WEATHER

Long-line fishing is a practice that is prohibited in almost every country in the world. In the spring of 2004, the Department of Fisheries in Guatemala signed a treaty with all the Central American countries, including Belize to prohibit long-line fishing. It has come to the attention of some of the Chamber’s members that the Japanese have somehow obtained the rights to begin testing long-line fishing in Belizean waters. This practice is extremely detrimental to the fish population. This could severely affect the livelihoods of many who make their living from fishing and/or guides who take tourists fishing...which eventually affect us all. When fishing with so many baited hooks along miles of line, there are many fish that are killed that aren’t even kept, such as all the billfish. The main fish that are kept for sale are tuna and wahoo. If this is true, it is truly a shame that someone with the authority to do this would allow such a tragedy to occur at the sacrifice of so many and for the benefit of so few.

Right now lobster is the priciest product in the sea, retailing for upwards of $15 a pound locally. And for decades, the best way to catch them has been using wooden traps. The traps work, and they work well; for proof of that you don't need to look beyond the fact that the product they capture has earned Belize tens of millions of dollars in foreign exchange. But what if trapping isn't the best way? What if all that trapping was really unnecessary, wasteful and involved needless risk? More

In 1821, Central America attained its independence from Spain. Two years later, Costa Rica became one of the members of the United Provinces of Central America. In 1838, Costa Rica became a sovereign nation. From 1849 to 1940, Costa Rica would see a succession of elected governments and coups. The country became a leader in banana cultivation after U.S. businessman Minor Cooper Keith established the United Fruit Company. More

How often have the words “Food Security” been used by politicians and agricultural technicians? While the words speak volumes to the ability of a country to be able to feed itself, the harsh reality is that most of the Caribbean territories continue to be net importers of food. While the saying, “the development of any country starts with people who work the ground”, represents the importance of food security, this is not reflected in the plans and programmes for our forward movement towards economic prosperity. More

The Eighth International Gathering of Economists on Globalization and Development Problems, to be held in Havana from February 6 to 10, will focus on the new conditions of the world economy and significant events from the past year that have reshaped it.
This year, economists, sociologists, social scientists and a wide array of experts will discuss economic growth, and its associated weaknesses and uncertainties; the failure of the WTO’s  Doha Round Briefing Series; the crisis brought on by rising oil prices; the fluctuating euro-dollar relation; the challenge of the US’ twin deficits —fiscal and trade balance—; and the most talked about economic phenomenon: the role of China with its unstoppable economic development and its growing participation in the world market. These new developments in the world economy highlight the importance of this unique forum that will gather close to 1,300 participants from the most diverse schools of thought. More

The Zapatista rebel Subcomandante Marcos has shed his violent past and made a move towards formal political influence. His campaign to gather supporters to a far-left agenda could, however, split the country’s left-leaning voters and hand the presidential election to the right.
The beginning of 2006 saw what most have heralded as a welcome move away from the violent insurgency that Mexico had been privy to since 1994. The Zapatista group, led by Subcomandante Marcos, has reaffirmed its decision to move towards peaceful protest and a unification of Mexico’s disenfranchised communities. More

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