Français
Guadeloupe / Saint-Martin.
New trial in Basse-Terre for Angélique Chauviré's killer
Originally from Grenada, 46-year-old Kathron Fortune has been serving a prison sentence since 2019 in a cell in the high-security prison in the village of Vught, in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. On October 19, 2019, he was sentenced by the Basse-Terre Assize Court to thirty years' imprisonment for the murder of Angélique Chauviré in May 2006 in Saint-Martin. But he was tried in absentia (i.e. in his absence) because the Dutch judicial authorities had refused to extradite him to Guadeloupe. Initially incarcerated at Pointe-Blanche, in Sint-Maarten, Kathron Fortune aka "Cuchi" was transferred to a high-securitysecurity prison in 2017 after an escape followed by a nearly 18-month run that ended with his arrest in Saint Kitts and Nevis. He has since been serving a 21-year prison sentence for the murder of a 22-year-old man shortly before the 2006 murder of Angélique Chauviré. Late last week, the Amsterdam Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the prisoner, who boasts of having murdered 17 people, to be transferred to Guadeloupe to appear, once again, before the Assize Court. This time, he will have to answer for two other murders allegedly linked to the 2006 murder of 30-year-old Angélique Chauviré. Kathron Fortune was also sentenced to life imprisonment by the Dutch justice system for the December 2016 double-murder of a Dutch tourist couple in a Sint Maarten hotel room.
Saint-Martin.
Seven Saur strikers deprive the island of water at Christmas
Louis Mussington visited the picket line, accompanied by my cabinet, Angèle Dormoy, president of the CCISM, and Marie-Hildegarde Chauveau, chief of staff to the Prefect of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin. On Monday December 23, seven employees of Saur (the water distribution company) decided to launch a strike with the support of the UGTG (General Union of Guadeloupe Workers). To make their voices heard, the strikers shut down the machines, and thus the production and distribution of drinking water. This action quickly had consequences for all users on Saint-Martin. This, on the eve of the Christmas holidays. Despite attempts at dialogue by the Collectivité territoriale and the Prefecture, the situation was not resolved by Christmas. What's more, the intervention of the gendarmerie and the requisitioning of two other agents were unable to restart the factory's machines. This was simply because the strikers had stolen the programming boxes that operate the plant's low-pressure drives. A crisis unit was set up on the morning of December 24 by the prefecture, notably to guarantee the essential needs of the hospital, the Ehpad and the fire department. In the evening, a first production line was restarted. On December 26, a second unit was restarted. The following day, the Prefect confirmed that Saur expected to be able to quickly restore water supply to the whole island. However, the absence of the stolen boxes prevented the third motor from being restarted. In addition, the strike continued for several days. "However, we have to distinguish between a legitimate labor dispute and sabotage of the water production unit, which is penalizing the entire population.water production unit, which is penalizing the entire population", declared the Prefect, Vincent Berton, at a press conference on December 27. Legal proceedings are underway, following numerous complaints from private individuals. The public prosecutor is in charge of investigating them.
Saba.
A school "not socially safe for pupils and teachers".
According to several studies carried out at the end of 2024, followed by an administrative investigation, "the social, mental and physical safety of pupils and staff at Sacré-Cœur primary school is currently insufficient", writes the Secretary of State for Education, Culture and Science, Marie-Ile Paul, in a letter addressed to the Second Chamber, the contents of which are relayed in an article in Saba News. In it, Marie-Ile Paul announces an urgent instruction to the Board of Directors of the Saba Catholic Education Foundation. On October 30, the Second Chamber had already been informed of an instruction imposed on the Saba Catholic Education Foundation (SkoSaba) for "maladministration". In November, the Education Inspectorate received several alarming reports concerning safety problems at Sacred Heart School (SHS), "Saba's only elementary school", the Saba News article recalls. Following these reports, an emergency instruction was issued on December 13 on the basis of the Inspectorate's initial findings following its investigation, which concluded on December 3. Between November 18 and 22, the Inspectorate conducted an in-depth investigation into the social security of SHS students and staff. "The findings indicated that the school's board of directors had not ensured adequate security measures," wrote the Saba News, adding that the school's board of directors had not ensured adequate security measures.Saba News, stating that "this situation is not attributed to isolated events but to a recurring pattern of negligence".
Puerto Rico.
Between power cuts and investment in innovative systems
While a large proportion of the inhabitants of Saint-Martin were deprived of running water over Christmas, those of Puerto Rico were forced to celebrate New Year's Eve by candlelight. In fact, a general power cut occurred due to an overload on the outer substation of a high-voltage cable in the south of the island, which "caused a cascade effect first on Costa Sur and then on the rest of the island".José Perez, director of external affairs for local electricity provider Luma, told Agence France-Presse. The blackout began at around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday December 31 and spread to the whole island, which has a population of almost 3.2 million. Fortunately, local technicians were able to work efficiently, and the power supply was gradually restored, much more quickly than initially announced by Luma, which had forecast "around fifty-eight hours" before the power was back to normal.
Meanwhile, in an article published on January 7, the Energynews website reports that Puerto Rico is continuing to make progress on its "Microgrid of the Mountain" project, which involves combining hydroelectric and photovoltaic power to boost the energy resilience of rural areas. To this end, the US Department of Energy will invest an additional $150,000 to launch the pilot project, which will connect four rural municipalities: Adjuntas, Jayuya, Lares and Utuado. This intermunicipal infrastructure aims to optimize the use of local hydroelectric plants and integrate photovoltaic systems," writes Energynews. The objectives are to ensure a stable power supply, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. "
Dominican Republic.
Rising food prices cause concern
Consumers and shopkeepers have noted that the prices of staple foods have risen since the beginning of December 2024. A rise that has been confirmed at the start of this year, writes Dominican Today. "The biggest increases have been seen for coffee, oil, eggs, sugar, tomato sauce, vegetables, milk and beans", it states in an article published on January 5. This trend is worrying not only consumers, but also shopkeepers, who are seeing their aisles emptied of customers. In supermarkets too, according to the newspaper, where the presence has been "low", even over the Christmas and New Year period. "Every time we come, the prices go up, even if it's by a few cents, and out of seven products we usually buy, three or four have a different price," complains a consumer interviewed by Dominican Today.
Virgin Islands (US).
Scandal after revelation of sharp rise in salaries for senators and governor
The salaries of senators have risen by $10,000 a year, while those of the governor and lieutenant-governor have increased by $40,000. For the former, the annual salary rose on January 1 to $95,000, and for the latter to $192,088 and $168,231. Significant salary increases that might have remained discreet had it not been for the revelations published on Monday January 6 by the Virgin Islands Consortium. These salary increases were applied on the basis of a report by the V.I. Public Officials Compensation Commission (VIPOCC). Without any public debate in the Senate, because the 90-day deadline imposed by the law governing the VIPOCC report had expired, explains the author of the article. The 90-day period was intended to allow senators to examine the report and decide whether to accept, reject or modify its recommendations. According to the Consortium's investigation, the report was sent to Governor Albert Ryan as early as August 13. Several senators claimed never to have received the e-mail containing the report. However, the Consortium journalist was able to obtain an e-mail thread confirming that both the Governor and the Senators had indeed received the report. Since the newspaper's revelations, "anger and frustration with legislators and executive branch officials have erupted", assures the editor. Not least because the government did not communicate on the subject until it was forced to do so by the Consortium's publication. In addition, suspicion now surrounds the Governor's and Senators' alleged disregard for legal deadlines.
Curaçao.
"The poorest country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the highest tax burden".
During his inauguration as the new leader of the Democratic Party on Saturday January 4, Daniel Hodge spoke at length about Curaçao's economic situation, as reported in the Daily Herald. While the former prime minister, who ran under the PS (Pueblo Soberano) banner between 2012 and 2013, pointed to economic growth of 5% in 2024, his experience as a banker (he was a director of the employers' association) and as a businessman (he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pueblo Soberano) were not enough.his experience as a banker (he was director of the employers' association "Vereniging Bedrijfsleven Curaçao", VBC) means that he takes a critical look at the data. "Let's not forget that this growth came after an economic contraction of 20% during the coronavirus pandemic, and that we had previously experienced fifteen years without any growth," he said. Furthermore, he pointed out that Curaçao is "the poorest country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the highest tax burden and no relief in sight". Daniel Hodge also wondered how to celebrate economic growth, when the minimum wage and retirement pension are among the lowest on the islands that were once part of the former Netherlands Antilles.
Haiti.
Reinforcements from Guatemala and El Salvador
As part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS) deployed in Haiti, 83 soldiers from Guatemala and El Salvador have been reinforcing the troops already deployed by Jamaica, Belize and Kenya since January 3. This first contingent from Latin America comprises 75 Guatemalan soldiers and eight Salvadorians. It is expected to be supplemented by additional troops in the coming days, Haitian police deputy spokesman Lionel Lazarre told Agence France Presse. The current mission comprises some 400 police officers. It should be noted that two journalists and a policeman were killed on December 24 in a shootout with gangs during the attempted storming of one of Port-au-Prince's main hospitals. Meanwhile, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), more than 5,600 people were killed by gang violence in Haiti in 2024, 1,000 more than in 2023. "These figures alone cannot account for the absolute horrors being perpetrated in Haiti, but they do show the relentless violence to which people are subjected," stressed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, in a statement. Added to this figure, which is more difficult to establish, are the thousands of people who have been forced to flee their neighborhoods or communes to escape violence and death.
