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Haiti.
Hotel Oloffson burnt down by gangs
"If you're looking for a historic hotel in Port-au-Prince, then Hotel Oloffson is the ideal choice. "These are the words of presentation still legible on the website of a famous online hotel platform. Since Sunday July 6, as reported by the Associated Press, the historic and cultural landmark of the capital Port-au-Prince, this "heritage jewel" as many Internet users describe it, has been nothing but a pile of ashes and rubble. According to AP, which obtained the testimony of Richard Morse, the establishment's director (who oversaw it from the USA after its closure in 2022), the attack, carried out by members of several gangs, was a major setback.by members of several armed gangs belonging to the "Viv ansanm" ("Living Together"...) coalition began late on Saturday. Clashes were reported between the attackers and police officers. Since then, the area has been held by gangs and the hotel site is inaccessible. "The destruction of the Oloffson symbolizes the destruction of Haiti's history and culture that we have been witnessing for several years now," wrote author Michael Deibert, quoted by La 1ère.
Internet users around the world who have had the privilege of staying at or visiting the hotel are as distressed as the Haitian community and diaspora. "To say what the Hôtel Oloffson represented in Haiti is to attempt to translate the soul of a country into architecture, music and sighs. It was much more than a hotel," writes lawyer Yves Lafortune. It was a part of our collective consciousness, a standing memory, a sacred space of cultural survival. It was, at once, our tropical Eiffel Tower, our Waldorf Astoria with its flavors of ginger and rum, but above all, our sentinel, our agora, our temple of creation and protest. "The ecotourism agency Le Paradis Haïtien asserts: "Choosing the path of destruction means turning your back on dignity. Each act of violence weakens our people a little more, damages our collective image, and mortgages our future. To reduce the Oloffson to ashes is not to attack a power or a system: it is to erase a living symbol of Haitian resilience. It's Haiti we're burning, not the Haiti of elites, but the Haiti of artists, thinkers, dreamers and builders of the future. "The Bohio Ayiti association, which helped organize a major exhibition on the arts of the Pearl of the Caribbean in March 2024 (JSB 1558) in partnership with the Wall House Museum and the Monnin Gallery, is moved: "Today, with a heavy heart, we learn that the Hôtel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, a jewel of 19th-century "gingerbread" architecture, has been set on fire by gangs. This monument was not just a hotel. It was a refuge of memory, culture and hope for an entire people. "Since Sunday July 6, testimonials have been pouring in online.
Built at the end of the 19th century by the Sam family, two of whose members were presidents of Haiti (notably Tiresias Simon Sam), the building has had several lives. Originally a private residence, it became a military hospital under the American occupation (1915-1934). One of the building's wings was still called "La maternité". It was transformed into a hotel in 1935 by Swedish sailor Werner Gustav Oloffson. It acquired cultural prestige in the 1950s and 60s, welcoming writers, artists and international figures. Graham Greene used it as inspiration for his novel The Comedians, and Mick Jagger and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis stayed here. In decline under the Duvalier dictatorship, the establishment was reborn in 1987 under the direction of musician-composer Richard Morse. The Oloffson became a cultural mecca for local, Caribbean and international artists. "Despite political turbulence and natural disasters, including the 2010 earthquake when it was used as a logistics base, the hotel has always held up well," notes the SurInfo website.
Trinidad and Tobago.
Announced increase in legal age for gambling, marijuana and alcohol consumption
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has announced sweeping legislative changes aimed at protecting young people, supporting pensioners and boosting public safety, Caribbean National Weekly wrote on Tuesday. She has already decided to raise the legal age for gambling and marijuana use to 25. In addition, it will now be necessary to be at least 21 years old to purchase or consume alcohol. The announcement was made on Monday, July 7, at the Monday Report in Penal of the United National Congress. It was Kamla Persad-Bissessar's first public appearance since the party's victory in the April 28 general elections. The Prime Minister also unveiled her intention to review and amend tax legislation relating to pensions, arguing that pensioners who have paid into the system for decades should no longer be taxed after the age of 60.
Guadeloupe.
Blockade of banana potting center in Capesterre-Belle-Eau
The ten farm workers at the Capesterre-Belle-Eau banana potting center have not received their wages since February. On Tuesday July 8, six of them expressed their anger and their determination to assert their rights by blocking access to the center. La 1ère reports on the action, noting that Jean-Marie Nomertin, General Secretary of the CGTG, was on hand to support their cause. He described the situation as "criminal", adding: "We can't accept that workers who don't earn much should go almost half a year without pay. What Yvon Héry has done is criminal and treacherous. "The workers denounce "employer violence" and blame the center's management. As far as management is concerned, it's a different story every day," they tell La 1ère. We've been in the group twice. The second time, they sent us the bailiffs. They have no recognition or respect for the workers. "In a press release, the CGTG banana union also denounced certain practices of concealed work in the profession. The conflict stems from the consequences of anomalies identified by the Office de développement de l'économie agricole des départements d'Outre-mer (Office for the Development of the Agricultural Economy of Overseas Departments), according to La 1ère. The growers have formulated three demands: full payment of their wages, regularization of their social security contributions in order to receive a retirement pension, and assumption of all debts contracted, including agios.
Dominican Republic.
The economic backlash against the mass expulsion of Haitians
In an article published on July 8, RCI discusses the economic consequences of the aggressive migration policy implemented since 2020 by the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader. In the first half of 2025, over 200,000 Haitians were sent back to their country. In some areas, the labor supply has fallen by 40% to 80%. "The Dominican government's tough-on-illegal-immigration policy is having an impact on banana farms, a sector that is already weakened and heavily dependent on foreign labor, as is the case in the Dominican Republic.RCI writes: "The Dominican government's tough stance against illegal immigration is having an impact on banana farms, an already weakened sector that relies heavily on foreign labor, as do other sectors of agriculture, tourism and construction, where the majority of workers are Haitian. It is reported that the construction and agricultural sectors agree on the need for a regularization plan for these essential workers. Acoprovi (the builders' association) is proposing the issue of 87,000 temporary work permits. Banana growers, for their part, list 15,000 Haitian workers.
Saint-Martin.
Tax exemption extended for home purchases and construction
At the Territorial Council meeting on June 26, the elected representatives of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin voted to extend certain tax measures established in 2015, reports Le Pélican. Among them, the tax reduction for buyers or builders of new housing in the territory. The price ceiling, hitherto 2,300 euros per square meter, has been increased. Some had already been extended in 2020, and again in 2022, until December 31, 2025. Local tax exemption measures for housing investment in Saint-Martin are now valid until December 31, 2030, Le Pélican points out. Until then, tax residents who build or buy a new home and make it their principal residence will be eligible for a ten-year tax reduction.
Sint Maarten.
Building permit cancelled for eight-storey tower on Beacon Hill
According to a Daily Herald article published on July 2, the Court of First Instance of Sint Maarten has cancelled a building permit issued in early 2024 by the former Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (Vromi), Egbert Doran. The permit had been granted to the Phoenician Private Fund Foundation. The Foundation plans to build an eight-storey apartment building on Beacon Hill Road 16, a narrow strip of land located on a peninsula in the Simpson Bay area. According to the court, the issuing of the permit was "vitiated by procedural irregularities" and "insufficiently motivated". The ruling follows serious concerns raised by a group of residents, recalls the Daily Herald. In particular, the allegation that the permit had been granted as part of an alleged "farewell policy" by the outgoing minister. The case was taken to court by the Beacon Hill Homeowners Association (PBHA). The article states that the government's lawyer did not defend the granting of the building permit, but aligned himself with the association's objections.
Saba/Bonaire/Saint-Eustache.
Employment on the rise
Employment in Bonaire and Saba grew significantly in 2024, reports the Daily Herald based on figures from the latest labor force survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in The Hague. The article, published on Tuesday July 8, states that Bonaire will have created 1,800 jobs between 2022 and 2024, bringing the total number of people employed to 14,700, an increase of 14%. By contrast, employment in St. Eustatius fell by 3%, with 1,800 people employed in 2024 compared to the previous survey. Meanwhile, Saba saw a more modest but positive increase, with 1,100 people employed, 90 more than in 2022. In addition, over the same period, employment of island-born residents - defined as those born on Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten - increased by 1.100, bringing the total to 9,300. However, the number of employed people born outside these islands has also risen, reaching 8,300 in 2024, an increase of 800 on 2022. On Bonaire, 10,200 people in the labor force in 2024 were not born on the island, an increase of 1,500 in two years. Around 20% of this group were born on Curaçao and 15% in the European Netherlands.
