More heat continues to come down on the Social Security Board for what appears to be a series of unusually favourable loans to companies controlled by INTELCO Chairman Glenn Godfrey. Today a release from the Chamber of Commerce, whose members occupy two seats on the S.S.B., called on the Board to make public details of […]
In the midst of a media storm of questions surrounding its loans and alleged involvement with millions of dollars of Social Security money, Intelco has remained silent…until now. Through a press release issued today, the company says “the reports that have been circulating have become so fanciful and so far removed from the truth that […]
With summer almost over, this month camps around the country are closing up shop. This morning, News 5?s Jacqueline Woods spent time with youths at the University of Belize?s School of Agriculture, Central Farm where she found young men and women eager to share their experiences. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting It was the first national youth […]
For people who rely on money regularly sent from relatives and friends abroad, you might want to take note of this developing story. Today News 5 received reports that, Belize Transportation Agencies Limited was stripped of its authority to conduct Western Union business. Authorities at the Central Bank confirmed that BTALCO?s license has been suspended […]
It?s steady rise, but speedy descent has been a hot topic for months and while there is little doubt that telecommunications company Intelco is on the brink of financial failure, tonight, questions regarding its loans, who?s paying them and the money being used, are circling the company like vultures over a carcass. Latest press reports […]
It was the Swedish Parliament which coined the term “Ombudsman” in 1809 when it established the office of Justitie–Ombudsman, whose mandate it was to act as a defender of the people in their dealings with government. Today, more than a hundred countries around the globe have established such a position, with Belize joining the ranks […]
The Belize Police Department is claiming success from its first national neighbourhood watch conference held over the weekend in Belize City with its first tangible outcome being the formation of national task force. According to organizers, the mission of the task force will be to enlist more community involvement in the fight against crime. Over […]
With crime perhaps the number one concern of the Belizean public, the gathering couldn?t be more timely. This afternoon I received a briefing on Saturday morning?s Neighbourhood Watch Summit. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting You may have seen signs like these ones in your neighbourhood or in other parts of the country identifying the location as one […]
It?s never quite clear where the rumours originate—with B.T.L., Intelco or the Belize Government–but the tortilla telegraph, not to mention the internet, is working overtime promoting a detailed version of a deal under which Jeffrey Prosser?s Belize Telecommunications Limited will buy out its down and out rival, Intelco. The main points of the alleged transaction […]
It is a relatively small gesture…but sometimes it?s the little things that mean the most. Jacqueline Woods reports from King?s Park. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting It did not take long for the children of Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre to explore and enjoy the multifunctional play set. Previously a swing and an open field where the […]
Belize Telecommunications Limited today announced plans for a major upgrade in services, particularly in rural areas. The twenty-five million dollar project is expected to add five thousand new lines by January and offer first time consumers a wide range of services. According to B.T.L.?s managing director, John Vondras, it?s all part of the company?s plan […]
The annual Human Development Report has been released by the United Nations Development Programme…and the news for Belize is not good. Our ranking among one hundred and seventy-seven countries, which was as high as number fifty-four in 2001 and slipped to sixty-seven last year, has now plummeted to ninety-nine. The reason for the precipitous drop […]
Earlier this year more than one thousand people reportedly died In Haiti and the Dominican Republic after their houses were swept away by floods. This morning, the Belize City Council and the Belize Red Cross continued with their appeal to raise funds to help the storm victims from both countries. The strategy is based on […]
Belize Water Services Limited is currently in the middle of one of its most trying periods since taking over control of Belize’s water supply. What B.W.S. officials describe as “a major incident” on the Belmopan distribution system last weekend, left thousands of residents in the capital and surrounding villages high and dry. Torrential rains dumped […]
Sunday was observed as World Population Day and number of activities are taking place this week to commemorate the occasion. This morning, Belize City Mayor David Fonseca was presented with a poster that signifies the progress that Belize and other countries have made in population issues. Present at the short ceremony were Jewel Quallo Rosberg, […]
The Public Utilities Commission today announced a new initiative, which it says, is designed to make the use of electricity safer in Belize. According to the P.U.C., the approved practice for connection of electricity supply to all buildings will now require a certificate from a licensed wireman, technician or engineer before Belize Electricity Limited can […]
Sexual abuse and exploitation: On a list of Belize?s social problems, it would rank at or near the top. But before a problem can be solved, it must first be exposed. And that’s what was happening today in Lord’s Bank. New’s 5’s Patrick Jones reports. Patrick Jones, Reporting The over one hundred girls and young […]
It’s a programme that is often cited as a success for the organisers-namely the Belize Police Department–as well as the thousands of young participants. This week the Police Cadet Corps is winding up its annual summer camp in Benque Viejo and News 5’s Jacqueline Woods paid the kids a visit. Alma Worrell, CPL, Police Cadet […]
When the House of Representatives meets on July sixteenth, there will be a departure from the usual parliamentary practice of the Opposition having its say with the Government getting its way. The reason is that in order to replace the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice it will be necessary to amend the […]
It is a high priority programme that aims to put young people to work and help them acquire the skills that will make them effective leaders in the years to come. Today Youth for the Future took its mandate internationally. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports from the Philip Goldson International Airport. Mervin Lambey, Programme Development […]
The man identified in last night’s newscast as the key player in a proposal to privately develop Belize’s largest Maya archaeological site has strongly defended the project and his involvement in it. In a press release today businessman Eugene Zabaneh referred to his proposal for Caracol as being “in the spirit of national development with […]
This week Belize joined other countries around the world to observe the eighty-second International Cooperatives Day, which is held every year on the first of July. The day highlights the many benefits of cooperatives, speaking about their history, and giving them recognition and support. According to Belize’s Registrar of Cooperatives and Credit Unions, Zenaida Moya, […]
We have not covered many graduations this season, but the one that took place this morning at the Belize City Centre was kind of special. News 5’s Patrick Jones reports. Patrick Jones, Reporting Proud parents watched from the sidelines as thirty-four young men took centre stage at the fifth graduation of students from the National […]
Just as not all teachers are on holiday, it’s not necessarily true that all Belizean children are running wild. Today News 5’s Jacqueline Woods visited one site in Belize City where youthful energy was being usefully channeled. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Looking at eleven-year-old Mike Smith, you would not know that only five months ago, he […]
Caught between the rock of overwhelming debt and the hard place of almost non-existent cash flow, the telecommunications company known as INTELCO appeared to take one step closer to the brink of disaster today as it closed three district offices in Orange Walk, Belmopan, and at the airport, and let go an undetermined number of […]
