Belize City & Local Finance: The city was named in a Commonwealth study on closing the urban finance gap, with Mayor Bernard Wagner stressing that infrastructure funding must cover long-term operation and renewal, not just construction. Telecoms & Competition: The BTL–Speednet/Smart acquisition fight is heating up: social partners and the Belize Chamber are calling for an immediate halt, more disclosure, and a clear Public Utilities Commission review of impacts on competition and consumers, while the Chamber says the deal looks “seller-driven” and warns about value-for-money and regulatory guardrails. Environment & Food/Ag Risk: Belize’s Department of the Environment is investigating the ongoing Belize River fish kill amid unconfirmed claims of industrial waste; Santander Sugar says it uses a closed-loop process and does not routinely discharge process water into the river. Sugar Sector: Prime Minister John Briceño met sugar stakeholders on the mealybug infestation and updates under CRESAP and BAC-SuF, backed by the Green Climate Fund. Banking Digitization: Belize Bank signed a six-year partnership with Backbase to roll out an AI-native digital banking platform for retail and business customers. Agriculture on the Ground: Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson visited farms in the Belize District, highlighting climate-change and rain-fed farming challenges. Beekeeping & Fisheries: Corozal beekeepers received hive-health and honey-production training under CRESAP, while San Pedro commercial fishermen raised concerns over proposed fishing regulation changes. Energy Costs: Controlled butane/LPG prices increased slightly nationwide under the Supplies Control Unit’s new pricing.