Belize

Washington, DC -- February 10, 2009 -- The U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Belize, J.A. Diffily, signed a letter of agreement on February 9, 2009 with the Government of Belize implementing the Merida Initiative, a multi-year regional effort to combat organized crime, gangs, and the trafficking of narcotics and firearms.

Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo signed the letter on behalf of the Belizean government. Also present was Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of National Security, Lloyd Gillett. The signing of the letter provides an initial $1,008,000 in funding for the first year of the Merida Initiative.    » read more »

Oct. 2, 2007 -- The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has designated the celebrated Belizean musician and singer Andy Palacio a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

Born in 1960 in the coastal village of Barranco, in Belize, Andy Palacio started to gain popularity in Belize and abroad in the late 1980s. He has since become his country’s most popular musician and one of the most prominent defenders of the regional Garifuna culture and traditions.    » read more »

20 August 2007 -- Hurricane Dean is continuing its path west through the Caribbean, where it was expected to hit the Yucatan peninsula early Tuesday. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports the storm earlier passed near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where most communities escaped serious damage.    » read more »

20 August 2007 -- The governments of Mexico and Belize have issued hurricane warnings as Hurricane Dean churns across the Caribbean, bringing torrential rains and winds of more than 230 kilometers-per-hour.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a hurricane warning is still in effect for Jamaica, which took a hit Sunday from the extremely dangerous storm. The island nation set up emergency shelters, switched off electricity and told residents to take cover.

The hurricane is moving away from Jamaica overnight, and is expected to pass just south of the Cayman Islands Monday morning.    » read more »