Caribbean Brief

Auntie Cheryl's T&T Round-Up – April 8, 2026

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! Auntie Cheryl here from Chaguanas and I have so much to talk about today I barely know where to start! The coffee already done brew and I sitting down with my tablet and I ready!

KAMLA GOING TO VENEZUELA — SHE NOT PLAYING

Did everyone hear?? PM Kamla say she sending a delegation to Venezuela to get back T&T’s oil and gas money! Chile, this woman does not PLAY. You think anybody else would have gone and said that at a fire tender ceremony in Penal? Not everybody have that energy. She stood up there and basically said: we coming for what belong to we, and I am HERE for it.

Caribbean Daily Brief – April 8, 2026

Good Wednesday, Caribbean. The World Bank has issued its regional economic update and the news is, as the Bank likes to say, “mixed.” Translation: some of you are fine, some of you are not, and Guyana is in a different report entirely.

THE NUMBERS

The World Bank projects 2.1 percent growth for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2026, down from 2.4 percent last year. Highlights for the region:

• Barbados: 2.7 percent this year, 3.0 next. Solid.
• Jamaica: minus one percent this year, 3.2 percent next. This is the economic equivalent of a bad quarter being followed by optimism about the next quarter, which is what economists say when they have nothing more useful to offer.
• Guyana: 16.3 percent this year. 23.5 percent in 2027. We’ve mentioned this. We’re not going to stop mentioning it.
• T&T: Not in the headlines on growth, but very much in the headlines on gas.

TRINIDAD GOING TO VENEZUELA TO GET ITS GAS BACK

Cousin Leroy's Jamaica Dispatch – April 8, 2026

Yo, big up to everyone reading from the Bronx! Cousin Leroy here with the latest Jamaica vibes, posting from my apartment on Jerome Avenue where I have not been to Jamaica since 2019 but I stay very informed through my cousin Marcia who forwards me things on WhatsApp.

THE ECONOMY THING

People telling me Jamaica economy went down. Minus one percent or something. Listen, I don’t know much about that, but I DO know that every time I go back to visit (2019), the food was amazing, the people were warm, and nobody was walking around looking sad about any percent. So I’m not too worried. The World Bank doesn’t eat jerk chicken. What do they know.

Miss Violet's Barbados Bulletin – April 8, 2026

Good morning, children. Miss Violet here. Pull up a chair. There is a great deal to cover and I will not be rushing.

ON THE WORLD BANK REPORT

The World Bank has released its Caribbean Economic Update. Barbados is projected to grow 2.7 percent this year and 3.0 percent next. This is respectable. This reflects sound monetary management, a stable tourism sector, and a government that has, on balance, not made things dramatically worse. We do not celebrate mediocrity, but we do acknowledge competence where it exists.

The Bajan Bugle – April 8, 2026

Good morning from Barbados, where the World Bank has confirmed that this island is growing at 2.7 percent this year and will grow at 3.0 percent in 2027. This is not spectacular. It is also not minus one percent, which is what Jamaica is doing this year. We note the distinction without gloating. The distinction speaks for itself.

THE WORLD BANK REPORT

The World Bank’s latest Caribbean Economic Update projects 2.1 percent growth for the Latin America and Caribbean region, below the 2.4 percent of 2025. The report cites “high borrowing costs, weak external demand, and inflationary pressures from geopolitical uncertainty.” It is a thorough document and largely confirms what anyone with a utility bill already knew.

The Trini Dispatch – April 8, 2026

Good morning from Port of Spain, where the Prime Minister has announced she is sending a delegation to Venezuela to collect oil and gas money that T&T partly owns. This is the geopolitical equivalent of going to your neighbour’s house to politely retrieve the lawnmower you lent him three governments ago. Good luck to the delegation.

KAMLA ON VENEZUELA: “WE WANT WE GAS”

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar, at a fire tender handover ceremony in Penal — because that’s where major international energy policy gets announced — said a diplomatic delegation will shortly depart for Venezuela to ensure T&T gets its “just share” of oil and gas it partly owns through the NGC. The National Gas Company has interests in Venezuelan fields. Those fields are currently managed by a government that manages things in its own particular way.

The Yard Report – April 8, 2026

Good morning from Kingston, where the World Bank has confirmed what everybody in this yard already knew: Jamaica’s economy went backward this year. Minus one percent. The Bank says we will grow 3.2 percent in 2027, which is the economic equivalent of telling someone who tripped on a kerb that they’ll probably walk fine next year.

Guyana is growing 23.5 percent in 2027, for context. Just leaving that there.

STUDENTS EXPOSED TO SEX IN SCHOOL SHELTERS

Caribbean Brief – Sunday, April 6, 2026

Your weekly look at what’s moving across the Caribbean — beyond Guyana’s borders.

CARICOM RALLIES BEHIND CUBA AS US BLOCKADE BITES

CARICOM governments are stepping up support for Cuba as the US economic blockade continues to squeeze the island. CARICOM Chairman Dr. Terrance Drew confirmed at the bloc’s 50th Regular Meeting that humanitarian aid — including solar panels, baby food, rice, flour, basic medical supplies, and water tanks — is being coordinated through the regional secretariat in Guyana. St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged $500,000, with the first $100,000 already deposited. Drew framed it simply: “Cuba has never turned its back on the Caribbean. We will not turn our backs on Cuba.” The first shipment dates are expected to be confirmed this week.

Caribbean Brief – Friday, April 3, 2026

The Guyana Daily Brief looks across the Caribbean on this Good Friday. The region has a lot to reflect on.

TRUMP TARIFFS LAND ON THE CARIBBEAN — 10% BASELINE, 38% FOR GUYANA

The most significant economic story across the entire Caribbean this week: President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs effective April 5, with a 10% baseline imposed on most Caribbean nations and a punishing 38% on Guyana. The tariffs are framed as “reciprocal” under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, targeting countries with trade imbalances with the United States.

Caribbean Brief – Thursday, April 2, 2026

The Guyana Daily Brief surveys the wider Caribbean. The region never sleeps.

JAMAICA: ENTERING WORLD CUP PLAYOFF AS FAVOURITES

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz enter the inter-confederation World Cup playoff as favourites following the appointment of a new head coach. The Boyz will face New Caledonia for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup — their first appearance since 1998. With Haiti already qualified outright, the Caribbean Football Union is having an historic qualification cycle. Jamaica’s football public is cautiously optimistic, which for Jamaican football fans is essentially unbridled euphoria.

Caribbean Brief – Wednesday, April 1, 2026

The Guyana Daily Brief extends its gaze across the Caribbean. The region is complicated. We try to keep up.

TRINIDAD: NURSES WALKING SLOW, MANAGEMENT MOVING SLOWER

A sick-out by nurses at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Trinidad has entered an extended standoff. The Trinidad and Tobago National Nurses Association says the action will end if management simply speaks to nurses “respectfully.” Management has not done this. Former medical director Dr. Anand Chatoor­goon is urging nurses to reflect on compassion and duty. The nurses, one presumes, are reflecting on being talked down to and underpaid simultaneously. Meanwhile, the public is reflecting on how long emergency waits are getting.

Caribbean Brief — Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Good morning from the region. The world is on fire — quite literally, given developments in the Strait of Hormuz — and the Caribbean is watching carefully, because oil prices affect everyone down here and not everyone has Guyana’s luck.

Here is your Tuesday Caribbean briefing.

THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS IS NOW A CARIBBEAN PROBLEM

The US-Israeli war with Iran has entered its second month, and the ripple effects are landing in the Caribbean harder than most headlines acknowledge.

Caribbean Brief: Jamaica's Hurricane Budget, T&T Radar Gone, Guyana Plays Football & The US Removes Military Gear from Tobago

Monday, March 30, 2026 | Caribbean Brief

Jamaica Tables a Hurricane Budget

Jamaica’s Finance Minister Fayval Williams has opened the 2026–2027 budget debate, navigating a JA$1.4 trillion national budget with a hole left by Hurricane Melissa — which struck in October 2025 and wiped out an estimated 40% of GDP. New taxes are on the table for the first time in ten years, including a levy on sweetened beverages expected to generate JA$10.1 billion. Williams noted it took a Category 5 hurricane for the government to introduce new taxes. Jamaica is rebuilding. The math is difficult.

Caribbean Brief: T&T Gets a US Persons-of-Interest List, Barbados Port Wins an Award & The Dominican Republic Declares Tourism War on Mexico

Sunday, March 29, 2026 | Caribbean Daily Brief

Trinidad Gets a List

The United States has provided Trinidad and Tobago’s Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander with a list of “persons of interest” in the country linked to illegal drugs, guns, and violence. Minister Alexander confirmed this publicly. The persons of interest have presumably noted they are of interest.

Barbados Port Wins the Americas

Barbados Port Inc. has been awarded at the Inter-American Committee on Ports Maritime Award of the Americas for digital transformation. The port adopted a National Port Community System to improve efficiency and transparency. They will be formally honoured in Bridgetown in June 2026. Barbados Port: awarded, efficient, and not flooding. The bar is specific.

Caribbean Daily Brief — Friday, March 27, 2026

A weekly sweep of what’s moving across the Caribbean. Five minutes. No fluff.

JAMAICA — BUDGET DEBATE UNDER THE SHADOW OF HURRICANE MELISSA

Jamaica is deep in its 2026–2027 budget debate, and the numbers are sobering. Finance Minister Fayval Williams opened the debate last Tuesday facing a JA$1.4 trillion national budget with a significant gap, after Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28, 2025 as a Category 5 storm and wiped out an estimated 40% of GDP — causing roughly US$8.8 billion in physical damage. Williams announced new taxes for the first time in a decade, including a sugar beverage tax projected to raise JA$10.1 billion, noting bluntly that “it took a Category 5 hurricane for that to happen.” Opposition Leader Mark Golding has since taken the floor, and the debate is being closely watched across the region. Meanwhile, Montego Bay’s mayor is pressing the Auditor General for answers on the post-Melissa street light restoration arrangement with Jamaica Public Service. Much of St. James is still dark.

Caribbean Brief: Jamaica Counting Hurricane Damage, T&T Gets a US List, and Sandals Is Spending Big

🌴 THE CARIBBEAN DAILY BRIEF 🌴
Your 5-Minute Regional News Digest
Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Good morning from across the archipelago, where Jamaica is doing budget math, Trinidad and Tobago just received a very uncomfortable list from Washington, and Sandals is spending $200 million on resorts that a hurricane knocked down.

Also: Caribbean AIDS deaths fell 60%. That’s the rare piece of news that’s just straightforwardly good.

📊 REGIONAL NUMBERS

🇯🇲 JAMAICA: HURRICANE MATH IS UGLY

Finance Minister Fayval Williams is scheduled to open Jamaica’s 2026–2027 budget debate this month, outlining how the government plans to address a gap in the JA$1.4 trillion national budget.

Caribbean Daily Brief — Wednesday, March 19, 2026

Your weekly satirical roundup of news from across the Caribbean — because the whole region deserves coverage, not just one country 🌴

🇯🇲 JAMAICA: Gas Up, Telecom Still Down, and the NHF Spent Billions on Obesity

Jamaican motorists woke up Thursday to gasoline at $170.83 per litre — up $4.50 at the pump, courtesy of Petrojam’s latest ex-refinery price adjustment. The Middle East oil surge is being felt from Kingston to Westmoreland, and in Westmoreland they have enough other problems. Five months after Hurricane Melissa, residents are still describing conditions there as “hellish” — patchy mobile service, spotty internet, and a general sense that the rest of the country moved on while they were still bailing out. Digicel says towers will be fully restored by end of April. Residents have heard this before.

🌴 Caribbean Daily Brief – Tuesday, February 17, 2026

US blows up another boat in the Caribbean (133 dead now). Iran-US nuclear talks show progress in Geneva. Barbados FM challenges US due process. Mottley pushes electoral reform. Jamaica’s students stranded in Cuba. Aer Lingus launches first direct Caribbean flights.

Caribbean Brief: Carnival Tuesday Approaches, Barbados Cabinet Sworn In, and Maduro Pleads Not Guilty in New York

Good morning, Caribbean! 🌴

Carnival Tuesday is tomorrow in Trinidad, Barbados has a brand new cabinet, Maduro pleaded not guilty in New York, and the US is making it harder for Caribbean nationals to visit. Your Monday regional roundup.

🎭 Trinidad: J’ouvert Done, Parade of the Bands Tomorrow

Carnival Monday is winding down in Trinidad after a J’ouvert that started before dawn and a full day of revelry through Port of Spain, Tunapuna, and beyond. Police confiscated an impressive collection of weapons during early morning exercises — because some people apparently think Carnival is a medieval tournament.

Caribbean Brief: Trinidad Carnival Monday Madness, Barbados Swears In a Government, and Cuba Can't Catch a Break

Good morning, Caribbean! 🌴

It’s Carnival Monday in Trinidad, election aftermath in Barbados, and Cuba is still trying to keep the lights on. Your weekly regional roundup of who’s partying, who’s governing, and who’s wondering where the fuel went.

🎭 Trinidad Carnival Monday — J’ouvert in Full Swing

It’s Carnival Monday in Trinidad and the streets of Tunapuna are packed with revellers covered in paint, mud, and questionable life decisions. J’ouvert started before dawn and will not stop until Trinidad collectively decides it’s had enough — which historically takes about 48 hours.