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
Tonight, the hero of the hijacking, Howard Grange is at home recovering. 7News was there today as he got released from the hospital - and there for his very first stop - at the Divine Mercy Church to give thanks.
7news was the only one there-and Jules Vasquez reports:
When Howell Grange came out of the hospital this morning it was to applause from the Doctors and nurses that tended to him for 6 days.
When he arrived there last Thursday morning - they weren't sure he would make it - he had been stabbed 10 times, flown by helicopter to Healthcare Partners and had lost a lot of blood - while also aspirating and ingesting blood from the stab wound to his cheek and tongue.
Doctors performed emergency surgery and he was intubated and placed in an induced coma to stabilize his condition. From there, the 40 year old made slow, incremental. Improvements. He had a lot to recover from, his ear had nearly been sliced off, and the hijacker tried to stab him in the eye.
He also sliced him across the hand - and right through his cheek, which Grange says was an attempt to cut his throat.
The severity of his wounds are apparent - Taylor was trying to kill him - in a rage after realizing that had landed right back in Belize, not in the US.
But, Grange fought back and he somehow survived the attack. And today - he came out of the hospital - smiling but also emotional.
His first stop was the Church of Divine Mercy to give thanks for surviving an ordeal which he said only his faith could have accounted for. He limped into the church - his walking is still impaired by two stab wounds to the back., He was accompanied by his wife and daughter.
As he sat in the pew and reflected, Grange - who has been a rock throughout - perhaps allowed himself an emotional moment.
Because of the injury to his tongue, he could not take Holy Communion as his wife did.
But he did take ample blessings which he seemed grateful for after a near death experience.
And after a 15 minute mini service, Grange just wanted to say thanks:
Jules Vasquez "Why was it so important to you to go straight to church?"
Howell Grange, Survived Hijacking "To show the Belizean public that I fear God, I am God man, and thank him to give me the opportunity to be here again."
"I'd like to thank the Belizean public home and abroad, my friends abroad, for all the communication, all the texts, the calls, overwhelm. I had to come because through only him I could have done it."
Jules Vasquez "You felt?"
Howell Grange, Survived Hijacking "It was really hard, trust me, really, really hard. It wasn't an easy feeling. I'm a devoted to St. Jude, so I pray to him every day and to the good Lord so they have me here. That's why I had to come to church."
Jules Vasquez "You survived the impossible? I think so. There's a God. There is, trust me."
And there is also a pilot who made sure to save the lives of all his passengers:
Howell Grange, Survived Hijacking "I just did what I do. I had to do my job and get everybody home."
Jules Vasquez "Even if - it wasn't sure that even you would make it, how did....?"
Howell Grange, Survived Hijacking "I took a 50-50 chance and then later I'll give an interview when I really feel good about it. And then just give me a little time and I want to explain the whole to the public where it really happened inside the cockpit."
That story is for another day - but today Grange was all about grace and gratitude - this devotee to St Jude -the patron saint of hopeless causes, desperate situations, and the impossible - summoned his saint to get through a situation that was all three of those.
He says he always flew with a rosary and now carries it in his breast pocket - as he uses it now to carry him through a long recovery, of both physical and mental injury endured on that traumatic flight.
We're joined now on set by Jules Vasquez to discuss what Howell Grange didn't quite feel comfortable to say yet. Jules, we understand that when you spoke off camera, he gave you the full background on what really happened last Thursday in the sky.
We know the word "hero" gets thrown around a lot - but Howell Grange's picture should be inscribed in the dictionary beside the word - he is the personification of the word here, and here's why:
But we do have one personal account of what happened on that plane tonight. It's a telephone interview with Kim Maxwell - she's and her husband Don Maxwell have been living in San Pedro for 18 years and were flying back home after a trip to Mexico. She told Jules that she didn't think they would survive, here is her story:
Voice of: Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "I'm mostly grateful to be alive. It certainly has been an eye opener. And has made me think twice about being more grateful for life and grateful for God and faith. Sometimes we need a little bit of a jolt. That was a bit too much, but, it's working."
Jules Vasquez "Now, you all were flying home from Ranchito to your home in San Pedro. When did you realize that things had gone terribly wrong?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Immediately after I saw a man being stabbed. I thought it was some sort of disagreement or even a hit, perhaps. But I quickly thought, why would they do that on a plane? So I ran to the back and realized it was a hijacking. And, then just, sort of at that moment resolved to the fact that this is probably it for me. But the terror of seeing Casteneda coming toward me, to the back of the plane, I couldn't tell if he was stable or if he was going to live, but he sat down next to me and seemed to be calm or in shock."
"But then I realized, he definitely needed help because he was bleeding profusely. So I, just tried to compress, his chest where he'd been stabbed."
"He was so calm. He even once he sat down and we were able to help some of his bleeding, he said, I want you to know. And you know, over the loudness of the plane. He said, this is the best pilot we have. He will do what is right. He will keep us safe. Just keep that in mind and just calm down and it'll be okay."
Jules Vasquez "He was. He was very deliberate. Did he order you all to the back of the plane?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "He did. Yes, he did, because I think he felt threatened by the men behind him being too close."
Jules Vasquez "And how was his, how was his tone?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "He was gruff, emotional and angry and yelling. And I don't know if anyone told you, but, at one point, I guess mid-flight in the middle part of all of this, he demanded that a female go up front and get and sit close to him. So he definitely had a plan and intentions, I believe, to take someone hostage."
"At that point, my husband sat on me and would not let me move. And he said she is not going. She's not going up there."
"But thankfully, a young lady who was the friend of, D.J. Smalls, she volunteered and went up there and I said, thank you. You're so brave."
Jules Vasquez "The pilot says as soon as the wheels, when they were getting close to landing is when he and he and Taylor really started to argue."
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Oh, yes. it was intense."
Jules Vasquez "As the wheels touched on. He killed the engine so that the guy couldn't cause any more harm."
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Oh, brilliant."
Jules Vasquez "What do you remember about those moments?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "I couldn't tell that that's what he did. I, however, did feel the plane kind of, pulled back. But you could feel the the way it stopped kind of suddenly, even though though we were still wheeling down the runway, I was, well, I didn't tell you this, but Castaneda told me to read the instructions on how to open the emergency door. So we were all prepared to do that if we ever got close enough to the ground. I think my husband actually opened the door, and, you could kind of feel, I guess, the engine die."
"But yeah, that was that was brilliant because the the hijacker was definitely trying to his best to do whatever he could to get control of the airplane because he, I was afraid he might want to take off again. And that's why we were wanting to jump out as quickly as we could see the ground close enough."
Jules Vasquez "Even jump out of a moving plane."
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Oh, yes. Oh we did. The plane was still moving as we were jumping out. Of course, we didn't know that the, the engines were dead."
Jules Vasquez "When the plane landed is when they started to struggle."
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Probably before the plane landed."
Jules Vasquez "Really? So. So you sawTaylor attack the pilot?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "I think I saw him get in three good stabs before I jumped off the plane. Yes. I'm like, oh my gosh, that poor pilot. I mean, he is just focusing with all he has to make sure we're safe. And I just couldn't believe that he was able to control himself and just stay so focused while being stabbed like that."
Jules Vasquez "And then did you hear the gunshot after that?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Absolutely. I heard five gunshots."
Jules Vasquez "So now, at what point did you recognize that you are safe and out of harm's way?"
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "I guess on the tarmac, as I saw the big yellow engines rolling our direction. And I just assumed and hoped, after turning around and seeing other people getting off the plane after me, that most people were okay, and then I realized, okay, I'm okay then."
And while that is how the ordeal ended, before it even started, before they boarded the flight, she said she noticed that Akinyela Taylor did not appear to be in a settled state:
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "There at the terminal in Corozal. I walked past him, going to the ladies room, and, I noticed him sitting there. His knees or his legs were kind of going up and down, like he was kind of nervous, and, so I went to the ladies room, came back out and looked back, and he was not sitting in the same place. He had actually gotten up from his seat."
"And he was sitting out there, his knee was still shaking, his, look like he might have been on a phone or something. And he just he looked weird, just kind of, like a nervous person."
Jules Vasquez "His nervous energy caught your attention."
Kim Maxwell, Survived Hijacking "Absolutely. Oh, yes. Absolutely. He certainly did. Yeah. I couldn't take my eyes off of him."
Of course, by the time he was waiting for that Tropic flight Taylor had already been barred from flying out on a United Airlines flight - and had also been refused entry to Mexico, so he was a desperate man.
For the past two years, you've heard all about the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the 125 million US dollar grant earmarked for investment in the energy and education sectors. The compact was signed back in March 2023, and finalized in September 2024. The Briceno Administration boasted about the grant at every turn - all the way to the UN - saying it was a mark of good governance. But before the projects could get off the ground, the US government's Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, has shut down the MCC.
The MCC was established back in 2004 and has partnered with over four dozen developing countries, developing a reputation of being the world's most transparent bilateral agency. It currently has 5.4 billion US dollars in active grants across 20 lower income countries.
But that foreign policy largesse is no longer a priority for the US. The more than 320 employees of MCC will reportedly be offered both a voluntary early retirement and a deferred resignation program. As for the grants, the agency's board will draft a resolution to terminate them across the world within the next several months. It is expected that within 90 days all MCC operations will be terminated. Belize reportedly got its notice already.
So what does that mean for Belize? Well, those projects in the energy and education sectors - which were just about to start the planning phase - are now effectively still births.
And in other news, we told you that, following an emergency meeting that the prime minister held with owners ASR in the US prior to the elections, he switched the responsibility of the sugar cane industry from Jose Mai to Dr Oscar Martinez.
It's a move that rubbed Mai - and even the cane farmers that he spoke up for - the wrong way. And today, the Minister of Agriculture came out swinging at ASR. He said he was unaware of the meeting until after the fact, but he simply can't understand what emergency they could be referring to when they've been given plenty of concessions - some he even believes constitute double dipping.
He spoke to our colleagues at CTV3 today.
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture "I don't know what the concerns are, that was discussed with the prime minister in the states. Just like you, I knew of that visit after the fact. About the responsibility of the sugar industry being removed from Ministry of Agriculture portfolio, which substantive minister, how do I see that one? For ASR, I believe they view it as a victory for them. For the farmers, they view it as treason probably. Jules calls it a humiliation and a demotion. I see it as a way for another person to do something different. Is it going to work? I don't know. I think this is the worst time in the history that we are facing with fusarium disease among other things including climate change. About emergency, I don't know what emergency it could be. They have a lot of benefits in this country, ASR has a lot of benefits and I can list them one by one. First, they benefitted tremendously from concessions in this country. I think it was 30 years concessions or a little bit less which included environmental tax which nobody else has in this country. They have benefitted for many years from the fuel subsidy, which in my view, I consider that double dipping because you got your concession then you get a fuel subsidy. In my view, fuel subsidy is for the small farmers who do not benefit from all the duty exemptions and for them to try and get the cost low and maximize on the little that's left. They have benefitted from I would say a monopoly on the US sugar market because only them in Belize can sell on that market. Santander has tried tapping into that market and they're not successful. They have benefitted also from the monopoly on the local market, which is the second best paying market. They have not, again Santander has tried getting into the market, unsuccessfully. They have benefitted from the farmers paying 65% of some of their costs. We all know that's a big problem and so what emergency could that be if you are unable to survive economically with all of those benefits as a multinational company."
And Mai also said that the results of the Commission of Inquiry need to be made public so that changes can be made. He explained that the survival of the industry depends on it.
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture "I think what should be very important is for the commissioner of inquiry to be, the results of that, the commission of inquiry needs to be aerated, needs to be discussed to see what is in there that could help the industry come back. I don't want to see the sugar industry crumble under the PUP government, that is not what we expect it to be, we want the industry to survive. Clearly there has to be changes, there has to be some serious changes to the industry and if those changes are not done, we won't survive and this has to come from the farm up to manufacturing, that is why we commission, the prime minister commissioned and inquiry to see where the weaknesses are and see what we can do to fix it including the legislation. That is the first thing we need to look at. The commissioner of inquiry recommends I think legislation. Legislation that will not, it has to be fair, it cannot be legislation that violates the rights of either parties. So again there's work to be done. We standby if we are called upon to assist. I am still the area rep for close to 800 cane farmers. As a matter of fact, Orange Walk South is the biggest sugar cane farm producing in Orange Walk."
Yesterday we told you about the false killer whales that were observed in the Drowned Cayes area. They were originally thought to be pilot whales - a species that has frequently found itself stranded in Belize's reef. They bear a resemblance to the false killer whales, which are actually a species of dolphins. Except, unlike the bottlenose dolphins we're used to seeing, these animals belong in the deep and can get disoriented when they are in shallow waters.
And after the sighting, the Clearwater Marine Research Institute headed out to see if the animals were still inside the reef - which would mean they were in danger. Courtney Menzies went out with them and has this story.
Alarm bells were sounded after 30 false killer whales were spotted in the Drowned Caye area - waters that are too shallow for these creatures. The sighting spurred the Clearwater Marine Research Institute into action and together with the Fisheries Department and WCS, they headed out to find these mammals.
According to the program director, Jamal Galves, it's uncommon to find false killer whales inside Belize's reef.
Jamal Galves, Program Director, Clearwater Marine Research Institute "It's a mysterious animal, it's not an animal you usually see especially in coastal waters, it's known to occupy pelagic, deeper waters, 1,000 meters in depths, so for it to be here it's very unlikely, it's not the habit for it, it's not where it feeds, it's not where it's used to being. It's a cause for alarm and hence the reason why we put out a release to alert boaters, mariners and people to be aware of it so that they don't cause further problem to this pod."
"Like pilot whales, false killer whales are known to strand, not the first time it's happened in Belize. We've had incidents last year, we had I think an incident in 2018 where we had about 70 false killer whales that were in this area. It doesn't change the message, the message is the same. Those two species are known to occupy deeper waters, not coastal shallow waters that we have in here."
And fear crept after several dorsal fins were spotted in a shallow area. However, on closer inspection, we found that the fins belonged to six bottlenose dolphins who were feeding and mating.
Had the false killer whales been caught in that area, it would have been disastrous.
Jamal Galves, Program Director, Clearwater Marine Research Institute "If these animals should end up beaching, that present a significant problem for us to deal with the carcasses. If the animals are beached and alive, normal interventions would try to float them back into sea, if they're alive. Other than that, if it dies we'll probably do a necropsy, a human autopsy on these animals to determine cause of death. In certain cases, these animals are euthanized to avoid suffering, depending on what conditions they are in. But oftentimes it's not the entire pod that is compromised, it's usually sometimes only one or two animals that is compromised but due to the tight knit of the pod, they tend to stay together. So one animal is compromised, disoriented, ends up in shallow waters, and it drags the entire pod into spaces like this."
But fortunately, the animals weren't spotted and according to Galves, this is a good sign.
Jamal Galves, Program Director, Clearwater Marine Research Institute "By all indications, they were heading south. South would lead them to the English Caye Channel, which I presume is where they got into here. We're hoping once they get into that channel, they figure themselves out. They're very sharp navigators in deeper waters, shallow waters also makes them disoriented, they're unable to communicate, they're unable to traverse and to travel as they normally do in deeper waters."
Courtney Menzies: "Are you relieved that we didn't find them today?"
Jamal Galves, Program Director, Clearwater Marine Research Institute "Certainly, we came out looking for them, if there's a need for them to intervene, most certainly we'll do so and we'll be happy to intervene but very much relieved that they weren't seen and my hope is that they've actually made their way out and they're on their journey."
Still, they will keep monitoring the area and they're also asking the public to keep a lookout as well. Galves gave some advice on what to look out for.
Jamal Galves, Program Director, Clearwater Marine Research Institute "Like dolphins, but they're dark. They're black in color, much larger than dolphins and they're very close knitted so they're usually in larger groups than you'd see dolphins in except when dolphins are mating or feeding, you'll see them in much larger groups. In these shallow waters you'll see them typically on the surface resting because they're disoriented. Also one of the concerns is that these animals feed on squid and pelagic fishes. We don't have that inside this reef so should they stay in here much longer and then hunger starts to become a problem for them as well."
But Galves said that once they've made it to the channel, it's likely that they've found their way out of Belize's shallow waters.
If you spot these animals out at sea, you can report it to the number 615-3838.
If you've never seen him perform some of his best lyrics live, well now you can access some of them in a book. Today the Imagination Factri Launched "If Unu Tink Da Lai" a poetry publication written by the multi-talented Kenny Morgan. It features 19 of his poems inspired by a range of topics and issues in his everyday life. Jomarie Lanza was there and here's how it went.
"He is one third of the seminal Belize City rap trip, Fresh Breeze Crew. Founded in 1988." And then went onto a solo career as a rapper with peerless lyrical prowess in both freestyle and studio settings. Kenny Morgan is truly a wordsmith of his time, but now he has managed to compile some of his best work into a poetry publication, one which he says has been a dream of his since he was a child.
Kenny Morgan, Belizean Artist & Poet "Well it's a very very heart warming experience. I was totally overwhelmed by the turnout, the reaction and the response of the people who came over, I mean I was expecting it to flow smoothly but I did not know it would be that much of an expression of appreciation from the people who came for which I am extremely grateful."
"Most of my inspiration comes from situations that I observe in everyday life, persons I interact with and mostly I try to pick on themes that I believe will echo with the larger population, I strongly believe that utilising the art form should always be with a view to creating positive change or motivating someone to want to do something about something. So if one line from one of the poems can reach out and accomplish that I feel justified."
"This is something that from way back as a boy I imagined one day being able to do this to get my own works together and published and Yasser and I connected at the right time. So here we have "If Uno Tink Da Lie" which we are saying is volume one because for sure we are looking to do volume 2, which will be called tentatively from the Belizean proverb "Peep Si." If you notice the link up "If uni tink da lie " and "Peep Si" it's an old Belizean proverb that says that you must always not take things that just face value if you want to check it get down inside and find out for yourself which is what the book is all about: read it and find out what's happening in there."
And there is a lot happening on the pages of this book which has no one set theme or style of poetry. His works are created with the sole purpose of having an enduring impact on readers, encouraging them to take a step back and reflect on their societal surroundings and what we may all have in common.
Kenny Morgan, Belizean Artist & Poet "What I'm trying to do here is create something that now and in the future people will be able to pick up, read, get deep into it, find it and use it as motivation or inspiration for them to want to change something. Our society as we know it what we are living in right now is definitely in need of a lot of changes in the way that we interact with each other the way that we impart knowledge to the younger citizens the way that we appreciate our senior citizens so if anything within this book can inspire one person to want to make a positive change that is it for me and that is the reason why I say credibility is very important. If you don't have that credibility then your words and your work won't be taken seriously, so you must always stand behind what you say and make sure that you stand for something."
Given the outpour of support today for Morgan's first publication, chances are it won't be his last. Yasser Musa from the "Imagination FactRI" told us more about what it was like putting this project together all while developing a deep love and understanding of Morgan's thought process and ability to produce unique poetry.
Yasser Musa, Publisher, Imagination Factri "Listening to Kenny Morgan earlier talk about how his mother raised him with a strict diet of reading I think that says a lot about how parenting is infused in a person, in a human being. That love, that imaginary power that you can use throughout your life, Kenny Morgan is in my mind an enigmatic artist he is an artist that has a spectrum, one of the presenters Gina Scott called him a multi-man and I think that is a very powerful phrased term for him because not only is he an incredible poet but he is also an amazing lyricist, a musician, a person who speaks not just for his generation but the current generation if they would pay attention they would recognise the universality of his messages and I think that his book is going to transcend because from an imagination factor stand point it would be great that more original works of Belizean literature be published and refill this space that we are in, this space where he probably came to borrow books was also a space that had one kind of language English but he grew up with 2 languages creole and English and in this book he navigates those languages with seamless efffort, seamless effectiveness and that is what I admire incredibly about his work that it is when you, and today I got another dose and the audience got an incredible dose of the magic, of how poetry can lift itself from the word on the page into the space of sound, the way he delivered, really captures the imagination of the crowd."
The book retails for $20 and can be purchased from the Imagination Factri
Yesterday we told you about the fire at the Waste Transfer Station on the Benque Viejo Road and tonight there are statements from the Fire Department, the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority and the UDP.
Solid Waste says the fire is believed to have originated outside the property, with strong winds carrying embers onto the compound and igniting waste in multiple areas.
They say that the firefight has been a coordinated and concerted effort going on non stop with multiple agencies and bodies teaming up.
The fire Department says that their work started on Monday and continued throughout the night and into Tuesday. Pockets of fire remain, and firefighters continue to diligently address the situation. The National Fire Service continues to advise about fires during the dry season and urges the public to refrain from lighting fires, especially early in the dry season.
And, the UDP came in this evening calling it a toxic fire and saying, quote, "This dangerous incident, likely caused by spontaneous combustion from years of unmanaged waste, has become a glaring symbol of this administration's failure to protect public health and the environment."
They add that "Brave firefighters, civil servants, and community volunteers faced hazardous conditions to contain the blaze. Many were exposed to toxic fumes-burning plastics, chemicals, and mixed garbage-without adequate protective gear."
They conclude, quote, "This is not an act of God-it is the direct result of poor governance and misplaced priorities. Belizeans are now left to breathe the consequences."
Belize was one of the last countries in the region to get infected with new world screwworm, but it's here now and the issue now is managing the parasitic fly so that the numbers don't explode.
Today the Minister of Agriculture said they continue to work with BLPA BAHA, OIRSA and others to keep our numbers down. He says that a regional meeting will take place soon with other countries:...
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture "Our first case was on the 27th of December 2024 to date we have a little above 50 or so cases of screwworms, Mexico was infected five weeks before Belize but they have close to 600 cases in Mexico so we are doing a good job in trying to contain the spread of screw worms across the country. It is also important to note that Belize is I think the only country that has not been dispersed with sterile flies. The sterile flies belong to the US government and for some reason or the other they refuse to disperse sterile flies over Belize so while we have no sterile flies we have all power on the ground. We have done a wonderful job in trying to contain the spread of the screw worms. We meet in El Salvador on Saturday to discuss the plan, the regional plan for screwworms. We have a huge budget for the region, which will include all Central American countries to try to eradicate screwworms from Mexico all the way up to I think Panama again. This is the second time in 30 years we are doing this eradication program."
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Tonight, the hero of the hijacking, Howard Grange is at home recovering. 7News was there today as he got released from the hospital - and there for his very first stop - at the Divine Mercy Church to give thanks.
Howell Grange, Survived Hijacking 
But we do have one personal account of what happened on that plane tonight. It's a telephone interview with Kim Maxwell - she's and her husband Don Maxwell have been living in San Pedro for 18 years and were flying back home after a trip to Mexico. She told Jules that she didn't think they would survive, here is her story:
"Immediately after I saw a man being stabbed. I thought it was some sort of disagreement or even a hit, perhaps. But I quickly thought, why would they do that on a plane? So I ran to the back and realized it was a hijacking. And, then just, sort of at that moment resolved to the fact that this is probably it for me. But the terror of seeing Casteneda coming toward me, to the back of the plane, I couldn't tell if he was stable or if he was going to live, but he sat down next to me and seemed to be calm or in shock."
For the past two years, you've heard all about the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the 125 million US dollar grant earmarked for investment in the energy and education sectors. The compact was signed back in March 2023, and finalized in September 2024. The Briceno Administration boasted about the grant at every turn - all the way to the UN - saying it was a mark of good governance. But before the projects could get off the ground, the US government's Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, has shut down the MCC.
And in other news, we told you that, following an emergency meeting that the prime minister held with owners ASR in the US prior to the elections, he switched the responsibility of the sugar cane industry from Jose Mai to Dr Oscar Martinez.
"I don't know what the concerns are, that was discussed with the prime minister in the states. Just like you, I knew of that visit after the fact. About the responsibility of the sugar industry being removed from Ministry of Agriculture portfolio, which substantive minister, how do I see that one? For ASR, I believe they view it as a victory for them. For the farmers, they view it as treason probably. Jules calls it a humiliation and a demotion. I see it as a way for another person to do something different. Is it going to work? I don't know. I think this is the worst time in the history that we are facing with fusarium disease among other things including climate change. About emergency, I don't know what emergency it could be. They have a lot of benefits in this country, ASR has a lot of benefits and I can list them one by one. First, they benefitted tremendously from concessions in this country. I think it was 30 years concessions or a little bit less which included environmental tax which nobody else has in this country. They have benefitted for many years from the fuel subsidy, which in my view, I consider that double dipping because you got your concession then you get a fuel subsidy. In my view, fuel subsidy is for the small farmers who do not benefit from all the duty exemptions and for them to try and get the cost low and maximize on the little that's left. They have benefitted from I would say a monopoly on the US sugar market because only them in Belize can sell on that market. Santander has tried tapping into that market and they're not successful. They have benefitted also from the monopoly on the local market, which is the second best paying market. They have not, again Santander has tried getting into the market, unsuccessfully. They have benefitted from the farmers paying 65% of some of their costs. We all know that's a big problem and so what emergency could that be if you are unable to survive economically with all of those benefits as a multinational company."
Yesterday we told you about the false killer whales that were observed in the Drowned Cayes area. They were originally thought to be pilot whales - a species that has frequently found itself stranded in Belize's reef. They bear a resemblance to the false killer whales, which are actually a species of dolphins. Except, unlike the bottlenose dolphins we're used to seeing, these animals belong in the deep and can get disoriented when they are in shallow waters.
"It's a mysterious animal, it's not an animal you usually see especially in coastal waters, it's known to occupy pelagic, deeper waters, 1,000 meters in depths, so for it to be here it's very unlikely, it's not the habit for it, it's not where it feeds, it's not where it's used to being. It's a cause for alarm and hence the reason why we put out a release to alert boaters, mariners and people to be aware of it so that they don't cause further problem to this pod."
If you've never seen him perform some of his best lyrics live, well now you can access some of them in a book. Today the Imagination Factri Launched "If Unu Tink Da Lai" a poetry publication written by the multi-talented Kenny Morgan. It features 19 of his poems inspired by a range of topics and issues in his everyday life. Jomarie Lanza was there and here's how it went.
"Well it's a very very heart warming experience. I was totally overwhelmed by the turnout, the reaction and the response of the people who came over, I mean I was expecting it to flow smoothly but I did not know it would be that much of an expression of appreciation from the people who came for which I am extremely grateful."
Yasser Musa, Publisher, Imagination Factri
Yesterday we told you about the fire at the Waste Transfer Station on the Benque Viejo Road and tonight there are statements from the Fire Department, the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority and the UDP.
And, finally tonight, we note the passing of Chito Martinez, the first Belizeans ever to play in Major League Baseball in the United States.