Australian woman accused of dismembering husband in ‘bizarre’ murder
A Sydney woman has been charged with the murder and dismemberment of her husband 18 months after he was last seen, in what police have described as one of the most “bizarre” cases they’ve ever encountered.
Police deemed the man’s disappearance “suspicious”, and after extensive investigations by a special homicide squad, they arrested a 53-year-old woman, Nirmeen Noufl — the wife of the missing man, Mamdouh Noufl — on Thursday, the New South Wales police said.
Police officers were initially called to a home in Greenacre in Sydney last year in June to investigate the case of a 62-year-old man who had not been seen since May 2023.
Detectives allege the woman killed her husband before dismembering his body using knives and a power saw, disposing of the remains in bins across the neighbourhood.
“The murder is brutal, but it’s also macabre and bizarre. The way, the manner, the nature and the disposal of the body,” homicide squad detective Danny Doherty told Sydney Morning Herald.
Detectives arrested her at a hospital in Bankstown where she had admitted herself. At the same time, with assistance from specialist officers, detectives executed a crime scene warrant.
“It’s right up there with one of the most bizarre manners [of death],” Mr Doherty said.
No remains have been discovered, and Mr Doherty does not anticipate any will be found in the future given the manner of their alleged disposal.
Police further alleged that Noufl accessed her husband’s bank accounts and social media to create a “ruse” implying he was still alive, a deception that ended once he was officially reported missing in July.
“His family friends were concerned in relation to his whereabouts – they thought he was travelling overseas but he couldn’t be reached. His family in Egypt were also unable to locate him,” Mr Doherty said.
Further investigation is underway.
Police allege the woman had “a lot of unexplained wealth”.
They claim there was an “extensive clean-up” and “reflooring” of the couple’s home where they had lived together for 10 years.
“We will allege in court she is solely responsible for his murder, dismemberment and disposal,” Mr Doherty said.
“[She benefited] financially and [obtained] a significant benefit through the properties sold,” he added.
The couple have eight children.
“I feel very sorry for [Mr Noufl], I’m really shocked…I can’t believe he ended up like that,” one neighbour told ABC News.
The 53-year-old was denied bail and is scheduled to appear in court again on 11 December.
Indian government argues against classifying marital rape as ‘rape’
The Indian government has opposed calls to classify non-consensual sexual acts committed by a husband against his wife as “rape”, saying that to do so could have an impact on conjugal relationships and disturb the institution of marriage.
In its submission to the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that while a husband does not have the right to violate his wife’s consent, labelling such an act “rape” would be “excessively harsh and therefore disproportionate”.
This marks the first time that the federal Narendra Modi government has officially opposed calls to abolish the marital rape exception within Indian law.
The submission was made in response to a batch of petitions put before the Supreme Court, which seek the removal of an exception in the country’s penal code that states that a sexual act by a man with his own wife, as long as the wife is not under 18 years of age, is not rape.
In a 40-page affidavit, the federal government stated that “a husband certainly does not have any fundamental right to violate the consent of the wife”, but emphasised that classifying such a violation as rape could be seen as overly severe. The document cited the need to take a balanced approach to take into account fundamental rights within the context of marriage.
“The central government asserts that [the requirement for] a woman’s consent is not obliterated by marriage, and its violation should result in penal consequences,” submitted the ministry. “However, the consequences of such violations within marriage differ from those outside it.”
The statement comes after the government previously indicated in 2022, during a hearing at the High Court in Delhi, that the matter required further consultation and that a review of criminal laws was underway.
At the time, solicitor general Tushar Mehta submitted that the government did not wish to take a definitive stance, preferring to engage in consultations before proceeding. This invoked a sharp response from the High Court, which delivered a split verdict, with the court remarking that the arguments would have been “richer” had Mr Mehta assisted the court.
A comprehensive document issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs recognised that marital rape should be deemed illegal and subject to criminal consequences.
However, it conceded that each party in a marriage has the right to privacy and dignity, adding that invoking a charge of rape “would necessarily entail consequences” that do not reflect the nuanced reality of the matrimonial relationship, reported the Hindustan Times.
The government also argued that labelling marital rape as rape could disrupt the conjugal relationship and the institution of marriage.
The affidavit said that there exists an expectation of reasonable sexual access between spouses, but that this does not justify coercion. However, it added that “these obligations, expectations and considerations … are completely absent in the case of a stranger”, and thus that the legislation should “distinguish qualitatively between an incident of non-consensual sex within the marital sphere and without it”.
It added that the government had chosen to retain the marital rape exception despite recommendations by a different government committee, “appreciating the subtlety and complexity of consent within marriage”.
The affidavit cited socio-economic and cultural factors as being among the reasons for the decision, saying that the courts must account for diversity. It also raised concerns about the potential misuse of marital rape laws.
Seeking judicial restraint, it said that the issue for consideration in the current batch of petitions is a “social issue rather than a legal issue, therefore it is submitted that the same cannot be decided without proper consultation with all the stakeholders, or taking the views of all the states into consideration”.
Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan’s wedding photos without bride go viral
Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan got married in Kabul on Thursday and while congratulatory messages poured in from his colleagues, many are bemused at the complete lack of women in the photos, including the bride.
The Afghan T20I captain and his brothers Amir Khalil, Zakiullah and Raza Khan, were all married on the same day in a traditional Pashtun ceremony in the Afghan capital.
Several people were perplexed by the fact that among the many pictures posted on social media, not one featured Khan’s wife, or any woman.
Afghan cricketer and former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team Mohammad Nabi posted some photos from the ceremony on X, congratulating Khan: “Congratulations to the one and only King Khan, Rashid Khan, on your wedding! Wishing you a lifetime of love, happiness, and success ahead.”
One fan replied: “Woh sab toh thik hai par dulhaniyaa kahan hai? (All this is fine, but where is the bride?)
Another asked why there couldn’t be a photo of his bride with her face blurred out.
In Afghanistan under Taliban officials, women are virtually excluded from nearly all aspects of public life, with several countries expressing alarm at the systematic erasure of women’s rights.
According to a UN report published in July 2024, the morality police have created a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans. The report said it documented at least 1,033 instances between August 2021 and March 2024 where ministry employees applied force during the implementation of orders, resulting in the violation of a person’s liberty, and physical and mental integrity.
After the Taliban seized power in August 2021, they have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade as well as public spaces, like parks, gymnasiums and salons. They further restricts women from working in a horrific repeat of its 90s rule on the country.
Afghan women must be accompanied by a male guardian, father or husband (mehram) if they step outside the home, or face punishment.
In August, the Taliban introduced the country’s first set of official rules aimed at “preventing vice and promoting virtue,” which require women to cover their bodies and faces fully with thick clothing in public. Under these new regulations, women are not allowed to let their voices be heard in public, even from within their own homes, including by singing or reading aloud. Women are also forbidden from looking directly at men who are not direct members of their family.
Penalties for violating these rules include “advice, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, detention for one hour to three days in public jails, and any other punishment deemed appropriate”.
The Taliban have reacted dismissively to the global widespread criticism and condemnation of their new rules, claiming it displays “arrogance”.
Despite the ban, Afghan women are reportedly defying the Taliban by flooding social media with videos of themselves singing. The lyrics of a popular song say: “Their boots might be on my neck. Or their fists to my face. But with our deep light inside, I will fight through this night.”
Kim Jong-un calls South Korea’s leader ‘abnormal’ and issues warning
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to use nuclear weapons “without hesitation” in case of a nuclear conflict, as he ridiculed South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol as an “abnormal man” and a “puppet”.
Mr Kim said during a visit to a training base of the special operation units of the North Korean army the “permanent existence” of Seoul would be impossible if a nuclear conflict were to occur, according to state media KCNA.
The North Korean dictator’s rhetoric comes following Mr Yoon’s speech at the Armed Forces Day ceremony on Tuesday when the president vowed the “end of the North Korean regime” if Pyongyang used nuclear weapons.
During the military parade, South Korea unveiled its most powerful Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile and other conventional weapons that could target North Korea.
Mr Kim said Mr Yoon’s address fully betrayed his “bellicose temerity” and showed “the security uneasiness and irritating psychology of the puppet forces”, reported KCNA.
Ridiculing Mr Yoon, the North Korean leader called him “an abnormal man”, saying that “the puppet Yoon bragged about an overwhelming counteraction of military muscle at the doorstep of a state that possesses nuclear weapons”.
According to South Korean media Yonhap, it marks the first time in about two years that he has directly attacked Mr Yoon in strong remarks without addressing him as president. His July 2022 speech was the first time he directly addressed Mr Yoon and called him out for threatening the North’s security and right to self defence.
While the exchange of words of war between the two Koreas is not new, the latest comments come amid heightening animosities after the recent disclosure of a nuclear facility and its continuation of missile tests.
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament next week is likely to constitutionally declare a hostile “two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula to formally reject reconciliation with South Korea and codify new national borders, according to observers.
It would scrap the historic inter-Korean agreement signed in 1991 at a key parliamentary meeting, the South Korean unification ministry said Wednesday.
The country pulled out of the agreement in December and defined inter-Korean ties as relations between “two states hostile to each other”.
Taiwan deports Chinese couple who disrupted pro-democracy event
Taiwan deported a Chinese couple who illegally entered the island from mainland China and allegedly disrupted a pro-democracy protest in Taipei.
Taiwan’s government said on Thursday that it has revoked the visas of the Chinese couple after they harassed people during a protest held by Hong Kong exiles in Taipei on China’s National Day.
The Hong Kong Outlanders group alleged that the protesters were verbally harassed and pushed around by a group of Chinese people in Taipei’s Ximending district.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait affairs, said the couple engaged in “misconduct that violates the principle of reciprocal dignity”.
“The government will take immediate action against mainland Chinese who come to Taiwan for illegal behaviour such as endangering national security and social stability,” the government body said. “They will not be allowed to intrude into Taiwan.”
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) of the island said the pair had violated the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into Taiwan Area.
The Chinese nationals applied for temporary entry permits for visiting family members living in Taiwan. However, the NIA said the family they intended to visit had already returned to China in July and they were aware of it.
The Mainland Affairs Council condemned the couple for “abusing” the system.
The protest was planned for China’s National Day on Tuesday when the Chinese Communist Party marked 75th anniversy of communist China.
Chinese president Xi Jinping reiterated his pledge to achieve “reunification” with Taiwan on the eve of the national day.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own despite never having controlled it and has vowed to reunify it with the mainland, even by force if required.
As Beijing intensified its crackdown on pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, Taiwan has become home to a large diaspora from the city since the 2019 unrest and the ensuing crackdown on political dissent.
The videos shared by Hong Kong Outlanders on Facebook showed a man attempting to take down the flag which bore the popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”.
The man was filmed saying in Mandarin that he would not allow such a flag to be hoisted on the National Day of China.
“Today is the National Day of China and I would not allow such a flag here,” he said. “Taiwan and Hong Kong are parts of China!”
The police intervened and led him away as things turned heated.
Typhoon Krathon: Two killed, tens of thousands without power in Taiwan
Typhoon Krathon slammed into southwestern Taiwan on Thursday, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes, flooding streets, and killing two people in the east.
The storm, initially a Category 4 typhoon, significantly weakened before making landfall near Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s major port city, causing widespread damage and bringing the entire island to a standstill for two days.
Krathon was labelled a “weird” storm by the local media as it lingered near Taiwan’s coast for a long time, moving unusually slowly and making landfall on the populated western coast of the island, generally considered safe from typhoons.
Schools, offices and shops were shut and flights were cancelled for the second day on Thursday as the typhoon began landfall around noon local time (4am GMT). This was the second time this year a storm shut down Taiwan’s stock exchange for two days.
All domestic flights were cancelled for a second day as well as 242 international ones. The north-south high-speed rail line suspended services between central and southern regions until at least early evening.
On Thursday morning, Kaohsiung residents woke up to emergency alerts to take shelter as the eye of the typhoon entered the region bringing gusts of over 160 kmph. Heavy rainfall, which continued to lash the region since this week, intensified.
At least two people were killed in the island’s east amid the extreme weather caused by the typhoon. One victim fell while trimming a tree and the other died when a vehicle was hit by a rock. Earlier this week, the storm killed two people in the Philippines and left thousands displaced.
No major casualties were reported in Kaohsiung, where the last major storm was Typhoon Thelma almost three decades ago.
“Fortunately people were well prepared this time,” Chou Yi-tang, a government official in Siaogang district, home to Kaohsiung’s airport, told Reuters news agency.
“It’s been a long time since such a big storm made landfall here,” he said.
Ahead of the storm’s landfall, the government distributed thousands of sandbags, water pumps were deployed and around 38,000 troops from the Taiwanese military were put on standby to assist with disaster relief efforts.
Approximately 10,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas, particularly from Kaohsiung and other high-risk regions such as Pingtung and Taitung.
“This is one of the most powerful storms we’ve seen hit the west coast in recent memory. We urge all residents to stay sheltered and be prepared for extensive rainfall,” Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai said on Tuesday.
Despite the preparations, the storm left many areas inundated in knee-deep water. On Thursday, at least 51,000 households remained without power primarily in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, down from over 170,000 earlier.
Some eastern regions received more than 1.6m (5.2ft) of rain, washing cascades of rocks and mud on to roads.
The Southern Taiwan Science Park, site of one of the main factories of chipmaker TSMC, said operations were normal.
Amid the extreme weather, a fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan killed at least nine people in Pingtung county, which has been hit hard by Typhoon Krathon.
Reports said 176 patients were rushed to the front entrance and transferred to ambulances in the pouring rain. They were moved to shelters nearby.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Agency (CWA) said some eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are still set to see more extremely heavy rain, with up to 40cm (1.3ft) falling over the next 24 hours. It issued alerts for more rainfall which was expected to last until Friday morning.
Although the storm was expected to dissipate, the system is forecast to slowly work its way up Taiwan’s flat western plain and reach the capital Taipei, which could experience residual effects.
The slow movement of storms is becoming a troubling trend in recent years as it leads to longer periods of rainfall and more destruction. Scientists have earlier linked this kind of pattern to the climate crisis.
Rising global temperatures are heating ocean surfaces, providing more energy to the atmosphere and supercharging storms. These intensified storms carry more moisture and, combined with weakened atmospheric steering currents like jet streams, they are moving more slowly.
This stalling effect leads to extended periods of heavy rainfall and destructive winds, as seen with Krathon again.
Thailand rejects criticism over Moo Deng’s ‘lifetime of confinement’
Thailand has hit back at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) after it claimed that a baby pigmy hippopotamus, who has become famous because of her playful nature, would be subjected to a “lifetime” of “confinement”.
Moo Deng, which translates to bouncy pork in Thai, was born in confinement at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi in July. She became the internet’s latest obsession after the zoo posted videos and photos online of her splashing about in the water and playfully biting the keeper.
Moo Deng‘s popularity has drawn visitors from near and far, with some hopping on an 18-hour flight from the US to see the internet celebrity in person. The pit where Moo Deng lives with her mother, Jona, has been packed since, prompting zoo officials to limit viewing time to five minutes per visitor and launch a 24-hour live stream.
Businesses quickly capitalised on her popularity, using her image to sell makeup, souvenirs and footwear. The zoo has earned 19.2m baht (£445,712) between 1 and 25 September from selling tickets, according to reports.
Peta criticised the zoo for allegedly depriving Moo Deng of her natural right to freedom. “There’s nothing cute about a baby being born in captivity,” said the group’s senior vice president Jason Baker.
“Hippos belong in the wild, but Moo Deng will never live outside a cage. She faces a lifetime of confinement …,” he added.
The pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, is an endangered species, with only 2,000-2,500 adults left, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their numbers are decreasing due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.
“Animals do not exist for our entertainment. Breeding them for public display perpetuates their suffering,” Mr Baker said, calling for prioritising conservation efforts that protect animals in nature.
Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi rejected the allegations, saying the facility cares for over 2,000 animals, including Moo Deng, and ensures their welfare and quality of life. The zoo has limited visitor numbers to 30 to 50 people per round to avoid overcrowding, he told local reporters.
The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) similarly hit back at Peta for using “outdated” and “inaccurate information”.
Sathit Pratchaya-ariyakun, Secretary of the TSPCA, said Peta’s assessment of Moo Deng was based on “incomplete” information. He pointed to a previous Peta boycott campaign in 2020 which exposed the usage of pigtailed macaques by farms to pick coconuts.
He said Thailand’s coconut industry suffered greatly after British retailers removed coconut products from their shelves.
Mr Sathit said some of Peta’s information was valid but stressed certain details came from only one side of the story, according to the Thaiger newspaper. He reassured Moo Deng was well taken care of at par with international standards.
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo previously faced backlash in 2021 for its elephant swimming shows. It featured performances where elephants swam, danced, and performed tricks while visitors watched through a glass enclosure. The zoo defended the shows, despite social media outrage calling it an example of animal cruelty.
Some social media users criticised Peta’s comments, accusing the US-based group of making Thailand “look bad”.
“So, does that mean animals in zoos all over the world should be released,” asked a Facebook user.
Others sided with Peta for “bothering” Moo Deng constantly to get content for social media.
Peta responded to the backlash, saying they “speak up for all animals”.
“We have been campaigning in Thailand and around Asia for decades, doing undercover investigations and speaking up for those in cages.”
Tigers, lions and a panther die of suspected bird flu in Vietnam zoos
Forty-seven tigers, three lions, and a panther died in two zoos in southern Vietnam from suspected H5N1bird flu virus between August and September, the state media reported.
The deaths have been reported at the My Quynh Safari Park in Duc Hoa District, Long An Province and the Vuon Xoai Tourist Park in Biên Hoà City, Dong Nai, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported on Wednesday.
My Quynh Safari Park said at least 27 tigers and tree lions have died during the period while Vuon Xoai zoo reported 20 tiger deaths.
The animals exhibited symptoms of illness and fatigue prior to their deaths. The tests conducted by the National Centre for Animal Health Diagnosis returned positive for the “H5N1 type A virus” among the animals, VNA reported.
At the safari park in Long An Province, at least three animal caregivers were identified as having close contact with the infected animals while some 30 employees at Dong Nai were in close contact with the animals, reported Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
However, none of the staff members have reported respiratory symptoms, VNA said.
The H5N1 is a type of influenza A virus that is commonly known as avian influenza or “bird flu” and has been detected in birds and some mammals.
The World Health Organisation has said a variant of the virus has caused “unprecedented numbers of deaths in wild birds and poultry in many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe” since 2020. It says while the cases of transmission in humans are rare but can cause severe disease with a high mortality rate.
In March 2024, Vietnam reported its first human case of the virus to WHO. The 21-year-old patient, a student who had gone for wild bird trapping, died from contracting the virus.
In June, India also confirmed the first human case of avian influenza H9N2 in five years. It was the second case of a human infected with bird flu that India has notified WHO about. The first was in 2019.
The Independent has contacted My Quynh Safari Park and the Vuon Xoai Tourist Park for comments.