Latest news with #Briana
Trade Arabia
05-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Hyatt appoints new Regional Vice President of Development in Saudi Arabia
Hyatt has appointed Briana Swift as Regional Vice President (RVP) of Development for Saudi Arabia. Briana, previously Regional Vice President of Development for Northern Europe, will relocate to Riyadh where she will lead development efforts in Saudi Arabia – a key growth market for Hyatt, which is set to triple its portfolio across the country by 2030. Briana joined Hyatt in February 2017 as Manager of Acquisitions and Development across Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME). Over the last eight years, she has played a pivotal role in overseeing the growth of Hyatt's brands across Europe, introducing JdV by Hyatt to Europe and overseeing several brand entries to the Greek Islands and Malta. In her latest role as RVP Development Northern Europe, she signed Hyatt's re-entry into Hamburg with Hyatt Centric Altstadt Hamburg and the debut of the JdV by Hyatt brand to Sweden among others. In her new position as RVP for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Briana will be responsible for leading the group's growth efforts across the country's primary destinations and upcoming developments. With projects such as Hyatt Place AlUla, Grand Hyatt The Red Sea, and Miraval The Red Sea already lined up, Briana and the team will continue to collaborate with local partners to further expand Hyatt's diverse portfolio of brands in the region. 'Briana Swift has been instrumental in Hyatt's portfolio expansion across Northern Europe, and I am thrilled to see her spearhead our development efforts and initiatives going forward in Saudi Arabia,' stated Felicity Black-Roberts, Senior Vice President of Development. 'During this pivotal period of rapid and exciting regional growth, Briana brings a wealth of experience that will enable us to further expand our presence and foster valued relationships with local stakeholders across the Kingdom.'
Sunday World
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Music icon Brianna Corrigan returns after a decade away from the limelight
Former Beautiful South singer Briana Corrigan reveals why the time is right for her comeback Briana Corrigan stepped out of the limelight for more than a decade It was her voice that washed over us on the Beautiful South's worldwide hit A Little Time, every bit as fresh as the day it was released in 1990. She spent four years with the band at a time when they were on the crest of a wave. In partnership with Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, formerly of the Housemartins, they became one of the fastest selling bands on the circuit. 'It was a rollercoaster, that's for sure,' she said. Briana Corrigan stepped out of the limelight for more than a decade 'The Beautiful South happened so quickly, they had just come from the Housemartins and the cross over to the Beautiful South worked instantly and in a big way. 'I was so young — only 23. I now have son of 23 and he seems so young. It was magical in so many ways and very difficult in other ways. An amazing time.' Briana was speaking to the Sunday World ahead of two special shows later this month, one at the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Co. Derry, and then Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast. They mark a welcome return to the stage for Briana, who quit Beautiful South in 1992 to forge a successful solo career before taking a 10-year hiatus away from the public eye. 'It's great to be back. There is nothing like performing live. I've really enjoyed being back on stage playing all those songs and also some of my new work. 'Now that my kids have left [home], space opened up in my life and it was the natural thing to do.' Proud of her roots Not that she was idle during her decade way. She raised a family, wrote poetry, wrote for the theatre and established a company in the creative arts. Now she is reintroducing the voice once described as capable of 'melting icebergs at 50 paces'' to new audiences and a smattering of the old. 'I love the idea of playing in unusual venues. The Heaney Centre is a wonderful space and it means so much for me to perform there — his poetry is so important to me. 'And when the opportunity came up to play Fitzroy Church, I couldn't turn it down. We played in St Augustine's in Derry last year and it was brilliant. Churches have such amazing acoustics. 'If you sing, you'll know singing in church and sound it creates.' These unique shows come at the end of a hugely successful UK and Ireland tour across 2024 and into 2025 and she is planning a number of soon to be announced additional Irish gigs. With a new single — Apollo Junction — out now and new album of fresh material on the way, it has been a busy return. Born in Belfast but brought up on the north coast in Portstewart, she has been living in Dublin for some years but really only calls one place home. 'I don't get to the North as much as I'd like. I have a brother living in Derry so I make it up there quite a lot. I was born in Belfast but we moved to Portstewart when I was 10. 'I really miss Portstewart, but with my parents dead and the family home sold we don't have a reason to be there so much.' It's fitting that one of her shows is at Seamus Heaney HomePlace. 'Even to this day, every time we drive over the border I say to myself, 'ah now I'm home!' It never leaves you, that sense of home. 'And I do honestly believe Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I see the countryside all around us and the north Antrim coast is unrivalled anywhere in the world.' She'll be accompanied on her homecoming by a guitarist and a cellist. Briana on stage with Paul Heaton (right) 'We'll be playing a lot of those great Beautiful South songs which have adapted really well to the cello. There'll be some quirky cover versions and a few old Celtic ballads.' Delighted that the songs have stood the test of time, particularly A Little Time, she said audiences have been a mix of old fans and new devotees. 'That has been a great for us because we love playing them and it shows just what great songs they are.' With her Beautiful South years and two best-selling solo albums under her belt, fans know what to expect — a rare opportunity to enjoy Beautiful South classics in the company of her own storytelling songs and her take on traditional Celtic music.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
More than 1,000 Oklahomans participate in 'Hands Off' protest outside City Hall
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahomans from near and far gathered in a 'Hands Off' protest Saturday afternoon outside City Hall in downtown OKC. 'Hands Off' protests were held coast-to-coast in all 50 states Saturday. Diana M. was at the protest in OKC, she said 'Hands off of our democracy, hands off of our healthcare and hands off of our rights.' Briana S. told News 4, 'The American people are not happy about the things that are happening here right now.' Briana also said she believes the demonstration is more than just a typical protest. 'We're a movement, and I think it shows that our community is actually stepping up and ready to speak up and stand together and fight for freedom,' Briana said. Metro pastor arrested for molesting girl and calling her 'the chosen one' 'Hands off' is being described as a response to the Trump Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Debbie Moore also showed up Saturday afternoon, saying, 'We are trying to get rid of the people that are ruining our country.' This nationwide demonstration comes amid firings and layoffs of federal workers and funding cuts to agencies that many Americans and Oklahomans depend on. 'Our democracy is all over the place. They are taking away rights from people that belong here just as much as we do,' Moore said. Here locally, there more than 1,000 people participating, holding signs reading strong messages. 'We want to make Washington aware that we don't like what's happening,' said Diana. Moore also added, 'There is no fear. You shouldn't have fear. People have died for our country. It's a situation where we're not dying for our country. We are trying to protest on our country being taken away from us.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
26-03-2025
- The Guardian
Aboriginal women are scared to seek help for fear their children will be taken, report finds
Briana* was just starting to get a handle on the unpredictability of feeding, bottles and all that comes with a newborn when she received an email informing her she had lost custody of her three-month-old son. Days later, child protection authorities took her child. With him, they took many of the milestones the 36-year-old first-time mother was looking forward to. 'I'm going to miss those first words, the first rollover, everything,' she says. 'They're going to stop me from that first-time normal experience. You go from being a mum … to completely nothing.' Briana is one of 33 Aboriginal parents who spoke to researchers from Human Rights Watch about their experiences with the child protection system in Western Australia. Between them, these parents had 113 children removed. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Briana was homeless when her son Mica* was taken. A victim of domestic violence, she had been living in a women's shelter but was evicted after a dispute with a staff member. 'They never had an issue with my parenting until I didn't have a roof over my head,' she says. 'Just because someone's homeless we shouldn't be taking the child off them. You should be offering them more help if anything.' Human Rights Watch and the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project interviewed 54 people over two years to produce the report released on Thursday, titled All I Know is I Want Them Home. They included parents, grandparents, children currently in care and young adults who had grown up in care. Western Australia has the highest rate of Indigenous child removals in the country, with Aboriginal children making up more than 60% of all children in care. The number of Indigenous children in care in WA increased more than 400% in 20 years, the report said. In 2003, 570 Aboriginal children were in out-of-home care, making up 35% of the total children in care. By 2023 there were 3,068 Aboriginal children in out-of-home care and the proportion of children in out-of-home care who were Indigenous had almost doubled. Some Aboriginal mothers had children removed after they sought treatment for injuries caused by a violent partner. Many said they were scared to seek help for fear their children would be taken away. 'Because of the assaults from … the father of [my son], I went to the hospital and then the hospital got involved in and called [the Department of Communities],' Chloe* whose five-year-old son was removed, says. 'Because my baby … was with me at the time when I went to hospital and then they came in and took [my son].' Another woman says: 'I had a black eye and a split lip and I didn't want to open the door because I knew something was going to happen. They just said, 'Well, we're just going to ring the police so we can come in for a welfare check,' and that's how they took them.' Rose*, who was removed from her mother as a child, says: '[I didn't go to hospital] a couple of times because they would get involved … and then they would try and make me look like I'm the crazy person, like they always do to people, like they done to my mum. So, I thought I'm not going to let them do it to me. No ways.' The report found the most common reason for a child protection notification was because of exposure to domestic and family violence. Other triggers include homelessness, incarceration, food insecurity or allegations the parent had been physically abusive to the child. Noongar woman and National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project support coordinator, Marianne Headland Mackay, says insecure housing and poverty is contributing to the jump in child protection notifications and furthering trauma for Indigenous families. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Aboriginal families are struggling with unstable accommodation, yet a secure home – one of the most fundamental needs for a child to thrive – is denied to them,' she tells Guardian Australia. 'Instead of offering support to struggling families, the government's approach is to remove children, causing more damage and deepening the wounds in our communities.' HRW researcher Annabel Hennessy said their work found that poverty and a lack of support compounded families' stress and contributed to intergenerational trauma. Many who had children removed had themselves been removed, either through the child protection system or stolen generations-era policies. 'Homelessness is a symptom of poverty. That's a state failure, not an individual failure,' Hennessy says. She says the lack of support for victims of domestic violence who were seeking housing was 'quite shocking'. She said many families were without any legal representation and had to represent themselves in court, 'We've got limited statistics from the children's court but from most of the cases that went to trial last year the majority of parents did not have legal representation,' Hennessy says. 'Going to a court in a situation where your child can be removed from [you] and you also might be experiencing domestic violence and homelessness – the power imbalance between yourself and the government department is huge.' The report recommended establishing an independent commissioner to oversee Aboriginal children in care and better social and legal support for families. * Names have been changed In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. The national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. Help for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is available on 13YARN on 13 92 76.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Yahoo
Community mourns loss of mother, 3 daughters in domestic incident in NW Indiana: 'They were the light'
The Brief A candlelight vigil was held in Lake Station, Ind., to honor Briana Payne, 27, and her three daughters, Aurorah, 7, Ava, 6, and Alayna, 4, who were tragically killed in a domestic-related murder-suicide last week. The community is grieving, with family and school officials recalling the victims as joyful, light-filled individuals who brought happiness to others, including Briana's involvement in the school's PTO and family moments of dancing and music. Briana's employer has set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses, which has raised over $10,000 so far. LAKE STATION, Ind. - A candlelight vigil was held in Northwest Indiana on Friday for a mother and her three children who were tragically killed in a domestic-related incident last week. Now, community members and classmates are leaning on one another as they start to cope with their horrific deaths. "We are all shocked, dismayed, and under disbelief as to what happened to this beautiful family, these beautiful children," said Tom Cripliver, superintendent of the Lake Station Community School Corporation. What we know One week after the deaths of Briana Payne, 27, and her three young daughters, the Lake Station community came together to remember the joy they brought to so many lives. "They were the light. I mean, they were sun. They were the biggest sunshine. Ever since this happened, that's all I could think about. My light is gone, my light is gone," said Lili Owens, Briana's mom. On Friday, Feb. 21 around 2:44 p.m., officers were dispatched to a mobile home in the 6700 block of 9th Avenue for a welfare check. There, they made the disturbing discovery. Briana along with her daughters—Aurorah, 7, Ava, 6, and Alayna, 4—were shot and killed in their home in what officials are calling a murder-suicide. "She was dynamite. She was a huge bang in a little bitty body," Owens said of her daughter. The man responsible, police say, was Briana's husband—Robert Payne, 31—who was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "Just a moment more with them, it was too soon," Owens said. What they're saying Now, an irreplaceable void is left in the heart of Briana's family and her daughters' classmates at Bailey Elementary School. "Ava and Aurorah were complete opposites, but that only made them more special," said Kimberly Hayes, principal of Bailey Elementary School. As Principal Hayes explained, Briana was a dedicated mom and member of the school's parent-teacher organization. "It was just a few weeks ago that we saw her and the girls at our Valentine's dance, dancing the night away, laughing, and soaking in every moment of joy together," Hayes said. Briana's mom shared that she and her girls loved music and dancing. "And they would just spontaneously start breaking out in dances together," Owens said. It's those moments, and the positive light she and her daughters brought, that her family will miss the most. What's next Briana's employer started a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of funeral expenses, which has already raised more than $10,000.
