New Caledonia

New Caledonia's signatories of the Noumea Accord will today hold their last meeting chaired by the French prime minister Edouard Philippe. ... The Paris talks have followed acrimony among New Caledonia's leaders over the process of releasing the referendum date as some people had objected to ...

Tropical Cyclone IRIS formed over the South-West Pacific Ocean, south of Solomon Islands on 24 March. On 26 March at 0.00 UTC, it was located 660 km north-west of Pott island (New Caledonia) and had maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h. Over the next 24 hours, it is forecast to pass between the ...

Reports from New Caledonia say a sailor of the French navy has been charged with rape. The public broadcaster said the alleged rape took place on the navy base earlier this month but the victim, who also works for the armed forces, had kept quiet about the assault for several days. The public prosecutor ...

The French overseas collectivity New Caledonia has set the date for an independence referendum from France. According to a local newspaper, the congress of the archipelago has voted to hold the plebiscite on November 4th. French authorities approved the referendum for New Caledonia in November ...

Reports from New Caledonia say a 57-year-old man jailed for a year this week for shooting and injuring a minor may be freed within two weeks. no caption. Photo: AFP. This followed a mass protest outside the French High Commission by his supporters who objected to the shooter being imprisoned.

Pacific Islands links: New Caledonia referendum, Vanuatu Deputy PM sentenced, and more. Islands of the Kiribati Republic (Photo: NASA ... New Caledonia's Congress has approved 4 November as the official date of the territory's independence referendum. Denise Fisher, in The Strategist, explains the ...

Paris: The Pacific island of New Caledonia will hold a referendum on November 4 on whether to break away from France and become independent. Independence talks began ... New Caledonia was annexed by the French in 1853 and has been a "special collectivity" since 1999. The thousands of islands ...

New Caledonia's Congress is today expected to approve the date for the territory's independence referendum under the Noumea Accord. The New Caledonia congress. Photo: AFP. There were 10 selected top political leaders who had agreed in French-sponsored talks last month to hold the vote on 4th ...

The authorities in New Caledonia say debris from the stricken container ship Kea Trader has been washed ashore. The vessel ran onto the Durand Reef in July and despite salvage efforts, it broke in two. Cyclone Hola further damaged the wreck and now debris has reached Mare which is almost 100 ...

The latest dengue outbreak in New Caledonia has claimed its first life, a 74-year-old woman from near Noumea who died after being admitted to hospital on Tuesday. The Asian tiger mosquito is one of the vectors responsible for transmitting dengue fever. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY. The dengue ...

The fact-finding mission is in the French territory as preparations continue for an independence referendum later this year. Last year, a UN team visited New Caledonia to observe the special French-led commissions, which update the roll of those allowed to vote in the plebiscite. At the last meeting of the ...

Sensitivities have heightened as New Caledonia prepares in earnest for an independence referendum by November. Despite pro-France pressure, Emmanuel Macron's government has now stated categorically that it won't take sides. The mainstream independence group has sent a warning of its own.

New Caledonia's Congress is expected to meet on March 19th to set the date for the independence referendum. New Caledonia's Budget Minister Philippe Dunoyer Photo: AFP. A New Caledonian member of the French National Assembly Philippe Dunoyer said it appears that the referendum date will be ...

Tropical Cyclone Hola will bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of New Caledonia through Saturday afternoon before heading towards New Zealand. Hola is currently a Category 3 tropical cyclone on the Fiji intensity scale, comparable to a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or east Pacific basin.

A man has been detained in New Caledonia suspected of shooting and injuring a minor in a stolen car in Nakety. Residential areas in Noumea, New Caledonia south of the city. 2008 Photo: MARC LE CHELARD / AFP. The Nouvelles Caledoniennes reported the wounded teenager had been driven to the ...

A former senior police officer in New Caledonia has been given a three-year jail sentence for assaulting a handcuffed suspect. Noumea municipal police facade Photo: RNZ. Two of the three years are suspended. The criminal court also found him guilty of forging the incident report. The Nouvelles ...

Arson is the suspected cause of the blaze at the school in Bourail which has had four fires in the past five years. 365 students are affected by the latest fire as the premises can't be used until further notice. The start of the school year has been marred in various provincial locations because of lawlessness.

A leading anti-independence party in New Caledonia has called for the Congress to set the date and formulate the question for this year's independence referendum. The Caledonia Together Party said this should be done before the signatories to the Noumea Accord meet in Paris in late March. A leading ...

The Congress of New Caledonia has decided to tighten drink drive laws as part of efforts to improve road safety. no caption. Photo: 123 RF. For drivers ... Ninety percent of fatal road accident in New Caledonia involve drink drivers, many of whom not wearing seatbelts. Per capita, New Caledonia has a road ...

The news site Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes said the incident occurred near St Louis in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. Nobody was injured and there have been no arrests. This comes just two days after the jailing of seven men for firing at police officers along the same stretch of road in 2016.

One senator Bruno Retailleau said he was he was certain New Caledonia will stay with France and it was up to the French state to prepare for the day after the vote. Another senator Gerard Poadja said the new law contributes to a Caledonian identity. The law change is due to be debated in the National ...

A French parliamentary team is today beginning a week-long mission to New Caledonia to gather information about the independence referendum later this year. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls Photo: AFP. The team, which is led by a former Socialist prime ...

Lawmakers in New Caledonia have voted in favor of a referendum in November, which will decide the territory's independence from France. The congress of the French overseas territory approved the plan for a popular vote on Monday. The poll will be held November 4th. New Caledonia, an archipelago in ...

New Caledonia has set a date for a referendum that will decide whether the French overseas territory should become independent. After decades of campaigning by separatists seeking to break away from France, the New Caledonia congress, the local legislative authority, has agreed to hold the vote on 4 ...

An investigation has been opened in New Caledonia into claims that one of the top beer distributors is supplying the black market. beer lineup. Photo: Quinn ... New Caledonia has severely curbed the hours when alcohol can be sold as part of efforts to reduce consumption. Le Froid has not denied the ...

The action by 850 teachers has been taken in a bid to alter their employment terms. The teachers want to be recognised and remunerated according to the provisions for all French public servants. New Caledonia's government is backing the teachers' demands. However, it asked them to hold off with their ...

They heeded a call by the government to return to work while their grievances are being dealt with in Paris. The action by 850 teachers had been taken because they want to be recognised and remunerated according to the provisions for all French public servants. New Caledonia's government is backing ...

The French prime minister says New Caledonia's independence referendum is a challenge which is not without risk. France's newly appointed Prime ... Therefore, he said, it is urgent to be reminded of what unites New Caledonia and to protect what has been achieved. Several assembly members have ...

Mr Temaru said he plans to go to New Caledonia in September or October to encourage French Polynesians living there to help Kanaks win their independence. The vote is expected to be held in early November. New Caledonia has been on the UN decolonisation list since 1986 and French Polynesia ...

Pro-independence politicians in New Caledonia are upset at comments by a visiting former French prime minister Manuel Valls who said he was in favour of the territory remaining French. Mr Valls, who is in Noumea as the head of a French National Assembly delegation, was speaking at a public debate as ...

A teacher in New Caledonia has been assaulted in class at a vocational school in the territory's north. A student whose age has not been disclosed broke the man's nose when he punched and kicked him. He will be off work while the student is to face disciplinary measures. The attack in Touho occurred ...

The government said there was a significant rise in the number of infections this year. It said about 100 cases of type 2 dengue have been diagnosed since the beginning of the year, suggesting that the people are to immune the virus. The government said the disease had been found mainly in Noumea ...