Hot Topics from Martinique and the Caribbean - Outre-mer La 1ère

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 cathedral in the town of St. Pierre. · ©Caroline Popovic In a special operation, the police in Martinique seize a semi-automatic weapon :A Taurus handgun with a high capacity magazine was seized by the police in a special night time operation. Fifty individuals and 30 vehicles were searched. Two masked individuals, riding a motor scooter without licence plates managed to escape the police controls, leaving behind the semi-automatic weapon which local police describe as a weapon for war time combat.

For a second consecutive week, buses in the north and south of Martinique remain parked in the depot. The financial problems that prevent the buses and the drivers from doing their work have not been resolved. In every part of the territory, people are being forced to stay home or to stand by the side of the road hoping to "catch a ride".

Martinique Transport, responsible for the operations of the public transport system, is attempting to find a short term financial solution that will allow the buses to service the population at least until the end of September. However, no date has been given for the restart of this new initiative.

Martinique : Public transport at a halt. · ©Martinique La 1ère Martinique's economic performance is sluggish :According to IEDOM, the institute that monitors the economic situation in the French overseas territories, Martinique's economy is in a state of stagnation. The growth rate for for 2026 is predicted to be 0.1%, the same as 2025.

The aging population, a lack of initiative, high unemployment, loss of spending power, aggravated by an inefficient transport system has led to an economic slowdown. Investors are scarce. The construction and industrial sectors are suffering. Only the tourism industry appears to be holding its own in an otherwise depressed context.

In Martinique, the problem of illiteracy affects half of the working population.According to the statistics, 22% of the population, between the ages of 18 - 24 have great difficulty reading, writing and performing simple mathematics. The situation continues to worsen. In 2024, illiteracy rates were estimated at 15,000 individuals.

Illustration · ©Canva Martinique cuisine tempts tastebuds in Quebec : Martinique Gourmande is in its 19th year. The tourism office of Martinique brings local cuisine to the Canadian market. In 2026, a Creole market will be set up in the Centre des Sciences in the old city of Montreal. Canada remains one of the most dynamic markets for Martinique's tourism sector. More than 12,000 Canadian visitors are expected to attend Martinique Gourmande.

Local football clubs in Martinique benefitted from a distribution of 2600 free foot balls. Each club received 24 balls. The distribution was part of a ONE Concacaf/Football League initiative to help clubs that find themselves in financial difficulty and who are having to pay higher prices to purchase equipment and uniforms.

Concacaf foot ball. · ©Facebook/Concacaf Caribbean Hot Topics :Elections in Haiti : Only 7 % of voters, slightly more than 500,000 individuals over the age of 18, have been registered by the electoral authorities. According to Haiti's Electoral council, 6 million people are eligible to vote in the elections scheduled for 13th December 2026. The last election was held in 2016.

Efforts to register voters have been hampered by the ongoing violence in Haiti that has displaced 1.5 million people. It is unlikely that voter registration will be completed by the 13th October deadline.

Haiti : Voter Registration · ©OJ / AP Donald Trump's map of the Caribbean : Few countries in the region reacted to Donald Trump's attempt to redraw the map of the Caribbean and his annexation of 15 independent countries including French and British territories.

Published during the night of 7th September on Trump's Truth Social platform, the subject made international headlines.

New media post from Donald J. Trump( TS: Sep 7 2026, 10:43 AM ET )​​​​​​​​‍‌​​​‍‌​‌​‍​‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‍ pic.twitter.com/bbFdV8LC9R

A university professor in the United States felt that the lack of reaction by certain nations was the equivalent of an act of capitulation to the actions of President Trump. Only Cuba and Mexico condemned the controversial Trump initiative.