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No Increased Fees for Passports

During the senate proceedings today, parliamentarians also weighed on the new passport that the Immigration Department has introduced. Over the past few weeks, information circulating on social media has raised public concern over increased fees for the new travel document. But, contrary to those reports, the Leader of Government Business, Senator Eamon Courtenay, assured Belizeans […]

U.S. Embassy Donates Five Heavy Duty Military Trucks to the B.D.F.

Today, the Belize Defence Force expanded its fleet of vehicles when it was officially handed five heavy duty military trucks. The donation from the U.S. Government is to the tune of one point two-five million Belize dollars. The gift will strengthen Belize’s capacity for disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and border security. A brief ceremony was […]

When Will US Ambassador Michelle Kwan Arrive in Belize?

Almost a year ago, in December 2021, the Biden Administration announced that two-time Olympic medallist and the most decorated figure skater in the United States, Michelle Kwan was nominated as its next ambassador to Belize.  So when the opportunity presented itself, we asked Chargé d’affaires Leyla Moses-Ones when the new ambassador will officially take up […]

Belize Judiciary Receives Donation for Backlog Reduction Program

A donation of over four hundred thousand dollars in digital equipment was handed over to the courts this morning by the U.S. Embassy.  As part of an initiative known as the Backlog Reduction Program, the governments of Belize and the United States have been working closely to moderate the number of surfeit cases in the […]

A New Passport System to be Introduced at Immigration Dept.

A new passport system will be introduced in Belize later this month at a cost of roughly twenty million dollars to the Government of Belize. The introduction of an updated procedure is expected to do away with the bottleneck that has plagued the existing, antiquated system. It will also eliminate the small-time hustling that has […]

How Much Will New Belizean Passport Cost?

With a new passport system to be launched in the next two weeks, how much will applicants have to pay for the various service? Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Immigration “The cost of the passport, again, like the amnesty, it’s still before Cabinet. We have taken a cabinet paper, there’s a debate, you know how these […]

Tourism Numbers on the Rise; Active Campaigns to Attract Travellers

Since travel restrictions have been lifted, there has been an increase in tourist arrivals to the Jewel. In an update, the numbers have been up to almost ninety percent of the pre-COVID figures and it is believed that the upcoming high season for the industry will see those numbers return and possibly surpass 2019 figures.  […]

Making Belize a Connecting Hub for Central America & the Caribbean

Over the past two weeks, the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations has been actively attending high-level meetings with regional leaders and tourism counterparts in the Caribbean, as well as engaging with Belizeans living in the U.S.  In the Cayman Islands, a delegation of senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, headed […]

Michelle Kwan is New U.S. Ambassador to Belize

After several years without an assigned diplomatic representative in the country, the U.S. senate confirmed former Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, a longtime Democratic activist, to serve as ambassador to Belize.  She succeeds former Ambassador Carlos Moreno as United States Ambassador to Belize. The State Department, in a release, said, “Kwan’s extensive work experience at […]

Foreign Minister Courtenay Discusses Illegal Cuban Migrants in Belize

The illegal influx of Cuban migrants into the country remains a serious concern for the Government of Belize, particularly the Ministry of Immigration. A spike in the arrival of Cuban nationals has the ministries of immigration and foreign affairs working overtime to address the issue. The most recent bust took place near El Pillar at […]

Police and Immigration Departments Collaborate In Detention of Illegal Immigrants

We also heard from the Commissioner of Police on the department’s collaboration with the Immigration Department in the detention of illegal immigrants. ComPol Williams says the police continue to maintain their presence in certain areas to intercept those seeking to enter the country illegally.   Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police “We have stepped up our […]

Regional Conference Discusses Moves to Increase Trade in the Caribbean

There have been issues with supply chain management, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Organizations have had to either deal with long waiting times or sourcing goods and equipment from other regions.  This was among the discussions held at the first-ever regional conference for customs brokers hosted by the Customs Brokers Association of Belize. Entitled, “The Twenty-First Century Customs Broker,” the conference […]

C.D.B. Provides US$6 Million Loan for Belize’s Student Loan Program

The Caribbean Development Bank has issued a six million dollar loan to the Government of Belize for a student loan program that will assist as many as eight hundred learners, including financially disadvantaged persons, pursuing post-secondary and tertiary level studies. Funds for the initiative will be made available through the Development Finance Corporation. The loan […]

B.D.F. Officer Says Conflicts with G.A.F. in Sarstoon Need to Stop

The confrontation between members of the Guatemalan Armed Forces and the Belize Territorial Volunteers on the Sarstoon River on September eighteenth came somewhat as a surprise to the Belize Defense Force. That’s because there haven’t been any such flare-ups with them in that area for a few years. Today, the B.D.F’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant […]

United States Secretary of State and Prime Minister Briceño Meet in Washington D.C.

Prime Minister John Briceño met with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at the Department of State in Washington D.C. today. The meeting was to discuss issues of mutual concern between both countries, including climate change, energy, food security, and finance. Prime Minister Briceño and Secretary of State Blinken spoke with the press briefly, […]

PathLight Signs Cooperation Agreement with O.A.S.

Today, PathLight Belize signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Organization of American States (O.A.S.) in Washington, D.C. The agreement provides a framework for both organizations and the Government of Belize to collaborate in achieving the sustainable development goals through education. The Cooperation Agreement was signed by Adele Catzim-Sanchez the C.E.O. at PathLight, and Luis Almagro, […]

Number of Belizeans Illegally Crossing into Mexico on the Rise

Since the land borders and sea ports reopened in February, there has been a significant number of irregular migrations into Mexico, prompting Mexican authorities to quickly step in and repatriate illegal migrants back to Belize. Ambassador Arnold says that sometimes minors are caught up in these circumstances because of the decisions of their parents or […]

Belizean Companies Now Able to Export Agricultural Products to Mexico Tax-free

When Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited Belize in May, it opened the way for greater trade relations to occur between our two countries. Soon after Obrador returned to Mexico, he signed a document that allows for Belizean agricultural producers to export their products to Mexico tax-free. Ambassador Arnold shared that that has piqued […]

Honduran National Found in Belize is Issued a Removal Order

Carlos Jose Martinez, a Honduran national, has been living in Belize illegally for almost a year before he was caught by immigration officials earlier this week.  According to Martinez, he fled his home country in October 2021 when he, along with his wife and daughter, was reportedly threatened by gang members.  He is now seeking […]

Henry Charles Describes Price and Queen Elizabeth as “Bitter Adversaries”

Earlier we brought you the memorial held at the gravesite of the late George Price in recognition of his contributions to Belize. Coincidentally, September nineteenth was also the date when Queen Elizabeth the Second was being laid to rest in the United Kingdom. They were two leaders who held firmly to their philosophies, and while […]

Illegal Cuban Nationals Busted Out West Near El Pilar

The illegal influx of Cuban migrants into Belize has been persistent since the beginning of the year, arriving into the country from various points of entry.  Over the extended weekend, a group of Cuban nationals was busted in the vicinity of El Pilar, near the Belize-Guatemala border in the west.  According to the spokesperson for […]

Belize-Taiwan Technical Cooperation for Deep Sea Fishing Resource Exploration Program

Carrying out the survey is Doctor Hsin-Ming Yeh, a fisheries expert from Taiwan’s Fisheries Research Institute and Doctor Sheng-Ping Wan, a fisheries expert from National Taiwan Ocean University; they are joined by technical staff from the Government of Belize. The Acting Fisheries Administrator says that the Taiwanese experts will engage with the national fisheries authority, key […]

Mia Mottley Talks De-risking and Correspondent Banking at U.S. Congress

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley testified before the United States’ House Committee on Financial Services, on the impact of de-risking in the Caribbean.  For several years, the issue of correspondent banking, in light of stringent measures taken by financial institutions to terminate or restrict business relationships with clients or categories of clients to avoid, rather […]

Karen Bevans is Awarded Over $800k in Lawsuit Against G.O.B. and B.T.B.

According to Senior Counsel Barrow, the claims that were also brought by B.T.B. as countersuits against former tourism minister Manuel Heredia Junior and former B.T.B. Chairman Einer Gomez and former Vice Chairman Glenford Eiley were dismissed.   Dean Barrow, Attorney at Law “That ancillary claim was dismissed with costs to the three ancillary defendants, Heredia, […]

Leader of the Opposition on Fact-finding Mission in Gales Point

Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, along with U.D.P. Senator Beverly Williams and Former Belmopan Area Representative, John Saldivar visited Gales Point Manatee on Sunday, where he met with the villagers as part of what is called a fact-finding mission on the Vulcan project that the government recently ruled against. Gales Point Chairman, Jason […]