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Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise Jose Abelardo Mai has been on record to say that Belize should shift its trade interests from CARICOM to Central America. He says it is not about turning away from the CARICOM region, but diversifying the market. Minister Mai did not mince words when he said that trading […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
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Sheep and goat aren’t known to be traditionally consumed in Belizean households. Its market is primarily the tourism sector. This particular livestock industry was crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic when the tourism industry was shattered over the past two years. So with the completion of this project, Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai was asked about […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Agriculture,
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Sheep and Goat Industry Back on the Grind
Belize’s Blue Bond has given Belize substantial debt relief. That was among the main pieces of information coming out of the University of Belize’s Second Annual Gian Ghandi Memorial Lecture held today. Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, who presented the lecture on this topic, explained in layman’s terms that, essentially, Belize borrowed “fresh” money to repay […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
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Waight said that the outlook for this year is promising and that tourism and agriculture are performing as Belize’s biggest revenue earners. Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary “We’re on a growth path and what we see here is that each sector of the economy is projected to do better than last year. We’re projecting a […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
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Comments Off on Economic Growth for 2022 Looks Promising
The current government pension scheme that exists for public officers is unsustainable and needs urgent reform – that is the information coming out of the Second Annual Gian Ghandi Memorial Lecture that was held today by the University of Belize. Dr. Philip Castillo, a lecturer at U.B., discussed the major issues that make the government’s […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Education,
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on Lecturer Says Current Government Pension is Unsustainable
A quick look at the list of beneficiaries of the government’s pension scheme shows that in Belize, public servants retire at age fifty-five or collect a gratuity after fifteen years of service. Regular soldiers of the B.D.F. retire after twenty-seven years of service and the highest officers also retire at age fifty-five. Parliamentarians receive pension […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on Survey of Other Countries shows Belize is the Only One with Early Pension
The Ninth Summit of the Americas will be convened in Los Angeles in June, under the theme “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future” with the region’s governments, civil society, and private sectors. Across the hemisphere, people, institutions and governments have shared priorities and concerns which include the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the weaknesses […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places,
Politics,
Regional / International |
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In the context of Belize and the Caribbean Community, Prime Minister John Briceño, who is the pro tem chair of CARICOM, has reached out to U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd who is a special advisor to the Biden Administration. Christopher Dodd, Special Advisor “Prime Minister Briceño has been so helpful. He invited me actually to […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
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Politics,
Regional / International |
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In tandem with Belize’s economic performance is the medium-term development strategy that was scheduled to have been completed by the end of February, but the government was engaged in consultations with all relevant parties. There was a delay in the time frame some of the stakeholders responded and now the strategy is in the final […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Medium-term Development Strategy Almost Complete
We asked Dr. Martinez, against the backdrop of the cost of living going up and the poverty rate that has likely increased, whether there is a disconnect between government’s commendable economic growth and individual families’ economic circumstances. This was how he responded. Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development “When we look at […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
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People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on Has Inflation Increased the Poverty Rate?
The Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) was developed by the U.S. Embassy to support civil society, non-profit organizations to promote good governance, transparency and accountability and its 2022 grant application program is open to these organizations. Christine Valerio, who is the U.S. Embassy’s Grants Officer Representative, explains the process for interested parties. Christine […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
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The third phase of a fund that seeks to increase the adoption of digital innovations and promote business among financial institutions and their micro and small enterprise customers is now open. BELTRAIDE along with the Inter-American Development Bank and Lab and D.A.I. Global have launched the Digital Impact Advisory Fund in Belize. The fund draws […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
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Today at the University of Belize Central Farm Campus, stakeholders in a sheep and goat breeding sector graduated a cohort of students who participated in a program hosted at the National Sheep and Goat Generic Improvement facility out west. It is a joint cooperation between the governments of Belize and Taiwan News Five’s Duane Moody […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Education,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Sheep & Goat Project Concludes; Meet the Graduates
Fisher-folks are advised that the season to fish sharks will close over the weekend. The Belize Fisheries Department has announced that the closure runs from May first to October thirty-first of any year. During this time, no one should take, buy, sell, possess, or export shark meat or fins during the period first May to […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Season for Fishing Sharks Closed Soon
Belize has made an application to the World Health Organization for it to be declared a malaria-free country. For the past few days, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has been busy sensitize the public through various awareness activities on the impact of malaria and the need for persons to get tested. This morning, News […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
Health,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Belize Moves Towards Being Malaria-free
With the relaxation of restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a return to social activities that build and strengthen the community spirit. One such recreational activity is sports. In Port Loyola, Area Representative Gilroy Usher Sr. is once again organizing a basketball tournament and is inviting talent from across the constituency to participate […]
Written on April 28, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places,
Sports |
Comments Off on Restrictions Relaxed: Basketball Tournament Kicks Off in Port Loyola
There was a huge blaze last night just behind San Cas Warehouse on Cran Street. A decrepit building which has been vacant for several years was eviscerated when someone set the place on fire. Fortunately, no one perished in the inferno and the damage to property was kept at a minimum, thanks to the concerted […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Disasters,
Featured |
Comments Off on Massive Fire Guts Abandoned Building and Threatened to Destroy Several Homes
In the wake of the blaze, the fire department has once again come under criticism for its response to the distress call. According to onlookers who went live on social media, the fire truck arrived at the scene about half an hour after the call was made. That account is being disputed by the station […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured |
Comments Off on Public Criticism of Fire Department’s Response to Cran Street Inferno
A twenty-one-year-old resident of Pickstock Hutment is recovering from serious injuries he received overnight when he attempted to set himself on fire inside an apartment building. Sometime around midnight on Tuesday, Idelfonso Ku reportedly doused himself with fuel before lighting himself on fire. The incident, News Five understands, took place inside the home of deceased […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured |
Comments Off on Man Attempts Suicide by Fire in Pickstock Hutment
There was a sizeable drug bust this afternoon in Placencia where two boxes containing over fourteen kilograms of cannabis were confiscated by police at the municipal airstrip. The discovery was made around three-thirty today when law enforcement officers visited the cargo section at Tropic Air. Inside the boxes were three transparent plastic bags containing the […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured |
Comments Off on Fourteen Pounds of Weed Confiscated at Placencia Airstrip
The recent killing of Tracy Thompson in Calcutta and the chilling videos that have captured women being beaten unconscious and, in some cases, being left for dead, have sent shockwaves across the country. While some have lost their lives at the hands of their spouses, many more continue to suffer in silence for various reasons. […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Crime,
Defense,
Featured |
Comments Off on The Story of a Domestic Violence Survivor
The National Women’s Commission has issued strong condemnation of the recent series of violent attacks that have made it to the news, one of which ended in the murder of a woman in Calcutta Village. “Violence against women remains devastatingly persistent and starts alarmingly young,” the Commission states, citing new data from the World Health […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Women’s Commission Condemns Recent Violent Attacks Against Women
There are disturbing cases of the sexual assault of minors that we are reporting on tonight. The first is an incident in Belize City where a sixty-four-year-old man has been charged with “Rape of a Child” and “Assault of a Child by Penetration.” The elderly man was charged on Tuesday. But according to the police […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on 64-year-old man rapes a 7-year-old child
The two other incidents of sexual assault occurred in Orange Walk and Belize City. Earlier this month, a six-year-old girl, accompanied by her mother, visited a police station in Belize City and the minor reported that on April eleventh of this year, whilst at home, her uncle took her to a bedroom and touched her […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Uncategorized |
Comments Off on Sexual Assault Cases in Orange Walk & Belize City
Consumer prices for the month of March were up by almost six percent, as the cost of fuel, food and liquefied petroleum gas were most affected. The Statistical Institute of Belize has issued the results of its Consumer Price Index survey which indicate that the country experienced an overall national inflation rate of five point […]
Written on April 27, 2022 | Posted in
Economy |
Comments Off on Consumer Price Index Indicates that Everything Di Go Up!!