Celebgate hacker jailed over Jennifer Lawrence hack
A man who hacked into the Apple iCloud accounts of Hollywood stars, including Jennifer Lawrence, has been sentenced to eight months in prison in the US.
The notorious Celebgate hack resulted in nude photos and videos of Lawrence and other celebrities stolen and posted online.
George Garofano was one of four people charged in the 2014 hacking scandal.
Three others have already been sentenced to terms of between nine and 18 months in prison.
Garofano, aged 26, had admitted accessing usernames and passwords by sending out emails in which he posed as a member of Apple's security team.
Other victims included Kirsten Dunst and Kate Upton as well as ordinary members of the public.
The prosecution wrote in a sentencing memo to the court: "Mr Garofano's offence was a serious one. He illegally hacked into his victims' online accounts, invaded their privacy, and stole their personal information, including private and intimate photos.
"He did not engage in this conduct on just one occasion. He engaged in this conduct 240 times over the course of 18 months."
A federal judge at the US district court in Bridgeport, Connecticut ordered that he be subject to supervised release for three years after his prison term.
Mercedes-Benz Recalls SUVs for Brake Issue
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Mercedes-Benz is recalling over 9,000 of its 2018 GLE and GLS SUVs because of a brake issue. The rear brakes may not engage fully because of a faulty part, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. In addition, the vehicles’ electronic stability control may not engage fully, and drivers may notice that the brake pedal moves too close to the floor of the car, NHTSA said.
The agency says that the issue was discovered when the part supplier notified Mercedes-Benz.
Argentina asks IMF to release $50bn loan as crisis worsens
Argentina's government has unexpectedly asked for the early release of a $50bn (£37.2bn) loan from the IMF amid a growing economic crisis.
President Mauricio Macri said the move was designed to restore confidence in the Argentine economy.
The Argentine peso has lost more than 40% of its value against the US dollar this year and inflation is rampant.
The IMF confirmed on Wednesday it was looking to strengthen the arrangement and changing its phasing.
"I stressed my support for Argentina's policy efforts and our readiness to assist the government in developing its revised policy plans," Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said in a statement.
Investors are concerned Argentina may not be able repay its heavy government borrowing and could default.
Correspondents say the decision to speed up the IMF bailout smacks of growing desperation.
When the terms of the loan were agreed in May, President Macri said he expected the economy to recover and did not plan to use the money.
Ex-police officer jailed for Black teen shooting
An ex-police officer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting dead an unarmed black teenager in Texas.
Roy Oliver, who is white, fired a rifle into a car that was driving away from a party in Dallas in April 2017, killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.
It is very rare for police officers to be convicted in shooting deaths. Oliver's lawyers say they intend to appeal against the verdict.
Jordan's family say the jail sentence is too lenient.
"He can actually see life again after 15 years - and that's not enough because Jordan can't see life again," his stepmother, Charmaine Edwards, said
What happened on the night of the shooting?
On the night of 29 April 2017, police responded to reports of underage drinking at a house party in the suburb Balch Springs.
Officers were inside the home trying to find the owner when they heard outside what they believed to be gunshots, causing panic at the home as people fled.
According to police documents, Oliver's partner, Tyler Gross, attempted to stop a car full of teenagers leaving the party.
He walked up to the passenger door of the car and punched the window, breaking it.
Oliver then fired several times into the car - shooting Jordan, who was in the front passenger seat, in the back of the head.
Oliver said he believed the car was reversing "aggressively" towards his partner.
However, bodycam footage showed that the car was actually driving away from police when the shots were fired.
Officer Gross later told the court that he had not felt his life was in danger and had not felt the need to use his gun.
Oliver was fired by police shortly after the shooting.
DDME Advises
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential
Tropical Cyclone Six, located southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...90 percent.
1. A tropical wave located over the north-central Caribbean Sea is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms extending
from Hispaniola northeastward across the northeastern Caribbean Seaand adjacent Atlantic waters. This activity is forecast to spreadwestward to west-northwestward, but strong upper-level winds areexpected to prevent any significant development of this system during the next several days. Environmental conditions could become
more conducive when the system reaches the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week.
Regardless of development, this system could
produce enhanced rainfall across portions of Hispaniola, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and Florida into early next week.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...10 percent.
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THURSDAY 30TH AUGUST 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH COUPLED WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS CONTINUES TO ENHANCE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ACROSS THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO ROUGH SURF AND THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG EAST COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLE COUDINESS, HOT AND HUMID WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 92°F 33°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 79°F 26°C
HEAT INDEX 105°F 40°C
SUNRISE: 6:50AM
SUNSET: 7:29PM
MOONSET: 10:19AM
MOONRISE: 10:21PM
HIGH TIDE: 10:02AM 10:17PM
LOW TIDE: 4:16PM 4:33AM FRI
EXTENDED FORECAST: THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MEANDER ACROSS THE BAHAMAS OVER THE NEXT FEW BAHAMAS WHILE A TROPICAL WAVE APPROACHES THE BAHAMAS MAINTAINING UNSTABLE CONDITIONS.
DDME host two day Damage Assessment Training on Grand Turk
DDME host two day Damage Assessment Training on Grand Turk.
Day 1 - Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Training.
Ms. Rikardia Pardo-Deputy Director, brings welcome remarks.
Dr. Virginia Clerveaux-Director, presents on Comprehensive Disaster Management and the Disaster Management Cycle.
TCIG HOSTS QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE WATERSPORTS INDUSTRY
The Department of Maritime and Shipping in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) held two meetings with stakeholders of the water sports industry, on the islands of Grand Turk and Providenciales respectively.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both the regulators and users of the marine space to come together and discuss the various issues and challenges of the water sports industry. The discussions during the meetings encouraged a mutual platform for all parties present to raise their concerns, with the aim of developing solutions to the issues and challenges raised.
The meeting in Providenciales was attended by over 30 persons from various stakeholder groups, including dive operators, tour operators and beach vendors.
The main issues raised during the meetings included:
• Provision of and clear demarcation for access to ramps, beach and boat access lanes
• Water sports operators navigating dangerously
• Dangerous operation of jet skis
• Improper disposal of conch shells on the beach by operators
• Captains anchoring vessels on the reef
• Maintenance to swim and dive moorings
The meetings concluded with the understanding that there will be quarterly meetings held on both islands to ensure that concerns of the government and the private sector are being addressed effectively and in a timely manner. The next round of meetings is scheduled for November 2018, with specific dates to be announced in October 2018.
The Government would like to thank everyone who attended for their cooperation, and would like to encourage stakeholders to attend future sessions as we work together to develop and sustain the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Beautiful by Nature tourism product.
Figure 1: Participants at stakeholder group meeting in Providenciales
Figure 2: Participants at stakeholder group meeting in Grand Turk
Aretha Franklin's family being 'guided by God' to honor her
Sabrina Owens started to consider how to bid her beloved aunt Aretha Franklin farewell before the world even knew the legendary singer was ill.
St Kitts-Nevis minister’s son shot to death
A son of St Kitts and Nevis minister of public infrastructure, posts, urban development and transport, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd, was killed by gunfire on Monday night.
According to reports, Mickail ‘Mitch’ Liburd was ambushed by at least three armed and masked men shortly after 10 pm as he got out of his car. The young Liburd was reportedly shot several times.
On behalf of the government and people of St Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris extended deepest sympathy to his Cabinet colleague.
In his capacity as minister of national security, Harris encouraged the people of St Kitts and Nevis to provide any information relevant to the investigation of the fatal shooting.
The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) candidate for St Christopher 1 (East Basseterre), Dr Geoffrey Hanley, also expressed sympathy to the parliamentary representative and his opponent in the next general elections.
Liburd’s murder takes the number of persons killed for this year to 20.