PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to riot-hit New Caledonia, the French Pacific territory that has been gripped by days of deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence. “He will go there tonight,” government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the president said he’d decided to make the more than 33,000-kilometer (20,000-mile) round trip himself to the archipelago east of Australia. Six people have been killed, including two gendarmes, and hundreds of others injured in New Caledonia amid armed clashes, looting and arson, raising new questions about Macron’s handling of France’s colonial legacy. There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who seek independence for the archipelago of 270,000 people, and descendants of colonizers and colonists who want to remain part of France. |
The leak of a police bulletin complicated the response to Maine mass shooting, official testifiesWarnings were issued about high winds before deadly Mexico stage collapse, but they went unheededWarnings were issued about high winds before deadly Mexico stage collapse, but they went unheededCarlo Acutis set to become the first saint of the Millennial generationRio de Janeiro bay reforestation shows mangroves' power to mitigate climate disastersEquatorial Guinea must default wins in World Cup qualifying over same ineligible player as in 2013Britain's Got Talent 'set to be extended to air over THREE MONTHS in huge series shakePakistan taking the unretired Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim to T20 World CupFlorida braces for hurricane misery as NOAA warns 2024 season could be 'extraordinary'EastEnders star Lucy Benjamin reveals she still enjoys nights out with her ex