April 11, 2026 • 2 min readJamaica Brief
Cousin Leroy here, checking in from the Bronx. Just got off a double shift. Let me catch up.
BUNNY SHAW DID WHAT AGAIN
Four-zero. Hat-trick. Against Antigua. I been saying for years — Bunny Shaw is the greatest thing to come out of Jamaica since the jerk seasoning patent got complicated. My coworker Derek was arguing with me about women’s football last week and I just sent him the scoreline this morning. No caption. He understood.
Read More → April 11, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
Good morning from Kingston, where the heat is already doing its best and the week’s news is already doing its worst.
SPANISH TOWN FIRE KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD GABRIELLA WRIGHT
A house fire in St John’s Garden, Spanish Town on Friday evening killed 14-year-old Gabriella Wright. Her brother ran through the flames and survived with critical injuries. Her mother, Suzette Campbell, was returning home when she saw the smoke — arrived to find her daughter gone, her son burning, her everything destroyed. The cause is still under investigation. The family has nothing. This is the kind of story that gets three paragraphs in the Observer and then disappears beneath the racing results.
Read More → April 10, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
Aye yo it’s Leroy. Calling in from the Bronx. Cousin Merle just text me the news and I had to sit down.
THIS SHANOYA GIRL THOUGH
Listen. 22.11 in the 200. Last week she run the fastest 100 in the world. She running the whole world by herself right now. I show my coworker Marcus — Marcus is from the Dominican Republic, he does not understand cricket or anything — I show him the time and he look at me like, “is that good?” Is that good? Marcus I need you to leave my desk area immediately. 22.11 is not “good.” 22.11 is your grandmother bragging about you to everyone at church for the next six months. Shanoya, you doing the whole diaspora a service.
Read More → April 10, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
Jamaica, April 10. It is a Friday. Shanoya Douglas ran 22.11. A soldier killed his girlfriend. A bartender was shot in Red Bank. A Member of Parliament has been summoned by the Ethics Committee. The US dollar closed at $158.93. Normal.
JDF SOLDIER CHARGED, GIRLFRIEND DEAD
Damanice Tyrone Williamson, 27, a member of the Jamaica Defence Force, has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend Tanzanya Dunkley and remanded until May 20. He appeared in Manchester court. He raised his hands for the cameras in the way people do when they want to indicate they are handcuffed and should not be photographed like this. The court did not particularly care. Tanzanya Dunkley is dead. The JDF has not issued a statement that adds anything useful to this sentence.
Read More → April 9, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
Cousin Leroy’s Jamaica Update
The Bronx, New York | Thursday, April 9, 2026
Leroy reads the Jamaica Observer every morning in the break room at work. He has opinions.
GAS PRICES
They raise gas prices in Jamaica again. I see it on the Observer website this morning. Effective today. Every time I go back to visit, something cost more. Beef patty, bus fare, gas — everything. My cousin in May Pen texted me and said the coaster bus already announce a new fare. I said to him, they don’t waste time. He said the driver announce it before the government even put out a press release. That is efficiency.
Read More → April 9, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
The Yard Report
Kingston, Jamaica | Thursday, April 9, 2026
News from the rock. Unfiltered.
GAS GOING UP. AGAIN.
Effective today, Thursday April 9, gasoline prices at the pump are going up. The latest ex-refinery figures confirm the increase. Nobody is happy about this. The relevant minister will explain it in terms of global market conditions, the Strait of Hormuz, and forces beyond anyone’s control. Motorists on Washington Boulevard will explain it in other terms, none of which are printable. The price of a coaster bus fare will adjust by next week. The price of a beef patty will follow shortly thereafter. This is the cycle.
Read More → April 8, 2026 • 3 min readCaribbean Brief
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
Read More → April 8, 2026 • 2 min readCaribbean Brief
Jamaica
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.
Read More → April 8, 2026 • 2 min readCaribbean Brief
Jamaica
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
Read More → April 7, 2026 • 3 min readCaribbean Daily Brief
Regional news for the Caribbean diaspora — without the spin, with the context.
CARIFTA 2026 FINAL STANDINGS: JAMAICA DOMINANT, GUYANA STRONG
The 53rd CARIFTA Games concluded in St George’s, Grenada with Jamaica firmly atop the medal table — leading with gold in the sprint hurdles and capturing three of four relay titles on the final day, as records fell across multiple events. Shanoya Douglas completed her U20 sprint double with a new CARIFTA record in the 200 metres. For the host nation Grenada, the championships were well-run and the Kirani James Stadium proved a worthy venue. Regional athletics is in good health. The pipeline of talent coming through Caribbean junior programmes — Guyana’s relay quartet, Jamaica’s sprinters, Trinidad’s field athletes — suggests the next generation is ready.
Read More → April 6, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → April 6, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
Cousin Leroy writes from the Bronx, New York, where he has lived since 1994 and watches Jamaican politics like it is a sport, which it largely is.
Wah gwaan, people! Cousin Leroy checking in from the Bronx on this fine Monday morning to give all of you the real version of what happening back home.
First thing: the crime numbers. Thirty-three murders in January 2026. Thirty-three! Do you know what that means? That is the LOWEST January murder figure since they started keeping records in 2001. Twenty-five years of data and THIS government, under THIS Prime Minister, put up a number like that. Plan Secure Jamaica is working. The results are there in black and white. Cousin Leroy has been saying this for years — when you plan and you execute, you get results. Respect due to the security forces.
Read More → April 6, 2026 • 3 min readJamaica Brief
The Yard Report — straight talk from Kingston to Clarendon. No sugarcoating. No party line. Just yard.
JACDEN: THE SCANDAL THAT REFUSES TO SIT DOWN
The UHWI tax probe keeps producing headlines and the opposition keeps producing statements. JACDEN CEO Dennis Gordon, who is also an opposition shadow cabinet member, was told by Opposition Leader Mark Golding to step aside from the PAC and shadow cabinet pending the probe. Gordon’s response was essentially: no crime, no resign. Which is a position that has been taken before in Jamaican politics, usually by people who later regret taking it. The investigation concerns alleged tax irregularities at the University Hospital. The public is watching. The process is slow. Both of these things are very Jamaican.
Read More → April 3, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → April 2, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → April 1, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → March 31, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → March 30, 2026 • 3 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → March 29, 2026 • 3 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More → March 27, 2026 • 4 min readCaribbean Brief
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.
Read More →