SAN PEDRO DAILY,July 30, 2007,Belize News,Features,Newspapers, Information,Resource,Caribbean,Ambergris Caye

Belize to receive $BZ 32.5 Million Under 10th European
Development Fund

The Ministry of National Development announces that official confirmation has been received from the European Commission Delegation in Jamaica that a grant of Euro 11.8 million, or BZ $ 32.5 million has been allocated to Belize under Envelope ‘A’ of the 10th European Development Fund.
This BZ $ 32.5 million allocation represents a 20% increase from the original allocation indicated earlier by the European Commission. The increase in allocation is provided by the European Commission as an incentive to Belize and was calculated on the basis of Belize’s performance in governance, and credibility and extent of Belize’s commitment to governance reform.
Earlier this year the Ministry of National Development submitted Belize’s recent achievements in improved governance and Government’s plans for governance reform to the Commission, and based on this assessment Belize was granted 20% of the maximum 30% incentive.
The focus sector of the 10th European Development Fund is integrated rural development which is consistent with the overall EC programme in Belize. The Ministry indicates that this grant will target the improvement of social infrastructure in rural areas, improvement of the efficiency and competitiveness of rural industries and the diversification of rural enterprises. All of these interventions are consistent with Government’s recently approved National Poverty Elimination Strategy and Action Plan 2007-2011.
The Ministry also announces that the European Commission has approved an additional sum of Euro 600,000 or BZ $ 1.6 million under Envelope ‘B’. Funding under Envelope ‘B” is targeted to be used for unforeseen needs such as emergency assistance, contributions to internally agreed debt relief initiative and support to mitigate the adverse effects of instability in export earnings. Joint programming for the use of both Envelopes ‘A’ and ‘B’, Envelope ‘B’ is expected to begin in early 2008. Read More

New Shipping Act:
Stiffer Fines and Higher Standards!

Probably one of the most drastic amendments in the new guidelines is the one that stipulates that all owners and operators of vessels bigger than a paddling dory must have a captain’s license and seaworthiness certificate from the Port Authority. “I want them to understand that we are serious about this and to all the mariners out there and all the boat captains and owners who have not yet re-registered and or re-licensed their boats to do so as early as possible and also to those captains who are out there navigating the waters without a valid masters or captain license to do so as soon as possible,” stated Valerio. Valerio also commented that every person with the intention of driving a vessel must get a license. For veteran boat captains, those who have never applied or received a captain’s license must do so now. “They have to take the test and do everything that everybody else does. It’s just that maybe they’ll be able to get their license faster because when it comes to the practical part, they know exactly what they are doing.”
Penalties from operating an unregistered boat may include a $1,000 fine which also applies for any person driving a water vessel without a proper captain’s license. All seaworthiness certificates and captain licenses expire on December 31st of each year. According to Port Authority officials, following the information campaign, enforcement of the new rules will begin countrywide. The law has other provisions, and if you want to know more, you can contact the Belize Port Authority. Mariners without a captain’s license can visit the Port Authority’s office at the corner of North Front and Pickstock Streets for testing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more information or to place any reports please call 223-0714 or 223-0716. Read More

Commentary: CARICOM and Washington commission a new
chapter in US-Caribbean relations
By Andrew Carmona

For the first time in ten years, heads of state from the fifteen-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United States came together at the “Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision” held in Washington, DC, from June 19 - 21, 2007. The agenda for the conference included various forums to facilitate dialogue and an exchange of ideas. Discourse between heads of government took place as Caribbean leaders met with President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; communication between government bodies and the citizenry was facilitated by several expert and private sector forums which addressed trade and development issues as well as investment opportunities; and interaction between islanders and fellow countrymen who had migrated to the US was made possible through a Diaspora forum that highlighted the role of Caribbean nationals living abroad.
With a population at barely 5 percent of that of the US, Caribbean integration vis á vis CSME will better prepare the CARICOM nations to find their niche in the global market; however, a good rapport with the region’s major global partners is necessary in the pursuit of overall Caribbean development goals. Conversely, one would hope that President Bush’s renewal of the CBI and the recent Conference on the Caribbean signifies a revitalization of the US-Caribbean relationship that has been characteristically absent during his two terms in office. Considering the Bush Administration’s consistent preoccupation with other regions of the globe and America’s increasingly tattered image around the world, such a conclusion might be refreshing not only for otherwise fragile Caribbean economies but for a battered US regime policy as well. Read More

NOTICES/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Reality is merely an illusion,
albeit a very persistent one
Albert Einstein

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

Aromatherapy - Cures for Everyone
by Bibi Chapmam

Jet Lag
This affects you when your internal body clock becomes disorientated. It can cause changes in your normal eating and sleeping patterns and is generally debilitating.
During your flight (if it is a long haul) drink plenty of water and less soft drinks, avoid alcohol and eat little. Sleep, if you can, and before traveling, make up this aromatherapy blend. Add four drops of rosemary, four drops of ylang-ylang and four drops of lemon oil to 4 fl. oz (100 ml) of a carrier oil. During your flight, massage the base of your skull. On arrival, pour some of the blend into a warm bath and soak in it for at least 15 minutes.

THE SAN PEDRO DAILY ARCHIVES