Century Complex levels up family fun with new entertainment centre launchWith the growing wave of anti-establishment sweeping the world, Barbados has not escaped the movement. It is showing up in our educational system and how people interact with traditional systems of authority. There has been no greater evidence of this than the shift in the relationship between law enforcement and the public. There is an increased level of open resistance to instructions. The job of police officers has always been challenging but in an era where people are insisting on their rights and are not prepared to accept instructions that are not grounded in law or infringe their rights, cops must act with integrity. Admittedly, the job of law enforcement has become more complex given developments in technology as people can organise and plan crimes without even being in the jurisdiction, far less at the scene of the crime. It is now not uncommon to view videos showing open hostility and attempts to physically prevent police officers from undertaking their work including their attempts to arrest persons. In a 2018 dissertation by Hyunin Baek for his Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville, titled Confidence in the Police Among Caribbean Countries, it was posited that public confidence in the police was a global issue and not something unique to the region. You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians “Policing scholars have identified public confidence in the police as the most important issue facing law enforcement in the community policing era. Police executives have implemented various policies to recover and preserve the relationship with the public, such as education and procedural justice training to build and sustain community trust. However, the improvement of the public police relationship is still a heavy burden in law enforcement agencies.” In Barbados the relationship between the police and community has not frayed to the point where that lack of cooperation and support is translated into an inability to bring perpetrators of serious crimes to justice. In fact, the local crime fighters have boasted one of the region’s highest clearance rates for serious crimes like murders. In a small country like Barbados, such an accomplishment is dependent on an activated community willing to go the extra mile to ensure their safety. There have been several flare-ups on the island that threaten to disrupt and undermine confidence in the Barbados Police Service (BPS). No greater evidence of that waning trust was on display in recent days following the decision of High Court Judge Bryan Weekes to award almost $400,000 in damages to attorney-at-law Lani Daisley following her 2012 arrest and charging. Police constables Hughshone Gamble and Kim-Marie Rock were shown to have conspired and concocted a false story on which to lay charges against the lawyer, who was attempting to speak with her client who was detained by the police at the Bridgetown Port. Justice Weekes, in his indignant slap down of the police officers’ actions stated: “The court found the actions of the police officers involved in this matter to be completely unacceptable and quite frankly alarming. The transcript of the recording reveals a lack of professionalism and a standard of behaviour which was shocking to the court’s conscience.” He added: “[Daisley was] subjected to a level of physical and verbal abuse to which no citizen should ever be exposed.” The Attorney General, against whom the civil suit was brought, along with the Commissioner of Police, did not enter a defence to the civil action. What has astonished members of the public is the fact that no disciplinary action was brought against the officers. As Martie Garnes and Shadia Simpson of the Criminal Law Committee of the Barbados Bar Association outlined this week, police officers engaged in breaking the law must be disciplined for their actions, even if it means termination from the BPS. While Daisley had the resources and competence to pursue her matter to the highest level that the justice system allows, Simpson and Garnes worry that ordinary Barbadians are left unprotected from rogue officers who see themselves as judge, jury and executioner. It is incidents like these that taint the BPS and make the jobs of those officers who do their work with honour, to face unnecessary hurdles, and an additional layer of violence because of the level of distrust in police officers.
HUNTINGTON, W.V. (AP) — Marshall has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change resulted in much of its roster jumping into the transfer portal. The Thundering Herd were slated to play Army on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced on Saturday that the Bulldogs will take on the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead. Marshall said it pulled out “after falling below the roster minimum that was deemed medically safe.” The Herd (10-3) beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 last weekend to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time. The program has won seven games in a row in the same season for the first time since 2020. “We apologize for the nature and timing of this announcement and for the turmoil it has brought to bowl season preparations for Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN,” Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said in a statement. Coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss last Sunday, and Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State, was announced as his replacement less than an hour later. By Thursday, at least 25 Marshall players had entered the transfer portal. Gibson held a meeting shortly after arriving on campus in Huntington to introduce himself to the team. He followed that up with phone calls, text messages and more meetings Friday and Saturday. “Any time coaches leave to take other jobs, it is emotional,” Gibson said at a news conference Thursday. “And kids that are 18-to-22 years old are going to make emotional decisions instead of just breathing for a day or two.” It's the first bowl for Louisiana Tech (5-7) since 2020. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games, but they haven't played since a 33-0 victory over Kennesaw State on Nov. 30. “We are excited to accept the opportunity to play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against a fantastic and storied program as Army,” Louisiana Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey said in a release. “I believe our football program is moving toward positive structure and the opportunity to play in this bowl adds to that momentum. We are looking forward to being in Shreveport for this matchup.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s health minister has been removed from his post, government officials told The Associated Press on Thursday, following a deadly gang attack on the largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The two government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said Health Minister Duckenson Lorthe will be replaced by Justice Minister Patrick Pelissier until a new health minister is found. Two journalists and a police officer were killed Tuesday as gang members burst into the General Hospital and fired indiscriminately at reporters who were there to cover the facility’s reopening. It was one of the worst attacks on Haitian media in recent memory. Seven other journalists were injured. Jean Frans Regala, a photographer who survived , said journalists had been invited to the hospital by the health ministry but there was little security at the site. “The fact that the minister of health invited us, you feel that preparations have been made already,” Regala told the AP. “When we made contact with a police unit, the police told us they were not aware of the event.” The health minister did not show up at the event, for reasons that have not been explained. On Tuesday, Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of the Viv Ansanm group of gangs that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack. The video said the gang coalition had not authorized the hospital’s reopening. Gang violence has worsened in Haiti since the nation’s president was killed in a 2021 coup attempt. Gangs are believed to control 85% of the capital and earlier this year staged attacks on the main airport and the country’s two largest prisons. The Caribbean country has struggled to organize an election that will restore democratic rule, and is currently governed by a transitional council made up of representatives of political parties, business groups and civil society organizations.BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Don McHenry scored seven of his 29 points in overtime to lead Western Kentucky over Murray State 81-76 on Saturday. McHenry hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 39 seconds left and two free throws with 15 remaining to rally the Hilltoppers (7-3). He added five rebounds. Babacar Faye scored 17 and grabbed nine rebounds. Khristian Lander had 12 points. Jacobi Wood led the way for the Racers (6-3) with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Nick Ellington totaled 15 points and seven rebounds. AJ Ferguson pitched in with 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Faye put up eight points in the first half for Western Kentucky, which trailed 39-33. McHenry led the Hilltoppers with 15 second-half points and he hit the game-tying layup with 35 seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 67. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Friday the constitutionality of a law requiring social media giant TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a ban in the United States. In its , the court rejected challenges from TikTok and its users who the law violated various constitutional protections, including their rights to free speech. The court’s decision means TikTok must complete a qualified divestiture from ByteDance by January 19, 2025, or its platform will effectively become unavailable to US users. The court found that the government presented compelling national security justifications for the law, specifically citing concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to collect data on Americans and manipulate content through the platform. While acknowledging the significant impact on TikTok and its estimated 170 million US users, the court determined that these security concerns justified the strict measures. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” the opinion stated. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” The court emphasized that TikTok has options to continue operating in the US through divestiture, though the company has argued such a separation would be impractical due to Chinese export restrictions. The ruling also noted that the President can grant a 90-day extension if progress is being made toward divestiture. As described in the opinion, TikTok’s previous to resolve these concerns through a national security agreement with the US government were deemed insufficient by both Congress and the Executive branch, leading to the passage of this more stringent legislation. 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States On December 6, 1865, the to the United States Constitution was ratified, formally ending slavery in the US. Spain adopts modern constitution On December 6, 1978, Spain adopted its by referendum. It laid the foundation for democratic government in the country after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. The event is celebrated annually in Spain as Constitution Day.
NoneFor decades, power protected Alan Jones. Now he’s facing his own reckoningWARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The woman who is alleged to have murdered her husband and cut up his remains was subjected to years of abuse by him and other family members and reported hearing “angels” amid the mental scars of years of trauma, according to court documents. Nirmeen Noufl, 54, is accused of murdering her husband Mamdouh, butchering his body and then disposing of his remains across southwestern Sydney. The horrifying allegations levelled against Ms Noufl have been revealed in court documents, which also claim she had a tortured upbringing and detail her battle with mental illness. The documents reveal horror claims about the woman’s life, including that she was physically abused from a young age by her father and mother and was forced into an arranged marriage where she again experienced physical abuse. Mr Noufl, who was commonly known as Emad, was last seen in May last year before he was reported missing two months later. His remains have not been found and last month Ms Noufl, who has been charged with his murder, was denied bail by the NSW Supreme Court. 20 TO 30 RUBBISH BAGS The couple, who had eight children together, had been married for over 34 years, during which time they ran small businesses. Up until 2020, Mr Noufl ran a Newtown convenience store and she was a childcare provider and later owned an NDIS business. According to a police fact sheet tendered to the Supreme Court during Ms Noufl’s bail application, Mr Noufl travelled to Egypt in 2022 and became engaged to another woman. Police allege Ms Noufl found out about the other woman that year, causing “tensions” in their marriage. However, that assertion has been denied by her lawyers who said she had for several years been aware of his infidelity. Mr Noufl sent the woman 550,000 Egyptian pounds, or about $15,000, to “assist with setting up a new life together in Egypt”, according to the police. In April 2023, Mr Noufl sold a Condell Park investment property for $1.69m. On May 3 last year, Mr Noufl went to the Egyptian consulate with his wife and signed over power of attorney. That evening, he went to Burwood to go for a walk with an associate and arrived at his Greenacre home about 9pm. It’s alleged that he was killed sometime between arriving home and 2am during a physical altercation with his wife. Police say it’s unknown how Mr Noufl was killed but allege that Ms Noufl had minor facial injuries as a result of the altercation. According to the court documents, it’s alleged Ms Noufl placed plastic sheets on the floor and cut up her husband using kitchen knives and a drop saw before she put his body parts in 20 to 30 plastic rubbish bags. She is accused of cleaning the crime scene using chemicals and bleach over the following days and placing his body parts in residential and industrial bins across Bexley and Chullora. Police further alleged that the flooring in the home’s kitchen, living room and dining room was ripped up and replaced and she disposed of two leather lounges. THE MESSAGES It’s alleged that after his death, Ms Noufl took control of his phone and social media accounts, using them to make out that he was still alive. According to police, his family and friends “received messages from (Mr Noufl’s) mobile phone and social media accounts that were unusual and not typically how (Mr Noufl) communicated”. It’s alleged she also used his social media accounts to demand that his “female companion in Egypt” return money given to her by Mr Noufl. An exchange between Mr Noufl’s “female companion” and Mr Noufl’s Facebook account in Arabic is revealed in court documents. According to the police fact sheet tendered in court, Mr Noufl’s account sent a message saying: “Peace be with you. I urgently need money. Of the money you owe, transfer to me 550,000 (Egyptian pounds).” The account then sent through a bank account number and asked for a picture to confirm the transfer had been sent. The woman replied: “Peace be with you. Please, before I transfer the money, I need you to call me so I can be sure that it is you who is asking for it, and I assure you that I am holding it on trust, and you will take it for sure, but I think I have the right to be sure. “If you cannot call me, you may send a voice recording in which you ask for it. Thank you anyway.” Mr Noufl’s account replied: “You have no shame. You know that this money belongs to my wife Nirmeen.” After further exchanges, the woman sent through proof that the money had been forwarded to the account. Ms Noufl went to Egypt in May 2023 and returned in July with $US200,000 ($A154,000) in her possession, which was believed to be proceeds from the sale of one of Mr Noufl’s Egyptian properties. ‘INHERENT WEAKNESSES’ Ms Noufl is due to appear in Burwood Local Court next week and has yet to enter a plea. Last month, she asked to be released on bail to seek treatment for her mental illnesses, pointed to her strong community ties in Sydney and argued it was estimated that any trial would not take place until 2026. In court documents, her lawyers attacked the strength of the Crown case and described it as having “inherent weaknesses”. Her barristers, Greg James KC and Johnson Jiang, wrote in submissions to the court that there was evidence that Mr Noufl was violent towards Ms Noufl during their marriage, a claim that was supported by police having been called as well as statements made to her doctor. They further argued she had no motive to kill Mr Noufl, saying that she knew about the other woman in Egypt. “Whilst the police describe Mr Noufl to have engaged in an affair with a woman in Egypt and that this caused tension between (Ms Noufl) and Mr Noufl, Mr Noufl’s infidelities are a known quantity to (Ms Noufl) and her family and it would not come as any great shock so as to kill him,” her lawyers wrote. They further argued that she had a clean criminal history, was not known to be a violent person and had no financial motives. Her lawyers also said there was evidence “as to the violent nature of Mr Noufl”. The court has been told that Ms Noufl reported that Mr Noufl was abusive and in 2012 she told a medical practitioner that she was a victim of domestic violence. Police were also called in 2008 and 2009, the court was told, following reports of domestic violence. Police were called to their home in September 2009 after Mr Noufl and his wife argued over her request for a divorce. When police arrived she reported to officers a “long history of physical violence”. It was reported to police that he picked up a knife and told her: “I would rather see you dead than give you a divorce.” And when he put down the knife, she picked it up, but he took it from her grasp during a struggle, the court documents state. ‘SEVERE BEATINGS’ In an affidavit handed up to the court, Ms Noufl’s younger sister Amanda Farien detailed how they were both subjected to domestic violence by their father when they were young. She also said they were beaten by their mother while they lived with her in Syria as young children, describing being forced into servitude. The sister claimed Ms Noufl was “stripped”, beaten “with an electric chord” and was forced to make coffee “as if Nirmeen was a slave”. She described their living arrangements as being like “captivity” and said she continually ran away. “The beatings we experienced in Syria haunt me till today and have affected me forever,” she said. They eventually returned to Australia to live with their father. Ms Farien said Ms Noufl returned to Australia 21⁄2 years after her, and when she landed in Sydney, Ms Noufl looked like a “Holocaust survivor”, her sister said in her affidavit. “Extremely fragile, hardly speaking or eating,” she said of her sister’s appearance upon her return to Australia. “Her teeth were black, and she spent most of her days confined to her bedroom.” She said her father arranged for Ms Noufl, when she was about 18 or 19, to be married to Mr Noufl, who at the time was attempting to immigrate to Australia but repeatedly had his visa application refused. “I believe he sold Nirmeen and it was purely a money deal,” she said, adding that Nirmeen did not meet her husband until the day of their wedding. Ms Farien said during the marriage, Mr Noufl “treated Nirmeen like a slave” and subjected her to physical abuse. “She endured severe beatings simply for wearing a T-shirt in the backyard,” Ms Farien wrote. She also said her sister had “experienced mental breakdowns” and “always suffered from mental health conditions” as a result of their traumatic upbringing and abuse. She detailed how Ms Noufl would say: “I can see and hear the angels talking to me.” Ms Farien said this occurred “frequently” after Ms Noufl was subjected to abuse and it “continued into adulthood”. The court was told last month that Ms Noufl had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder and PTSD, and a forensic psychiatrist had observed she had possible psychotic symptoms. Ms Noufl was arrested in October at Bankstown Hospital, where she had checked herself in as a mental health inpatient. Ms Noufl will appear in court again on December 11. Domestic Violence helplines
3 reasons to involve your kids in Small Business Saturday
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Mukesh Ambani said that Reliance Industries has appointed Ira Bindra as the new Group President, overseeing all aspects of people, leadership, and talent management. This move signals a shift in the company's approach to people policies. Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-9167143-2"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); Typically, senior functional heads make announcements regarding talent hires at the executive level, but Bindra's appointment was personally announced by Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance—marking a significant moment for the company. Bindra has been brought on board to lead a comprehensive organisational transformation. "Bindra joins us from Medtronic, USA, where she was the Head of Human Resources and Vice President - Global Regions," Ambani said in an internal organisation announcement, reported PTI. Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1253031-3"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); Ira Bindra, 47, will become the first non-family woman and the youngest member to join Reliance Industries’ influential executive committee. As the group president for people and talent, she will collaborate closely with Mukesh Ambani, Isha, Akash, Anant, and the entire executive committee to spearhead organisational transformation across people, culture, and leadership, according to Ambani’s announcement. Bindra will work in partnership with business and HR leaders to build upon Reliance’s existing foundation. A graduate of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College in 1998, Bindra earned her MBA from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands in 1999. Throughout her career, she has gained extensive experience with GE Capital, GE India, GE Healthcare, and GE Oil & Gas before joining Medtronic in May 2018. "Bindra is a global HR and business leader with deep domain expertise across a range of industries, geographies and business cycle. She has deep business and functional H R expertise across industries such as med tech, financial services, large industrial and global delivery centre business," Ambani said. These leadership roles span diverse and complex geographies worldwide, including developing and developed markets such as India, the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. "Bindra has led large HR teams in Fortune 100 companies, such as GE, and has led organisations through bold business transformations, from designing new operating models, creating new business lines to executing significant divestitures, resulting in better performance and outcome," he said. With extensive experience across various leadership roles, including HR business partner, talent development, technology R&D, commercial, compliance, and business transformation, she brings a unique ability to integrate business, data, and people strategies to drive impactful results, Ambani added. Also Read: 68% HR Leaders Believe Candidates With AI Expertise Can Get Higher Salaries: ReportThe two major political parties are expressing confidence about their chance of securing a win in the by-election in the Aenon Town division in Clarendon. Suzette Barton of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is facing the People's National Party's Delroy Dawson. The JLP currently holds an 11-10 majority in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. People's National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding told The Gleaner today's election is a chance for the party to bounce back from the 92-vote loss to the JLP in the February local government polls. Speaking after visiting a polling station, Golding said, “For us, it represents an opportunity to win it back. We had it before, and last February was an aberration from our point of view.” JLP Deputy General Secretary Andrew Wheatley, who is also on the ground, was optimistic about his party's chances. Three hours after the polls opened, Wheatley said "We are on target as it relates to getting out our supporters". “It's a very good day for the political process in Jamaica,” Wheatley added, noting the camaraderie among supporters. The by-election was called to fill the seat left vacant following the death of JLP councillor Marjorie McLeod McFarlane. - Ruddy Mathison Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at [email protected] or [email protected] .Chris Hemsworth’s Wife Elsa Pataky Shares Rare Photo of All 3 of Their Kids Celebrating Christmas 2024
Two weeks after , Microsoft has expanded the preview to include AMD Zen 5 and Intel “Lunar Lake”-based PCs too. As before, you need to enroll an eligible PC in the Dev channel of the Windows Inside Program to test these features. There’s also , as noted below. Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift! “Today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2510 to the Dev Channel,” . “With this update, we are previewing new experiences for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs including Recall and more and expanding Click to Do (Preview) beyond Recall in Windows.” This build includes the following features, all of which are new to those on compatible AMD and Intel-based PCs. But those on Snapdragon X will see changes as well. After failing to draw even a single security concern in two weeks of testing, Recall is now available in preview on x64 PCs too. As before, this includes Click to Do (Preview) functionality in Recall. But new to this release, Recall is available in Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, and it’s now available in the European Economic Area (EEA). The latest version of the Paint app (build 11.2410.1002.0) brings Cocreator to AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs. That said, it’s a CFR, so you may not see it right away. Likewise, the latest version of Photos (2024.11120.1001.0) adds Restyle Image and Image Creator for those on AMD and Intel-based Copilot+ PCs. Ditto on the CFR warning. Click to Do now works outside of Recall too: You’ll find it in Start, with Search, and via the WINKEY + mouse click keyboard shortcut, and it’s available in Snipping Tool. “Click to Do is the first experience to leverage the capabilities of Phi Silica, the on-device Small Language Model (SLM) that is built right into Windows,” Microsoft notes. “Results from our local model will show directly inline and if you’re happy with the rewrites you can copy them directly to your clipboard for use anywhere. These more intelligent text actions are available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs today when your language is set to English with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.” Now rolling out via CFR, the new Windows Hello is here with a modernized UI, a passkeys-based credential user experience, and support for new administrator protection features (that are not yet available in the Dev channel). There are a few other small changes, like the compact clock/date display in the Taskbar and , plus a lot of bug fixes. — Additionally, Microsoft has released for users with PCs enrolled in the Windows Insider Program Beta channel. There’s not much going on here. It offers the simplified new clock/date display in the system tray, the new File Explorer behavior in which folders open outside the app open in new tabs (and not new windows), and the recent Microsoft Store update. Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of and the host of three tech podcasts: with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, , and with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via , or . Join the crowd where the love of tech is real - become a Thurrott Premium Member today! Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday