Latest news with #RoyalCaribbean
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Business Standard
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Lavish homes left by fleeing Gupta brothers up for sale in South Africa
South Africa is selling off three multimillion rand mansions owned by the Gupta brothers, a trio of influential Indian-born businessmen at the center of a corruption scandal that triggered the country's worst political and economic crisis since the end of Apartheid. Atul, Rajesh and Ajay Gupta began buying the properties in Thursday's auction in 2006. There, in Saxonwold, one of Johannesburg's oldest and most affluent neighborhoods, they entertained top politicians and businessmen for at least a decade. But as their public profile grew, so did allegations that they exerted undue influence over the state for their own enrichment. Protesters gathered regularly outside the compound's high walls and perimeter fences, demanding accountability. The brothers fled to Dubai shortly before the ruling African National Congress in 2018 forced Jacob Zuma to quit as president to stem a loss in electoral support, partly due to his links to the family. Their compound has been largely empty ever since. Protected by private armed guards, it became a symbol among opposition members and activists of the staggering levels of corruption in the country, and the challenges in holding those implicated in that corruption to account. President Cyril Ramaphosa has estimated that more than 500 billion rand ($28 billion) was plundered during his predecessor's near nine-year tenure and said that tackling graft — which has hobbled key institutions such as state power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. and freight rail and ports operator Transnet SOC Ltd — is a priority. But to date, no senior official has been successfully prosecuted in connection to it. During a Saturday viewing of the compound organized by the auction house, Park Village Auctions, traces of the lavish lifestyle the brothers led in Africa's richest city were on display: a Cartier jewelry catalog, a Royal Caribbean cruise brochure and a hand-written inventory of fine whiskeys and champagne. Elsewhere green water fills an indoor pool, and moss grows on water features and a mini cricket pitch. Deep cracks run through window panes. Paint and plaster are peeling off walls. And the thatched roof of an outdoor bar is in tatters. The neglect means that although the three properties — which have different title deeds and will be auctioned separately — have a combined municipal value of about 64 million rand, they're likely to sell at a 'bargain price,' according to auctioneer Clive Lazarus. Individual residences in the neighborhood can sell for as much as 20 million rand, he said. Proceeds from the sale will help settle claims by creditors since Confident Concept Pty Ltd., the Gupta-linked company that owns the properties, entered into a local form of bankruptcy protection in 2018. The auction had been held up because it was in litigation over financial distress and disputes about property development with local authorities. The compound's role as the epicenter in what became known as 'state capture' was highlighted during a probe led by former chief justice Raymond Zondo, which began in 2018 and implicated more than 1,400 persons and entities. His panel heard that the brothers held clandestine meetings in their homes, where many people were offered kickbacks to help the family and their associates influence government decision making and secure contracts. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. Atul was the first of the brothers to arrive from India in South Africa in 1993, just as the country was transitioning to democracy. Dispatched to the continent in search of fortune by his father, a trader of spices and soapstone powders, he founded Sahara Computers Ltd., a year later. The company, an importer and distributor of Windows PCs, grew and his brothers joined him. A single introduction to a member of the new political elite paved the way for the Guptas to mingle in powerful circles. During the viewing of the mansions, a safe that appeared to be forced open, boxes of prescription medicine, as well as spices and cupboards piled high with dinnerware suggested the Guptas left South Africa in haste. Atul and Rajesh — who are wanted in South Africa on charges including money laundering and fraud, and sanctioned by both the US and UK government — were arrested in United Arab Emirates in 2022. That's after Interpol placed them on its most-wanted list. But a UAE court, in 2023, denied South Africa's plea to extradite the brothers and their arrest warrant was canceled. South Africa provisionally withdrew its arrest warrant for Ajay in 2019, according to Reuters. Spokespersons for the President and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development referred questions, including about plans to extradite the fugitive brothers and prosecute others implicated in graft, to the National Prosecuting Authority. The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, a unit of the National Prosecuting Authority, declined to answer questions. A fourth property in the compound still bears a 'SAHARA ESTATE' sign on the outer wall but it is not up for auction this week. It's registered to a separate company linked to the family, according to Deeds Office data. The three mansions in the auction are zoned for residential use. Should the new owners want to use them for something else, they'd have to apply for permits, which aren't guaranteed to be approved. For Lumkile Mondi, a senior economics lecturer at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, the auction is an important step but challenges lie ahead. 'The reality is that when corruption, fraud, and destruction happens, it doesn't only take place the top, it filters down to other levels,' he said. 'For many South Africans, the biggest impact has been on the supply of water, electricity and fixing of roads. To change that requires serious commitment and it's going to take a long, long time before we get things right.'
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
AI pen can detect Parkinson's disease through handwriting
(NewsNation) — The Parkinson's disease world may have just received its next big breakthrough. Scientists have developed a self-powered pen — with magnetic ink — that can potentially discover early signs of Parkinson's disease by analyzing handwriting. 'Detection of subtle motor symptoms unnoticeable to the naked eye is critical for early intervention in Parkinson's disease,' Jun Chen, PhD, an associate professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Parkinson's News Today. 'Our diagnostic pen presents an affordable, reliable, and accessible tool that is sensitive enough to pick up subtle movements and can be used across large populations and in resource-limited areas.' More than 130 Royal Caribbean passengers gets sick from stomach bug With an average accuracy of 96.22%, the pen recorded handwriting signals for patients with Parkinson's. It also successfully analyzed one-dimensional convolutional neural network-assisted analysis. 'This pen is diagnosing the problem with handwriting, which is just one of the many symptoms that we see in our patients,' Chrystalina Antoniades, University of Oxford, acknowledged to The Guardian. 'But it can be complementing what we already found, picking up something that might be difficult to see.' The pen's cost is significantly lower than commercial electronic pens for tablets and digital pens for writing pads. Parkinson's disease affects 10 million people worldwide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix's Amy Bradley is Missing and the heartbreaking reason the FBI couldn't act on sex worker photo
The FBI were unable to investigate the 'photo of Amy Bradley' found on a sex worker website despite its striking resemblance to her and her family's desperate plea for action Netflix's latest true-crime documentary Amy Bradley is Missing has been a massive hit with viewers since its release on July 16, quickly rising to second place in the UK's top TV show charts on the streaming platform. The three-part docu-series explores the chilling and unresolved disappearance of 23-year-old Amy Bradley, who vanished while on a Caribbean cruise with her family in 1998. Amy was traveling on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with her parents, Ron and Iva and her brother, Brad, when she went missing en route to Curaçao. She was last seen in the early hours of March 23 1998, resting on the balcony of the family's cabin. When her dad checked on her shortly after sunrise, she was gone - and has never been found. Now, 27 years later, Netflix revisits the mysterious circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the persistent efforts by her family to uncover the truth. The documentary summarises all the major theories that have emerged over the decades, including the most haunting one: that Amy was abducted and trafficked. One of the most significant revelations in the docuseries centres around a photograph discovered in 2005 on a sex worker's website thought to be based out of the Caribbean. The image bears a striking resemblance to Amy, so much so that her family took the discovery public and appeared on the Dr. Phil show in a desperate bid to find their daughter. "All I could keep thinking is, 'Is that my daughter?'" Amy's mother Iva says in the documentary. "We all looked at it - the nose, the chin, and the hair - it took my breath away." The FBI took then took the lead on analysing the image. An agent close to the case was interviewed in the series, and confirmed that forensic analysts had determined that it could very well be Amy. Investigators examined everything from the woman's pose, which was a specific stance that would have hidden all of Amy's identifiable tattoos - like a Gecko lizard on her navel, or sun on her lower back - to the bed frame in the image in an effort to track its origin. Speaking about the photo found on the sex worker site, co-director of the docuseries, Ari Mark told The Hollywood Reporter: "That part really made us scratch our heads, too." He went on to add that it is 'hard to ignore is how seriously the FBI took that photo.' Mark adds: "They really did chase that down. They analysed the bed frame, tried to figure out where it was made. They sent an operative down there to actually scope it out. And they did look into that website, and they brought in that trafficking expert - it's hard to ignore." However, despite the extensive investigation, authorities were unable to trace the photo's origins or determine where it was taken, as the website's IP address could not be located. The director went on to claim that "from the FBI standpoint, they've exhausted everything." In 2010, Amy was declared legally dead in absentia. Yet, her case remains open, and the FBI continues to maintain a missing persons page with age-progressed images of what Amy might look like today. The page also states that a $25,000 reward is offered for information leading to her discovery, with the FBI still looking for tips from the public.
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Travel + Leisure
2 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
Greece Just Added New Fees for Travelers Visiting Its Most Popular Islands—What to Know
Cruise passengers in Greece will now pay a 'tourist tax' of up to €20 ($23.41). The new policy was first reported by European media outlets. Exploring popular Greek islands just got more expensive for cruise passengers. That's because the Greek government is now charging a disembarkation fee for travelers heading to the country's islands. Cruise passengers to the Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos are now responsible for a €20 ($23.41) fee, while cruise travelers to all remaining islands—including Crete and Rhodes—will incur a €5 ($5.85) fee, according to EuroNews. These fees are in effect through Sept. 30. After that, the fee will drop to €12 ($14.07) for Mykonos and Santorini and €3 ($3.52) for all other ports in October and from April 1 through May 31. Several cruise lines either did not respond to requests for comment from Travel + Leisure on how the fee would be paid or directed this reporter to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). A representative for CLIA also did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. The Greek islands are among the most popular in the world for cruise passengers with several major cruise lines offering trips there, including Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Virgin Voyages. On Royal Caribbean, for example, travelers can book packages like the "Ultimate Santorini Day" or a kayaking trip to explore the beauty of the island from the water. "Santorini is one of the world's most popular islands, known best for its dramatic scenery, whitewashed villages and fiery volcanic activity," Royal Caribbean wrote about the Greek island. "Here adventure bubbles above the Aegean Sea in the most bold and breathtaking ways." The new fees are being implemented with the hope it may help manage overcrowding, which is especially prevalent on the islands. Last year, more than 7.9 million cruise ship passengers arrived in Greece, according to data from the Hellenic Ports Association, a more than 13% increase compared to 2023. Greece is not alone in imposing fees on cruise ship passengers, a practice that has become somewhat of a new trend. Mexico, for example, implemented a new $5 fee on cruise ship passengers earlier this month. That fee will increase to as much as $21 per passenger by August 2028. Beyond cruises, several European destinations have also implemented tourism fees as a way to manage crowds and drive ancillary revenue. The Italian city of Venice, as an example, started charging as much as €10 ($11.73) per person for day trippers who do not have an overnight reservation.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
What happened to Amy Bradley's former dance partner Alister 'Yellow' Douglas?
A new Netflix documentary explores the disappearance of Amy Bradley from a cruise ship in 1998 and her last known dance partner Alister 'Yellow' Douglas Almost three decades ago, a young woman vanished without a trace from a cruise ship while on holiday with her family, and the search for her continues to this day. A new Netflix documentary delves into the mysterious disappearance of 23 year old Amy Bradley from Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas in 1998, exploring various theories about her fate, ranging from falling overboard to being trafficked. The three-part documentary reveals that she was last seen with cruise ship entertainer Alister Douglas - nicknamed 'Yellow' due to his dyed hair - on the night she went missing. The pair were spotted dancing together late into the night at the onboard nightclub. Her father last saw her resting on the balcony of their shared cabin, reports the Mirror US. The documentary synopsis states: "On March 23, 1998, 23-year-old Amy Bradley disappears without a trace from the cruise ship she and her family were vacationing on. "Despite extensive searches of the ship, Amy is nowhere to be found and the cruise has already docked in their next port, Curaçao, allowing 2,400 passengers to disembark and explore the island, potentially enabling Amy to blend into the crowd. "As the years roll by, possible sightings of Amy emerge from various locations and multiple sources. Is it really her? Was this a tragic accident or a crime? - anything is conceivable. But for Amy's family - only one thing matters: bringing their daughter home alive." What became of Alister Douglas? Alister was interrogated by the FBI following Amy's disappearance and willingly took a lie detector test. He was let go without any charges, as there was no evidence to suggest he was involved in her disappearance. Despite being absolved of any blame, his name is frequently mentioned on online forums discussing the Amy Bradley case, as he was one of the last people to see her on the ship. The musician's daughter even features in the documentary, calling him on camera to question him about what he knew about the missing holidaymaker. He maintains that he has no idea what happened to her. Where is Alister Douglas now? Since being questioned about Amy's disappearance, Alister has kept a low profile. However, in October 2024, true crime investigator James Renner located Alister in Grenada and uploaded an interview with him on his YouTube channel True Crime This Week. He posted on Facebook: "This trip to Grenada was a long shot, hail-Mary play, but sometimes things work out. I have the first interview in 20 years with Alister Douglas aka 'Yellow'." Alister reportedly now works as an exorcist on the island while continuing his music career. He insists he had nothing to do with Amy Bradley's disappearance.
