A pause has been put on discussions over the proposed acquisition of SpeedNet (SMART) by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL). Minister of Public Utilities Michel Chebat told the House of Representatives that Prime Minister John Briceño instructed the pause to allow for greater public engagement and to
Cabinet met on Tuesday and approved several measures that could affect everything from island tourism to road safety and human rights. Tourism on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and San Pedro was one of the first items discussed. After reviewing a rapid assessment of challenges affecting visitor
The National Students’ Union of Belize (NSUB) is strongly opposing Belize Telemedia Limited’s proposed acquisition of Speednet/SMART, warning that the deal could create a monopoly that harms young people. In a statement, the union said the takeover risks creating a telecommunications monopoly that would jeopardise the
The Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) has restated its concerns following a meeting with Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) about the company’s proposed acquisition of Speednet/SMART. Last week, BTL met with both the BCCI and the Belize Business Bureau (BBB) on the same day to
The United Democratic Party (UDP) parliamentary caucus is boycotting today’s sitting of the House of Representatives in protest against Belize Telemedia Limited’s (BTL) proposed acquisition of Speednet/SMART. The UDP described the boycott as “Round 3” in its series of protests and called the acquisition “one of
A key decision on BTL’s proposed purchase of Speednet remains on hold tonight. After relocating their meeting from Belize City to Belmopan to avoid protests by UDP supporters on Wednesday, Social Security Board directors sat down to review the proposed acquisition, one that’s stirred concern
Former employees demanding long‑awaited severance pay are once again turning up the pressure on Belize Telemedia Limited. Members of the Belize Communications Workers for Justice say they’re expecting a response from BTL as early as tomorrow, and while they wait, they took their protest back
And while former BTL workers keep up the pressure for long‑awaited severance pay, they now say their right to protest is also being challenged. The Belize Communications Workers for Justice claims police have scaled back approval for their demonstrations and rejected further requests, raising fresh
Police have made an arrest in the deadly shooting of twenty‑one‑year‑old Paul Smith Junior. This afternoon, officers charged twenty‑seven‑year‑old laborer Benyati Brandon with murder and attempted murder following Tuesday’s fatal shooting in La Democracia Village. Smith was gunned down in broad daylight around ten‑thirty a.m.,
Forty‑five‑year‑old Maurice Usher Jr. has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Geoffrey Crawford, an elderly man from Crooked Tree Village. Usher was originally charged with murder and had pleaded not guilty when his trial began last week before Justice Derick Sylvester, but on
