Hot Topics from Martinique and the Caribbean

A weekly selection, in English, of the news stories that made the headlines in Martinique. We've got all the angles covered, politics, economy, society, culture and sport.

Martinique : the Caravelle lighthouse, one of the favourite monuments in France. · ©Caroline Popovic Martinique's Territorial collectivity indebted to the tune of one billion euros :According to the findings of the Regional chamber of audit, for the period 2020-2026, the Territorial collectivity of Martinique has accrued a debt level that is equivalent to 94% of the public organisation's total budget. It will require 20 years to the balance the accounts. However, the Territorial collectivity, Martinique's local government, has until 2030 to rectify the situation. The auditors found high levels of travel and expenses as well as late payments of outstanding bills and services.

Three weeks without public transport and still no date for a return to normalcy. Bus services in the North and South of Martinique are halted because of a lack of funding. Arnaud René-Corail, president of Martinique Transport, the body that oversees the Territory's transport system, has warned that in order to save money, services may have to be reduced and some staff could be laid off.

The central government in France has allocated 10 million euros to farmers and livestock owners who have experienced heavy losses due to the drought conditions that are currently affecting the Caribbean region. The amount is to be shared between farmers in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin.

According to the scientists, El Nino is responsible for the lack of hurricanes in the the Tropical Atlantic zone. For the 2026 season, only 4 short-lived tropical storms have formed. The strong, high altitude winds associated with El Nino, destroyed them before they were able to strengthen and become hurricanes. The region has not experienced such low activity since 1966 when satellite monitoring was introduced.

Built in 1860 and commissioned in 1861, the Caravelle lighthouse is the tallest in France. It sits at 162.55m above sea level on the east coast of Martinique, in the town of La Trinité. The lighthouse became an historical monument in 2013. It is one of the most visited sites on the island.

In Martinique, the first edition of the Last man standing endurance race lasted for over 21 hours. Every hour, the 159 participants had to complete a 6.7km circuit. Olivier Meslien, who completed 21 circuits, was the winner of Last man standing. Maud Rochai, the Last woman standing, Dènié Doubout Fanm, completed 18 circuits. This type of endurance competition is popular in the United States.

Donald Trump and his supporters prepare to take over the economic centres of Cuba : According to the Guardian newspaper, Donald Trump and close business associates are interested in the nickel and cobalt mining sector as well as the tourism and tobacco industries. Foreign investors, working with the Cuban government, were forced to abandon of Cuba after threats of sanctions from the White House. American lobbyists and investment companies now want to acquire those operating licences and take over the financially lucrative sectors in Martinique.

St. Lucia’s interactive map of the 1815 census : The names of 16,122 enslaved people and their family members appear on an interactive map of St. Lucia. They lived and laboured on 396 plantations and in 625 private homes, situated in the 13 districts of the island. The map, created from the original census of 1815, also shows the names of each plantation and household owner. The amount of financial compensation they received from the British government for the loss of free labour when slavery was abolished in 1834 is also listed.