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. |
US court rejects a request by tribes to block $10B energy transmission project in ArizonaTrump hush money trial: 7 jurors picked, 11 more neededGeorgia's parliament votes to approve soJamelia reveals the REAL reason for her sudden exit from HollyoaksAmed Rosario's RBI infield single in the 13th inning lifts the Rays to a 7Stock market today: Asian benchmarks are mixed while US seems committed to current ratesDeath toll from 4 days of rains rises to 63 in Pakistan with more rain on the forecastCommentary: Resilience, potential, fundamentals of Chinese economy remain soundThe United States and China are expected to win the most medals at the Paris OlympicsThe wild TRUTH behind 'Mormon face': Former member of ultra