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  • Give working class more money before uncapping former presidents benefits- Buxton-Foulis NDC Chairman

    Give working class more money before uncapping former presidents benefits- Buxton-Foulis NDC Chairman

    On a sunny Sunday along Guyana’s Buxton Public Road, a small but vocal group of demonstrators gathered to push back against a highly controversial proposed bill that would grant former heads of state uncapped lifetime benefits and full tax exemptions. The demonstration has brought long-simmering public frustration over unequal public resource allocation to the forefront of national political debate.

    Walston Martins, Chairman of the Buxton-Foulis Neighbourhood Council and one of the protest leaders, laid out a conditional compromise for the government: he will not oppose the bill only if lawmakers first approve sweeping, substantial increases to public benefits for ordinary Guyanese. Martins’ demands include a $400,000 Guyanese dollar (GYD) after-tax minimum salary for public servants, a GYD$120,000 cash grant for school-aged children, a GYD$100,000 monthly old-age pension, free land plots for all adult citizens, and high-quality upgrades to the nation’s deteriorating road and bridge infrastructure.

    “If you want this legislation to pass, I have no personal objection – but you must deliver every benefit I have outlined to the Guyanese people before you move forward with the bill,” Martins told reporters from Demerara Waves Online News. “Outside of that, we will never back this bill, because it is entirely unreasonable and unfair to everyday citizens.” Despite pushback from economic observers who warn such large increases could stoke inflation and exacerbate the country’s already high cost of living, Martins – who stressed he is not a professional economist – said he does not share those concerns.

    The 2026 Former Presidents Benefits Bill, if approved, will replace the 2015 legislation enacted by the previous APNU+AFC coalition government. The current 2015 law places strict caps on benefits for former presidents: it limits combined monthly utility allowances for water, electricity and telephone services to GYD$25,000 per service, restricts the number of assigned vehicles, security personnel and support staff, caps annual medical expense coverage, and bars former presidents from receiving these benefits if they engage in profitable private business or trade.

    The new proposal effectively reinstates the 2009 law passed during former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s administration, which was repealed when the 2015 legislation went into effect. Unlike the current law, the 2026 bill sets no upper limits on any benefits for former presidents, and removes the ban on benefits for former leaders engaged in gainful private employment. These uncapped benefits come on top of the already generous monthly pension of more than GYD$2 million that all former presidents currently receive. Four living former presidents – Jagdeo, Samuel Hinds, Donald Ramotar and David Granger – would immediately qualify for these expanded benefits if the bill passes.

    While Martins offered a conditional compromise, other opposition figures are calling for the bill to be scrapped entirely. Kidackie Amsterdam, an executive member of the Working People’s Alliance, estimates the uncapped benefits could drain between GYD$100 million and GYD$200 million from the national treasury every year – money he says would be far better directed to easing the cost-of-living crisis for current low-income pensioners, who receive just GYD$46,000 per month in old-age benefits.

    Amsterdam announced that Sunday’s protest is just the first step in a broader public mobilization campaign. He is set to organize a public panel discussion in the coming weeks to build widespread public opposition, with the goal of staging large-scale national protests to force the government to abandon the legislation. “Today’s small turnout doesn’t reflect the level of public anger – we’re just starting the conversation to raise awareness,” Amsterdam explained. “Someone has to get this movement off the ground, and that’s exactly what we’ve done today.”

    Amsterdam also raised alarms over potential personal benefits for incumbent President Irfaan Ali, arguing Ali could exploit the bill’s tax exemption provisions to avoid paying taxes on his private 150-acre farm located off the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. “This farm is projected to generate multi-million-dollar profits, but not a single cent in taxes would go to the Guyanese people, while billions in public funds are drained from our treasury to pay for former and sitting presidents’ benefits,” he said.

    Annette Ferguson, a senior member of the People’s National Congress Reform, echoed Amsterdam’s opposition, saying the government’s ability to pass the bill with its simple parliamentary majority ultimately depends on how aware ordinary Guyanese are of the legislation’s fiscal impact. “Once more Guyanese understand how much this will cost our country at the expense of working people and retirees, they will push back,” Ferguson said. “When that public pressure builds, I don’t see the government being able to move forward with this unfair proposal.” She added that revelations about the incumbent president’s private tax-exempt farm have already galvanized additional public anger against the legislation.

  • Shatta P Gunned Down While Working at His Ladyville Store

    Shatta P Gunned Down While Working at His Ladyville Store

    On a quiet Friday night in the Japan neighborhood of Ladyville, a brutal, calculated attack has left a tight-knit community reeling from the loss of one of its most familiar residents. Forty-four-year-old Shane Vargas, known to nearly everyone in the area by his nickname “Shatta P,” was gunned down inside his small retail store on Jackson Avenue while he went about his usual routine of tending to late-night customers.

    According to official police accounts and eyewitness testimony, the unidentified gunman approached Vargas at the store’s back entrance before opening fire, striking the victim multiple times. Left gravely wounded, Vargas called out for help immediately after the shooting, but his injuries ultimately proved fatal. The attacker fled the scene on foot before emergency responders could arrive, leaving behind a shaken neighborhood and a trail of critical evidence.

    One nearby resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the chaotic, terrifying moments immediately after the shooting unfolded. From inside her home, she recounted the rapid succession of gunshots that cut through the evening calm, followed by shouting and the roar of a vehicle engine. “All I remember was the altercation, I hear the bang, bang, bang, bang. A lot of noise, the truck, someone cursing, making a lot of noise, [I thought] maybe to alert someone to assist quick but I didn’t came out because I didn’t want to interfere. I thought it was someone fighting. I didn’t really know it was that tragic that happened to him. Was so shocking,” she shared in an interview with News Five.

    Crucially, investigators say the gunman accidentally dropped a nine-millimeter ammunition clip at the crime scene before escaping. That piece of evidence, paired with rapid investigative work, has already led to significant progress in the case: Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith confirmed this week that three male suspects have been taken into police custody for questioning, and an unlicensed nine-millimeter pistol has been seized as part of the ongoing inquiry.

    In the wake of the killing, Belizean law enforcement has ramped up uniformed patrols across the Ladyville neighborhood as a preventive measure. The stepped-up presence is designed to deter any potential retaliatory violence and reassure on-edge residents that authorities are working to restore public safety.

    For Vargas’ family, friends and neighbors, the pain of his sudden death remains raw. The once-bustling storefront that Vargas operated for years now sits shuttered and quiet, a grim visible reminder of the violence that has shaken the community. Neighbors remember Vargas as a kind, warm presence who was an integral part of daily life in the neighborhood. “I would like to say condolences to the family. They really lost a good one. He was such a sweet soul,” one neighbor said.

    As the investigation continues to unfold, the community gathers to mourn a beloved local figure, while police work to build a case against the detained suspects and bring those responsible for the shooting to justice.

  • Haitian leaders anticipate digital upheaval

    Haitian leaders anticipate digital upheaval

    Across the globe, rapid digital evolution is reshaping how governments operate, how professionals deliver public services, and how key policy decisions are made. In this shifting landscape, investing in the capacity of current leaders is synonymous with building resilient, future-ready institutions that can adapt to changing public needs. It is this guiding principle that led the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Haiti to facilitate the participation of two senior Haitian public sector leaders in a landmark regional training event focused on women’s leadership in the digital era.

    The two delegates are Magistrate Maguy Florestal, a sitting judge at Haiti’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, who also serves as Director of the National School of Magistrates (EMA), and Erna Royal, Divisional Commissioner of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and special advisor to the PNH Director General. Hosted in Panama by the global UNDP body, with financial and operational support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the event marked the first iteration of the Regional Academy for Women’s Leadership in the Digital Age.

    Held from June 30 to July 2, 2026, the academy gathered more than 40 women in senior leadership roles across public office, political institutions, and civil society organizations, representing 24 nations across Latin America and the Caribbean. Over three days, participants centered their discussions on the most pressing challenges currently redefining public governance: widespread digital transformation, the rising influence of artificial intelligence in public administration, driving innovation in public services, inclusive governance frameworks, and women’s equitable representation in leadership shaping digital policy.

    Far more than a conventional training workshop, the academy functioned as a collaborative think tank, where leaders could exchange on-the-ground experiences from their respective national contexts, build collective solutions to shared challenges, and formally establish a regional network of women leaders dedicated to reforming and modernizing public institutions across the region.

    For Haiti, the participation of Florestal and Royal carries particular significance, as the two leaders hold senior roles in two institutions that are foundational to advancing the rule of law and sustaining public safety across the country—two priorities that remain central to Haiti’s long-term stability and development. Investing in the capacity of these two leaders, UNDP officials note, is equivalent to strengthening the ability of the institutions they lead to anticipate coming digital shifts, integrate innovative, data-driven approaches to governance, and meet the evolving expectations of Haitian citizens.

    Florestal already partners with UNDP Haiti through the Canada-funded Justice Support and Anti-Impunity Program (PAJSLI), while Royal serves as the official PNH liaison to UNDP, which manages the ongoing PNH Institutional Support Program. The regional academy extends the long-standing targeted support UNDP has provided to Haitian public institutions, helping them evolve into more effective, inclusive bodies better prepared to navigate the digital and structural transformations reshaping the Caribbean region.

  • Police Investigate Death of Man Detained After Domestic Dispute

    Police Investigate Death of Man Detained After Domestic Dispute

    A routine domestic disturbance call in Belmopan has turned into a tragic death investigation, after 20-year-old Kevaughn Gabriel died while in police custody over the weekend of July 4-5, 2026.

    The incident traces back to repeated reports from Gabriel’s pregnant ex-girlfriend, who alleged that Gabriel forced entry into her Fidel Castro Street residence on two separate occasions. During the second intrusion, Gabriel destroyed multiple personal items and issued deadly threats against her, leaving the woman severely distressed. When police arrived to respond to her emergency call, they planned to transport her to receive medical care before taking her official statement, with two minor children also accompanying her in the police vehicle.

    As officers spotted Gabriel nearby and exited the vehicle to take him into official custody, an unexpected accident unfolded: the unstationed police vehicle began rolling backward. The moving vehicle struck all three responding officers as well as Gabriel. While the officers only sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Gabriel’s wounds proved fatal, and he died shortly after the incident. Bystanders joined responding officers to provide immediate aid to all those hurt in the chaotic accident, police confirmed.

    Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, the department’s Staff Officer, outlined the ongoing probes in an official briefing. “Concurrent criminal and internal investigations are being conducted in relation to the death of Mr. Gabriel,” Smith stated. Multiple key questions remain unanswered as investigators work to piece together the full sequence of events. When asked whether Gabriel was restrained with handcuffs at the time of the accident, Smith acknowledged that detail was not immediately available in initial reports and that further inquiries would be made to confirm this fact.

    Rumors have circulated online suggesting that the responding officers had a pre-existing relationship with the female complainant, a claim Smith flatly denied. “I know that is a narrative that I have seen and I asked and I was clearly told – I was told plainly no. The officers were simply responding to a report that was given,” Smith said. The victim’s death has prompted the Belmopan Police Service to launch parallel probes: one to examine the criminal circumstances of the original domestic disturbance, and an internal review to determine what led to the fatal accident and whether any policy or procedural failures contributed to the tragedy.

    This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast covering the developing incident.

  • Security : The FRG presents its objectives to the Security Council

    Security : The FRG presents its objectives to the Security Council

    On June 29, 2026, Jack Christofides, Special Representative for the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) deployed to Haiti, formally presented the mission’s first strategic report to United Nations Security Council President Leonor Zalabata Torres. The document outlines a comprehensive, time-bound operational roadmap with clear performance benchmarks and a hard deadline of September 30, 2028, for delivering core mission outcomes.

    Unlike traditional UN peacekeeping deployments, Christofides emphasized, the GSF operates with three distinct, tiered core objectives. First, the force will launch intelligence-driven operations – carried out either independently or in close collaboration with Haiti’s National Police (PNH) and national Armed Forces (FAd’H) – to steadily reduce and ultimately dismantle the territorial control that armed gangs have exerted across large swathes of the country.

    Second, the GSF will prioritize securing Haiti’s most critical national infrastructure, including Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, key maritime shipping terminals, official detention facilities, and the country’s busiest national highway networks. Third, the mission is focused on long-term capacity building for Haitian state institutions, equipping local security and governance bodies to independently manage and contain gang violence once the GSF’s initial mandate concludes.

    To achieve these goals, Christofides noted, the GSF must reach its full authorized operational strength of 5,550 uniformed personnel. Once at full capacity, the force will conduct coordinated high-intensity counter-gang operations alongside Haitian security forces to maximize impact on the ground.

    The roadmap identifies three priority geographic regions for initial large-scale operations. The West Department, home to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince where gangs currently control roughly 90 percent of urban territory, holds top priority. Operations in this region will focus on clearing key arterial roads, the capital’s public port, and the international airport to restore the free movement of people and goods.

    Next, the Artibonite Department – Haiti’s agricultural heartland and primary breadbasket, where armed groups have unleashed widespread terror that has crippled local food production – will be targeted. Securing this region is widely viewed as a critical step to ease the country’s ongoing humanitarian food crisis and reboot local economic activity.

    Finally, the Central Department, a strategic geographic buffer zone, will be secured to block escape routes for gangs fleeing counteroffensives in Port-au-Prince and prevent criminal groups from expanding their control into other regions of Haiti. As the GSF increases its troop numbers over the course of the mandate, operations will eventually expand to cover all 10 of Haiti’s administrative departments.

    Christofides was careful to clarify that the September 2028 deadline does not mark the end goal of full national stabilization for Haiti. Instead, the target sets out to achieve the minimum baseline security conditions required to reverse the country’s current trajectory of escalating gang violence, rebuild public trust in state institutions, and create space for Haitian national authorities – backed by sustained international support – to launch a long-term process of institutional reconstruction and governance reform.

  • Gunfire Report Leads Police to Two Pistols and Three Officers Detained

    Gunfire Report Leads Police to Two Pistols and Three Officers Detained

    In a developing law enforcement scandal that has sent shockwaves through local policing circles, five people — including three serving police officers — are currently in custody following a Sunday night response to reports of gunfire in the Raccoon Street Extension area.

    The incident unfolded just after 9:10 p.m. on July 5, 2026, when uniformed officers were dispatched to the neighborhood following multiple 911 calls reporting shots ring out in the area. Acting on intelligence shared by the department’s Crime Fusion Center, responding units intercepted a vehicle of interest connected to the reported gunfire, law enforcement officials confirmed Monday.

    A systematic search of the stopped vehicle turned up two unreported 9-millimeter pistols, alongside four spent bullet casings recovered from the scene. According to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, the senior officer leading the ongoing probe, two of the five detainees hold valid firearm licenses for the recovered weapons, but all five people in the vehicle have refused to cooperate with investigators, offering no official statements or explanation for the reported gunfire.

    Thus far, no civilians have come forward to report being shot, injured, or targeted in the incident, leading investigators to formally classify the case as unlawful public firearm discharge while forensic teams conduct critical testing. The spent casings recovered at the scene will be sent for ballistic comparative analysis to confirm whether the two seized pistols were the weapons fired that night, Smith explained in a press briefing Monday.

    “The investigation remains very active and ongoing,” Smith told reporters, adding that authorities have not yet been able to confirm context or motive for the incident, including unconfirmed local rumors that the gunfire erupted during an informal carnival practice. All five detainees remain in police custody as the probe progresses, with updates expected once forensic results are returned.

  • Teen Behind Bars After Gill Street Gun Bust

    Teen Behind Bars After Gill Street Gun Bust

    Amid an ongoing, charge-less investigation into a shooting incident that injured three police officers on Raccoon Street, law enforcement in Belize has secured a custody in a separate firearms seizure that underscores the region’s persistent struggles with illegal gun possession.

    On Friday, July 3, at approximately 9:30 a.m., officers assigned to the Belize Police Department’s Violence Prevention and Enforcement Team were conducting routine preventative patrols along Gill Street in Belize City when their attention was drawn to 18-year-old local resident Malachi Vernon. Vernon’s suspicious behavior prompted officers to intercept him and conduct a personal search, according to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, the department’s Staff Officer.

    The search yielded a significant illegal cache: a black 9-millimeter handgun, along with a loaded ammunition magazine holding 10 live 9-millimeter rounds. Police have since formally arrested and charged Vernon with two distinct offenses: unlawful possession of an unlicensed firearm, and unlawful possession of unlicensed ammunition. He has already been remanded into custody following the arrest, as confirmed by official police statements.

    This bust comes as authorities remain at a standstill in the separate Raccoon Street investigation, where three officers were caught in gunfire but no charges have yet been filed. The swift resolution of the Gill Street seizure highlights the proactive work of the violence prevention unit to get illegal weapons off Belize City streets ahead of potential violent incidents.

    This report is adapted from a transcript of a televised evening newscast originally published online.

  • Bella Vista Drug Bust Follows Police Crackdown on Violence

    Bella Vista Drug Bust Follows Police Crackdown on Violence

    On July 2, 2026, a coordinated operation by specialized law enforcement units in Bella Vista resulted in the arrest of 40-year-old Roman Gamboa, who now faces multiple drug trafficking charges connected to a growing wave of violence linked to the local illegal drug trade. This seizure is the latest milestone in a sustained, expanded police crackdown launched after a series of violent incidents tied to narcotics sales shook the Bella Vista community starting last year.

    Speaking on the details of the operation, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the department, outlined how the arrest unfolded. Officers patrolling a vacant open lot long known as a hub for drug dealers spotted Gamboa digging in the soil. As law enforcement approached, Gamboa attempted to leave the area and was seen discarding a plastic package. Recovering the package revealed 15 small aluminum foils each holding suspected crack cocaine. Searching the original digging site roughly 10 feet away uncovered an additional 15 foils of the suspected narcotics.

    In total, authorities seized 2.92 grams and 3.44 grams of crack cocaine split between the two caches. Gamboa has been charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply, Smith confirmed.

    The Bella Vista region became a priority focus for police last year, after multiple violent outbreaks were traced back to conflicts over illegal drug sales. In response, department leaders implemented both strategic and administrative adjustments to step up enforcement and reduce community harm. While high-profile arrests are the most visible outcome of these ongoing operations, Smith noted that additional large-scale seizures of illicit assets—including undeclared farm-connected property linked to drug operations—were also made the same day as Gamboa’s arrest, details that are not often released to the public.

    Smith emphasized that drug trafficking and open drug sales create deep social rift across every level of the Bella Vista community, and that targeted enforcement operations in the area will continue until the threat of drug-fueled violence is significantly reduced.

  • Roaring Creek Resident Busted with Drugs on Caye Caulker

    Roaring Creek Resident Busted with Drugs on Caye Caulker

    A targeted early-morning law enforcement operation on the popular island community of Caye Caulker has resulted in the arrest of a 45-year-old man from central Belize’s Roaring Creek Village, who now faces three separate drug trafficking charges after authorities seized multiple controlled substances from his property.

    The operation launched just after 6 a.m. on Friday, July 3, when local police executed a judicially authorized search warrant at Lopez’s Caye Caulker residence, according to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, Staff Officer with the department. During the systematic search of the property, officers uncovered a total cache of illicit drugs that included 87.8 grams of cannabis, 2.98 grams of powder cocaine, and 1.95 grams of crack cocaine, Smith confirmed in an official statement detailing the raid.

    Following the seizure, Caye Caulker Police formally placed Joseph Lopez under arrest and filed three counts of drug trafficking against him. Investigations are ongoing as law enforcement officials work to build out their full case against the defendant, who remains in legal custody as the judicial process moves forward. This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television newscast focused on local crime developments in Belize.

  • Who Profited During the BDF Ration Crisis?

    Who Profited During the BDF Ration Crisis?

    The 2023-2024 Belize Defense Force (BDF) ration shortage controversy, a story once thought to be resolved, has reignited in 2026 after a cache of leaked procurement documents obtained by local outlet News Five revealed troubling ties between senior government officials’ inner circles and lucrative military supply contracts.

    Back in late 2023, widespread reports emerged that BDF soldiers were receiving insufficient food rations, sparking public outrage and allegations of mismanagement and graft within the Ministry of National Defense. At the time, top government leaders pushed back hard against the claims, framing any reported cuts as intentional shifts to a more nutritionally balanced menu. “What they have done now is that they have come up with a more wholesome food, a healthier food for the BDF. So, it’s not a matter of volume. But it is a matter of eating healthily,” Prime Minister John Briceño told reporters in December 2023.

    When public questioning persisted into January 2024, then Minister of State Oscar Mira dismissed all accounts of reduced rations as deliberate misinformation. “I think that is just mischief. The rations have not been cut from the Belize Defense Force soldiers. In fact if we check the records, the Belize Defense Force is getting more and better quality that what they were receiving in the last thirteen years,” Mira asserted, implying he had fully reviewed procurement records to confirm sufficient supplies were reaching military bases.

    The newly leaked invoices tell a different story. The documents show that between late 2023 and early 2024, Jenny Mira – Oscar Mira’s own sister – was awarded BDF supply contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars. This connection was never disclosed to the public while officials were defending the ministry’s management of the ration program.

    Former Minister of Defense Florencio Marin Jr. also dismissed public concerns in December 2023, telling reporters “It is nothing out of the ordinary, no? We’re not trying to starve the soldiers. I think even you guys know that under the leadership of Minister Mira and I, we’re not here to play games with our soldiers. We have been there. I know that every year what the military has requested, we have provided.” What Marin did not mention at the time was that one of the approved suppliers, Kukulcan, is alleged to hold direct ties to Marin himself. A second firm, J&J Imports, is linked to the family of Ramon “Monchi” Cervantes, a ruling People’s United Party (PUP) Area Representative.

    Just one day after News Five questioned Oscar Mira about the allegations, reporters pressed Cabinet Minister Henry Charles Usher on claims of insider profiteering in the ration procurement process. Usher responded that while Cabinet had discussed ensuring the BDF received sufficient resources, including food, no formal corruption allegations had been brought forward to the body. “I don’t know about the aspect of hustling happening, but I certainly, you asked me whether this has come up at Cabinet. It has, in terms of making sure that the BDF is properly resourced, meaning all the resources that they need to carry out their work, including, of course food and rationing. But I can’t say that there have been any allegations of corruption coming forward on this issue. But we continue to monitor it,” Usher said at the time.

    Procuring rations for Belize’s national military is a multi-million dollar annual industry: each soldier is allocated $13 per day for meals, adding up to substantial public spending each year. The newly surfaced documents have reopened long-simmering questions about whether senior officials tasked with overseeing the BDF’s supply chain exploited their positions to direct lucrative contracts to relatives and close associates, even as soldiers faced reported food shortages. As public scrutiny of the Ministry of Defense intensifies, investigators and the public are now demanding full transparency into the full scope of these connections and how public funds were allocated during the crisis. Reporting from News Five’s Paul Lopez.