Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
The State Department updated its travel advisory for the Bahamas, highlighting the risk of crime, including sexual assaults, in the Caribbean nation.
Violent crimes, such as sexual assaults, armed robberies, and burglaries, can occur anywhere in the country, the department said in a July 28 update.
“Most crime occurs in Nassau and Freeport on New Providence and Grand Bahama islands. Stay alert in the ‘Over the Hill’ area in Nassau, south of Shirley Street, where gangs have killed residents. Stay alert in vacation rental properties, especially where private security is not present,” the department said.
Located on New Providence Island, Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas.
The Bahamas has been designated as a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” classification.
The advisory specifically warned about jet skiing and boating activities in the Bahamas, highlighting that these are not well regulated in the country. Deaths and injuries involving such activities have been reported. In some instances, jet ski operators have allegedly committed sexual assaults.
The U.S. government has banned its employees from using or renting jet skis and personal watercraft from independent operators on Paradise Islands and New Providence due to safety risks. Some watercraft operators may not be licensed or insured, and may ignore weather forecasts, according to the advisory.
In a June 15 alert, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau had warned Americans about jet ski risks in the Bahamas.
According to the embassy, at least two Americans have reported being sexually assaulted in the Bahamas this year by jet ski operators. Two such reports were registered in 2025, while three were reported in 2024.
Some of the victims alleged that operators had solicited them for rides from the small islands east of Paradise Island, downtown Nassau, and Paradise Island beaches, including areas stretching from Junkanoo Beach to Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach.
The victims said they were assaulted on isolated islands near Nassau, according to the embassy.
In its latest advisory, the State Department warned travelers to the Bahamas to be aware of their surroundings and stay alert in public restrooms. Sexual assaults have occurred on or near beaches in downtown Nassau.
The department advised people never to swim alone and to be aware of watercraft or jet skis operating close to the shore.
In 2024, roughly 85 percent of the around 11.2 million visitors to the Bahamas were from the United States, according to data from the International Trade Administration.
In addition to the Bahamas, the State Department has issued travel advisories for other nations in the Caribbean.
A July 10 travel advisory updated the alert level for Saint Lucia to Level 2, warning about the risk of crime in the country.
American citizens and other foreigners in Saint Lucia have reported being victims of assault, armed robbery, rape, and burglary. In some instances, U.S. citizens have been killed, the advisory said.
Tourist resorts have been targets of violent crimes. Moreover, response times of local police are not as fast as in the United States.
In April, a State Department advisory warned of crime and terrorism risks in Trinidad and Tobago, designating the country with a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” classification, the second-most severe travel advisory.
The department advised avoiding beaches, downtown Port of Spain, Fort George, and Queen’s Park Savannah after dark, warning that tourists are vulnerable to armed assault at these sites.
Meanwhile, a “Worldwide Caution” security alert was issued on July 22 by the State Department for Americans due to the heightened tensions in the Middle East.
U.S. diplomatic facilities, within and outside of the Middle East, have been targeted by rivals, with the Iranian regime and its supporting groups likely to target other American interests overseas. Targets may include locations linked to the United States and U.S. citizens anywhere in the world, such as businesses and institutions, according to the department.
“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions,” the alert said.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:30Houthis have entered the chat...
Already multiple Saudi vessels have been targeted in the Red Sea region, forcing a number of tankers to U-turn, and now Yemen's Houthis are seeking to introduce their own 'toll system' for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
"Yemen's information minister said intelligence confirmed IRGC advisers were directly involved in designing a Houthi-enforced toll system for the Bab el-Mandeb, mirroring Iran's contested claim to charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz," European media reports Wednesday.
Source: Winward"The Houthi armed group is working with Iran to charge ships to transit the Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, threatening another waterway after Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a minister in Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Wednesday."
The scheme is to be a mirror image of that Tehran is seeking to enforce in the Strait of Hormuz, where it continues to insist that it will settle for nothing less than its own vision of management, including fee collection for "navigation" "environmental" and safety assurance. According to more via Reuters:
Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a week after declaring a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, regional sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The Iran-aligned Houthis on July 20 declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, opening a new front against the U.S. and its allies in the Iran war and expanding attacks on tankers carrying global energy and other supplies to waters beyond the Gulf.
The US and Saudi backed government in Yemen, which has for over a decade been at civil war with the Houthi rebels, has described the move as "a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia's military and terrorist activities," according to Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani.
The pro-Saudi axis has said it recently obtained "confirmed intelligence" indicating that Iran's IRGC were helping to manage the toll initiative.
"The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project," Eryani added.
Eryani stated this would include "the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels".
Iran has been pledging to support its ground proxies in Iraq and Yemen, as both since last weekend appeared to begin launching attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities.
Overnight saw a rare joint US-Saudi response with attacks on Iraqi militias. In the case of Yemen, there's not much the coalition can do given the Houthis have remained entrenched even after years of massive bombing campaigns, including strikes conducted solely by the Israeli Air Force at times.
China is said to be in direct talks with the Houthis to allow for passage of Chinese vessels, also based on prior precedent wherein the Houthis allowed Russian and Chinese ships to pass without incident, connected to the prior Gaza war.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:15Garmin shares jumped as much as 9.6% in premarket trading after the GPS-device maker delivered a broad beat on second-quarter earnings and raised its full-year outlook.
Garmin produces GPS-enabled electronics and wearable technology across five main markets:
The company attributed the outperformance to "strong demand for advanced wearables," particularly within its fitness segment:
Revenue from the fitness segment increased 25% in the second quarter with growth across all product categories, led by strong demand for advanced wearables. Gross and operating margins were 64% and 37%, respectively, resulting in $277 million of operating income.
During the quarter, we launched the Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170, easy-to-use GPS running smartwatches designed to help runners of all levels reach their goals. In addition, we celebrated Global Running Day and Global Cycling Day with the release of our running and cycling data reports, highlighting how athletes around the world are recording runs and rides. More recently, we announced the CIRQA Smart Band, a screenless wearable that offers rich wellness and fitness insights without requiring a subscription and further expands our addressable market for wellness devices.
Hottest watch on the golf course is the Garmin Approach S70 Golf GPS Watch:
Here's a snapshot of second quarter results:
Pro forma EPS $2.81 vs. $2.17 y/y, estimate $2.28
Revenue $2.02 billion, +11% y/y, estimate $1.92 billion
Operating income $615.5 million, +30% y/y, estimate $486 million
Gross margin 62.4% vs. 58.8% y/y, estimate 58.8%
Here's a snapshot of the full-year forecast:
Sees pro forma EPS $10.00, saw $9.35, estimate $9.62 (Bloomberg Consensus)
Sees revenue about $8.05 billion, saw about $7.9 billion, estimate $7.99 billion
Sees gross margin 59.7%, saw 58.5%, estimate 58.8%
The report offers a positive outlook on consumer hardware demand, with folks increasingly gravitating toward wearables. It also highlights a growing divergence within the technology sector: while the AI selloff pressures memory-chip producers and hyperscalers, consumer-device companies with strong demand and earnings momentum continue to outperform.
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:00Last week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s short stint as a faux president ended with an embarrassing acknowledgment that he could not, as promised during his campaign, arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
So, this week, Mamdani the Grocer made a reappearance, with details on the five city-run grocery stores that he will open.
But rather than deliver discount groceries, Mamdani is selling New Yorkers a bill of goods that will cost them millions.
What Mamdani described was a discount food bank dressed up as a grocery. Standing in front of blackboards saying “REDUCED 30%,” Mamdani sounded like a bodega hawker: “Once a month, our five city-run grocery stores will set prices for this core set of goods at 30% below typical retail prices. No exceptions, no gimmicks”
Here’s the most delicious part: the presser was a gimmick from beginning to end.
The mayor promised that “The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations or sticker shock at the checkout line — not for our seniors living on fixed incomes, nor for the parents who rely on a regular supply of apple slices to keep toddler tantrums at bay.”
The Mamdani markets are new variations of an old New York grift: selling gold watches for $5.
The dupes want to believe that somehow this street vendor, surreptitiously displaying watches inside his overcoat, actually found a way to sell “solid gold watches” for just a few bucks.
The math simply does not add up for Mamdani.
Most groceries have an average profit margin between 1% and 3%, one of the smallest margins of any industry.
To promise a 30% discount below market rate that cannot be adjusted due to monthly market fluctuations is economically absurd.
It is not a description of a competitive grocery but a public charity. It is a quasi-food bank where taxpayers subsidize the cost.
As usual, Mamdani turns this into a class war, demonizing business owners. He suggests that real grocery stores are simply price gougers hoarding windfall profits from consumers. He ignores that they must pay rent, upkeep and fees — all things the city-run stores may simply write off.
He proclaimed, “May the most affordable grocery store win.”
Of course, the test is not which grocery is the most affordable, but which is the most sustainable. If you are willing to take a bath on sales, you can always offer the most affordable prices for as long as your excess cash holds out.
In Mamdani’s case, he has the credit of New York City to draw on to compete against Mom-and-Pop bodegas.
The subsidy, however, is only part of the costs. The average bodega owner must cover the fixed costs of renting a space, building the store, and complying with inspectors. Those are the fixed costs that must be internalized into the cost of produce to break even.
Real stores are competing in one of the tightest markets in the world and are grappling with a 33% nationwide increase in costs since 2019. Mamdani wants to use the stores to prove that socialism works as part of his effort to introduce New York to the “warmth of socialism.” We may never know the real costs of the Mamdani markets.
According to the New York Post, the city plans to open an East Harlem location as its first store, at a reported cost of $30 million.
However, that is not the full cost. The Post also reported that the city had already appropriated $25 million to improve the first site. The city will lose millions that could have been acquired through a sale of the land or through rents to private companies. Those costs are left on other ledgers and not likely counted in the true costs of the Mamdani markets.
The first store will not even open until 2027 despite the props behind Mamdani. The second Manhattan store will not open until 2029. That is three years and tens of millions of dollars for just the first two stores.
That is how Mamdani is promising New Yorkers savings of “$90 a month, or roughly $1,000 a year.” He is using the city to subsidize food under the guise of selling at low, but still profitable prices. Ironically, those who can take advantage of the subsidy at the first two stores in Manhattan will be anyone, including the privileged, wealthy New Yorkers whom Mamdani denounces for not paying their fair share. After all, everyone wants below-market-priced slices in the Big Apple.
The first city-run grocery, in East Harlem, will cost $30 million to build — and perhaps more. It will never need to pay this money back nor factor it into its prices. The “warmth of socialism” will cover it; that is, you.
In reality, Mamdani will be selling apples at a far greater cost than any competitor, but those true costs will be buried in the city budget and paid for by the taxpayers.
Indeed, the Mamdani markets are likely to prove the most expensive groceries in the city.
Mamdani, however, has never sweated the math or the means. He knows that the focus will be on the cash register price and not the true cost.
Of course, there is a big difference between the gold watch grift and the Mamdani grift: buying a knockoff watch only costs chumps a few bucks. The Mamdani con will cost New Yorkers millions, and most will thank him for it.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 14:40