On Thursday night, a man who was riding a bicycle pulled up behind the long barracks on Old Fabers Road. Five persons were standing outside talking, three young women and two men. The bicycle rider pulled out a handgun, pointed it in their direction and began squeezing the trigger. But nothing happened. The gun jammed. Quickly, the gunman got on his bicycle and rode off into the night. But it was a different story the following night, Friday, around 7:00 pm.

Scotiabank is reportedly “reviewing” its credit arrangement with BEL, but BEL says it is committed to “keeping the lights on.”... The Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has confirmed that First Caribbean International Bank, one of its major creditors, has discontinued its credit, and Scotiabank is reportedly in the process of reviewing its credit arrangement with the electricity provider, according to BEL Corporate Communications Manager, Dawn Sampson.

Public discourse over the Belize-Guatemala dispute has intensified in recent weeks, with both Cabinets in Belize and Guatemala giving their resounding stamp of approval to have the matter settled in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but the general sentiment from Maya leaders in Toledo, one of the communities that would be most impacted, suggests a rejection of their position, because of concerns that Belize would be putting much at stake in going down such an uncertain road.

Belize’s Chief Negotiator for the Belize-Guatemala talks, Ambassador Alfredo Martinez, reported this morning (in an orientation session with the media) that Guatemala’s Cabinet yesterday evening gave its unanimous approval on the compromis or special agreement that the countries intend to put to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the settlement of the territorial dispute between the two countries.

In Belize this evening, apart from the floods and the catastrophe on the Northern Highway south of the Haulover Bridge, the headline news is really in the United States, and it’s all about looking forward to tomorrow. Someone who looks like a lot of us Belizeans, Barack Obama, the Senator from Illinois, is actually leading the polls as the favorite to win the presidency of the most powerful nation in the world. His opponent, John McCain, the Senator from Arizona who is one of America’s greatest war heroes, tries to pull perhaps the greatest upset in American presidential elections since the Democrats’ Harry Truman stunned Republican Thomas Dewey in 1948.

The recent flooding that has kept authorities busy for days now has also highlighted the fact that some sections of Belize’s infrastructure are in urgent need of upgrading. This was brought home last night in a most graphic manner when an important section of the Western Highway, near Mile 12, had to be temporarily closed to heavy vehicles—creating a flurry of activity as personnel and equipment had to be brought in for all-night emergency repairs to make the Western Highway trafficable for the morning rush hour.

Sugar industry at critical crossroads, after “worst” two years... With the devastation caused by the froghopper beetle in 2006/2007 and Hurricane Dean in 2007, the sugar industry has reportedly faced its worst two years in Belize’s history. Stakeholders in the industry are now challenged to find a way to turn things around, as a 36% price cut for Belize’s sugar is being implemented on the European market. The devastating floods caused by tropical depression #16 could not have come at a worse time, as the industry tries to pull itself out of the financial quagmire that has seen it forego BZ$27 million in revenues for the 2007 crop season alone. The Belize Sugar Industries is now in need of BZ$16 million more in financing to cover operations for the new crop year.

Dillon Bennett, 23, dead from gunshots; Akeem Gotoy, 19, critical... The relative calm of the city came to an end early last night, as gunshots rang out on Mahogany Street and the Boulevard sometime around 6:30. By the time the shooter or shooters left the scene, two young men lay critically wounded.

Belize is experiencing its second catastrophic and record-breaking flood event in just four months, and even though it was not as deadly as Tropical Storm Arthur, Tropical Depression #16 has affected three towns and several villages along the Mopan and Macal Rivers in Cayo, devastating agricultural fields, submerging several miles of highway, forcing mass evacuations, and severing the most populous part of Cayo from the rest of Belize.

Ministry of National Security defends “special treatment” given to Mexican soldiers: they were released pronto, and without charge! Four soldiers in the Mexican army, Wilbert Mena, 35; Eliazar Neal, 33; Juan Luis Cruz, 28; and Jose Luis Vidal, 26, were traveling on the Northern Highway in a white Mazda with Yucatan province registration. Upon reaching the checkpoint at the junction with the Burrell Boom-Hattieville Road at Mile 13 around 9:50 p.m. on Monday night, October 13, Ladyville police stopped them and a search was conducted, first on the vehicle, and then on the soldiers themselves.

Two sisters who are registered in the Collet electoral division stopped by Amandala newsroom this afternoon to complain that they have received termination letters from their jobs as school wardens. They claim that their termination came about because of their support for Mayor Zenaida Moya at Sunday’s UDP convention at the Belize City Center.

Yesterday, the Belize City Center was the staging ground for a historic municipal election convention, unlike any other convention that Belize City has seen in recent times, as a divided ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) marched out its supporters across the city to elect a mayoral candidate and ten city council candidates for the March 2009, Belize City Council elections. Thousands of Belize City residents descended on the City Center as the incumbent Mayor, Zenaida Moya, faced off with her deputy, Anthony Michael.

As we go to press today, Belize City is abuzz with red-shirted campaigners pounding the pavement and trekking house to house, trying to convince registered Belize City voters to come out to the Belize City Center on Sunday, October 5 – when the big question will be decided: will the popular incumbent mayor, Zenaida Moya – under a tsunami of charges of wild spending, nepotism and corruption, from opponents right in her own party – survive the storm to contest the 2009 municipals? Or will her challenger, Anthony Michael, become the UDP’s new mayoral candidate in the City?

Last Friday morning a precision jacking occurred on the Northside of Belize City. When shots were fired on Freetown Road, in the vicinity of Cellular Plus store, two security guards from J&B Security took cover inside the Toyota Camry in which they were travelling from the Alliance Bank on Princess Margaret Drive heading for the National Fishermen Cooperative Society. The cooperative is located at Angel Lane, just off North Front Street and west of City Hall.