Latest news with #parties
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Gaza ceasefire: Egypt, Qatar still working on truce between Hamas, Israel
In a joint statement carried by Egypt's Foreign Ministry, the two countries called on all parties to support mediators' efforts to end the war.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sudden deaths, violent shootings, 'revenge bombs' and a STAMPEDE: The staggering list of suspicions that followed Diddy long before Cassie's videos blew his world apart
He was the billionaire bad boy who ruled hip hop with an iron fist and threw the wildest parties on the planet. Now Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces life behind bars if he's found guilty of wielding his power and prestige to drug, rape and silence young women.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Yacht Formerly Owned By Malcolm Forbes For Charter From $170k P/ Week
Writing about publishing magnate Malcolm Forbes, son of Forbes founder Bertie Forbes, author Christopher Buckley wrote: 'Malcolm is an antidote to the horror stories about extreme wealth. He's generous as hell and he likes to have fun.' It makes sense then, that Forbes owned a 162-foot yacht called The Highlander, which was famous for hosting parties with guest lists that read like a Who's Who of the world's social elite in the 1980s. Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Harrison Ford all set foot on her decks at one point, probably rubbing shoulders with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger. In Royal circles, Prince Charles and the former Kings of Greece and Bulgaria all spent time on board The Highlander. The yacht hosted politcial magnates like Margaret Thatcher, the Reagans and President and Mrs George H W Bush. This is a boat that was no stranger to the spotlight. This is because The Highlander was never just a boat - she was a key business and entertaining platform that Forbes used lavishly and generously for hosting huge groups. The parties that were held on board held mythic status – once, at a party for Elizabeth Taylor, Forbes dispatched a private jet to pick up a case of perfumes to be used as special gifts for each and every attendee of the party. The yacht's parties would be wall-to-wall with A-listers. It wasn't uncommon to step into a function on The Highlander and find Hollywood heavyweights chatting away with headline-grabbing politicians. 'One time, I looked up and saw CEOs of six different US airline companies talking together,' recalls Forbes' son Christopher in a magazine feature. 'Where else would you find that?' Highlander is an icon of the yachting world. Yachtsman The Highlander was actually designed with partying in mind from the outset. In the same magazine feature, Forbes' son recalled that the yacht 'had these smaller seating areas and private spaces that weren't too conspicuously private, where people could linger while never prompting the reaction: 'Look at those two off there on their own, talking.'' Fun was also built into the yacht's design, with storage for Harley-Davidson motorboikes and those famous Cigarette and Donzi speedboats that you can see in the aft section in historical photos. The yacht was legendary for her parties, but she was also notable for doing something completely unheard of at the time – cruising up the Amazon. Even now, this is something that is largely not seen in superyachting, but The Highlander wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. Guests on board recalled the superyacht ploughing through underwater obstacles and having to send the crew under water to inspect any potential damage. One crewmember on the voyage had a passion for bagpipe-playing and he would practise his instrument on the top deck of the yacht most mornings, attracting the attention and applause of local Amazonian people. The yacht prior to her extension Feadship The yacht changed hands after Forbes' death, and led a quieter life in more recent years. She was originally built by Feadship, the most prestigious superyacht builder in the world, to a design by the late Jon Bannenberg, arguably the most esteemed yacht designer to have ever lived. A refit in 2014 in the US saw her total length extended to the 162 feet that she is today, but the refit was sensitive to the yacht's icon status. "We are very big fans of Feadship,' explained the owners at the time. "The Highlander had Feadship's outstanding quality and Jon Bannenberg's iconic profile. The Feadship and Bannenberg mix was irresistible.' The yacht is still an entertainment icon. Yachtsman Now called simply Highlander, the yacht had another refit in 2025 and is now available for private yacht charter in the Mediterranean with Greek-based yachting firm YACHTSMAN. She has space for 12 guests in seven cabins, plus a complement for 11 crew, and she has a large toy locker which includes two Seabobs, one eFoil, two Jet-Skis and more. She charters from €150,000 per week plus expenses in low season and €170,000 per week plus expenses in high season.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airbnb cracks down on Memorial Day parties amid short-term rental battle in Indian Rocks Beach
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Airbnb is cracking down on parties. It's a topic that's sitting top of mind for many residents in Indian Rocks Beach with one of the following signs in their front yard. Indian Rocks Beach resident John Phanstiehl said, 'We see stuff every single weekend.' 'We don't even know how many neighbors have been forced out of their houses,' he said. 'We can go back to the commission meetings and watch those; it's just ruining their lives.' Thieves broke into 20 cars while Polk County residents were 'sleeping peacefully,' sheriff says But Airbnb is cracking down on parties with their anti-party technology. Airbnb spokesperson Emily Simons said the system will be tracking 100 different signals — all with the goal of deterring parties. 'A few examples are, the type of listing, if someone is trying to book an entire house vs just one room, the duration of their stay, if they're just trying to book a weekend,' she explained. Simons said guests who are blocked from booking a specific listing will be given alternative Airbnb options to choose from. The question remains: Will this technology work? 'In 2020, we introduced our global party ban policy,' Simons said. 'We have seen a 46% drop in reported parties since then.' Phanstiehl, on the other, hand has little faith. 'It's just another round of smoke and mirrors,' he said. 'Airbnb does this every now and then, they have some grand scheme that's supposedly going to cut down on the number of undesirables or number of party houses.' 'No slick computer program is going to have an effect on that,' Phanstiehl continued. His solution? 'No short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods,' he said. 'It's zoned residential, residential zoning means it's for residents.' Airbnb officials said, in 2024, fewer than approximately 0.06% of reservations on Airbnb in the U.S. resulted in a report of a party. Click here for a breakdown on what is and isn't allowed at Airbnb properties, as well as help for hosts and guests if a situation should arise. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
How does Airbnb know you're having a party? Screening tech and policies explained ahead of Memorial Day
Anyone thinking of throwing a blow out Memorial Day bash at an Airbnb this year should reconsider — the rental company is watching. On Monday, Airbnb issued a statement warning vacationers staying in rentals that explicitly prohibit large gatherings not to push their luck. The company explained that its current system was designed to block what it considers high-risk bookings that are reportedly more likely to result in disruptive house parties. That system will be in use for Memorial Day and Fourth of July bookings this year, and has been in use for holidays since 2021. The company identifies these alleged high-risk booking by examining factors like a guest's length of stay, the proximity of the booking to a guest's home, and whether or not the reservation was made last minute. If enough red flags are triggered during the booking process, Airbnb either blocks the booking or redirects a guest to what it considers lower-risk alternatives. Those tend to be hotel rooms or private rooms in shared homes. "Our anti-party technology is designed to help identify and prevent certain attempts to book one-to-two-night stays in entire home listings that could be higher risk for a disruptive party," Airbnb said in its announcement. According to the company, its anti-party system blocked approximately 51,000 bookings nationwide. Texas, Florida, and California had the most bookings cancelled by the anti-party screening. According to Airbnb, 7,750 people in Texas, 7,400 people in Florida, and 7,030 people in California were blocked from booking due to party concerns. "This technology is part of a broader set of tools and policies Airbnb deploys to promote responsible travel and help hosts safeguard their spaces, especially during moments when demand is higher and the potential for disruption can increase," the company said in a statement. Since Airbnb started banning big parties in 2020, incidents stemming from party chaos at U.S. Airbnbs has decreased more than 50 percent. Last year, only 0.6 percent of the company's reservations had any incident of party-related disruptions. In 2020 the company created a rule limiting the number of occupants in a rental to 16, but the company said that was more a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and less an anti-partying measure. It said in a statement that it plans to lift the occupancy cap this year. Airbnb doesn't just screen for parties during booking. The company also offers to outfit its hosts with privacy-compliant noise sensors, and has established a 24 hour safety line and a Neighborhood Support Line to neighbors to call if they suspect a party is happening. Airbnb's anti-party policies aren't just intended to keep guests in line, but hosts as well. According to its policies, Airbnb hosts "may not authorize a gathering that violates" its disruptive gatherings policy, meaning that as long as a homeowner is renting out their home as an Airbnb, they are under Airbnb's rules. Anyone violating Airbnb's rules will be subject to removal from the platform. "The policy will continue to include serious consequences for guests who attempt to violate these rules, varying from account suspension to full removal from the platform. In 2021, over 6,600 guests were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate our party ban," the company said.
