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The next timeshare you purchase may come from an inmate in U.S. federal prison
RoomsIf you have ever purchased timeshare accommodation from the Sunset World chain in Cancun or the Riviera Maya, you may never have imagined they were sold from the Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas, USA. The project is a pilot program of rehabilitation for low hazard inmate women that Mexican chain Sunset World began in [...]
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Britain to airlines: Don’t fly NSA leaker Snowden to UK
TransportThe British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow Edward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom. A travel alert, dated Monday on a Home Office letterhead, said carriers should deny Snowden boarding because “the individual is highly likely to be refused entry [...]
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NYC tourists may soon be fined for buying fake luxury goods
DestinationsBargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan’s Chinatown for legally sold bags, jewelry and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street. But hidden around the city are goods labeled “Prada” or “Louis Vuitton” or some other luxury brand — counterfeits sold for a pittance. In some cases, handbags going for [...]
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Cruise industry questioned on timeliness of on-board crime reports
TransportDoes what happens on a cruise ship stay on the cruise ship? That’s the question some people — including a U.S. senator — are asking cruise lines. It shouldn’t be that way, say some industry watchdogs about what they call questionable reporting of crimes that occur on the open ocean. The problem, some say, is [...]
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U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issues security warning for travelers
DestinationsThe U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas is warning about the threat of armed robbery in the capital of the island chain off Florida’s east coast. A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Nassau advises Americans living in and traveling to the islands to be on heightened alert to avoid being a crime victim. It says [...]
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Alitalia baggage handlers arrested after hidden cameras capture string of thefts
TransportItalian police have arrested 29 airport baggage handlers accused of stealing cameras, cellphones and other loot from passengers’ luggage, a bust made possible after hidden cameras were installed in airplane cargo holds where the thefts occurred. Italian national carrier Alitalia said Friday it cooperated with police at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport and in Lamezia [...]
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Las Vegas Sands loses its auditor in the middle of corruption probe
DestinationsApril 27 (Bloomberg) — Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP resigned as auditor of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino company that disclosed last month it probably violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Pricewaterhouse told the Las Vegas-based casino company on April 23 it won’t seek re-election, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The company said there had [...]
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Cost of failure at Russian Winter Olympics? Putin may poison you
DestinationsA former Olympic official who fled Russia after President Vladimir Putin criticised him for cost overruns before the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi claims he has been poisoned. Akhmed Bilalov, fired as deputy head of the Russian Olympic Committee in February, said on Saturday that doctors had discovered elevated mercury levels in his blood. He [...]
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Mayors of idyllic Greek island Mykonos are charged with massive embezzlement
DestinationsComing on the heels of the conviction of a former mayor of Thessaloniki on corruption charges, prosecutors are charging Mykonos Mayor Athanasios Kousathanas – Megas and former mayor Christos Veronis with embezzlement during their terms running the famous island’s government. Prosecutor George Economou proposed to the Board of Appeal to indict the two in a [...]
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Italian prosecutors turn their interest to Costa Concordia’s officers
TransportItalian prosecutors on Monday launched a case to put officers of the Costa Concordia on trial for the accident in which the giant cruise ship ran aground and capsized off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people. Prosecutors argued at a preliminary hearing that ex-captain Francesco Schettino should be tried on charges including [...]
