Caribbean Daily Brief: Jamaica Gets $415M IMF Lifeline, Barbados Election Heating Up, T&T PM Blasts CARICOM, and Haiti Under Fire

🌴 CARIBBEAN DAILY BRIEF 🌴 Your Regional News Roundup Beyond Guyana’s Borders

Happy Friday, Caribbean! Here’s what’s happening across the region while Guyana argues about its budget for the fourth consecutive day.

🇯🇲 JAMAICA: IMF APPROVES US$415 MILLION EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

The IMF executive board has approved Jamaica’s request for approximately US$415 million in emergency financial assistance. The funds are meant to address urgent balance-of-payments needs. For a country that spent decades under IMF structural adjustment programmes, going back to the Fund for emergency money is like going back to your ex because the rent is due. Jamaica knows the drill — take the money, accept the conditions, and hope the economy cooperates this time.

🇧🇧 BARBADOS: ELECTION DAY SET FOR FEBRUARY 11

Barbados is heating up politically with general elections scheduled for next Wednesday. Schools will be closed on election day, early voting is already underway, and PM Mottley has been publicly slamming opposition figure Ralph Thorne over a Trinidad media interview. Commonwealth observers have been deployed for the first time to observe a Barbados election. When even the Commonwealth thinks it should probably watch what happens, you know the stakes are high.

🇹🇹 TRINIDAD: PM PERSAD-BISSESSAR DOUBLES DOWN ON CARICOM CRITICISM

Trinidad and Tobago’s PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar used Parliament to call for a transformation of CARICOM, doubling down on her criticism of the regional body. She’s also set to address Caribbean Energy Week 2026 amid a multi-billion-dollar energy investment surge. T&T is simultaneously telling CARICOM it needs to change while positioning itself as the region’s energy capital. Classic Trinidad move — criticize the family reunion while bringing the best food.

🇭🇹 HAITI: CARICOM REBUKES TRANSITIONAL LEADERSHIP

In a rare and sharply worded statement, Caribbean leaders have placed Haiti’s transitional leadership under renewed regional scrutiny. The rebuke targets caretaker Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils amid efforts to remove him. Haiti continues to be the region’s most heartbreaking crisis — a nation with enormous potential trapped in a cycle of political instability, violence, and international neglect. The US ruling on Temporary Protected Status reflects Haiti’s deepening crisis, with Doctors Without Borders noting the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

🏏 T20 WORLD CUP KICKS OFF TOMORROW

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starts February 7 in India and Sri Lanka! West Indies have six Guyanese players in the senior squad and two in the U-19 team playing the Youth World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Afghanistan and West Indies will tune up with a three-match T20I series in Dubai. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru just won the Women’s Premier League in a stunning record chase. Cricket season is officially on fire.

🇱🇨 US DENIES ASKING ST LUCIA TO STOP CUBA MEDICAL PROGRAMME

The US Government has denied asking St Lucia to stop sending nationals to Cuba for medical studies. This comes amid growing US pressure across the region on Cuba-related programmes. Caribbean nations have long relied on Cuban medical training as an affordable option — telling small island states to stop is like telling them to stop swimming in the ocean because you don’t like the water.

🌊 QUICK CARIBBEAN BITES

🇻🇨 St Vincent: Taiwan donates US$3 million for social relief programmes. SVG Sailing Week 2026 countdown begins.

🇬🇾 Guyana literary pride: David Dabydeen, internationally recognized Guyanese writer, has been formally nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature!

🏝️ Tourism: Dominican Republic opens a “tourism war” with Mexico, CTO hosting Air Connectivity Summit in Bermuda later this month, and Travel & Leisure published safest Caribbean islands for 2026 honeymooners.

🇬🇾🇯🇲 Tech: A new Caribbean Tech Alliance linking Guyana and Jamaica is boosting Guyana’s digital push.

☠️ Cancer: CARPHA says cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean. WHO reports four in ten cases could be prevented globally.

📊 CARIBBEAN VIBES CHECK

Your daily Caribbean regional roundup. Because what happens across the water matters too. Sources: Jamaica Observer, CBC Barbados, Caribbean News Global, Caribbean Camera, Caribbean Journal.

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