Sandals charging to divert guests from infected Bahamas resort
New details about the gastro-intestinal (GI) virus outbreak at the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort in Nassau, Bahamas, has shown that the “diversion” protocol amid the outbreak that incapacitated over 100 guests and staff at the property comes with additional charges levied by Sandals and a no-refund policy.
A prospective guest at the resort told Caribbean News Now that, following the viral outbreak and a lack of clarity as to whether it had been contained, she wanted to err on the side of caution and be diverted to another Sandals property of equal standing and amenities.
However, Sandals insisted that she would be charged at least of US$800 for such rebooking and neither would she receive any assistance with airfare penalties that would cost an additional US$400.
Last week it was reported by local media that Sandals was already relocating guests from the Royal Bahamian to other properties in The Bahamas.
However, contrary to these reports, Sandals has been telling prospective guests that the Royal Bahamian is open for business, the seafood and water is fine and that it is ready to continue operations.
A transcript provided to Caribbean News Now of an online conversation between a prospective guest and a Sandals representative was itself self-contradictory.
Seconds after telling the guest that the issue was “still being investigated so we have no new updates,” the representative said, “Upon a thorough on-property review from Bahamas ministry of health, officials have determined that Sandals Royal Bahamian has met all health and safety protocols and standards and therefore will remain open to guests.”
Sandals was less than forthcoming when guests began to get sick in greater numbers from the end of July and did not report the outbreak to the ministry of health in The Bahamas until the second week in August, when the number of infected guests and staff was already in triple digits.
Carabao Cup third-round draw: Liverpool drawn at home to Chelsea
Eight-time winners Liverpool have been drawn at home to Chelsea in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Holders Manchester City face a trip to League One Oxford United, while Manchester United are at home to Frank Lampard's Derby County.
Arsenal, runners-up last season, take on London rivals Brentford and Tottenham will host Watford.
League Two Macclesfield, the lowest ranked side left in the competition, are away at Premier League West Ham.
The national stadium, where Spurs are playing home games while their new ground is built, is unavailable during third round week.
"As a result of both our new stadium and Wembley being unavailable during this week, we have applied to the EFL board for special dispensation to play this tie at Stadium MK," said a Spurs statement.
"We appreciate that Stadium MK may not be an ideal destination for every fan to get to on a weekday evening, however the club felt it would not be beneficial to request a reverse of the fixture as it would have resulted in no more than a 10% allocation of tickets for our supporters at the venue of our opponents."
Burnley, who are also entering the competition at the third round stage, are away to League One Burton Albion.
There are three all-Premier League ties in total, with Everton at home to Southampton.
Halle Berry trolls Prince Harry and reveals teen crush
Like most teenage boys, Prince Harry had a poster of a famous crush on his wall.
In his case, it was Oscar-winning actress and former Bond girl, Halle Berry.
Now the US star has jokingly trolled the Duke of Sussex after spotting herself in the background of a recently resurfaced photo.
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.