Auntie Cheryl From Chaguanas — Saturday, April 11, 2026

Good morning! Auntie Cheryl calling from Chaguanas, just finished my puja and ready to talk news!

NGC MADE THREE BILLION DOLLARS AND AUNTIE CHERYL IS PLEASED

Three billion, two hundred and eighty-five million dollars profit! Best year in eleven years! Kamla announced it in Parliament yesterday and Auntie Cheryl nearly choked on her sada roti. Stuart Young came out immediately to say it’s not Kamla’s doing — but Stuart, darling, somebody has to be in charge when the numbers look good, and the lady standing at the podium seems to have found that position. Auntie Cheryl will take the win.

Trini Dispatch — Saturday, April 11, 2026

Good morning. Pour some bitters in your cocoa tea and settle in.

PERSAD-BISSESSAR DEMANDS CARICOM SECRETARY-GENERAL EXIT

Trinidad’s row with its Caribbean neighbours — simmering since the disputes over US drug policy, Venezuela, and the reappointment of the CARICOM Secretary-General — boiled over publicly on Friday. PM Persad-Bissessar is now demanding that the Secretary-General not receive another term past August. The fight is officially no longer subtext. What began as a disagreement about procedures at the Basseterre summit has become a Caribbean diplomatic fracas of the first order. Guyana’s President Ali, notably, had just shaken hands with Persad-Bissessar in Port of Spain hours earlier on the bilateral trade agenda, which means the region is simultaneously having a unity summit and a breakup. This is the Caribbean. Both things fit on the same Friday.

Trini Brief — Auntie Cheryl, April 10, 2026

Cheryl here. Chaguanas. I had to put down my phone three times before I could write this today.

THAT LITTLE GIRL AT PIGEON POINT

I cannot. I cannot. Seven years old. Her name was Angelica. Her mother brought her to the beach on a Wednesday. A Wednesday! A normal family Wednesday at Pigeon Point, which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches in all of Tobago, and a jet ski come and take that child’s life.

Trini Brief — Trini Dispatch, April 10, 2026

Port of Spain. Friday. Let us begin with the thing that matters most.

ANGELICA JOGIE IS DEAD

Seven years old. Pigeon Point Beach, Tobago. A runaway jet ski. Her mother Salisha has asked that jet skis be banned in Tobago entirely. The Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is weighing that option. The Maritime Services Association wants stricter legislation and tougher penalties. A 29-year-old tour operator was stabbed at Buccoo Beach the same morning, which tells you something about the Wednesday Tobago had.

Auntie Cheryl's Trinidad Update – Thursday, April 9, 2026

Auntie Cheryl’s Trinidad Update

Chaguanas, Trinidad | Thursday, April 9, 2026

Auntie Cheryl reads the Guardian over her morning tea. She has a lot of feelings about national affairs.

KAMLA GOING TO VENEZUELA AND AUNTIE CHERYL IS SUPPORTIVE

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that a diplomatic delegation will travel to Venezuela to secure T&T’s share of the cross-border gas resources. Auntie Cheryl says: about time. We have gas sitting right there under the sea and we can’t access it because of permit problems with the Americans. Now Kamla going to get it sorted. This is what leadership looks like. Auntie Cheryl has put on her good blouse in spirit.

The Trini Dispatch – Thursday, April 9, 2026

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.

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

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.

Caribbean Daily Brief — Tuesday, April 7, 2026

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.

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 Daily Brief — Monday, April 6, 2026

Regional news for the Caribbean diaspora — without the spin, with the context.

THE CARIBBEAN IS STILL PAYING TO SELL TO AMERICA

As of April 2026, most Caribbean goods still face a 10 per cent baseline import duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That number sounds modest until you remember that Caribbean producers of rum, processed foods, specialty goods and building products operate on margins where 10 percent is not a rounding error, it is the difference between competitive and not. Sir Ronald Sanders, writing in Kaieteur News this week, makes the point plainly: the Caribbean has not chosen to diversify away from the US market — it is being driven to do so. CARICOM states are now intensifying intra-regional sourcing and widening relationships with other international partners. This is what “diversification” looks like when it is not a strategy but a survival response.

Auntie Cheryl Speaks — Trinidad, Monday April 6, 2026

Auntie Cheryl writes from Chaguanas, Trinidad, where she has lived her entire life, voted in every election since 1986, and has very strong opinions about doubles, governance, and people who do not vote.

Oh gosh. OH GOSH. People, Auntie Cheryl so happy she could buss.

Kamla win. KAMLA WIN. After all the years of suffering under PNM — the crime, the cost of living, the gas price, the empty talk — the people of this blessed twin-island republic have risen up and said: ENOUGH.

The Trini Dispatch — Trinidad & Tobago Brief, Monday April 6, 2026

The Trini Dispatch — oil, Carnival, commess, and whatever else falls out of Port of Spain this week.

KAMLA IS BACK. LET THE COMMESS BEGIN.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar is the next Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, with her United National Congress winning the parliamentary election in a result that represents a remarkable comeback for the 73-year-old, who previously served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015. The snap election was triggered after former PM Keith Rowley resigned amid a surge in the cost of living, Trump’s trade wars, and soaring crime rates. Stuart Young held the seat briefly after Rowley left, called the election, and lost it. Young had described himself as prepared to negotiate with anyone on trade. He will now have plenty of time to negotiate with himself.

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 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.