Bahamas News Today: Friday, October 30, 2026

lol242.com Bahamas News Today · Friday, October 30, 2026

Here is your Bahamas News Today for Friday, October 30, 2026. Jitney operators sit down with Transport Minister Leon Lundy today over fares and soaring fuel costs, King Charles III has moved on to Guyana after a visit Buckingham Palace calls a diplomatic success, questions grow over the Government's $1.1 billion bond, Western Air prepares to return to North Eleuthera, and forecasters warn of hazardous seas and rip currents into the weekend.

The Bahamas

Jitney operators meet Transport Minister today, warn of more action if talks fail

Public bus owners and drivers on New Providence meet Transport Minister Leon Lundy today, Friday, October 30, two days after a sick-out that left commuters stranded at bus stops across the island. The Tribune reported that more than 100 buses were represented at the protest at RM Bailey Park on Wednesday, and some passengers waited an hour or longer for a ride. Services resumed later that day after Mr Lundy and the industry's leaders agreed there would be no further disruption ahead of today's meeting.

Operators want the standard adult fare raised from $1.50 to $2. Rudolph Taylor, president of the Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union, said he spent $140 on 17 gallons of diesel on Tuesday, and that tyres have gone from $140 to $190, a bucket of oil from about $120 to $175, and brakes from $40 to between $60 and $70. He said the last meeting with a transport minister was in 2024, when a 25-cent increase was granted. Harrison Moxey, president of the United Public Transportation Company, described one driver who earned $126 in a day but needed about $130 to refuel. “That's a minus $3 running on the road,” he said.

Mr Moxey warned that operators will not accept an outcome that ignores their concerns. “If that meeting is not successful, then we believe that we will have to take further steps to make our petition known, and we're prepared to do whatever it takes,” he told The Tribune. Mr Lundy has called Wednesday's action “particularly disappointing” given that talks were already arranged. He said today's meeting will also cover road safety enforcement, public transport rules and codes of conduct, possible route changes and the possible return of a pilot programme for a more centralised bus system with scheduled services. “Our goal is to address the immediate concerns of the industry, but also to work toward a safer, better organised, and more dependable public transportation system for all Bahamians,” he said.

For the thousands of Bahamians who ride the jitney to work and school every day, the outcome matters twice over: a fare rise would hit household budgets, while another walkout would leave them stranded again.

King leaves for Guyana as Palace hails Bahamas visit a 'diplomatic success'

King Charles III left New Providence on Thursday, October 29, after a final Guard of Honour of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and saying goodbye to Prime Minister Philip Davis, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville and Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt, Our News reported. He has since arrived in Guyana for a two-day state visit focused on the environment and trade, before he opens the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, which runs from November 1 to 4 and will discuss the legacy of slavery, the BBC reported.

Buckingham Palace described the Bahamas leg as a “sensitive balancing act” and a “diplomatic success”. The King's spokesman said the islands had “a special place in the King's heart” and that “the great wall of cheers he received when greeting crowds will echo long in his memory.” The Tribune reported that Culture Minister Leslia Miller-Brice and Agriculture Minister Jomo Campbell guided him through Wednesday's Junkanoo rush-out on Bay Street, where he danced to the Bahamian classic Naughty Johnny, and that Britain's former High Commissioner Tom Hartley summed it up on X in two words: “Now he reach.”

At Coral Harbour, retired Captain Whitfield Neely, a survivor of the 1980 sinking of HMBS Flamingo who helped pull shipmates from the water under fire, told The Tribune the King called them “family” after the two men discovered they had both trained at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. The King's wreath at the Flamingo Monument carried a handwritten card signed “Charles R” with the words “in everlasting remembrance”.

The reparations debate has not gone away. Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, whom The Tribune identified as chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, told the paper that police told her she could only watch the Junkanoo celebration in Parliament Square if she put away her poster calling for reparations. “Our work and our movement is bigger than just this king apologising,” she said, adding that the committee will keep teaching Bahamians the history through writing, seminars and talks in schools.

$1.1 billion bond: buyback settles, but questions over a $400 million balance

The Government has accepted offers to buy back $170.6 million of its existing bonds for about $178.4 million, not counting accrued interest, with settlement expected on Thursday, October 29, Bahamas Latest reported. The largest purchase was $98.5 million of 9 percent bonds due in 2029. The Government also expects to pay off the remaining $194.3 million owed on the two bond series that mature soonest, but has not said how or when.

The Tribune reported that the buyback covers just 21 percent of the $813 million in existing debt the Government had hoped to refinance with last week's $1.1 billion bond. Adding the $194.3 million payout and the $332 million Grand Bahama Power Company debt being refinanced still leaves about $400 million of the proceeds unexplained. Opposition chairman Dr Duane Sands asked: “Is this new debt? Are they now going to go back to Parliament because this is not what they said they are going to do.” Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive Gowon Bowe said the Government's plan “cannot be a one trick pony” and needs a clear, tiered strategy.

Meanwhile, Central Bank Governor John Rolle said the economy is on track to grow by more than 3 percent this year, helped by tourism and foreign investment, but warned that inflation has picked up and could rise further as wars, high oil prices and US tariffs push up the cost of imports, Our News reported. He said any Government relief should be targeted “as directly as possible to those who need it the most”. At the pump, gasoline in New Providence now ranges from $7.49 to $7.56 a gallon, compared with $7.08 last week, with higher prices in the Family Islands, Bahamas Latest reported.

Family Islands: Western Air returns to North Eleuthera, Guana Cay still waits on power

Western Air will resume flights between Nassau and North Eleuthera on Monday, November 2, a month after suspending the service over deteriorating runway conditions, The Tribune reported. Director of Aviation Dr Kenneth Romer said interim runway works have been completed and that new aerodrome beacons, lights, a fire-fighting vehicle, security equipment and full runway repaving are among further upgrades planned, part of a Family Island airport programme with 26 projects across The Bahamas. He said Eleuthera recorded its largest number of foreign air arrivals in the first nine months of 2026, 31 percent above 2019 and 2 percent above 2025. A new terminal is under construction at North Eleuthera, one of three airports, with Governor's Harbour and Exuma's George Town, being upgraded by the Island Airport Development Partners consortium in a $130 million package.

On Guana Cay, Abaco, a resident of the northern end near Baker's Bay told The Tribune her area had gone almost 72 hours without electricity this week, and that the north is usually the last part of the cay to get power back. Bahamas Power and Light said a fault on the subsea cable to the cay means power cannot be extended beyond Guana Cay Town, and that bad weather has kept divers from finding the fault. She said the island's internal cables are 30 to 40 years old and were damaged by Hurricane Dorian, and that residents were told a new subsea link from Marsh Harbour could come in the first quarter of next year, with no firm timeline.

In Exuma, telecommunications company ALIV has marked another expansion of its services on the island as it celebrates 10 years in business, Our News reported. Director of Sales Kieran Chase said customers in Exuma should get the same experience as those in New Providence, and the company has partnered with local government on community projects including the basketball court in George Town.

Grand Bahama: $1 million road works, and a school left without power

The Grand Bahama Port Authority is spending a further $1 million on road resurfacing across Freeport, taking its spending on road improvements to more than $2.6 million in three years, The Tribune reported. Roads on the list include Summerville Turning Lane, Bonita Road, Pioneers Loop Road, East Mall Drive at North Regency Boulevard, Young Husband Drive, Squash Road, Kipling Lane and parts of East Sunrise Highway and Queen's Highway. Work by Bahamas Hot Mix, Waugh Construction and Freeport Construction is due to start within days, weather permitting, and finish by the end of November. Motorists are asked to slow down in work zones and watch for GBPA notices.

Parents at Hugh Campbell Primary School on Mahogany Street, Freeport, want answers after the school went two straight days without electricity this week, The Tribune reported. One parent wrote that children were left to learn without proper lighting or ventilation and that families were not told. The Ministry of Education said a statement would be issued, but none had been received by press time. The complaint adds to wider frustration over power cuts at government schools since September.

Crime and courts: murder charges, another homicide, 203 repatriated

Two men, aged 24 and 28, have been charged with the murder of 25-year-old Clauvensly Augustin, who was shot on Comfort Street on August 9 as he tried to run from attackers firing from a dark-coloured car, The Tribune reported. Ashton Dawkins and Stefano Lightbourne were not required to enter a plea before Acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans and were remanded until February 25, 2027, when their case is due to move to the Supreme Court.

Police are pleading with the public to put down the guns after a man in his mid-30s was shot dead on Lincoln Boulevard on Wednesday, the country's latest homicide, Our News reported.

The Department of Immigration says it repatriated 203 foreign nationals from nine countries between October 1 and 22, Bahamas Latest reported. They included 168 Haitians, 10 Ecuadorians, six Americans, six Dominicans and five Jamaicans. The department asks the public to report suspicious activity on 242-604-0180 or 242-604-0172/82, or at immigration.gov.bs.

Weather: hazardous seas and high rip current risk through the weekend

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology has no public warnings in effect today, Friday, October 30, but warns of a high risk of rip currents along all coastal waters and strongly advises swimmers to stay out of the water. The highest tides of the year, combined with large swells, bring a slight to moderate risk of coastal and tidal flooding along shorelines and marshland areas through the weekend.

Today should be partly sunny with a 10 to 20 percent chance of showers in the Northern and Northwest Bahamas, 10 to 30 percent in the Central Bahamas, including Exuma, and a 30 percent chance of isolated showers or thunderstorms in the Southeast. Highs range from 84 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. High pressure behind a weak front will strengthen the winds and build seas, with hazardous marine conditions through Sunday and near-gale gusts possible in the Northern Bahamas on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, November 1, looks cloudier and wetter in the north, with a 40 to 50 percent chance of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. The US National Hurricane Center says no tropical cyclone formation is expected in the next seven days.

Sports: Edgecombe's 50-footer, Walcott's three hits, junior sailors shine in Exuma

VJ Edgecombe had eight points and seven rebounds, including a 50-foot shot at the half-time buzzer, as the Philadelphia 76ers came back to beat the Indiana Pacers 114-109 on Wednesday and improve to 4-1, Our News reported. Deandre Ayton went five-for-five from the field for 10 points and five rebounds, but his Washington Wizards lost 121-111 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In baseball, Texas Rangers prospect Sebastian Walcott went three-for-six with a double and two runs batted in as the Surprise Saguaros beat the Mesa Solar Sox 13-2 in the Arizona Fall League.

In Exuma, 27 young sailors from clubs across the country, including Exuma, Long Island and Nassau, raced at the 2026 Bahamas Sunfish Junior National Championship in Elizabeth Harbour, hosted by the Exuma Sailing Club and the Bahamas Sailing Association Sunfish Class. The defending champion from the Mack Knowles Junior Sailing Club retained his title with four wins in four races, and Exuma Sailing Club sailors took second and third place, Our News reported.

On the golf course, Richard Gibson Jr and Nolan Johnson won the first Samuel and James Gardiner Scholarship Golf Tournament at Royal Blue Golf Course with a net 61, one stroke ahead of Francis Adderley and Creswell Gardiner, The Tribune reported. The Silver Lightning Athletic Club event raises money for scholarships for young Bahamians.

The Caribbean

Jamaica freezes official overseas travel to fund hurricane recovery

Jamaica's government has banned non-essential official overseas travel across the public sector until March 31, 2027, as it directs money towards recovery from Hurricane Melissa, Our News reported. The rule covers ministers, senior officials, board members and staff of all government bodies.

King Charles begins Guyana state visit

King Charles III arrived in Guyana on Thursday for a two-day state visit, the BBC reported. He is due to meet President Irfaan Ali and attend a reception marking 60 years of relations between the two countries, with the environment and growing trade ties as the main themes.

Guyana calls for Caribbean action on 'dark fleet' ships

Guyana is urging Caribbean governments to work together against so-called dark fleet vessels that fraudulently fly national flags to move weapons, sanctioned oil and smuggled people, Our News reported. Its Public Utilities and Aviation Minister warned that no country could stamp out fake ship registrations on its own.

Machado home in Venezuela, calls for elections in 2027

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, back in Caracas after months in exile, said elections should be held in 2027 and that the move to democracy was “irreversible”, the BBC reported. Interim president Delcy Rodríguez said elections would be held but set no date.

The Wider World

Russian drone strike on Dnipro station kills at least 14

At least 14 people were killed and 14 wounded when a Russian drone hit a crowded platform at the main railway station in Dnipro, central Ukraine, on Thursday, officials said, the BBC reported. Russia has not commented. A day of mourning has been declared in Dnipro and Chernihiv, where a separate missile strike also killed two people.

More than 43 million early votes cast in US midterms

With less than a week until the US midterm elections, more than 43 million Americans have already voted, the BBC reported, citing the University of Florida Election Lab. Turnout looks set to beat 2020, with Texas well above its 2022 numbers.

Google loses $500 billion in value as AI search hits ad sales

Google's parent company Alphabet lost just over $500 billion in stock market value on Thursday after saying AI summaries in search were affecting advertising revenue, the BBC reported. Revenue rose 25 percent to $127.6 billion, but profits fell 25 percent.

Serbia's student movement demands top resignations after election win

Serbia's student-led Student List, which ousted former president Aleksandar Vučić's party from power at the polls, has called for the heads of the police, the BIA security agency and the anti-terror unit to stand down, the BBC reported.

Sources

The Tribune, Our News, Bahamas Latest, The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, US National Hurricane Center, BBC News.