And, in our last political story for the night, some housekeeping on the relationship between Shyne Barrow and Cuba. This week, he's come out against the island nation and longtime Belizean ally, holding fast to the American line of calling out Cuba for un-democratic practices and human rights violations. These un-democratic practices, he says, force him to boycott Sunday's joint meeting of the national assembly to welcome the Cuban president.
But, it must be that his position on Cuba has evolved - particularly since 2021 - when the former deportee got a visa and started traveling to the US.
Because a deep dig on his Facebook posts shows that in 2018, he looked like a happy tourist in Cuba, while he visited his father who was recovering from back surgery provided by the Cuban medical system.
And then in October of that year he met with the Cuban Ambassador where he discussed support from the Cuban government for music education.
And then in March of 2020, he heartily welcomed the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade who arrived in Belize to bolster the COVID relief efforts and were welcomed like heroes.
Subsequent to that, Barrow got his US Visa in August of 2021, and travelled to the US where he met with many US lawmakers. That country's trade embargo on Cuba is one of the pillars of its foreign policy.
