The city of Damascus at night. President Assad allegedly left on a night flight to Moscow. Photo by T Foz on UnSplash. – Advertisement – The U.N. secretary-general called for calm and the avoidance of violence Sunday following the unexpected fall of Syria’s Assad regime to rebel forces. “After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize a historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future,” Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine, and my Special Envoy will be working with them towards that end.” Geir Pedersen, his envoy, stated that the country is at a “watershed moment” in its history. He urged the avoidance of bloodshed and the preservation of unity during this transition. “This dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward...

Junior doctors across Jamaica have gone on sickout to press the Government on compensation issues. The doctors did not turn up for the 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. shift at hospitals and health centres. In a letter to its members on Sunday, the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) detailed grievances that it says have persisted for 20 months. These include the government’s failure to address retroactive payments for owed overtime, the unilateral removal of incentive allowances —reportedly endorsed by a medical representative body —and the imposition of new overtime rates contrary to previous agreements. The JMDA further accused the government of refusing to reinstate the discontinued incentive allowances, deepening the rift between the parties. “We have made multiple attempts at compromise, all of which have been shut down by the Ministry of Finance, and so we have withdrawn our services,” said a medical doctor who requested anonymity. The doctor emphasised...

The “Made in the USVI” Pop- Up Shop returns from Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Saturday, Dec. 21 in downtown Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority’s Enterprise Zone Commission are excited to announce the reopening. As individuals travel from the eastern side of the island towards the west, the Made in the USVI Pop Up Shop will be located on the right-hand side in the first block of Main Street in the purple building next to the Lucky Jewelers store. The doors to this unique shopping experience will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10AM to 4PM on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. Store hours will be extended during the Miracle on Main Street event on Friday, Dec. 13. USVIresidentsandvisitorswillhaveanotheropportunitytopurchasea wide variety of unique gifts made in the U.S. Virgin Islands,...

Anonymous writes: I write with great concern regarding the recent release issued by the Commission for Standards in Public Life (CSPL) concerning their examination of the declarations made by Wayne Panton MP and Sabrina Turner MP and the CSPL’s determination that there have been no breaches of the Register of Interests requirements as outlined in the Standards in Public Life Act (The Act). While the CSPL determined no breach of the law, it went on to “emphasize” to all persons in public life the importance of transparency. The CSPL further stated that it would be reviewing its guidance notes for Persons in Public Life and is considering necessary legislative amendments to “ensure declarants have a clear and full understanding of the need to declare possible or perceived conflicts”. I pause here to highlight two very important points: 1. When the existence of the loan from Mr Panton to Mrs Turner...

Overview: Heavy rainfall causing flooding and landslide claimed at least four lives on Thursday in Cap-Haïtien’s Bande-du-Nord communal section, officials said. To help relieve several areas in the city from severe flooding and critical conditions, Cap-Haïtien’s officials have requested assistance from the central government. However, authorities in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, have yet to show up and have not provided a reason for its delayed presence on the ground. A deadly landslide and widespread flooding in Cap-Haïtien have left at least four people dead and dozens of homes submerged in water and mud, prompting local officials to declare an environmental state of emergency. Despite repeated calls for assistance, Haiti’s central government has not yet responded, leaving the city to fend for itself during this crisis. “We still don’t have an answer until now,” Cap-Haïtien Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor told local reporter  Gérard Maxineau during an interview on Dec. 6. “A...

En un rincón del sur de Brasil, paleontólogos han desenterrado los secretos de un antiguo habitante del Eoceno, una nueva especie de armadillo extinto que revela un capítulo fascinante de la evolución en Sudamérica. Este descubrimiento no solo añade una pieza clave al rompecabezas de los mamíferos del pasado, sino que también abre una ventana al mundo cambiante de hace más de 40 millones de años, cuando el clima global comenzaba a enfriarse. El hallazgo en el corazón de Brasil En la formación Guabirotuba, ubicada en el estado de Paraná, los investigadores encontraron ocho pequeños fragmentos óseos que cuentan una historia monumental. Estos osteodermos, parte de la coraza que protegía a los armadillos prehistóricos, han sido identificados como pertenecientes a una especie completamente nueva: Parutaetus oliveirai. Este fósil destaca no solo por su antigüedad, datada entre 42 y 39 millones de años, sino también por sus características únicas que no...

Varios partidos suspendidos matizaron la jornada dominical de la XII Serie Provincial de Béisbol en Artemisa. En el Grupo A, Rayos de Güira de Melena con el apoyo de su público, derrotó en par de ocasiones a los Cazadores Juveniles con marcadores de 7-0 y 10-5. Dayron Díaz fue el pitcher ganador del primer encuentro y Yosbiel Guzmán cargó con la derrota. En el segundo choque Adrián Abreu salió victorioso mientras Ángel López sumaba el punto negativo. En esa misma llave, Tigres de Alquízar le quitó el invicto a Leones de Artemisa de forma contundente al derrotarlo dos veces con marcadores de 11-5 y 4-0. Los de la capital provincial jugaron de Home Club en el estadio ¨Luis Campos¨ alquízareño por las labores de recuperación del ¨26 de Julio ¨ tras el paso del huracán Rafael. En el primero de los compromisos, José Luis Padrón se llevó la victoria en...

At least 110 mostly elderly people have been brutally murdered by gang members in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, according to a human rights group. The National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH) said a local gang leader had targeted them after his son fell ill and subsequently died. The gang leader reportedly consulted a voodoo priest who blamed elderly locals practising “witchcraft” for the boy’s mystery illness. The United Nations said the number of people killed in Haiti so far this year in spiralling gang violence had reached “a staggering 5,000”. Warning: This story contains details some readers may find upsetting While details from the massacre are still emerging, the UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk on Monday put the number of people killed over the weekend “in violence orchestrated by the leader of a powerful gang” at 184. The killings happened in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital. According...

Zr.Ms. Holland un biaha mas a intercepta un transporte grandi di droga den Lama Caribe. Riba 24 di november, a intercepta e cantidad di 511 kilo di cocaina. Na momento di e intercepcion a los tiro dirigi riba e motornan di e boto chikito cu droga. Ta e di 7 captura desde yegada di e Barco di Marina den Region Caribense. E avion maritimo di patruyahe di Wardacosta Region Caribe a mira un boto sospechoso den Lama Caribe. Zr.Ms. Holland mes ora a drenta accion, y a hiba curso direccion di e boto sospechoso y tambe a manda su botonan di intercepcion rapido tambe den su direccion. Tripulacion di e botonan FRISC, e scuadron di Fleta di Marina y un ekipo maritimo di mantencion di orden legal di Wardacosta Mericano, a forsa e boto cu droga pa stop. Esaki a logra finalmente cu e tironan dirigi...

224 Last Saturday – 30th November – we celebrated not only 58 years of Independence, but also the 3rd anniversary of our Republic of Barbados.Our achievement of substantive independence from Britain on 30th November 1966 was indeed an awesome and outstanding accomplishment. But, as great as that accomplishment was, it was perfected and made even grander by the historic step we took almost exactly three years ago to remove the monarch of Britain from the position of Head of State of our nation and to elevate our very own Dame Sandra Prunella Mason to that exalted office. Essentially, what we did was to take full control of our sovereignty, thereby bringing completion to our state of national Independence. We therefore finally placed ourselves in a position where we – and we alone – possess the power to do every single thing necessary to govern ourselves.And, of course, the key questions...