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For years, Hopkins and Dangriga have been plagued by severe coastal erosion and an unsightly accumulation of sargassum on its shores. It is only getting worse. The National Climate Change Office and other partner stakeholders conducted a survey that yielded critical data that is useful in addressing the chronic climatic and environmental issues in these […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Data-Driven Solutions for Coastal Erosion in Southern Belize
Mayor Bernard Wagner is approximately fourteen months into his second term of office. He was first elected in 2018. Two years into his first term, the council experienced its greatest setback as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic further amplified the financial difficulties Mayor Bernard Wagner and his team reportedly inherited from the previous council. […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on Mayor Wagner Gives City Council Performance an A+
The Belize City Council’s finances are gradually improving, following a stiff financial blow at the height of the pandemic. In 2020, the council’s cyclical revenue stream came to a screeching halt, and employees were placed on a fifty percent salary cut. But, with the rebound of the tourism industry, and the resumption of night life […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on Belize City Council’s Revenue Rebounding
Time Fi Eat: It’s the brainchild of Carlo Habet and features Stig Da Artist in the lead role as Lex. Lex is Belize’s Hottest Musical Artist, finally getting his due after years of hard work. His big payday is doing the political rally rounds for the leading political party, as they parlay his popularity into […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
Art & Culture,
Entertainment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Time Fi Eat
On Saturday, the National Committee for Families and Children will hold activities in commemoration of International Day of Families. This year’s theme is: Families and New Technology. Executive Director of N.C.F.C., Franisha Augustine, says the day’s event at the Battlefield Park will include several booths with agencies promoting the services they offer, as well as […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on N.C.F.C. Celebrates Families at Battlefield Park on Saturday
The Princess Royal Youth Hostel is being renamed this weekend, after carrying the name that it was inaugurated with several decades ago. While the administration and residents have come up with a more fitting name, they share an enduring bond that also makes them a family. Tonight’s episode of On the Bright Side focuses on […]
Written on May 13, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on A Hostel’s way Home
The cost of goods and services has gone up considerably and Belizeans are feeling the pinch in their wallets. But, what are the various factors that are influencing these increases? To get some answers we turned to Christopher Coye, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, who explains that Belize is “a price […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on A Nation of Importation and External Economic Influence
We asked Minister Coye whether he foresees the cost of essential goods going down in the near future. He explained that in the long term, prices never go back down. According to Minister Coye, there is an economic rationale for steady and sustained annual inflation. The price of fuel may fluctuate, he says, but that […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Minister Coye, “Prices Never Go Down”
So why not simply decrease taxes on essential goods? For all intents and purposes, a tax decrease will lower prices on the market, but in the long term it will cut into government’s revenue. This will then negatively impact the services provided by the government. That is how Minister Coye puts it. He says that […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Over One Million Dollars in Tax Reduction on Fuel for April
Any increase in the cost of flour is illegal and if supermarkets and stores are caught selling this commodity at a higher price they will be dealt with by the Ministry of Food Security. That’s the message coming from Minister Jose Abelardo Mai as reports have been surfacing that the cost of flour has gone […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on No S.I. Means Cost of Flour Should Not Go Up
Cabinet minister Andre Perez, whose family owns the largest bakery in San Pedro, says that he supports an increase in the cost of bread. He says that the acquisition cost of raw materials is up and bakers have been absorbing these costs for the past fifteen years. Minister Perez breaks down the reality for bakers. […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Minister Perez Supports Bakers, Breaks down Costs
And while Minister Perez can relate to the concerns of the Belize Bakers Association, it simply comes down to the fact that consumers will take on any additional costs and not the producer. This puts an additional stress on consumers who have no control over their income. These are all the things that Food Security […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on Study Continues; Still No Decision on the Cost of Bread
This morning, the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize, FECTAB, held a press conference in Belize City to voice strong objection to a proposed training that would be provided by the Belize Tourism Board ahead of tour operators and guides renewing their respective licenses. FECTAB and its membership weren’t having it and argued vehemently […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on FECTAB Says ‘No’ to B.T.B. Training
FECTAB President David Almendarez who is of a similar view, suggested instead that tour operators be trained on how to improve their online presence in the international marketplace. David Almendarez, FECTAB “Mr. Evan, head of B.T.B., I will reach out to you before the end of the day and we wah come to a […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on B.T.B. Relaxes Completion of Training for Tour Operators
A new piece of legislation that will allow government to explore the prospect of expanding the cruise tourism sector to southern Belize is expected to be introduced in parliament on Friday. According to FECTAB, a proposed bill will be brought before the House of Representatives tomorrow for first reading. Once the bill has been read […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Featured,
Law,
People & Places |
Comments Off on FECTAB Objects to New Proposed Law to Expand Cruise Tourism
When News Five pressed FECTAB President David Almendarez if he has gotten an opportunity to peruse the draft legislation, he abruptly chose not to respond to our question. He does take umbrage, however, with the notion of relocating cruise tourism from its central location in Belize City. Isani Cayetano “Have you by any chance […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
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Law,
People & Places |
Comments Off on David Almendarez Dodges Questions About Proposed Law
The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, under the Ministry of the Blue Economy, and in partnership with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, broke ground for infrastructural upgrades. The project is in tandem with the I.D.B.’s Climate Vulnerability Reduction Program and includes a new pier, a palapa and eco-friendly sleeping quarters and bathrooms. […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Environment,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Groundbreaking Held in Goff’s Caye for New
The joint effort in San Pedro to quickly collect and remove tons of rotting sargassum from its shoreline will include the involvement of government, the town council, and the business community there. San Pedro Mayor Gualberto Nunez told News Five today that a public consultation that took place last evening to discuss the problem yielded […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on San Pedro Businesses Pledge Financial Support to Remove Sargassum
While the San Pedro community is taking care of its sargassum issues, it still needs all the help it can get. Notwithstanding its location on Ambergris Caye, the entire island stretches for twenty-five miles. Mayor Nunez says there are a few things on his council’s wish list that, if they are lucky to get, would […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on San Pedro Needs Beach Rake
Climate change has become a buzz word for Small Island Developing States like Belize. The effects of climate change are visible along Belize’s coast where many communities are experiencing firsthand the erosion of beaches and homes. Mitigating the effects of climate change along Belize’s coast requires a multi-sectoral approach, says Kennedy Carillo, the C.E.O. in […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
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Comments Off on Global Climate Fund Stakeholders Workshop
A ‘G.C.F.’ grant fund for nine hundred thousand dollars was also launched at today’s workshop. The grant fund is being directed towards identifying and finding solution to the effects of climate change along the coast of Belize. The Ministry of Economic Development is the National Designated Authority of G.C.F. in Belize. Dr. Osmond Martinez, the […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on G.C.F. Grants$900,000 to Address Climate Change Coastal Impacts
The Ministry of Agriculture is hosting a two-day workshop with its counterparts from Petén, Guatemala. The visit by Vice Minister of Agriculture for the Petén Department, who is accompanied by his technical team, will see technical expertise shared between Belize and Guatemala with the objective of implementing best practices that will boost the agro-productive industry […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Foreign Affairs,
People & Places,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on A Meeting of Cooperation in Agriculture between Belize & Guatemala
The step being taken with Guatemala comes on the heels of tariffs being lifted in Mexico to ease exports from Belize into that country and is being seen as a move to strengthen the partnership between Belize and other Central American countries. But Prime Minister John Briceño and Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai, along with […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Foreign Affairs,
People & Places,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on PM and Agriculture Minister Heading to Guyana
According to the Agriculture Minister, a container of poultry remains stuck in Grenada due to permit issues, but he believes that they are protecting their personal interests. Minister Jose Abelardo Mai also speaks of having approximately one hundred and eighty containers of red kidney beans that CARICOM no longer plans to buy from Belize. He […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
People & Places,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on Will Belize Revisit Trade Policies with CARICOM
World leaders today participated in the second Global COVID-19 Summit, convened by United States President Joe Biden. At the event, Prime Minister John Briceño, as CARICOM Chair, spoke about the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister said that many countries are experiencing a decline in serious infections and deaths as […]
Written on May 12, 2022 | Posted in
Health,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Prime Minister Jon Briceño Speaks on COVID Response in Caribbean at Global Summit
