Bahamas Morning Briefing: News Headlines – Friday, November 13, 2026

By Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare

Friday, November 13, 2026

Bahamian Stephen Bereaux goes into a run-off today for the number-two job at the UN's telecommunications agency after topping three straight rounds of voting in Doha. At home, the House has passed a major overhaul of the rules for justices of the peace and magistrates. Overseas, Iran says it struck a US radar site in Bahrain, and Europe's leaders gather again in Dublin.

The Bahamas

Bereaux tops third round, heads to run-off for ITU deputy chief

Stephen Bereaux, The Bahamas' candidate for Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, led the third round of voting in Doha on November 13 with 68 votes, ahead of Bahrain's Adel Darwish on 54 and Brazil's Carlos Baigorri on 51. No candidate reached the 87 votes needed, so Bereaux and Darwish now face a two-way run-off later today. Bereaux also led both rounds on November 12, the same day member states re-elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States as Secretary-General with 164 of 173 votes. Bereaux has been the ITU's Chief of Administration and Finance since 2024, and the winner will serve from 2027 to 2030.

Bahamian judge elected to lead island states' climate law commission

Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Bazard has been elected Secretary-General of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, known as COSIS. The government announced her election during the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, where Prime Minister Philip Davis put her name forward. The commission brings small island nations together to press climate concerns through international law.

Government raises seagrass carbon programme to $100 million

The government has committed another $75 million to the second phase of the Bahamas Blue Carbon Programme, bringing its total investment to $100 million. The money will pay for measuring and independently checking the carbon stored in the country's seagrass meadows, which cover about 53,000 square kilometres, so that carbon credits can eventually be sold. Davis told investors at COP31 that The Bahamas will sell only through internationally verified markets under the Paris Agreement, but he gave no date for a first sale. He also asked international migration agencies to help protect Bahamian families displaced by severe storms.

House passes new rules for justices of the peace and magistrates

On November 11 the House of Assembly passed the Justices of the Peace Bill, 2026 and the Magistrates Bill, 2026, which replace the Magistrates Act in force since 1896. New justices of the peace must be Bahamian citizens aged 30 to 70 with no criminal convictions and must complete approved training. Sitting justices will have to reapply within three years. The magistrates bill gives magistrates the same legal immunity as Supreme Court judges and allows longer court sittings, including some Saturday sessions. Opposition MPs were not in the chamber for the vote, and both bills now go to the Senate.

Pintard confirms he will fight to keep FNM leadership

Opposition leader Michael Pintard has confirmed he will run to keep the leadership of the Free National Movement at the party's convention next year, saying he thought he had already made that clear. Long Island MP Andre Rollins, who reportedly told Pintard last month that he was weighing a challenge, now says there is no rift between them and that any differences are internal party business. The FNM won eight of 41 seats in the May general election.

Riviera Beach gives ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital

Riviera Beach, Florida, Mayor Douglas Lawson handed an ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital at the Freeport City Council office on November 11. The donation came during a commerce and investment visit by a Riviera Beach delegation as the two cities renew their sister-city partnership. Hospital officials said the ambulance will strengthen emergency response on Grand Bahama.

Cecil G. Cooke junior regatta returns to Montagu

The Cecil G. Cooke Memorial Regatta, one of the largest junior sailing championships in The Bahamas, returns to Montagu Bay in Nassau on November 21 and 22. The two-day event puts the country's young sailors back on the water for one of the season's main junior races.

The Caribbean

Haiti retakes national stadium from gangs

Haitian police, backed by a security task force, took back the Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince on November 12 after about two years of gang control, then handed security of the site to Salvadoran troops. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said the stadium will serve as a base for the next push into gang-held areas. Four Salvadoran aviation technicians who went missing after an ambush on October 18 have still not been found. Haiti's prime minister is due in El Salvador next week to discuss the future of the deployment.

IMF urges Jamaica to speed rebuilding and restrain spending

An IMF team that visited Kingston from October 27 to November 4 said Jamaica was right to ease its budget after Hurricane Melissa but should now speed up reconstruction. As the rebuild moves ahead, the fund wants more revenue and tighter control of day-to-day spending so that public debt can keep falling. It expects inflation, now above the Bank of Jamaica's 4 to 6 percent target, to return to that range by mid-2027, and it backed the central bank's September rate increase.

Montego Bay resort hiring hundreds ahead of December reopening

Iberostar is filling about 400 jobs as its JOIA Rose Hall resort in Montego Bay prepares to reopen on December 1 after a full renovation. The adults-only, 295-suite property is one of several major Jamaican hotels returning this winter as tourism recovers from Hurricane Melissa.

Island leaders press big polluters as COP31 turns to negotiations

At the end of two days of leaders' speeches at COP31 in Antalya, small island states pleaded for urgent cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. Saint Lucia's Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre said major emitters must move beyond the usual promises. Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez defended her country's right to grow its oil industry. Australia's Chris Bowen, who leads the negotiations, said he will try to steer the talks toward the strongest deal all countries can accept before the conference ends on November 20.

United States

Eight dead, including two children, in Brooklyn building collapse

Rescue crews ended their search on November 12, a day after a three-story building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn collapsed into a neighbouring construction site. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said six adults and two children, aged 9 and 10, were killed, and more than a dozen other people were injured. The dead and injured included people from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Trinidad, and investigators are widening their inquiry into what caused the collapse.

Van Hollen challenges Schumer for Senate Democratic leader

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen announced on November 12 that he will challenge Chuck Schumer to lead Senate Democrats in the new Congress, following the party's big midterm gains. Van Hollen admits he is the underdog but argues that Democrats need new leadership to win voters' trust. Schumer says he has the votes to stay on, and Democratic senators will decide in a secret ballot on December 1. Senator Bernie Sanders quickly endorsed Van Hollen.

Ex-Nvidia chief and Commerce Secretary asked to testify

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify publicly next month, with Huang requested for December 3. Scott has warned of subpoenas if either refuses. Three House committees have separately asked Huang and Nvidia's general counsel to appear in early December. Lawmakers want to know how chip sales to China were approved and what officials knew about Huang's relationship with a woman US authorities suspect of spying for China, though neither the relationship nor the requests show that any law was broken.

Microsoft outage hits Outlook and Teams users

A widespread Microsoft outage that cut users off from Outlook email, Teams and other services on November 12 continued into November 13. The company said it was seeing early signs of stabilisation as fixes rolled out and that there was no sign the outage was caused by a cyberattack.

Wall Street slips as Nvidia shake-up and Iran tensions weigh

US stocks closed lower on November 12, with the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each down about 0.4 percent and the Dow finishing at 52,297.09. Nvidia's leadership crisis, rising tensions with Iran and growing expectations of a Federal Reserve rate increase weighed on investors, while higher oil prices pushed up Treasury yields. New US producer price figures are due today.

Global News Updates

Iran says it hit US radar site in Bahrain

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on November 13 that they targeted and destroyed a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, calling it retaliation for an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, in southern Iran. Neither Bahrain nor the United States had confirmed any strike. It is the first such Iranian claim against US military assets in a Gulf country since early September, during a fragile lull in the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28. Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

European leaders meet again in Dublin after Ukraine-focused summit

About 50 leaders attended the European Political Community summit in Dublin on November 12, the largest gathering of national leaders Ireland has ever hosted. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the meeting reaffirmed Europe's support for Ukraine and backed closer cooperation against hybrid attacks, wider use of new technology, and cleaner, more affordable energy. Leaders heard that Ukraine will need about €70 billion in support next year, and the 27 EU leaders meet informally in Dublin today. Ireland also says it is in talks to use Ukrainian drone technology for maritime security.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian warship in Gulf of Finland

Ukraine's security service says it struck the Russian missile corvette Naro-Fominsk in the Gulf of Finland on November 11, during a wider drone attack on the Ust-Luga oil export port. Finland's military confirmed it detected a strike on a Russian warship, and Estonian officials reported an explosion and smoke before the ship turned back toward St Petersburg. It is believed to be the first Ukrainian attack on a Russian vessel in a part of the Baltic Sea used by civilian shipping, though Finland says the sea remains stable and safe.

Manila readies for ASEAN summit, Trump due on final day

The Philippines hosts the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings at the Philippine International Convention Center starting Sunday, November 15, and Metro Manila has declared November 16 to 18 special non-working days. US President Donald Trump is expected at the ASEAN-US Special Summit on November 17, the closing day, before travelling to China for the APEC summit in Shenzhen. Officials say his late arrival will not change the programme, including the handover of the ASEAN chair to Singapore.