RIDGETOWN– The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a country strategy for Belize for 2016 to 2020. The strategy proposes support of USD200.5 million (mn) for Belize over the four-year period. It will help the country address some of the social, environmental and economic challenges it faces. Dr. Justin Ram, Director of Economics, CDB, notes: “CDB remains a committed partner in helping Belize achieve sustained growth and development. This strategy will bolster the Government of Belize’s ongoing reform efforts by supporting interventions that will support inclusive social and economic development, environmental sustainability, and the promotion of good governance.”  The strategy aims to drive five development outcomes:  increasing competitiveness and productivity; improved quality and access to education and training; improved social sector outcomes;enhanced environmental management and reduced vulnerability to natural disasters; and improved governance and development planning. (CDB)…[+]

7-year-old Muslim boy was badly beaten by some of his classmates onboard a school bus in North Carolina — and the boy’s father is blaming Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric for the senseless attack.

“Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump,” Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani captioned a Facebook photo showing his son, Abdul, with his left arm in a sling. “He is in grade 1, bullied and beaten by his own classmates in school bus for eing a Muslim.” Usmani told the Daily News at least two Weatherstone Elementary School students called his son racial slurs and challenged him to a fight once they got on the bus after school last Friday. (nydailynews.com)…[+]

The wife of a missing North Carolina man was found dead in a creek a year after her husband disappeared, police said.

Authorities told ABC 11 Lillian Terry’s body had likely been floating in the Granville County’s Grassy Creek — near the Virginia border — for several days before she was found around 4 p.m. Saturday. Law enforcement officials did not specify whether her death was suspicious, nor how she died.

In September, her husband John Terry vanished the same day he was scheduled to appear in court for a divorce application. The 57-year-old allegedly filed for separation after accusing his wife of having an affair and trying to poison him, according to the news station. Lillian has repeatedly denied her husband’s allegation while simultaneously accusing him of cheating on her with a masseuse. In the month after her husband disappeared, Lillian told ABC 11 she didn’t find it reasonable officers were questioning her in connection with John’s disappearance.(nydailynews.com)…[+]