The Trini Dispatch
Port of Spain, Trinidad | Thursday, April 9, 2026
The news from the twin islands. Delivered dry.
KAMLA IS GOING TO VENEZUELA FOR GAS
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced Wednesday that a diplomatic delegation will travel to Venezuela soon to secure Trinidad and Tobago’s “just share” of cross-border oil and gas resources. This is a renewed push to advance the Dragon and other stalled cross-border energy projects, which were frozen when the Trump administration revoked OFAC licences earlier last year. The Hormuz crisis has made this conversation considerably more urgent. T&T’s energy sector is running on mature fields and optimism. The Venezuela gas situation represents either a breakthrough or an extended diplomatic exercise, depending on how Caracas is feeling that week. Kamla is going to find out.
BUSINESSMAN STEVE GHANY JUNIOR IS DEAD
National Security Minister Roger Alexander expressed shock and sadness at the killing of businessman Steve Ghany Junior, revealing that he had spent time with him just days before his death. Investigators believe the killing was domestic in nature. The Minister said he is saddened. The family has not yet made a statement. The investigation is active.
KIDNAPPING NETWORK BROKEN UP
Police rescued 73-year-old Tara Poliah from Don Miguel Road, San Juan, after she was kidnapped from her home on Wednesday night. By Thursday, ten men and one woman were in custody. Police described the network as organised and cross-border in scope. The operation to dismantle it apparently moved quickly once the victim was located. The Express is calling it a significant takedown.
CARICOM: KAMLA DOESN’T WANT CARLA BACK
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago will not support the reappointment of CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett. Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers says T&T was not consulted on the reappointment process. A regional political analyst has described the government’s reasoning as “misplaced.” Kamla is unmoved. The CARICOM meeting where this will be formally contested is expected to be interesting. T&T is a large enough economy that its opposition matters. Whether it’s enough to actually block Dr Barnett is another question.
FIRE TENDERS AND A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
The Prime Minister on Wednesday commissioned a $69 million fleet of new fire tenders for the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, at a ceremony in Penal. Photos were taken. The Fire Service now has modern equipment. This is, unambiguously, good news. The Dispatch notes it.
SEA EXAMINATION: STUDENTS SAY “EASY”
Students in two Arima schools described yesterday’s Secondary Entrance Assessment as “easy.” The Express visited Arima Presbyterian and found students emerging with the relieved expressions of people who had studied and were not surprised. Whether “easy” translates to the grades their parents are expecting is a separate matter that will be resolved in a few months.
RIO CARDINES STAYS AT CRYSTAL PALACE
T&T’s teenage sensation Rio Cardines has signed a contract extension with Crystal Palace until June 2028. He is 17. He plays in the English Premier League. He is Trinidadian. The country is justifiably proud of this and will remain so.
THE ENERGY CRISIS AND T&T
The Hormuz closure has rattled the global energy market in ways that cut both ways for Trinidad. Higher oil prices are welcome for revenue. Disruptions to LNG contracts and the Dragon project’s continued suspension are not. T&T is watching the ceasefire negotiations closely. The economy’s trajectory in the second half of 2026 depends partly on what happens in the Persian Gulf, which is not a sentence anyone wanted to be writing.
The Trini Dispatch is a dry-eyed account of life in the twin islands. Sources: Trinidad Guardian, Trinidad Express.