Latest news with #Nassau
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe finally breaks silence on fiancee's mystery cruise ship death
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe has finally broken his silence on the mysterious cruise ship death of his fiancee Kimberly Burch. Burch, 56, fell to her death 'from a room balcony' on the first night of The 80s Cruise on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Explorer of the Seas on March 2. Realtor Kimberly had traveled on the seven day cruise to support Taime, who was performing with the punk band. The cruise departed from Miami and was set to visit Nassau, San Juan, and Labadee. A grieving Downe, 60, said on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk via Blabbermouth on May 30 he was 'hanging in there' as he navigates life without his longtime partner, saying: 'I'm just taking it a day at a time. 'And everybody thought going out on the road and doing what I do and being with my family in my band would be good for me. 'I loved the hell out of Kimberly, and it was just hard to deal with. We spent basically nine years together. 'I don't wanna get into what her psyche was at the time, but there's a lot of things that make up people's lives at a certain time of their life... It's been hard on everybody.' Downe also hit back at doubts over his sobriety amid his loss, saying: 'There's no way I'd touch booze. For me, that's just completely disgusting in my brain.' Hours before Burch's death she had posed up with Downe on the ship and wrote: 'We made it to @the80scruise.' Kimberly is said to have gone overboard on the first day of the cruise around 11pm PST - with a guest claiming on X she had 'jumped from the balcony of her 8th floor room' 80 miles from Miami. They wrote: 'Currently on the #RCL Explorer of the Seas for the #80scruise. Unfortunately, we have a "woman overboard' situation and boats have been deployed. We are currently 80+ miles from Miami at 11pm PST. Not good. 'It looks like the woman "jumped" from the balcony of her 8th floor room after an argument with her partner. This is our 15th cruise, and the first time we've actually experienced this. 'Clearly, the priority is recovering the woman. And the boat has turned around and is at a dead stop. They have deployed boats for the search. Could be a long night.... Another guest wrote: 'Person overboard on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. On the 80s Cruise. Just saw a great show by Squeeze, then it was announced a person is overboard. Ship is stopped and searching. Other nearby ships helping. Guests aboard the ship posted messages about the search on X A US Coast Guard spokesperson said the incident happened roughly 20 miles from Freeport, Bahamas. The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter crew and other personnel to assist the Royal Bahamas Defense Force in their search - which was later suspended. Kimberly and Taime had been together for around 'five or six years.' A passenger also told THR: 'There was an announcement over the PA saying someone went overboard so the ship was going to stop and turn around to try and locate the person. '[The] ship was stopped for a few hours. Safety boats were deployed with floodlights to illuminate the surrounding area. Another cruise ship nearby had its floodlights on searching as well. My wife spoke with some people on one of the decks saying they heard that it was a woman and it was caught on camera. Can't confirm though. 'Eventually the ship powered up and off we went. This morning a PA announcement said that the US Coast Guard had taken over the search. We arrived at Nassau, Bahamas a few hours behind schedule. No excursions were canceled. Haven't heard anything since.' previously contacted representatives for Taime Downe, The 80s Cruise and Royal Caribbean for comment. Kimberly's mother Carnell Burch told TMZ Taime had called her to reveal Kimberly had died and that it is 'still unclear' whether her daughter jumped or accidentally fell from the ship, although she is 'confident Kimberly would not purposefully hurt herself.' Kimberly was drinking on the cruise, Carnell said, which was 'out of character for her' and Carnell claimed her daughter had had an argument with Taime before her death. Carnell added her daughter was not suffering from depression or emotional issues at the time and was excited for the trip, which was in its first day and featured musical acts including Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work. Glam metal band Faster Pussycat formed in 1985 comprised of Downe, guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels. They forged a successful career over the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling over two million records worldwide They have released four albums, Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). They broke up in 1993, but reformed in 2001. Former drummer Brett Bradshaw died on March 26, 2021, at age 50.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Up-tick? Long Island seeing more of the blood-suckers this year
Long Islanders better brace for a bloodthirsty summer. Populations of several tick species across both Nassau and Suffolk counties have exploded since the fall, experts told The Post. 'I have friends working in the state and county parks, and the talk is, 'Oh, my God, it's so bad this year!'' said Janine Bendicksen, director of wildlife rehabilitation at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown. Bendicksen said Sweetbriar has taken in more goslings this spring than in previous years, with groups of 10 to 20 coming in at a clip. 'They were lethargic. Their feet were curling up, and they'd flip over, because they were dying,' she explained. 'All of a sudden, we saw all of these tiny black ticks coming off of them.' Sweetbriar's team realized the baby birds were anemic from the bloodsuckers. 'Goslings and ducklings never have ticks on them, because ticks tend to go for mammals,' Bendicksen said. 'That is an indication that, 'Uh-oh, it's gonna be a bad season.'' The Lone Star, American Dog, and blacklegged tick — which can transmit a bevy of illnesses such as Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms — have all been on the rise across Long Island, experts said. They can also spread potentially-fatal bacterial infections such as ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, along with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Powassan virus. Several factors account for the population explosion, including weather and host animal abundance. Long Island had a rather mild winter, which can increase tick activity, said Dr. Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's entomologist. A wet spring also tend to bring out more ticks. 'There's a lot of moving parts,' said Campbell. 'There's no silver bullet, but multiple factors are playing a role.' Rodent populations are also on the rise — potentially caused by a dip in the number of predators that feed on them including owls and snakes — helping boost tick numbers. In Suffolk, there were 3,299 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2023 — up from 2,668 the year before. Only 697 cases were reported in Nassau County in 2023, while data from the prior year was not immediately available. Over 21,000 Lyme disease cases were reported statewide in 2023. And more than 89,000 U.S. cases were reported across the US in 2023, the CDC reported. Ulises Galdamez, 36, owner of Long Island Tick Sprays in Hampton Bays, told The Post this is the first season since launching his business in 2016 that his phone started ringing in early March. 'Normally, April is when we get people reaching out to us,' he explained. 'This year's going to be bad, because we've definitely had more people calling us this year than any other year before. We've been going nonstop — it's shaping up to be our busiest season so far.' Bendicksen suggested wearing 'socks on the outside of your pants' to keep the critters off exposed skin. Keeping rodents and larger mammals away with fences and other measures is also important she said. And keep a lint roller handy — they're excellent for removing ticks, she added.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The James Bond hotel at the centre of a spy battle with China
The white sands and spacious lobby of the British Colonial Hotel in Nassau have twice provided a sumptuous backdrop for James Bond. Now the iconic hotel is at the centre of a real-life espionage battle as China buys up property and land in the Bahamas, barely 50 miles from the Florida coastline. China had spent the past two decades mixing economics with geopolitics in the Caribbean, giving it the perfect platform to spy on American space launches, the US embassy, and an underwater warfare facility, said Rear-Adm Peter Brown, former Homeland Security adviser to president Donald Trump. 'The unique geography of the Bahamas poses a special opportunity to the United States, but it also creates risk if the People's Republic of China takes over the best friend role to the government of the Bahamas,' he said. The Trump administration has taken notice. It sent a warning recently to Caribbean governments to avoid deals that could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party. Nowhere is the potential risk more obvious than the British Colonial Hotel, said Adm Brown. At 100 years old, it is a Nassau landmark. It was popular with the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson during the Second World War when he was appointed governor of the Bahamas, in part to keep their suspected Nazi sympathies as far from Europe as possible. If its old world charm and glamorous soirees were good enough for exiled members of the Royal Family, then it was certainly good enough for the very suavest of MI6 agents. The hotel was dressed up as a casino for the 1965 movie Thunderball, and was used in scenes where Sean Connery took on eyepatch-wearing Emilia Largo at baccarat. Connery returned to the hotel for 1983's Never Say Never Again. Its private beach was where Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera, waterskis into Bond's arms. It has been owned by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation since 2014. Rear Adm Brown said its position, just around the corner from the US embassy, gave it huge strategic importance. 'The hotel kind of commands the high ground with its upper floor, so the ability to electronically surveil not only the embassy itself, but also the people coming and going to and from the embassy and neighbouring businesses, means that diplomatic or governmental interests of the United States are vulnerable,' he said. The 700 or so islands of the Bahamas are best known to Americans for their golden sands and cocktail spots. But they occupy a key strategic location on the western edge of the Caribbean. China hawks have long warned that Washington has missed a trick, allowing Beijing to build favour, particularly with aid, grants and investment in the wake of 2019's devastating Hurricane Dorian. The list of Chinese interests is extensive. Beijing provided a $40 million grant for construction of a national stadium in 2012. The state-owned China Export-Import Bank poured $2.5 billion into the Baha Mar resort and casino — with its 2200 rooms and more than 9000 square metres of gaming space. A $3 billion megaport was built with Chinese money and is operated by a Hong Kong-based company. It all gives China a ringside seat at US space launches in Florida, said Adm Brown, as well as the US Navy's Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center, where submarine captains and crews are put through their paces between three islands of the Bahamas in an area known as the 'Tongue of the Ocean.' 'It has for decades been an important site for us, with submarine and anti-submarine warfare testing, and Chinese entities have purchased properties, including entire islands, in the vicinity of the Tongue of the Ocean,' he said. The move has not been lost on Washington. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, met prime ministers from seven Caribbean nations earlier this month to warn of the dangers. 'Secretary Rubio urged our partners to make responsible, transparent decisions when selecting vendors and contractors for critical infrastructure projects, ensuring they are not vulnerable to privacy and security risks and exploitation by malign actors like the Chinese Communist Party,' said Tammy Bruce, his spokeswoman. American officials say cooperation with Caribbean nations help secure the nation's maritime border, as well as tackle drug and people smugglers. And although Chinese investments might not be made with hostile intent to the US, they could be used for multiple purposes in times of conflict. 'China's predatory tactics have left many countries with excessive debt, undermining their development, stability, and sovereignty,' said a State Department spokesman. 'We will continue to work with The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations to ensure they are aware of the risks associated with accepting Chinese investments.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LBT Holdings acquires Gonet Bank & Trust, rebrands to Bank of Nassau 1982
LBT Holdings has acquired Gonet Bank & Trust, a Bahamas-based private bank, from Gonet SA, for an undisclosed sum. The deal will see Gonet Bank & Trust rebranded as Bank of Nassau 1982. LBT Holdings said the rebranding reflects the bank's 'renewed vision and commitment to excellence in private banking and wealth management'. The deal has secured clearance from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), the Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB), and The Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB). LBT Holdings assumed full ownership of Gonet Bank & Trust, with immediate effect. It added that the acquisition enhances the standing of all involved parties in the global financial services industry, allowing for broader service offerings. Bank of Nassau 1982 will continue its collaboration with Gonet & Cie SA, a Swiss subsidiary of Gonet SA, to offer banking services for clients globally. Jonathan Cartwright will stay on as CEO, while Patrick Guye-Bergeret will continue serving as head of private banking. LBT Holdings founder and director Anthony Ferguson said: 'We are thrilled to build on the storied legacy of Gonet Bank & Trust Limited, as we drive innovation and deliver unparalleled value to our clients.' Cartwright added: 'This transformative acquisition enhances our ability to deliver world-class private banking services. With the combined expertise of LBT Holdings and our dedicated team, we are poised to elevate the client experience while maintaining the trust and quality our clients deserve.' LBT Holdings is a collaboration between Levant Advisors and Quantfury. Founded in 2017 by Antoine Bastian and Anthony Ferguson, Levant Advisors is a Bahamas-based wealth management firm managing over $2bn in assets. Quantfury, also launched in 2017 by Lev Mazur, is a brokerage providing commission-free trading, with an annualised trading volume exceeding $250bn as of 2025. "LBT Holdings acquires Gonet Bank & Trust, rebrands to Bank of Nassau 1982 " was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE She was having the time of her life in the Bahamas... then her legs were SEVERED in a freak incident
A brilliant young arts graduate is fighting for life after she was sucked into a ferry propeller during a tropical cruise excursion in the Bahamas, the Daily Mail can reveal. Hannah Smith's parents said she fell off the side of the pontoon boat when it came into dock in Nassau last Monday.
