Earlier today, the Government introduced the first-of-its-kind fixed rate notes totaling thirty million U.S. dollars, as a means of raising much needed foreign exchange. The business community has sounded the alarm that commercial banks and other lending institutions have considerably reduced the limit of U.S. dollars on credit cards for private and corporate accounts. This, […]
Demand for foreign exchange is significantly high since a majority of goods sold on the retail floor are imported. Those items are purchased in U.S. dollars. Foreign exchange, on the other hand, is also earned through various means, including tourism, which accounts for forty percent of those earnings. According to Nikita Usher, President of the […]
As flooding continues around the country, Valley of Peace farmers say that more than half of their two hundred and sixty-four thousand heads of cabbage has been damaged by flood waters and are no good. The farmers have tried their best to salvage the good ones that are in the soil and ready for harvest, […]
As you heard, the farmers believe that the flooding of their fields was worsened because of the sugar fields in neighbouring farms belonging to Valley of Peace Farms Limited. But tonight, General Manager Gilbert Canton Junior says that is not so. He says that they have proper drainage in place and that he believes their […]
Is a thirty million U.S.-dollar treasury note the short term fix to Belize’s foreign exchange woes? Well, tonight the Prime Minister says this first-of-its-kind Central Bank initiative has the government’s full support. As the economic impact of the COVID-19 barrels down on the country and commercial banks place limits on credit card spending, the PM […]
To ease the foreign exchange crunch, G.O.B. is also turning to the International Financial Institutions. During his video presentation today, Prime Minister Dean Barrow informed the public that the COVID-19 aid, all to a tune of one hundred million U.S. dollars, which was committed in March, will start flowing starting next week and carried over […]
While the Prime Minister has launched the first of a kind treasury note to raise U.S. thirty million dollars, Opposition Leader John Briceño today told News Five that the economy is crumbling beneath Barrow’s feet. He says that the country’s foreign reserves have been limited to two or three months. Banks are cutting down on […]
The Prime Minister has announced an initiative to tackle the foreign exchange crunch triggered by the halt of tourism activities which bring in significant foreign exchange. But the grounding of air travel and the uncertainty as to when flights will resume at the P.G.I.A. is having a huge impact on the economy and putting air […]
The longer the borders remain closed, the more damaging it is to the tourism industry, which accounts for forty-five percent of G.D.P. The Philip Goldson International Airport remains closed and there is no date as to when it will reopen. Opposition Leader John Briceño says the country can’t be locked off from the rest of […]
An elderly man was shot to the back during a robbery at his hotel in Ladyville. Eighty-seven-year-old Dodlie Estelle was at home with his common-law when armed robbers came into his house, demanding money and the location of a safe on Wednesday evening. They did not find the safe, but shot Estelle on the back […]
A drug plane is believed to have landed in southern Belize early this morning. Reports of a low-flying airplane began circulating as early as two o’clock this morning. Soon after, it was learnt that members of the Special Operations Task Force were deployed down south as intelligence suggested that the plane landed near Graham Creek. […]
The effects of the COVID pandemic is being felt everywhere and sport is no exception. Early in the crisis, sporting activities had to be cancelled because of the limit of numbers allowed at sporting events. It meant that gate receipts disappeared. FIFA came up with one million dollars for the F.F.B. to cover costs until […]
Numerous landings of drug planes in Belize have amassed a fleet of aircrafts that government has taken into its possession. Those business jets, in various state of disrepair, are kept at the Philip Goldson International Airport where they remain for an inordinate length of time. Tonight, however, we can report that four of those confiscated […]
According to Enriquez, the collective price for the aircrafts was determined based on the conditions in which they were being sold, and many of them were damaged after landing on makeshift runways in various parts of the country. Felix Enriquez, C.E.O., Ministry of National Security “The aircrafts are, in many cases, very damaged; in […]
The Organization of American States is conducting an investigation to determine the geographical location of a team of Belize Defense Force soldiers, who ventured into an area of the adjacency zone in southern Belize near Jalacte Village. This follows a report from Guatemalan media that the B.D.F. officers illegally entered into a settlement on the […]
The following story also involves the B.D.F. Images of filth that has accumulated at the kitchen at Camp Belizario in Central Farm have been raising concerns for some of the military personnel deployed there. The images show how unsanitary the kitchen is. According to the information, it has gotten worse over the years and it […]
The main border points remain closed, but illegal border crossings are still taking place because every week we get an update on how many persons are arrested and charged for illegal entry. In the west, at the village of Arenal, which is shared by both Belize and Guatemala, the crossing across the borders is a […]
A B.D.F. soldier has been taken to court for rape. The matter reportedly happened a few days ago and the female officer made the complaint. This comes on the heels of a report of irregularities within the force. Tonight we can report that the accused soldier has been charged with rape. He is Margarito Pop, […]
At the Philip Goldson International Airport this morning, a French aircraft touched down, bringing supplies that will be used by inmates at the Belize Central Prison. Everywhere, including the prisons, are ideal places for the coronavirus to thrive because of congestion and overcrowding. But fortunately so far, local prisons have not logged any case of […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a catastrophic toll on the tourism sector. Tourism receipts, which represent up to forty percent of foreign exchange earnings, have plunged due to the downturn in the industry. Earnings in the export sector have also declined. It is resulting in a foreign exchange crunch at commercial banks, which are now […]
With tourism taking a hit, the economy is in the throes of a severe depression and despite the gradual opening up of businesses, including hotels and restaurants, there is not enough money circulating internally for a timely recovery. But what is the plan of action to ensure that there is a steady rebound in the […]
The prolonged closure of the P.G.I.A. is resulting in the sustained hemorrhaging of many businesses in the tourism sector, the supply chain, those that are not directly tied to the travel industry. Across the region, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Saint Lucia are beginning to opening up their airports in June to allow for international […]
There is a developing situation along the western border near Jalacte Village. Reports in the Guatemalan media claim that Belize Defence Force soldiers illegally crossed the border into Guatemala. The online media reports say that the B.D.F. soldiers crossed the adjacency line to take land measurements at a Guatemalan community known as Santa Cruz, San […]
Still on the B.D.F….On Monday night, we told you about the press release sent out by the Ministry of National Security on the conclusion of the investigation of the allegations of extortion, mal treatment, sexual assaults and other misconduct at the Belize Defense Force. In that release, the ministry acknowledges that the investigation found some […]
Former minister Elvin Penner appeared in magistrate’s court in Belmopan this morning after being a no-show on Monday morning. Penner’s absence resulted in the issuance of a bench warrant for his arrest. As we’ve reported, the former disgraced Cayo Northeast Area Representative was charged in June 2017 following a fatal road traffic accident that claimed […]
