President Irfaan Ali of Guyana has introduced a major initiative: a one-time cash grant of GYD $200,000 (approximately US $957) for every household in the country. This measure, which will inject GYD $60 billion into the economy, was announced during a special address at the National Assembly held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Thursday.
The cash grant is part of the government’s effort to alleviate the rising cost of living, a global issue. “We will begin this one-off cash grant payment to households instantaneously,” President Ali said, reaffirming the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government’s commitment to prioritising the welfare of its citizens.
With an average household size of 3.6 people and a national population of 808,726, this grant will directly benefit thousands of families across the country.
Since taking office, the Ali administration has implemented several measures to increase disposable income for Guyanese, including the removal of over 200 taxes and fees imposed by the previous government, such as VAT on water, electricity, and basic food items. Excise taxes on fuel have also been eliminated, saving consumers more than GYD $90 billion annually..
According to XE.com, 1 USD is equivalent to 208.94 GYD, making the GYD $200,000 grant worth approximately US $957.
On the other side of the globe, long-time allies of Belize celebrate National Taiwan Day on October tenth. Here in Belize, people are joining in on the celebration at the Taiwan Expo 2024. This expo celebrates thirty-five years of friendship between the two countries and allows Taiwanese businesses to enter the Belizean market. News Five’s Britney Gordon was there to meet some of the participants. Here’s the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
October tenth, or Double Ten Day marks the founding of the Republic of China, Taiwan after they overthrew the Qing Dynasty and relocated to the small island off the coast of China. It is a day of pride for all Taiwanese citizens, and as Belize observes thirty-five years and diplomatic friendship with Taiwan, the celebration continues at the Taiwan Day Expo 2024, Goldie Lee, a member of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council provides more details.
Goldie Lee
Goldie Lee, Taiwan External Trade Development Council
“Our main mission is to help, to assist Taiwanese enterprises to expand their international trade. And for this year because it is the thirty-fifth anniversary for the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Belize. So we are so happy and so glad for this Expo. We have twenty-one Taiwanese businesses here, and eight of them participating in person. The others participate by technicals and samples.”
Belizeans stopping by the expo were met with a range of products, from hardware to food and beverages and even the medical industry. Any Taiwanese business seeking to find a footing in the Belizean market was invited to participate. Sales representative for Kwang Yang Motor Company, Sawai Uhdong, landed in Belize on Wednesday. He is excited to showcase the scooters and ATVs that he believes Belizeans will gravitate to.
Sawai Uhdong
Sawai Uhdong, Sales Representative, KYMCO
“We actually doing overseas marketing. It’s over, I believe, thirty years. Now we’re seeking more opportunities all over the Central America and South America Cities and we believe Belize have, we have some products we believe it’s fit in the Belize cities.”
KYMCO is an environmentally conscious company that Lee believes will be an advantage when entering the Belizean market.
Goldie Lee
“We found that the people here, they are willing to promote I mean, they preserve their environment. And the product from KYMCO, this company, they also emphasize on protect the environment, therefore their products is really meet the need of this country.”
While many of the representatives flew in from Taiwan to participate, a few have already established business in Belize. Such as Yishen Chen from the Nine Six Shopping Center that has been operating in Belize City for over twenty years. Chen explains the joy she feels from being welcomed into Belizean culture.
Yishan Chen
Yishan Chen, Nine Six Shopping Center
“I personally really Belize, because compared to other places, like you said, Belize is a country really, people are very friendly and their life is very simple, we don’t have to be having a complicated or like a struggle life because, here the people is willing to help foreigners.”
On display were a variety of Taiwanese Pastries and snacks. Chen explains which ones are the store’s best sellers among Belizeans.
Yishan Chen
“But they also like this kind of mooncake. Not mooncake. We call it suncake, but it’s inside with some sweet fillings. I don’t know how to call that. It’s the sugar from, the sweetness from the wheat. Yeah, the sweetness from the wheat. But they like this. And also our Taiwanese famous mooncake. Pastries, which is this pineapple cake.”
The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund, ICDF has been a long-time source of funding and educational opportunities for Belizeans.
Glendy Chiqin
Glendy Chiqin, District Health Educator
“We have people that would come that has never checked themselves. So it’s very important for us to be out there at every opportunity because like that we have people that would come and would find out whether they have high blood pressure, high glucose and start some kind of checking themselves. Yes, it’s not going to happen immediately, but they will have an idea of, oh hey, I need to do something about my health because my glucose is high or my blood pressure tested high today.”
The celebrations will continue into the evening with a ceremony highlighting the bond between Belize and Taiwan. Britney Gordon for News Five.
It’s been almost a year and a half since King Charles III’s grand coronation, and today, Prime Minister John Briceño had a chat with him over the phone. Belize was well-represented at the coronation by Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam, Minister Francis Fonseca, and Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie, who all made the trip to London. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Briceño couldn’t make it to the event. During their call, Prime Minister Briceño and King Charles III talked about the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is set to take place in Apia, Samoa, from October twenty-first to twenty-sixth. Just a reminder, King Charles III is the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms.
Belize is often called Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret, but that might change soon! A series of eye-catching ads lit up the big screens at a packed U.S. football stadium, aiming to make Belize the go-to vacation spot for Atlanta residents. On Saturday, the Belize Tourism Board launched a strategic ad campaign at the bustling Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium during a soccer match between Atlanta United FC and New York Red Bulls. Leading the charge were the Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler, the Minister of Sports, Rodwell Ferguson, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Sports, Gilroy Usher, along with other officials. Belizeans from the Atlanta Diaspora, and representatives from the Belize Hotel Association and the Belize Tourism Board were also in attendance. News Five’s Marion Ali brings us the scoop on this new marketing strategy that’s set to boost tourism from Atlanta.
Marion Ali, Reporting
To stay ahead in the fierce competition for tourist dollars, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) came up with a creative strategy: sponsoring the Atlanta United Football Club for 2024. This partnership gave Belize prime-time advertising at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Atlanta United triumphed over New York’s Red Bulls. According to Gale Malic Ozaeta from BTB’s Marketing and Communications, these ads showcased Belize to forty-five thousand fans at the game and at least five million Atlanta United fans across the U.S.
Gale Malic Ozaeta
Gale Malic Ozaeta, Marketing and Communications Mgr., B.T.B
“We chose the Atlanta United FC team because they are based in Atlanta – Atlanta, Georgia being one of our key source markets for arrivals. They are one of the top ten destinations within the U.S. where we get our highest arrivals from. Atlanta is also a hub destination. Delta Airlines flies directly from Atlanta to Belize. So, by partnering with them, by being a destination sponsor of them, we had the opportunity to reach that entire audience through different mediums. So, being at the game, having our ads running within the stadium, a stadium full of 45, 000 people, we’re directly targeting these 45,000 people. But we also had ads running outside the stadium.”
Minister of Sports, Rodwell Ferguson was one of the attendees at the game. He said the ads even took on creative sports/tourism concepts.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
“It shows sites in Belize, in particular, the blue hole. No matter how far there was a net and a ball, when you kick the ball, then there was a feature of the Blue Hole and somebody was sitting on a chair. And when somebody scores a goal, The person that the person that you are dropped up in the water into the blue world. It was very, very significant.”
The idea followed last year’s one closely where Belize did marketing advertising in New York’s Times Square. And now the B.T.B is expecting that the sponsorship we invested at the Atlanta game on Saturday will yield new visitors and great returns.
Gale Malic Ozaeta
“We would be able to definitely identify where the increase is coming from because the immigration form does ask them what state you’re coming from and so we will be able to measure.”
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is hosting a three-day workshop on major event security to enhance the importance of safeguarding crowded venues in the Caribbean. The workshop will begin on October 8 in Port of Spain. The Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) says that the goal of this program is to create and strengthen strategies for safeguarding communities that host festivals and cultural gatherings.
The event is in partnership with the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, UNICRI, and CARICOM IMPACS and funded by Canada.
The statement added that bringing together National Focal Points and international experts from various countries will “facilitate the exchange of information, good practices, and lessons learned on major events’ security—specifically concerning festivals, carnivals, and cultural events—among the National Focal Points (NFPs) of the Network of Major Events’ Security in the Caribbean Member States of the OAS.”
Participants will delve into critical topics such as “the protection of intellectual property, the management of events from pre-planning to post-event evaluation, and the importance of public-private partnerships,” said IMPACS.
The workshop is part of a broader initiative developed by the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism under the Organisation of American States (OAS/CICTE) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) titled “Improving Crime Prevention Policies and International Cooperation for the Protection of Crowded Spaces and Other Vulnerable Targets.”
Last month, Hurricane Helene tore through the United States, causing chaos in several states. Now, hot on its heels, Hurricane Milton is making its presence known. On Monday, Milton ramped up to a category-five hurricane as it headed toward Florida through the Gulf of Mexico. We reached out to a few Belizeans living abroad to hear how they’re preparing for this powerful storm. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene tore through Florida, Belizean American Christine Jones is bracing for another major storm and this time, it’s a category five. Jones has been living in Florida for about five years, residing in Ruskin Town, south of Tampa, Florida.
Christine Jones
Christine Jones, Florida Resident
“This morning I spent helping my neighbors put up their shutters and now it’s my turn. I have my shutters out. They’re going to help me put mine up. I was driving around trying to make sure I got a tank full of gas earlier. I’ve got food, nonperishables. I’m good for a week, as long as I don’t get flooded out. I have my fire camp stove. The skills from the fire heart days in Belize come in handy. Yeah, so the main concern for me is that if we don’t get flooded, my roof doesn’t blow off, which. Hurricane Ian, I think three years ago, I lost a part of my roof, so I have a new roof. So I’m hoping that everything holds together.”
Hurricane Helene was the most powerful storm to hit North Tampa, Florida since 1851, leaving a trail of devastation across several states and claiming over two hundred lives. Now, Hurricane Milton is making headlines, having rapidly intensified to a category-five storm and setting a record for the Tampa Bay area. It’s expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Belizean Shadini Henry, who has called Florida home for over eight years, shared that in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, her family struggled to stock up on essential supplies.
Shadini Henry
Shadini Henry, Florida Resident
“It was hard to find in the stores. Water, couldn’t even find water in the stores. Luckily we found some afterwards. We could not we have the both of our vehicles full with gas, but it was hard all the gas. I imagine by today because we got ours filled last night. It was hard to find a guest to fill in the cars, but I imagine by today they’re all gone. They’re all out. We have stacked up on nonperishable items.”
As the storm draws near, there’s a chance it might lose some of its intensity. However, it’s expected to affect a wider area, including the Yucatan Peninsula. Belizean Windel Castillo, who has been living in Merida for almost three years, shared that he’s decided to stay calm and not panic as the storm approaches.
Windel Castillo
Windel Castillo, Merida Resident
“This is the first time that we’ve had, like, about four hurricanes back to back coming to us. And this is the first one that’s actually turned into a Category five, and it’s not changing trajectory. So I always make sure I’m prepared. And for the last three months, it’s been raining almost every day. From since three p. m. on to six, seven. So just to be on the safe side, always make sure I have my stuff ready.”
Castillo has lived through a category four hurricane previously and believes he is adequately prepared for the approaching storm.
Windel Castillo
“It’s not my first rodeo, to be honest with you. I think that in the event I do get in panic, then it could be worse. But I have my windows sealed. I have enough. supply. I have everything that I think I need for a hurricane. And so I’m not that worried per se.”
Forty-five thousand dockworkers at US ports on the East and Gulf coasts have returned to work, ending a three-day strike and alleviating concerns about import shortages on store shelves. The suspension of the strike also halts any further inflation on goods upon their arrival. The International Longshoremen’s Association, representing the dockworkers, has paused the strike until January fifteenth to allow time for negotiating a new contract. This afternoon, Jody Williams, Vice President of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told News Five that the suspension of the strike brings a sigh of relief for Belizean businesses.
Jody Williams
Jody Williams, Vice President, Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry
“We have so much holidays coming up, and definitely we as Belizeans, we want our products to be on the shelves. We don’t want to have anything that will affect – add more to inflation or that there’s shortages of products in the market. So this is a big sigh of relief for us. The timing was everything, you know, the length of the strike, and this was like, you could say two and a half days. Thankfully, I guess the U.S government and everyone around the world saw the need that they needed to go to the table and to get this resolved as soon as possible because the global implications was very, very high, especially at this timing of the season where we’re coming up to Christmas.”
The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) has named Sharonmae Smith-Walker as its new CEO, effective 1 November 2024. Smith-Walker, who has over 12 years of leadership experience, succeeds Deryck Omar, who served as CEO since 2014. Smith-Walker previously led the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) and brings extensive expertise in quality infrastructure, accreditation, and environmental management. Her career includes more than 15 years of contributions to quality infrastructure and two decades of consulting in environmental management, food safety, accreditation, and quality management systems.
She expressed her excitement about the role and aims to further CROSQ’s mission of enhancing standards and quality across the Caribbean.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead this vital organisation at such an important time. I look forward to working with the team to position CROSQ for continued growth and to support the economic development of the CARICOM region.”
CROSQ also extended its gratitude to outgoing CEO Deryck Omar, whose 14-year tenure saw the organisation become a leader in quality standards across the Caribbean.
Transport remains a critical hurdle for CARICOM in its quest to establish a single market. The movement of cargo by sea hinges on production volume, while air transport presents its own set of challenges. However, according to the Director of the CARICOM Single Market at the CARICOM Secretariat, various discussions are underway to tackle these specific transport issues. Here’s what he shared with us during our conversation on Wednesday at an event in Belize City.
Leo Preville
Leo Preville, Director, CARICOM Single Market
“There are different discussions taking place right now. For instance, as a community there has been a study that has been commissioned through the Caribbean Development Bank, a whole regional transportation study, taking a look at areas we can commence with work immediately to solve the transportation problem. When you have discussions in the region, you have two discussions taking place. You have a discussion which says, you do not have sufficient transportation to move goods around. And then, the transport suppliers will say to you, no we have sufficient containers to move. We have it all there. It is available to you. However, they are talking about container loads as opposed to less than container loads and how do you accumulate goods in one country from different suppliers to form a container load. So we have a difficulty under production side within the region. There is an industrial policy being developed to address that. In the specific case of Belize, from yesterday’s discussion with the agriculture ministry, the issue was not with transportation of poultry products. The issue went beyond that and that is where at the political level there needs to be that sort of engagement. In terms of people movement, as we speak we have a multilateral air services agreement which if used as intended can help to provide solutions to our air transport movement in the region.”
On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum made history by being sworn in as Mexico’s first female president and the first of Jewish origin. The momentous ceremony took place at the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro in Mexico City, with Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceño leading a delegation in attendance. Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, Oscar Arnold, shared with News Five that PM Briceño had preliminary meetings with President Sheinbaum. While the Prime Minister will provide a detailed briefing upon his return, Arnold gave us a glimpse into the historic swearing-in ceremony of Mexico’s sixty-sixth president.
Oscar Arnold
Oscar Arnold, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico
“Prime Minister Briceño is accompanied by Mrs. Briceño. We have Minister Shabbat as well as Minister of State, Osmond Martinez as part of the delegation, and myself as Ambassador of Belize to Mexico. Outgoing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held a lunch, which, uh, Prime Minister and Mrs. Briceño attended, uh, Monday afternoon. And then there was a dinner reception, uh, that was held by that time by the president elect Claudia Schoenbaum in the evening. That, prime minister and Mrs. Briceño also attended that again was just for the heads of state because there’s over a hundred countries who sent delegations, um, as a show of solidarity and support to the new Mexican president, but it was only the head of state that were invited to the lunch and dinner yesterday, Tuesday, October 1st was the official firing in. It was held at the in Mexico city, where it’s the. Camaraderie deputados, it’s like their, House of representative chambers again, but that, Prime Minister Briceño, Mrs. Briceño, and Foreign Minister, Francis Fonseca attended that event, after that event was finished and the swearing in was, was over with, and the new president Was then presented. They all traveled to the Palacio Nacional, which is the official resident of the president. Um, and there, the heads of state also got a brief meeting, uh, individual meeting with President Claudia, and from there, a lunch was held for all those in attendance. There were some other meetings held, but I will leave that for the Prime Minister and the Office of the Prime Minister to comment on and share the details. It’s been a very hectic and very tight work schedule that we’ve had here but a very productive one as well.”
