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Good afternoon, it’s Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 4:23 PM in Nassau. Welcome back to The Caribbean Pop Da News. We’ve got a fresh round of stories since our last update — crime and security at home, budget fallout in Trinidad and Tobago, a medical strike in the Dominican Republic, and an LNG tanker finally docking in San Juan. Pull up a chair.
🇧🇸 The Bahamas
Deadly shooting near Potter’s Cay Dock early Tuesday. A 25-year-old man was shot and killed near the entrance to Potter’s Cay Dock early this morning after a gunman in another vehicle opened fire on the SUV he was travelling in. Police say the shooting happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. along East Bay Street. Officers found a white Acura RDX with its driver’s door open and the victim on the ground beside it with an apparent upper-body gunshot wound. EMS confirmed he showed no signs of life. Preliminary investigations say the victim had been at a business establishment with friends when a verbal altercation developed involving one of his friends and another man. As the group drove east along Bay Street toward Potter’s Cay Dock, a blue vehicle pulled alongside and a male suspect allegedly produced a firearm and opened fire. The other two occupants escaped injury. The suspects fled east along East Bay Street. Investigations are ongoing; police are asking anyone with information to call 911, 919, CID at 502-9991, or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS. Source: Eye Witness News
Police probing two Friday-night murders in New Providence. Separately, police are investigating two murders that happened just hours apart on Friday night, leaving men aged 37 and 25 dead. In the first, shortly before 9 p.m., three masked men reportedly approached a residence on Old Cedar Way, off Blue Hill Road, and opened fire through an eastern window. The 37-year-old was taken to hospital in a private vehicle and later died of his injuries around 11 p.m. In the second, ShotSpotter detected gunfire near Flint and Comfort Streets around 11:30 p.m. Occupants of a dark-coloured vehicle opened fire on a 25-year-old; he ran north along Comfort Street before collapsing. EMS confirmed he showed no signs of life. Both investigations are ongoing. Source: The Tribune
RPG launcher find raises security alarms. National Security Minister Myles Laroda says officials are concerned about a rocket-propelled grenade launcher found hidden beneath an abandoned stove off Tonique Williams-Darling Highway last week. Officers from Operation Black Scorpion, assisted by the Anti-Terrorism Unit and Canine Support Unit, searched an area on the southern side of Pride Estates and recovered a green camouflage bag containing the launcher. The Tribune reports markings and a telescoping tube consistent with a U.S.-designed, single-use light anti-tank weapon firing a 66mm unguided rocket. Laroda said the weapon could cause serious damage, hoped the find was isolated, and said the Commissioner of Police is taking it seriously — including how military-grade weapons are being smuggled into the country. Discoveries of this kind are rare in The Bahamas. In a separate case, a 23-year-old trainee correctional officer was found with marijuana in his work boots and vehicle, pleaded guilty to possession charges, and was fined $4,500. Source: The Tribune
Eleuthera residents demand answers on power outages. Frustration is mounting over persistent electricity outages in Central and South Eleuthera. Former FNM candidate Philippa Kelly said power goes off every day — sometimes several times a day — damaging appliances, disrupting businesses and creating uncertainty for families. She challenged Bahamas Power and Light to provide a concrete plan with measurable results, not just promises. Residents on social media have also raised concerns about water and internet reliability, incomplete roadworks, and the government’s reported rental of generators — asking for transparency on rental costs and repair responsibilities. Many say they are still receiving electricity bills despite frequent interruptions and want a clear compensation process for losses. Source: Eye Witness News
Digital asset sector holds $33.65 billion in client assets. A new Securities Commission of The Bahamas report finds the regulated digital asset industry held about $33.65 billion in client assets at the end of 2025, serving more than 2.15 million clients worldwide — even after blockchain transaction activity contracted sharply following the late-2022 collapse of the jurisdiction’s largest digital asset market participant. More than 99.9% of clients and assets were international; only 1,376 Bahamian residents held about $16.5 million. Estimated on-chain activity associated with The Bahamas was about $401.9 million from September 2024 to December 2025, then $70.1 million from January to July 2026. Registered digital asset businesses rose from 10 at end-2022 to 35 by August 31, 2026, though only 20 were classified as active. The Commission logged 82 findings in 16 thematic examinations in 2026, mostly around statutory reporting, and said three suspected unregistered services linked to the jurisdiction were being monitored. Source: Eye Witness News
Grand Bahama businesses cautiously optimistic — but costs bite. The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Business Climate and Economic Outlook survey of 114 employers found more than half cautiously optimistic about the next 12 months, with about 62.5% expecting to grow. Yet close to two-thirds named the cost of doing business as the top impediment, and more than half said ease of doing business is somewhat or very difficult. Top five-year priorities: airport redevelopment (82.5%), regulatory reform, Grand Lucayan redevelopment, workforce skills, and attracting foreign direct investment. Chamber president Ralph Hepburn said optimism is conditional on visible execution and a more enabling operating environment. Source: The Tribune
🇯🇲 Jamaica
Opposition demands full disclosure of U.S. migrant transit deal. The People’s National Party is renewing its call for the Government to immediately disclose the full Third Country Nationals arrangement with the United States — including the memorandum of understanding, transfer schedule and security protocols — before the first flight lands. Opposition Spokesperson on National Security Fitz Jackson said Jamaicans are being asked to accept a security arrangement they have not been allowed to see, including where people will be housed and who will monitor them. Senator Donna Scott-Mottley called announcing a cap of 25 persons per fortnight and a suspension trigger of 10 asylum applications “policy by press release” without showing the legal agreement. The PNP says it supports safe, orderly migration and the U.S. partnership, but wants the full agreement tabled in Parliament. Source: Jamaica Observer
Bad roads help cops nab suspected poker-box thieves. Four men suspected in a spate of Hanover poker-box thefts are in custody after police in Ramble found gaming equipment in their possession. Superintendent Andrew Nish told the Hanover Municipal Corporation an Intratec submachine gun with four rounds was also recovered. The men, travelling in a Toyota Axio about 3 a.m. on October 8, slowed for pothole-riddled roads that recently sparked resident protests — and that delay helped officers intercept them. Nish said Hanover murders are at 13 versus 17 at the same point last year, and shootings at 10 versus 18. He also cited 14 collisions causing 15 deaths so far this year, five fewer than the same period in 2025. Source: Jamaica Gleaner
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago
Heavy users face higher light bills; “champagne will cost more.” Digging into Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo’s 2027 budget measures: from January 1, 2027, a surcharge of five cents per kilowatt-hour will apply to residential electricity use above 3,000 kWh per billing period — hitting about 10% of consumers and expected to raise $17.8 million a year. Excise rates on alcohol drop 25%, but higher-value imported drinks shift to an ad valorem customs-duty system. Asked what that means, Tancoo told Parliament: “Champagne will cost more.” Classic, antique and vintage vehicle taxes rise 100%, 50% and 25% respectively; vaping products get a 20% customs duty; the petroleum Unemployment Levy rises from 5% to 8%; and carried-forward losses may offset no more than 75% of chargeable profits. Business and petroleum tax measures are projected to raise about $985 million as the government aims to cut the fiscal deficit from $7 billion to $3.639 billion. Source: Trinidad Express
Crime fight goes hi-tech; National Security gets $7.321 billion. Tancoo also outlined an integrated digital policing platform with facial recognition, automatic licence-plate recognition, geo-fencing and surveillance, plus stronger maritime border security. National Security’s allocation is $7.321 billion — third-largest behind Health and Education, and the highest in five years. He cited January–July 20, 2026 declines of 1,217 serious crimes and 118 murders versus the same period in 2024, and announced 280 auxiliary fire officers, 225 new breathing-apparatus sets, thermal imaging, and a modern Electronic Passport Issuing Control System due in January 2027. Source: Trinidad Express
🇧🇧 Barbados
Neurologists: early MS diagnosis is crucial. At an Aventa Barbados forum at Hilton Barbados, Queen Elizabeth Hospital consultant Dr Simeona Jacinto stressed that while Caribbean MS prevalence is lower than in North America or Europe, Black, Hispanic and Asian patients often experience more severe disease with more disability. MS typically begins between ages 20 and 40 and affects women about three times as often as men. Cleveland Clinic neurologist Dr Daniel Ontaneda said early, accurate diagnosis is essential and that biological changes can begin years before the first clinical attack. Jacinto urged primary-care doctors to refer early for neurological assessment and to support lifestyle measures and multidisciplinary care. Source: Nation News
Literacy coaches train to track reading progress. The Ministry of Educational Transformation’s lead literacy officer Janelle Little said coaches are being trained in Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessments so teachers can spot gaps term to term. The ministry is about 90% of the way through providing age-appropriate reading programmes and materials, including the daily SOAR reading period and Snappy Sounds phonics. Education Minister Chad Blackman praised the literacy push during a school visit and said modernising education for the 21st century remains a government priority. Source: Barbados Today
🇭🇹 Haiti
UN panel links Dominican ammunition to Haitian gangs. A UN Panel of Experts on Haiti report, highlighted by The Haitian Times, says Dominican authorities found 908,001 rounds of ammunition diverted from Dominican National Police stockpiles in 2024 after a Mirebalais seizure of crates containing 5,000 rounds of 5.56×45 mm ammo. The panel could not say exactly how much reached Haiti, but Dominican security experts told investigators that most was likely transported across the border given limited local demand for those calibers. Inspections found rounds marked “ERD” among ammunition seized from gangs, including 400 Mawozo. The report also says about 70% of 336 rounds of 7.62×51 mm ammo seized from gangs in Bel-Air in 2026 came from diverted Haitian National Police stockpiles. Neither Dominican authorities, the PNH, nor the Haitian army had publicly responded as of the Times’ report. Source: The Haitian Times
🇨🇺 Cuba
Energy minister denounces U.S. energy blockade effects. Cuba’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O, said Cuba continues to face an energy blockade that causes blackouts and fuel shortages affecting transport of food, supplies, raw materials and medicines. In comments carried by Radio Angulo via Prensa Latina, he said state-sector fuel needs have not been met and that prolonged power outages and generation deficits persist. He described the energy blockade as amounting to “a total blockade on life itself.” Source: Radio Angulo / Prensa Latina
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
24-hour medical strike empties hospital waiting rooms. A Colegio Médico Dominicano call to suspend consultations and elective services for 24 hours disrupted hospitals across Greater Santo Domingo and Barahona. At Hospital Infantil Robert Reid Cabral, consultations and elective procedures were suspended while emergencies, critical care and surgeries continued. CMD representatives cited unpaid seniority incentives (some doctors waiting five to 15 — even up to 20 — years after qualifying), hospital security, and staffing shortages, including in anaesthesiology. Patients who travelled from Azua and Yaguate for appointments said they arrived unaware of the strike. Regional CMD leaders said compliance was near 100% and that the stoppage would run until 6:00 a.m. Wednesday. Hospital Jaime Mota’s director said emergencies, ICU, inpatient care, lab and imaging remained open. Source: Diario Libre
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
Amur River LNG tanker finally docks in San Juan Bay. After nearly a month of delays and controversy, the Amur River liquefied natural gas tanker entered San Juan Bay early Tuesday and docked at New Fortress Energy’s terminal around 9:00 a.m., escorted by four tugboats after winds of about 6.1 knots met the under-10-knot entry rule. Terminal manager Carlos Faris said regasification and handoff to Genera PR for the San Juan and Palo Seco plants could take six to eight hours, with supply possibly starting Tuesday afternoon or evening. The ship can carry about 149,700 cubic metres of LNG but arrived at roughly 60% capacity because of dock-depth limits — enough for about two to three weeks depending on demand. It is standing in while barge Energos Maria undergoes about six weeks of maintenance. Genera PR said restoring natural gas will cut diesel use and lower fuel costs. A federal judge had cleared the entry on October 1 after pilots raised safety concerns about the vessel’s size. Source: El Nuevo Día
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands
Health bills pulled for more amendments after public feedback. Health Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks postponed debate on the Public Health Bill 2026 and Environmental Health Bill 2026 so amendments can reflect extensive public consultation and talks with Opposition PPM MPs. Both bills are due back at the next parliamentary session in November. The public-health bill aims to modernise disease prevention and major-threat preparedness; the environmental-health bill would consolidate food safety, sanitation, waste, water and air quality, noise, pest control and pool standards. More than 200 written submissions were received on four health-related bills; the Tobacco (Amendment) Bill 2026, already passed last week, drew the most interest. Source: Cayman Compass
🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos
Eleven experienced constables sworn into RTCIPF. Eleven experienced police constables have been sworn into the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force at a ceremony at Police Headquarters attended by senior leadership including Deputy Commissioners Adams and Woods. The Commissioner urged the new officers to uphold integrity, professionalism and public confidence. The Force said the additions strengthen operational capacity across the islands. Source: Sun TCI
🌤️ Caribbean Weather
Michelle’s weather desk: As of the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Weather Outlook issued at 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time Tuesday, October 13, 2026, tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea or Gulf of America during the next seven days. Source: NHC TWO (2 PM EDT)
Closer to home, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology’s public forecast issued at 6:00 AM EDT Tuesday said there are no public warnings in effect. A weak frontal boundary and surface trough were supporting some showers and isolated thunderstorms across the northern half of the country, with gentle to moderate winds. For New Providence and the Northwest Bahamas: a mix of sun and clouds, a 20–40% chance of showers with isolated thunderstorms possible, northeast to east winds 10–15 knots (falling light and variable at times), highs around 84–88°F. Looking ahead, residual troughing midweek may lift shower chances, with a stronger cold front possibly affecting the Northern and Northwest Bahamas over the weekend into early next week with showers, thunderstorms and strong to near-gale gusty winds. Moderate rip-current risk was noted for Southeast Bahamas Atlantic waters. Source: Bahamas Department of Meteorology (via NWS relay)
That’s The Caribbean Pop Da News for this hour. Stay safe, stay informed — and we’ll see you in four hours.
This news was sponsored by PayDat LLC and researched by Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare.