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Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Welcome to The Caribbean Pop Da News. Overnight we’re leading with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher found in Pride Estates, two New Providence murders still under investigation, a family’s accusation after a death in custody — and fresh moves from Kingston to Tobago. Here’s everything you need to know.
🇧🇸 The Bahamas: RPG Launcher Seized — Minister Says Dig Deeper
A military-grade discovery has national security on edge. National Security Minister Myles LaRoda says he hopes police’s discovery last week of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher is not a sign that high-powered weaponry is finding its way into The Bahamas. “That piece of equipment … it could do damage,” he told reporters. “We are concerned that that type of weaponry is here. We hope that this is a one-off, but we have to be prepared now that we’ve found at least one of these devices to look even deeper.”
Police said officers from Operation Black Scorpion, assisted by the Anti-Terrorism Unit and Canine Support Unit, acted on information and searched an area on the southern side of Pride Estates. Beneath a stove, they found a green camouflage bag containing the launcher. Asked how the weapon entered the country, LaRoda declined to discuss specifics and said the Commissioner of Police is taking the matter seriously. Source: Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation / CMC
Two murders, hours apart, in New Providence. Police are investigating two separate killings on Friday night that left a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old man dead. Shortly before 9 p.m., three masked men approached a residence on Old Cedar Way, off Blue Hill Road, and opened fire through an eastern window. The older victim was taken to hospital in a private vehicle and died from his injuries around 11 p.m.
Around 11:30 p.m., ShotSpotter detected gunfire near Flint and Comfort Streets. Occupants of a dark-coloured vehicle opened fire on the younger man; he tried to run north along Comfort Street, collapsed, and was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigations into both murders are ongoing. Source: The Tribune
Death in custody: family alleges meds denied. The family of Thomas Jean-Baptiste — who had diabetes, morbid obesity and a history of potentially life-threatening blood clots — says correctional officials denied him proper medication and care. He died on October 4 after about two weeks in hospital, less than three months after returning to prison. In July the Court of Appeal revoked his medical bail and ordered him to serve concurrent sentences of three years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and two years for ammunition. His sister, Alicia Jean Baptiste, told The Tribune officials “made no efforts” and called for accountability and an investigation. Source: The Tribune
Disability inclusion push. Social Services Minister Senator Barbara Cartwright told a “Let’s Talk Disability Affairs” town hall that inclusion must reach workplaces, schools, transportation, housing and community life. She highlighted the recently tabled Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Amendment Bill, 2026, including a proposed move toward a two percent staffing quota for companies with 50 or more workers. National figures cited at the meeting: 38,551 people — 10.3 percent of the population aged five and older — live with a disability in The Bahamas. Source: The Tribune
🇯🇲 Jamaica: 22 Arrive — Opposition Still Wants the Deal Public
Overnight wires put a hard number on Tuesday’s landing. Twenty-two third-country deportees from the United States arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Tuesday, according to reporting published Wednesday. Media reports say they were later boarded onto a bus and taken to an undisclosed location.
Jamaica signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding in June. The government says it will not accept deportees with criminal records, that the arrangement will not be funded by Jamaica, and that the International Organization for Migration is supporting care. Opposition national security spokesperson Fitz Jackson said Jamaicans are “being asked to trust a secret document that touches their security, their communities and their public services.” Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith says questions have been answered and that the United States has not agreed to make the deal public. Source: Al Jazeera / AP
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago: Tobago’s New East Terminal Goes Live
Flight operations begin Wednesday. The new East Terminal at A.N.R. Robinson International Airport in Tobago begins flight operations on Wednesday, October 14, a day after the official opening. The Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago says motorists, passengers and other airport users must enter via the roundabout on Store Bay Local Road from Wednesday. Source: Trinidad Tribune
🇧🇧 Barbados: UWI Seismologist — Stay Ready, Don’t Panic
Multi-hazard preparedness, not a new alarm. Dr Erouscilla Joseph, director of the UWI Seismic Research Centre, urged ongoing preparedness across the Caribbean after major earthquakes in Panama and Venezuela. She said those events do not automatically raise the immediate threat to the Eastern Caribbean, but the Lesser Antilles sit on a similar subduction-zone setting — so readiness for earthquakes, volcanoes, storms and flooding must stay comprehensive. Source: Barbados Today
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands: Sovereign Wealth Fund Eyed for 2028
Unanimous support to explore a national fund. Cayman could have a sovereign wealth fund by January 2028 after Parliament unanimously approved a motion to explore one. Premier André Ebanks said seed capital as low as $100,000 has been discussed and that the fund could draw on “revenue streams that we haven’t touched yet.” A cross-party working group is next, with recommendations due by October 2027 for the 2028/29 budget cycle. Source: Cayman Compass
🌤️ Caribbean Weather
The National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Weather Outlook for the North Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America says tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the next seven days. The Atlantic basin remains quiet for now. Source: National Hurricane Center
That’s The Caribbean Pop Da News for now. Stay safe, stay informed, and we’ll see you in four hours.
If you’d like to sponsor the next news briefing, contact Michael by WhatsApp message at 242-817-9293.
This news was sponsored by PayDat LLC and researched by Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare.
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