Police are investigating a case of incest involving a 13-year-old female in southern Belize.
According to the mother’s report, the incident involved the child’s father sexually abusing her daughter three different times in 2023.
The police have since launched an investigation. A medical examination is pending to confirm whether the child was “carnally known,” police reported.
The British Museum is facing renewed calls to return cultural objects taken during colonial expeditions, this time from Belize. San Benito Poite, a small, village in southern Belize, has formally requested the return of human remains and artefacts taken from the ancient Maya city of Pusilha nearly a century ago, along with a $1 million BZD repatriation grant.
In a signed resolution addressed to the British Museum, San Benito Poite’s Alcalde Manuel Cucul and Village Chairman Richard Caal lay out seven key demands. These include the return of all human remains to Pusilhá for proper reburial. It also seeks the repatriation of carved stelae and altars that were previously removed from the area. The museum is asked to send back a selection of ceramic and lithic objects, with transportation costs covered by the institution. The letter requests a $1 million BZD grant to build and operate a visitor centre in Pusilhá to house and interpret the artefacts. A 10-year scholarship fund is also proposed, among others.
Between 1928 and 1931, British Museum expeditions, assisted by looter Thomas Gann, removed numerous artefacts from Pusilhá without the consent of the Maya people and in violation of archaeological standards. Items including stelae, altars, pottery, and human remains were taken, often damaged during extraction, with no proper documentation or inventory kept. The museum has since admitted it does not hold legal title to many of these objects, which remain unregistered and out of public view in storage.
Authorities have launched an investigation after a shipment containing 15 pounds of high-grade cannabis was intercepted at Customs earlier this month. The drugs were found in a consolidated shipment from the United States, the type typically sent through freight services in barrels.
According to reports, a customs officer inspecting the shipment reportedly received prior calls from two colleagues asking him to monitor a specific box, which they claimed contained bath and body products. Instead, the officer found bags of cannabis, not soap and lotions. He immediately reported it to his supervisor.
The officer who made the discovery has given a statement to police. The cannabis found is reportedly of top-tier quality, with a street value estimated in the hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
Police are investigating if this could be part of a wider, long-running smuggling operation.
The Kidney Association of Belize is alerting the public about a scam involving individuals impersonating the organisation to solicit Zoom meetings and financial donations.
In a Facebook post, the association said it received multiple reports of fraudulent phone calls and messages from people falsely claiming to represent the organisation.
“These calls and messages are not from us,” the Kidney Association stated. “This is a scam, and we strongly urge the public not to engage or share any personal or financial information.”
The association is encouraging anyone who receives such suspicious communications to report them immediately to the relevant authorities.
Minister of National Defence and Border Security, Oscar Mira, continued his national tour of military facilities with a key stop at the Belize Coast Guard’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) on Hunting Caye, located in the remote south of the country.
The base, nestled within the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, holds strategic importance. It serves as a frontline post in enforcing Belize’s maritime laws, carrying out vessel inspections, conducting search and rescue missions, and protecting vital marine resources.
In a statement, the ministry said that Minister Mira “received a capability briefing from the Sector Commander and observed an interoperability demonstration between the Coast Guard Drone Squadron and the 1st Fleet, showcasing coordination in maritime security and search and rescue operations.”
This area has been extensively reported as an ‘area of concern’ for illegal fishing, and Belizean fishermen are suspected of seeking illicit substances.
Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard, joined the minister during the inspection.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar was elected Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago after defeating the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) in a closely watched election on Monday.
The 73-year-old United National Congress (UNC) leader, who previously held office from 2010 to 2015, becomes the first person in the country’s history to return and remain the only woman to ever have led the twin-island Caribbean nation.
The vote follows the sudden resignation of former Prime Minister Keith Rowley and the short-lived appointment of Energy Minister Stuart Young, whose decision to call early elections backfired. The UNC, long weakened by internal rifts and past defeats, capitalised on growing public anger over crime, inflation, and political instability.
In her victory speech, Persad-Bissessar promised to raise public sector wages, reopen the long-delayed children’s hospital, expand job opportunities, and provide laptops to schoolchildren. “This victory is yours,” she told supporters, “and no one will be left behind.”
The PNM conceded late on Monday, with Rowley admitting the party had lost its grip. The new government faces immediate pressure to tackle rising violence and economic uncertainty.
Belize congratulated Persad-Bissessar in a social media post, stating, “The Government and People of Belize convey sincere congratulations to the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar on her election as the 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”
