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Saint Martin.
Air Caraïbes Launches a New Daily Route Between Juliana and Pointe-à-Pitre
According to the Soualiga Post, Air Caraïbes is expanding its regional network with the launch, effective January 8, 2027, of a new daily flight between Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe’s Maryse Condé Airport. Operated with an ATR 72-600, this service will complement the existing daily flight from Grand-Case Airport on the French side. Presented by CEO Karen Virapin and Commercial Director Noëlla Abitbol, this new service will offer more than 54,000 additional seats per year to streamline inter-island travel, with introductory fares set at 199 euros round-trip from Guadeloupe and 249 euros from Martinique. According to the same source, the airline also highlighted the resumption of its twice-weekly direct service on an Airbus A350 between Paris-Orly and Princess Juliana, confirming its ambition to make Saint Martin a major hub connecting the Caribbean territories with the rest of the world.
Anguilla.
The men’s national soccer team is competing in its first U15 World Cup in Azerbaijan
Anguilla’s Under-15 (U15) men’s national soccer team has flown to Baku, Azerbaijan, reports Anguilla Focus. The young Caribbean players are participating in the inaugural 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup, a global tournament bringing together teams from every continent. From October 24 to 30, the Anguilla team will play in Group A at the Hövsan Complex and face Estonia, Kosovo, the Maldives, South Africa, and France in their opening match. According to the Anguilla Football Association (AFA), as quoted by local media, this participation is the culmination of months of rigorous preparation. For a small island, this opportunity represents much more than just a sporting event: it is a historic learning opportunity, an international showcase, and a source of immense pride that proves no dream is too big for the youth of Anguilla.
Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Strategic Campaign to Attract Canadian Tourists
According to the newspaper L’Observer, Saint Kitts and Nevis’s Minister of Tourism, Marsha Henderson, has announced a major expansion of air service from Canada for the winter season. Starting October 31, Air Canada will resume its weekly direct flights from Toronto, moving up its usual schedule by several weeks to meet a surge in demand from North American travelers. According to local tourism authorities cited by the newspaper, this strategy is accompanied by a promotional campaign targeting Canadian customers and luxury stays. For the archipelago’s government, the goal is to diversify international visitor flows—traditionally dominated by the U.S. market—to ensure maximum occupancy rates in the bicultural territory’s hotels.
Guadeloupe.
Persistent Tensions and Nighttime Curfew for Minors
According to reports by Le Parisien and La 1ère, the situation remains extremely tense in Guadeloupe in the wake of protests against the high cost of living led by the “Nou las Palé” collective. Following nights of clashes marked by burning barricades, vandalized businesses, and gunfire that injured several police officers and gendarmes, Prefect Thierry Devimeux has imposed a curfew for unaccompanied minors from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the municipalities of Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Abymes. According to the prefecture, as cited by both media outlets, this exceptional measure is primarily intended to protect the young people found in large numbers among the groups of rioters. While dialogue with the collective has currently been severed by the prefecture, the social crisis has reached the Senate and the government amid urgent appeals from local elected officials demanding lasting solutions to the issue of public safety.
Martinique.
A first night of curfew that was “less intense,” but with deep-seated tensions
According to statements gathered by RCI and La 1ère, Martinique is facing intense urban tensions on the fringes of the popular protest movement against the high cost of living. In an effort to restore calm following violent clashes and looting, Prefect Étienne Desplanques has imposed a nighttime curfew (from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) in six key municipalities on the island, including Fort-de-France, Schœlcher, and Le Lamentin. According to the government official interviewed by RCI, the first night under curfew proved to be “less intense,” allowing authorities to make 11 arrests, curb armed robberies, and seize three firearms, despite targeted gunfire against gendarmes in Ducos and fires in Le Lamentin. According to La 1ère, the crisis also made its way to the Senate, where Martinican Senator Frédéric Buval called for a comprehensive response from the government to drug trafficking, violence, and the cost of living, which are plaguing residents’ daily lives.
U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Chronic Failure of the Power Grid
According to the daily newspaper France-Antilles, a double total blackout has once again plunged the islands of St. Thomas and St. John into darkness, highlighting the extreme dilapidation of the Water and Power Authority (WAPA). According to the publication, despite the injection of nearly $100 million in federal funds by Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the U.S. archipelago remains prone to a cascade of structural failures. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration cited in the article, more than half of the power generation facilities run on oil and are over 25 years old, still struggling to recover from the destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. This industrial collapse forces the 46,000 residents to pay 33 cents per kilowatt-hour—double the U.S. national average—while the share of renewable energy there remains capped at just 3 percent.
Puerto Rico.
The governor officially requests admission as the 51st U.S. state
According to L’Observer, Puerto Rico’s governor, Jennifer González, signed Joint Resolution 391 formally requesting that President Donald Trump and Congress admit this Caribbean territory as the 51st state of the United States. According to the leader of the New Progressive Party (NPP), this political move fulfills a strong campaign pledge and gives concrete expression to the will of the Puerto Rican people as expressed in previous advisory referendums. This initiative aims to submit direct legislation to Washington as part of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. A U.S. territory since 1898, whose citizens have held U.S. citizenship since 1917, Puerto Rico remains deeply divided between supporters of statehood, advocates of its current commonwealth status, and independence activists, and now awaits a decision from the U.S. Congress.
Dominican Republic.
Toward Sustainable Management of Sargassum
According to Dominican Today, the Dominican Republic is reaffirming its leadership role in addressing the sargassum crisis by presenting the Santo Domingo Ministerial Declaration, adopted during the 11th Energy Week. According to the daily, this document calls on Caribbean governments, researchers, and the private sector to coordinate their efforts to develop environmentally friendly and sustainable methods for collecting and processing the seaweed. Energy and Mines Minister Joel Santos and Foreign Minister Víctor Bisonó emphasized that this algae has a severe impact on ecosystems and the local economy, while highlighting its potential to be converted into industrial and energy opportunities. According to Dominican Today, a $6.3 million loan, backed by the European Investment Bank, has been made available to support SMEs involved in this value chain.
French Senate.
Parliament Permanently Repeals the “Code Noir”
La 1ère reports that the Senate voted by a very large majority to permanently repeal the “Code Noir” and all its variations, nearly two centuries after the official abolition of slavery in 1848. Introduced in the National Assembly by Guadeloupean Representative Max Mathiasin, this historic bill repeals the royal edict of March 1685, promulgated under Louis XIV. Of the 338 senators who voted, 320 approved this major historical and cultural vote, hailed by Overseas Territories Minister Naïma Moutchou as a strong step toward confronting the nation’s past. However, 18 lawmakers abstained, with some overseas elected officials—such as Victorin Lurel—highlighting legal loopholes resulting from the omission of other royal edicts. According to La 1ère, parliamentary proceedings are now focusing on restorative justice and measures to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Haiti.
Gangs Target the New International Force
Africanews reports that gang violence in Haiti has reached a new level with the first major attack directly targeting the new international anti-crime force (GSF). This weekend, in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince, an armored vehicle carrying Salvadoran soldiers was attacked with explosives and set on fire. As a result, four aviation technicians are missing. In response to the surge in hostile incidents—which have risen from two to fifteen in just one month—the force’s special representative, Jack Christofides, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, firmly reaffirmed the international community’s determination to end impunity for gang leaders. According to UN data cited by the media, the terror imposed by armed groups has already caused the record displacement of 1.5 million people and claimed more than 5,700 lives since the beginning of 2026.
