Bahamas News Today: Thursday, October 29, 2026

lol242.com Bahamas News Today · Thursday, October 29, 2026

Here is your Bahamas News Today for Thursday, October 29, 2026. King Charles III leaves The Bahamas today after a three-day visit that ended with the King dancing in a Junkanoo rush-out on Bay Street, bus drivers have stood down after a sick-out over fares, Moody's says the Government needs lasting revenue gains, and forecasters warn of dangerous rip currents and high tides.

The Bahamas

King Charles III dances in Junkanoo rush-out as royal visit ends

King Charles III spent a packed second day in New Providence on Wednesday, October 28, after arriving on Tuesday at Lynden Pindling International Airport, where he was welcomed by Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Davis, Our News reported. It is his first visit as King and his first official visit since 1973, when, as Prince of Wales, he represented Queen Elizabeth II at the Independence celebrations. Wednesday began at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force base at Coral Harbour, where he received a Royal Salute from a Guard of Honour of 106 officers and marines and laid a wreath at the Flamingo Monument, which honours the four Bahamian marines who died when HMBS Flamingo was sunk by Cuban fighter aircraft on May 10, 1980. He met relatives of Marines Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams and a surviving crew member, according to The Independent and GB News. Coronation Medals are to be presented to Defence Force personnel at a later date.

The King then toured Bonefish Pond National Park, the protected mangrove wetland on southern New Providence, where he planted a native silver buttonwood tree, Bahamas Latest reported. At the National Boxing Academy he laughed when Jermaine Gibson of Grand Bahama's All-Out Boxing Club presented him with a T-shirt showing him as a crowned boxer. “How generous!” the King said, and he told the young boxers: “I might see you at a Commonwealth Games.”

The most talked-about moment came downtown. After an hour among the artisans and food stalls of Parliament Square, the King watched a Junkanoo rush-out on Bay Street beside Culture Minister Leslia Miller-Brice. When a young boy handed him a pair of handbells in the colours of the Bahamian flag, he stepped into the parade and danced down the street as the crowd cheered, The Telegraph and the BBC reported. The day closed with a garden reception at Government House, attended by guests including former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. Mr Davis described this royal visit as his favourite so far.

Not everyone was celebrating. Five members of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee held placards reading “Pay us what you owe us” in Parliament Square, and chairman Noelle Nicholls said the King was “returning in a way that has still not atoned for the sins of the past,” The Telegraph reported. FNM Chairman Dr Duane Sands said money spent preparing for the visit could have gone to the public health system, Bahamas Latest reported. The King leaves today, Thursday, October 29, for a state visit to Guyana and then the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, which runs from November 1 to 4. Police have warned of delays and temporary closures along the convoy route from Paradise Island to the airport, including Shirley Street, downtown Nassau, West Bay Street, Baha Mar Boulevard, John F Kennedy Drive and Windsor Field Road. Roads reopen once the convoy passes, The Tribune reported.

Bus drivers stand down after sick-out over fares

Public bus drivers on New Providence held a sick-out on Wednesday, October 28, shutting down bus services and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded, Our News reported. Drivers want a 50-cent fare increase, which would bring the adult fare to $2, as diesel prices climb above $8. They said Transport Minister Leon Lundy did not turn up to a meeting they expected on Tuesday. “The bus business is now becoming a non-profitable business,” one driver said, while another pointed to the rising cost of parts and repairs.

In a statement carried by ZNS, Mr Lundy called the disruption “very disappointing” and said the concerns had not been ignored. He said the ministry had responded to a proposal from the United Public Transportation Company and that a meeting is set for Friday, October 30. The union says drivers will stand down until those talks. Asked whether there could be more walkouts, the company's president, Harrison Moxey, said: “That depends on what we eat. If the government wants to feed us 50 cents, I think we'll be feeling very well.”

Moody's: surpluses need lasting revenue, not one-off spikes

Credit rating agency Moody's says The Bahamas must turn this year's revenue gains into lasting ones if it wants steady budget surpluses, The Tribune reported. The Government posted a preliminary surplus of $39.3 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Revenue rose 16.6 percent to $3.96 billion, ahead of 12.6 percent growth in spending. But much of the improvement came from a strong June, when VAT arrears and dividends from public corporations poured in.

Moody's noted that the new 15 percent corporate tax, the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax, brought in only $68.6 million, about half its target. The Government is counting on $350 million from it this year to reach a $291 million surplus. The agency expects government debt to fall from 70.7 percent of GDP to 67 percent this fiscal year, provided spending growth slows sharply. It also pointed to energy reform, including an Abaco plant with about 13 megawatts of solar due to start feeding the grid in November 2026, as a potential boost to growth.

Harbour Island mourns teen lost at Pink Sands Beach

Harbour Island is mourning a 15-year-old student whose body was found on a Harbour Island beach on Tuesday, October 27, two days after he went missing in rough seas at Pink Sands Beach, The Tribune reported. The tenth grader at Harbour Island All Age School and another teenager got into difficulty while swimming on Sunday. The other boy made it back to shore.

A family member who had searched the shoreline every day found the body after a bystander spotted something in the water. Police had deployed teams and vessels, but the search was suspended twice because of severe weather. Relatives described a hard-working boy who helped neighbours with yard work and wanted to be a barber, and the school closed early as the news spread. The death is a painful reminder of this week's warnings about rough water and rip currents. Our condolences go to his family and the Harbour Island community.

Guana Cay resort counts more than 300 hours without power

Outages on Guana Cay, Abaco, have become “a real nightmare” for Kalopsia Seaside Villas and Marina, owner John McKibbon told The Tribune. He estimates the resort has gone more than 300 hours without electricity since September 1, including an outage of about 19 hours, and spent more than $5,000 on generator fuel last month while still paying Bahamas Power and Light bills. Staff say some reservations had to be cancelled.

Mr McKibbon said six planned new villas are on hold until the cay has dependable power or he invests in solar. The resort may close for at least two months next year rather than run generators through the slow season. He said BPL staff on the ground work hard, but the old underwater cable serving the cay needs replacing. He said he welcomes BPL's planned Abaco solar and battery project but believes a new line is still needed.

Canadians crown Nassau top family destination as visitor numbers climb

Nassau has been named Top Family Destination in Air Canada Vacations' 2026 Travellers' Top Picks Awards, a consumer poll in Canada that drew more than 1.3 million votes, the Ministry of Tourism said. The ministry cited Cabbage Beach, Cable Beach, Baha Bay Water Park, Aquaventure and the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay. Tourism Director-General Jackson Weech said the award was meaningful because it came directly from travellers.

Canada is a growing market. Canadian stopover arrivals reached 104,476 from January to August 2026, up 13.8 percent on last year, while total stopovers rose 4.3 percent to 1,449,294, the ministry said. Moody's put total foreign arrivals for the same months at 9.5 million, up 14.9 percent, but noted that about 85 percent were cruise passengers, and that stopover visitors do far more for hotel jobs and VAT collections, The Tribune reported.

Weather: rip current danger and high tides, another front by the weekend

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology has no public warnings in effect today, Thursday, October 29, but it warns of a moderate to high risk of dangerous, life-threatening rip currents along all coastlines and advises beachgoers to stay out of the water. The highest tides of the year, combined with large swells, bring a moderate risk of coastal and tidal flooding through tonight in the Northern and Northwest Bahamas. Waves may wash over seawalls and coastal roads on north- and east-facing shores, and drivers should take care on the Glass Window Bridge in Eleuthera.

A front lingers over the Northern and Northwest Bahamas, with a 10 to 30 percent chance of showers across most islands, including Exuma in the Central Bahamas, and highs of 84 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Showers are more likely in the Southeast Bahamas through tonight. Another front is forecast to reach the Northern Bahamas late Friday and the Northwest Bahamas on Saturday, bringing more showers, northeast winds with near-gale gusts in the north, and rough seas through Sunday. The US National Hurricane Center does not expect any tropical cyclones to form in the next seven days.

Sports: Bridgewater shines in Brazil, young footballers win in Baku

Bahamian point guard Domnick Bridgewater scored 18 points in his debut for Brazilian club Pinheiros, helping them beat Ceisc/União Corinthians 75-63 in Brazil's Novo Basquete Brasil league on Tuesday, Our News reported. Fellow Bahamian David Nesbitt added four points and three rebounds. Nesbitt is averaging 16 points a game through his first three games.

Team Bahamas recorded its first win at the first FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, beating American Samoa 6-0. The tournament runs through October 30 and features 189 FIFA member associations. In water polo, the Bahamas Mantas, travelling with only eight players and combining with the Next Level club, won silver in the under-14 division and bronze in the under-18 division at the Battle of the Bay tournament in Clearwater, Florida, Bahamas Latest reported.

The Caribbean

Jamaica marks a year since Hurricane Melissa

Prime Minister Andrew Holness reopened Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth on Wednesday, October 28, a year to the day after Category Five Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, The Gleaner reported. More than $300 million was spent repairing the hospital. Holness hit back at dancehall artist Beenie Man and other critics of the recovery. “The response has not been perfect,” he said, but he argued that Jamaica had done better than many peers, adding: “Don't tear down your country.”

Jamaica's abstention on Cuba embargo vote draws fire

Jamaica abstained on Wednesday in a United Nations vote calling for an end to the US economic embargo on Cuba, The Gleaner reported. The Opposition People's National Party called the move a significant departure from a position held by successive governments for decades. Opposition spokesperson Donna Scott-Mottley asked Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith to explain whether it signals a change in policy.

Barbados economic growth slows to 1.4 percent

Barbados' economy grew 1.4 percent in the first nine months of 2026, down from 2.3 percent a year earlier, Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge reported on Wednesday, according to Barbados Today. Tourism activity weakened and unemployment rose from 6.1 to 6.6 percent in the year to June. International reserves stood at $2.8 billion, and the bank lowered its 2026 growth forecast.

El Salvador sends 2,000 troops to Haiti to find missing soldiers

El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to recover four Salvadoran air force technicians missing for almost two weeks, the BBC reported. The four, serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, were ambushed in the gang-held Croix-des-Bouquets area. President Nayib Bukele said bodies handed over by Haitian authorities did not match the missing men. The UN says more than 5,700 people have been killed in gang violence in Haiti this year.

The Wider World

Spain mourns after deadly high-speed train crash

At least 69 people were killed when a Madrid to Seville train carrying 397 passengers ran into a stalled train with 147 passengers on board on Wednesday, the BBC reported. Audio published in Spanish media suggests the moving train was cleared to travel at normal speed after a signalling failure. Transport Minister Óscar Puente called that decision “inexplicable”. Spain has begun three days of national mourning.

Israel election: Netanyahu bloc leads but lacks majority

With 85 percent of ballots counted after Tuesday's election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc was on track for 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, against 48 for former military chief Gadi Eisenkot's bloc, the BBC reported. Arab-led parties were heading for 19 seats. Turnout was 77.7 percent, the highest in more than two decades. Coalition talks could take weeks.

Flávio Bolsonaro lands in Miami after Brazil election loss

Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential run-off to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than four million votes, has arrived in Miami, the BBC reported. The US gave him and his family visas after Brazil cancelled his passports as part of a criminal investigation. He denies wrongdoing. “I did not flee Brazil,” he said.

Details of 41,000 US homeland security staff leaked

Names, work addresses and phone numbers of more than 41,000 US Department of Homeland Security personnel, including thousands of immigration and border agents, were leaked online on Wednesday, the BBC reported. The department said it was “aware of a potential breach” and was working to address it.

Sources

The Tribune, Our News, Bahamas Latest, ZNS Bahamas, The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, US National Hurricane Center, The Telegraph, The Independent, GB News, BBC News, The Gleaner, Barbados Today, Ministry of Tourism.