Voters on the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia were on course to reject breaking away from France in a referendum on Sunday, partial results showed. With votes from 282 out of 304 polling stations tallied, the partial results showed the no camp ahead with 53.6% support after expanding its lead as results came in from the capital, Noumea, traditionally a bastion of pro-Paris loyalty.
Voters in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, will choose whether they want independence from France in a referendum that marks a milestone in a three-decade decolonization effort.
The French Pacific island territory of New Caledonia will hold a referendum on independence from France on October 4, a month later than originally planned, due to the coronavirus, the government said on Wednesday.
A fisherman has been killed by a bull shark in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, police said, days after a boy had his leg bitten off in another shark attack.
President Philippe Germain of New Caledonia committed to protecting 200,000 to 400,000 square kilometers of marine waters within the Coral Sea Natural Park, which the government established in 2014.
New Caledonia, an idyllic French Overseas Territory island territory in the southwestern Pacific, votes Sunday on whether to seek full independence from Paris, 18,000 km away Thirty years in the making, Sunday’s referendum will call 174,154 voters to the polls to test the appeal of remaining a part of France, a vector of state subsidies but also, some feel, a kind of neglect.
Australian authorities have called off a search for a woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Coral Sea. The passenger fell from the Pacific Dawn about 16:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Thursday, about 300km west of New Caledonia.