Bahamas News Today: Saturday, October 31, 2026

Correction: An earlier version of this briefing included storm and cholera reports from previous years. They have been removed. We regret the error.

lol242.com Bahamas News Today · Saturday, October 31, 2026

Here is your Bahamas News Today for Saturday, October 31, 2026. No tropical storm is expected, but rough seas are forecast for the northern Bahamas through Monday. The Central Bank expects growth of more than 3 percent this year, and Rick Fox has entered the race to lead the FNM.

The Bahamas

No tropical storm expected, but rough seas this weekend

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology says no tropical cyclone activity is expected over the next seven days. A frontal system to the north is bringing northeast to east winds of 15 to 20 knots, with seas of 6 to 9 feet in the northern Bahamas through Monday and scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Conditions are expected to ease by Tuesday. Boaters and swimmers should take care.

Central Bank expects economy to grow more than 3% in 2026

The Central Bank of The Bahamas expects the Bahamian economy to grow by more than 3 percent in 2026, beating the International Monetary Fund's forecast of 2.6 percent. Governor John Rolle cited strong tourism and foreign investment. Foreign exchange inflows rose 13.9 percent to $6.6 billion through the first nine months of the year, and external reserves stood at $2.8 billion at the end of October.

Rick Fox announces run for FNM leadership

Rick Fox has announced that he is running for the leadership of the Free National Movement. The party's convention is scheduled for next year.

Five dolphins rescued near Blackbeard's Cay

Five dolphins, named Fiona, Harry, Diamond, Justice and Pigeon, were rescued near Blackbeard's Cay and Balmoral Island and taken to the Atlantis Animal Care facility. Thanks went to the Department of Marine Resources, Atlantis, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and former caretaker Louis Arthuro.

King Charles III wraps Bahamas visit with Junkanoo rushout

King Charles III wrapped up his visit to The Bahamas after joining a Junkanoo rushout on Bay Street, ringing cowbells in the colours of the Bahamian flag. Buckingham Palace called the visit a success.

Bahamas readies Caribbean's next 'debt-for-nature' swap

The Bahamas is preparing the Caribbean's next "debt-for-nature" swap. Economy Minister Michael Halkitis told Reuters the deal will launch in two to four months and will focus on marine parks and the country's network of protected areas. Barbados, Belize and Ecuador have completed similar swaps.

203 foreign nationals repatriated in October

Deportation units repatriated 203 foreign nationals between October 1 and October 22: 168 Haitians, 10 Ecuadorians, 6 Americans, 6 Dominicans, 5 Jamaicans, 3 Cubans, 2 Chinese nationals, 2 Colombians and 1 Trinidadian.

Haiti

Elections pushed to July 18, 2027

Haiti's electoral council has pushed the first round of elections to July 18, 2027, with a runoff on October 4. It is the third delay. Haiti has not held national elections since 2016.

Salvadoran troops begin patrols in Port-au-Prince

More than 2,000 Salvadoran troops began street patrols in Port-au-Prince on October 30. Four Salvadoran soldiers are still missing after an ambush, and President Nayib Bukele is mobilizing armored vehicles and helicopters for a rescue. Remains have been found, but Bukele denied that they were his soldiers.

US airlifts 600 tons of equipment for Gang Suppression Force

The United States publicized a 600-ton airlift of priority equipment for the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which has about 1,563 of its 5,550 authorized troops.

Chérizier threatens transitional council office

Gang leader Jimmy Chérizier of the Viv Ansanm coalition posted a video on Thursday threatening to storm the office of the transitional council. Wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a rifle, he asked residents to give his men free passage. The Kenya-led mission said it thwarted planned attacks, and three officers were briefly hospitalized after their vehicles were hit by Molotov cocktails.

Laurent Saint-Cyr to lead transitional presidential council

Wealthy businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr is set to take over the transitional presidential council from Fritz Jean.

UN projects 6.35 million facing acute food insecurity

A UN food analysis projects that 6.35 million Haitians will face acute food insecurity from March to June 2027. Nearly 6 million are in severe hunger, and almost 2 million are at the Emergency level. Nearly 1.5 million people are displaced, including more than 740,000 children.

Floods leave 8 dead

Heavy rains and floods left 8 people dead, 40 injured and 5 missing. A total of 59,420 people were affected and 13,649 houses were flooded across the Ouest, Sud, Nippes and Grand'Anse departments. Alerts have been lifted, but showers are possible in the evenings.

American Airlines resumes Miami–Cap-Haïtien flights

American Airlines is resuming daily flights between Miami and Cap-Haïtien on November 1.

NYT asks: 'Could El Salvador's Bukele Be Haiti's Savior?'

The New York Times ran a piece titled "Could El Salvador's Bukele Be Haiti's Savior?" US President Donald Trump has backed Bukele's deployment.

The Wider World

US approves $2.1bn Patriot missile sale to Ukraine

The United States approved a $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine, funded by Canada, Germany, Norway and an EU credit facility. Lockheed Martin is the contractor.

Oleshky civilians flown to Belarus under local ceasefire

Hundreds of civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky landed in Belarus on four planes under a local ceasefire that the White House says Melania Trump helped broker. About 2,000 people remain in Oleshky, and the ceasefire is expected to last until Sunday evening. Fighting continued elsewhere: Russia claims it intercepted more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, and 200,000 people were left without power in Dnipropetrovsk after strikes.

Four tankers on fire in Strait of Hormuz, Iran says

Iran says four oil tankers caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz while taking unauthorized routes. Oman rescued 25 sailors from a burning Panamanian-flagged tanker. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued strategic military orders, and President Trump said the US is in no hurry to end the war with Iran.

$6.3bn stolen from Binance in largest crypto heist ever

Hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance, the largest cryptocurrency heist ever. North Korea has been blamed. The funds were siphoned off in about 20 minutes.

Netanyahu's bloc falls short in Israel election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in Israel's election, 8 short of a majority, while Gadi Eisenkot's opposition took 48. Netanyahu attacked Arab parties after the setback. Arab parties secured a record number of seats.

Youth-led protests spread across Europe

France deployed 70,000 security personnel ahead of a third weekend of youth-led protests. Germany's Gen Z movement is planning rallies in 34 cities, and Italy held a nationwide general strike, with clashes near the Colosseum.

Canada and EU announce 'Alliance for the Future'

Canada and the European Union announced a new "Alliance for the Future" in Montreal, aiming to conclude a deeper partnership by June 2027. Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend the EU leaders' summit in June.

Pope Leo XIV votes in US midterms

Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, voted in the US midterm elections. With 3 days to go, more than 43 million early votes have been cast, and Democrats are leading in the polls.

North Korea fires ballistic missiles; US, Japan, South Korea sign Arctic pact

North Korea warned South Korea with ballistic missiles, and Seoul called for talks. The United States, Japan and South Korea signed the Trilateral Arctic Pacific Pact (TAPP) at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta.

Around the world

Deaths in Congo's Ebola outbreak have topped 5,000. Flash floods in Syria killed at least 5 people, including 4 children. A helicopter crash in Uttarakhand, India, killed 6. India launched its NVS-03 navigation satellite on the GSLV-F18 rocket.