for a social. I didn’t have a social, and doors were closed every time I would knock on a door they would say, “no, no”. No matter what kind of job you try to do in Belize as long as you don’t have a social no one will hire you, because no one will risk their license being taken away from you, their business license.”

After things fell apart with her mother, Cortez found refuge in a Pentecostal church. She lived there for months, with almost nothing and no job. But she didn’t stay down. She started selling fruits and vegetables on a tricycle for a local vendor, eventually saving enough to buy one of her own. It was a small beginning, but it marked her first real step toward rebuilding her life.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

“I remember my mom loaned me seventy-five dollars and I went to the market and bought like five pounds of each, oh my God I want to cry, I bought like five pounds of each item, and I went and sold and spined it over.”

From pushing a vegetable cart to running his own stall, selling produce didn’t just pay the bills for Cortez, it gave her purpose. In a country where she lived without legal status, that small hustle became her anchor, helping her carve out a place for herself one sale at a time.

Melvin “Bestie” Cortez

“The most common thing you would hear immigrants say in Belize, their Belizean bosses, no shade to any Belizean because I love you all, they are very chancey. When I say chancey, the rate is at five dollars and hour. They would pay you twenty dollars to work. Across the entire country there literally people who will make you clean an entire house for forty dollars, everything wash, clean, iron, the whole entire situation for forty dollars.”

After his video went viral, Cortez became a relatable voice for immigrants living without status in Belize. And her journey is far from over. The amnesty program helped her secure a temporary Social Security card, get a job, and finish her Tourism Management degree. Once an undocumented immigrant, Melvin “Bestie” Cortez is now a proud graduate of Centro Escolar Mexico. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

Watch the full newscast here:

The post Bestie’s Fight for Belonging Captivates Belize first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

The project, led by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, was officially launched on Monday during a signing ceremony at the ministry’s Green Complex Building in Belmopan. Funded mainly by Taiwan with support from the Government of Belize, it will run through 2029.

Taiwan, which has long experience in disaster risk mitigation, will provide training, technical support, and guidance to help Belize respond more quickly when emergencies strike.

Officials said the project will strengthen Belize’s preparedness by improving coordination among government departments, improving early warning systems for storms and other hazards, and adding new technology to watch for wildfires.

In an official press release, the Belize government valued the “Belize Multi-Hazard Risk Management Capacity Building Project” at US$1,807,797, while Taiwan’s Embassy website cites the value as US$1,927,797.

The post Belize and Taiwan Sign US $1.8M+ Disaster Preparedness Agreement first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, arrived in Belize on Sunday for a three‑day state visit and today marked the occasion with a special address to the National Assembly. In a wide‑ranging, hour‑long speech, he spoke on shared priorities including agriculture, education, and territorial issues. Shortly after, Prime Minister John Briceño and his Cabinet signed five memorandums of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

                  Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“The several memorandum of understanding we will sign today covers diverse areas, education, tourism, digitization and agriculture. They cover socio-economic and productive sectors of our countries. They provide solid basis for deeper collaborations in areas of mutual benefit. We offer our experience in tourism as you build your tourism product in the land of many waters. Our geographic similarities provides scope for knowledge sharing. Our expertise in agriculture will be made available and educational opportunities explored. Your experience in digitization will help us with our own effort in this regard.”

Prime Minister John Briceño and Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, signed a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to stronger trade and investment ties, with Belize exporting four million dollars’ worth of goods to Guyana in 2024 alone. The two countries also signed memorandums of understanding on education, expanding scholarships and exchanges, and on tourism, as Guyana looks to grow its tourism sector through increased promotion and investment.

                      Irfaan Ali

Dr. Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana

“Belize and Guayana are bound by more than diplomacy. We are united by a shared history of colonization, by common resolve in safeguarding our independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. And by aspirations rooted in dignity, stability and progress. Belize and Guayana also share a strong enduring commitment to democratic governance. Central to that commitment is our role of representative parliament. These  institutions serves as the principle forums for democratic deliberation, accountability and law making.”

Belize and Guyana also moved to strengthen regional security, with Defense Minister Florencio Marín and Guyana’s Foreign Minister signing an agreement to cooperate against emerging threats and boost military capacity. The two countries also signed a deal on digital transformation and artificial intelligence, which Prime Minister John Briceño says will improve government efficiency and public services. Food security rounded out the day’s discussions as another shared priority.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We share a history shaped by sugar. Fields were plowed and cane cut by indentured labor and sugar exported to Europe by nationalists. As the industry evolved it provided jobs, educating our children, earned foreign exchange and drove the development of our colonial societies. But that was yesterday. Today we will jointly facilitate private sector investment in the refined sugar sector.”

Dr. Irfaan Ali

“My dear friend I agree with you that Belize and Guyana must lead in the food security of this region and when we make this investment, human, financial and technocritical investment, the region must in turn have a fair trade system in which our produce and production is not subjected to the bureaucracy of the system or not subjected to artificial barriers of trade that affects this region. We must together champion the cause of removing the barriers to trade, especially in food in this region.”

The joint sitting was attended by diplomats and private‑sector representatives. Opposition Leader Tracy Panton pointed to areas of common ground between both countries.

                 Tracy Panton

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“We share common history, a common culture, hopefully common values. I know the president is very big on democracy and preserving the rights and privileges and freedom for citizens and the economic prosperity of his country and I think there is a lot we can glean from his presentation today. I thought it was very inspiring and hopefully the government took note.”

The state visit continues through Wednesday, with mutual agreements that will translate into long‑term economic and social benefits for Belize and Guyana.  Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

The post Belize/Guyana Relations Strengthened with New Agreements first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Paul Lopez

“Did the Foreign Minister in this meeting give an explanation to the actions of its military elements involving these incidents?”

                   Francis Fonseca

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“As you know we have an ongoing dialogue at the political level between Belize and Guatemala. So, it is an ongoing discussion and in every meeting we have at the bilateral level and even today we discussed these issues with a view to finding some mechanism, putting in place some mechanism, some structure to allow us to ensure that tensions are reduced between our two countries, especially the two militaries and that we are able to peacefully resolve these issues when they arise. For example, when the issues we discussed today, under the auspices of the OAS is how we can improve military to military engagement and communication and cooperation between the militaries, because that is where on the ground we have to ensure there are no mistakes made and that tensions are reduced on the ground. So, those are the things we have always discussed between ourselves and we will continue to dialogue and discuss because we both agree that it is important to reduce tensions and ensure there is always peace and stability between our two countries.”

The post Border Tensions Resurface in Belize–Guatemala Talks first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Antonia Urrejola

Antonia Urrejola, Secretary General Representative, OAS

“The zone is there because of a reason and it is precisely because you have communities from both countries and there will always be incidents. I think if you think there wont be any incidents it is something that we would be lying if we said they wont be any incidents. I think what is important are two things, first of all the commitment both countries have in when we have these incidents ot give a solution to them specifically, which is something really important and requires dialogue. Secondly is the role of the office. The office does verifications each time there is an incident which is being denounced by any of the parties. The office goes and verifies the incidents and that is working and what we have seen in the meeting today and Sergio can give you some of the numbers on that, the office is much more effective than what it use to be with the incidents.”

Paul Lopez

“What concrete consequences exist for either Guatemala or Belize when either of the countries violates these agreements or understand, beyond diplomatic notes or consequences?”

             Sebastian Kralijevich

Sebastian Kralijevich, Secretary of Democracy, OAS

“The consequence of the work of the office here is to increase confidence between both sides, but we are doing it in a way like the meetings we did today to reduce those incidents so that we have a more collaborative environment here and that is why we are all here.”

The post OAS Says Belize–Guatemala Incursions are Manageable first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

          Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“ I don’t think it has anything to do with CARICOM. I think it’s just a belief that where President Trump for some reason have this misconceived notion that foreigners or immigrants when they go to United States, they are going to just to benefit from the system, when every record will tell you that immigrants have built the United States. So it has nothing to do with punishing anybody but you notice about seventy-five countries and unfortunately Belize is one of them yet, we really consider ourselves a good partner with the United States.”

Reporter

“There’s still more clarity that’s needed?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Of course, a lot of clarity is left because we still don’t know. And and even up to yesterday, the United – the United States Embassy in Belize was not sure. They have not gotten a full briefing as to what’s taking place.”

The post PM Briceño To Trump: “Immigrants Built The United States”   first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Venezuela has found itself back at the center of global discussion, this time following reports that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken from Caracas to face charges in New York. While the South American nation sits more than fifteen hundred miles away from Belize, the ripple effects of what happens there have been felt much closer to home. Despite the distance, Venezuela’s political drama continues to intersect with our own regional and national interests.

                    Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño (File: Dec 12^th, 2022)

“Belize and Venezuela, President Maduro and I on behalf of Venezuela and Belize have agreed on restructuring terms on the Petro Caribe debts which will reduce the amount Belize owes under Petro Cairbe by anywhere between two hundred and sixty-seven million dollars and three hundred and twenty-seven million dollars.”

Under the Petrocaribe agreement, Belize received millions of dollars’ worth of oil from Venezuela, a debt the country still owes. That 2022 debt restructuring was so substantial it reduced Belize’s debt‑to‑GDP ratio by six percent. Oil is the backbone of Venezuela’s economy. The country holds the largest oil reserves in the world, by a wide margin. That reality came sharply into focus after the U.S. removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, with President Donald Trump openly signaling America’s interest in Venezuela’s vast oil wealth.

               Donald Trump

Donald Trump, President, United States of America

“We are going to have our very large United States Oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure and start making money for the country.”

Was the ultimate goal to seize control of Venezuela’s oil resources? So, when the U.S. stepped up its military footprint in the Caribbean in 2025, was that part of the plan? The Monroe Doctrine, proclaimed by U.S. President James Monroe in 1823, was a U.S. foreign policy stating that further European colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as hostile, while the U.S. would stay out of European affairs. Calvin Tucker, who works for Britain’s only socialist daily newspaper, has witnessed four elections in Venezuela, including the 2024 vote. He believes what we’re seeing now is the Monroe Doctrine reemerging, stripped bare.

                       Calvin Tucker

Calvin Tucker, Morning Star

“The Monroe Doctrine says that the United States has the right to impose its will on its backyard as it sees it in Latin America and to dominate not only the country in Latin America but to prevent its European rivals at the time in its region. And the new Monroeism is a return to that basic philosophy and practical expression of U.S. military force.”

The U.S. military buildup in the region was already underway long before any public talk of Venezuelan oil. Officials said the expanded presence was part of a broader effort to combat transnational crime. Year after year, the U.S. identifies Belize as a major drug transit country, with drugs tracked from Venezuela.

                    Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police (File: Feb 27^th, 2020)

“This morning early around twelve fifteen, twelve thirty thereabout, a tract was observed leaving Venezuela, heading our way.”

And today, Maduro is facing allegations involving narco‑terrorism and cocaine trafficking. The charges stem from a 2020 U.S indictment claiming Maduro is the head of drug trafficking group, Cartel de Los Soles. But Venezuelan authorities have repeatedly contended that the cartel does not exist.

Calvin Tucker

“Maduro is accused of running a drug cartel, the Cartel of the Suns and it has just been revealed by the New York Times in the last few days that in fact the U.S. Justice Department is no longer pursuing their case against Maduro that he is the leader of this Cartel.”

Beyond the criminal charges, the United Nations has recorded serious human rights abuses under Maduro’s rule, ranging from extrajudicial killings to alleged crimes against humanity and election fraud tied to the 2018 and 2024 elections. His government also has a long record of restricting foreign media. Still, on Monday, UN Under‑Secretary‑General Rosemary DiCarlo called for respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty.

                Rosemary DiCarlo

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations

“I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law has not been respected with regards to the third of January action.”

As the fallout from Maduro’s extradition continues and the U.S. expands its presence in the Caribbean, the stakes for Venezuela, and the wider region, are higher than ever. Oil wealth, sovereignty, and foreign intervention are tightly woven into a story that recalls both long‑standing doctrines and modern geopolitical ambitions. Whether this moment signals real change for Latin America or a return to familiar fault lines remains an open question. So, where does Belize stand on this issue?

                 Francis Fonseca

Francis Fonseca, Foreign Minister

“We are a small country, and we are fully committed to the fundamental principles that really underpin the global order, international law, multilateralism, a commitment to the UN charter.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

The post Venezuela, Oil, and Power: Is the Monroe Doctrine Back? first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

During her visit, the Duchess is set to meet with government officials and community leaders. Her itinerary includes tours of initiatives focused on eye health, the empowerment of indigenous women, and the preservation of Belize’s barrier reef.

The visit is being coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture and Immigration.

In a statement, the government expressed enthusiasm about hosting the royal visit, noting that it looks forward to welcoming the Duchess to Belize.

The post Royalty To Come To Belize first appeared on Greater Belize Media.