Today the Belize Port Authority inaugurated its new headquarters. The new building is located next door to Belize Coast Guard HQ in Belize City, a location chosen to in order to make it easier for mariners and boat owners to access all the necessary maritime services. We spoke to Minister of State of Transport, Edmund Castro, about the timely addition of the new building... The new building will replace the rented offices the BPA occupied on North Front Street.

A World Without Tobacco

There are countless commercials and awareness campaigns against tobacco smoking, but people all over the world especially young persons, keep striking up those cigarettes.Ã‚ Now, for heavy smokers, Ã‚ quitting is easier said than done but the National Drug Abuse Control Council and the Belize Cancer Center are urging them to at least try. And both organizations hope to change that bad habit by highlighting the serious, life threatening effects of tobacco. Courtney Weatherburne has more details from today's health fair.Ã‚

Whether itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s just an early morning smoke to get you ready for the day or your usual on the porch early afternoon cigar, one draw is all it takes to poison your body.

Nayaly Moreno - NDACC District Coordinator, Corozal
"As the person doing the smoking you are inhaling over 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette puff that they make and shortening their lives by 15 years per cigarette which means that as they keep consuming cigarettes their lungs, their teeth especially the mouth area is what starts developing bad smells, the teeth start decaying faster eventually it goes into the throat and lungs and people think that most of the times it is the throat and lungs that are the only ones being affected but in reality, it is all the other organs, internally it causes an effect."

And that is the wakeup call the National Drug Abuse Control Council along with the Cancer Center want to give to smokers today at their World No Tobacco education and awareness Fair.

Heather Reneau - Senior Administrator, Belize Cancer Society
"The chief message today is to have some level of restraint if it just for 24 hours or maybe today can jump start to kick that bad habit right because a tobacco healthy country means less NCDÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s pressure on our government, we heard Dr. Escoto say today how much burden it is on the Ministry of Health in addressing NCDÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s which cancer is a part of so it is diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems and tobacco plays an critical role in all these diseases."

People think maybe Tobacco only gives you lung cancer but it contributes to a number of cancers, it contributes to colon cancers, stomach cancers, mouth cancers and oral caners so we have displays out there today that children and adults alike and see the effects of tobacco on your body

But tobacco consumption doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t only damage the smoker, everyone around them gets caught in the haze.

Nayaley Moreno
"It is commonly known as first hand smoking, second hand smoking the third hand smoking is the smoke that stays within the curtain and clothes and when you still come home and hug your loves ones you are still bringing some of that smoke into them and you are affecting them."

This is the education fairÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 5th year.

Teaching Children Conflict Resolution Early

Today primary school teachers were invited to a Building Healthy Relationships Seminar at the Radisson. The focus is to discuss with teachers what strategies and lesson plan concepts they can use in the classroom to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution. Now, this is something teachers face on a regular basis with kids Ã¢â‚¬" they have to be stopping fights and mediating between the feuding students regardless of how petty the argument may be, but Project Director of the Children Safe Space Initiative Dorla Bowman says these productive and peaceful conflict resolution techniques have to be incorporated and reinforced in the curriculum. Bowman says the idea is to combat and even deter crime or criminal behavior from a young age by teaching kids to communicate rather than fight. A book of lesson plans reflecting non-conflict resolutions was also launched today. These books will act as a guide for teachers. The Children Safe Space project is funded by the US Embassy through the CARSI initiative.

A Fitting Honor For Frank Lizama

Education month ended today with an event at the Skills Training Center on Magazine Road. The building which used to be the bus terminal for Venus Bus Line now proudly carries the name of former Belize city mayor and Collet area representative, Frank Lizama. Today the current mayor and current area representative both showered him with praise:Ã¢â‚¬¦ Lizama who is now 86, served as Collet Area Representative from 1984 to 1989 and Mayor of Belize City from 1985 to 1986.
Looking now at the center which bears his name, Faber said it serves an important role for those who could not make it through the formal education system:..

7 News, Wednesday April 31st, 2017 from 7News Belize on Vimeo.