Loyalists blame French Minister for failure of New Caledonia talks

Conservative anti-independence parties in New Caledonia have denounced the French Overseas Minister after the breakdown of talks to forge a new political

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French Minister Valls wants all parties to ‘take their responsibilities’ ahead of third trip to New Caledonia

French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, who is visiting New Caledonia this week for the third time in two months, has once again called all parties to live up to their responsibilities in order to make a new

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It’s a violation: France called out on nuclear tests

From 1966-1996, France conducted 193 nuclear explosions on Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in the Tuamotu archipelago of Mā’ohi Nui, known in France as its overseas territory of French

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New Caledonia talks to resume this month, but differences remain

New Caledonian political leaders and the French government are scheduled to resume political status talks on 29 April, when France’s Overseas Minister Manuel Valls returns to Noumea. For Valls, “the objective of

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No deal for New Caledonia, talks to continue later this month

After four days of continuous talks with New Caledonia’s political forces, French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has returned to Paris Tuesday, without any deal as yet regarding the French Pacific

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Steps forward in New Caledonia political talks

For the first time since 2019, there have been tripartite talks on the political status of New Caledonia, during an eight-day visit by France’s Overseas Minister Manuel Valls. After six months of conflict that began

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French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls to visit Nouméa for key political talks

French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has announced he will travel to New Caledonia on 22 February to pursue talks on the French territory’s political future. This comes following preliminary talks held last

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Collapse of government in Paris sends shockwaves to Noumea

by Nic Maclellan A no-confidence motion in the French National Assembly has ousted the government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. But for New Caledonians, still reeling from the economic, cultural and social

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“We are all Pacific islanders, even if New Caledonia is French”

On the final day of the Pacific Islands Forum mission to New Caledonia, the delegation of Forum leaders broke bread with church and community elders at a working breakfast. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka thanked

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New Caledonia’s President meets with fellow Forum leaders

President Louis Mapou and the Government of New Caledonia has met with a visiting mission of Pacific Islands Forum leaders, with the Kanak politician noting “New Caledonia is at a turning point in its evolution, and

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“We’re here as family”: Forum delegation arrives in New Caledonia

After months of delay, a high-level Pacific Islands Forum mission has arrived in New Caledonia for three days of dialogue and information sharing. In a busy program, the delegation will meet with members of New

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Kanak activist Christian Tein’s imprisonment overturned by France’s highest court

The highest court in France has overturned a decision to lock up the Kanak pro-independence activist Christian

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Overseas Minister buffeted by New Caledonia crisis

By Nic Maclellan, in Noumea, New Caledonia France’s newly appointed Overseas Minister François-Noël Buffet has travelled to New Caledonia for a four-day visit, pledging that “the time has come for the return of

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Paris shifts gears on New Caledonia, after months of conflict

After nearly five months of conflict in New Caledonia, the French government has formally announced it will abandon a constitutional amendment on voting rights for New

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New Caledonia’s constitutional reform will not go ahead: French PM

New Caledonia's controversial constitutional reform will not go ahead, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier

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Forum debates French colonialism, China and climate change

As Presidents, Prime Ministers and Premiers assembled in the Kingdom of Tonga for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM), the region’s Blue Pacific agenda was overshadowed by geopolitical jousting and

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Whispers

Dispatches from Tonga The ubiquity of mobile phones is a growing issue at the Pacific Islands Forum. At last month’s leaders’ meeting in Nuku’alofa, every ceremony and event was captured on phones, with selfies

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Deaths at Saint Louis overshadow anniversary of French colonisation

Tuesday 24 September marks the 171st anniversary of the French annexation of New Caledonia. By order of Napoleon III, Rear-Admiral Février-Despointes officially took possession of the main island Grande Terre in 1853,

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Two Kanaks shot dead by French police in New Caledonia decried as ‘assassinations’

French police shot and killed two men in New Caledonia on Thursday, stoking tensions with pro-independence groups days ahead of a public holiday marking France’s annexation of the Pacific archipelago.  The

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New Caledonia Loyalists welcome choice of French PM

Anti-independence politicians in New Caledonia have welcomed the appointment of Michel Barnier as the new French Prime Minister in Paris. A member of the conservative political party Les Républicains (LR), Barnier has

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French Polynesia hits Paris approach to New Caledonia

French Polynesia says France failed to heed warnings of unrest in New Caledonia and Paris needs to soften its diplomacy in the crisis-hit Pacific territory. The future of New Caledonia is a hot topic at the Pacific

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French Special Envoy urges Pacific preparation for UN Ocean conference

An international conference about ocean protection is incomplete without the voices of the Pacific region, says Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ambassador in charge of Poles and Maritime issues, Special Envoy of the French

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UN experts alarmed by situation of Kanak indigenous peoples in the non-self-governing territory of New Caledonia

The French Parliament adopted a bill on 14 May 2024 that dismantles one of the cornerstones of the Nouméa Accord by unfreezing the electoral body in New Caledonia, a non-self-governing territory under French

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French political uncertainty unsettles New Caledonia

The glitz and glamour of the Olympics hosted by France has overshadowed an ongoing political crisis facing the French State. For weeks after snap elections for the French National Assembly, the outgoing government has

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