Macron to visit New Caledonia
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will travel to New Caledonia, the Associated Press reported.
A government spokesperson said âhe will go there tonight.â
A state of emergency was declared by Paris last week. âThe return to calm is starting to arrive,â the spokesperson said.
Key events
Violence erupted in New Caledonia over French plans to impose new voting rules.
AFP reported that French figures including a former prime minister, Manuel Valls, have called for delay to the change.
âYou canât make progress on the Caledonia file by issuing ultimatums,â Valls said Sunday.
Anti-independence representatives disagree.
Withdrawing âwould prove the wreckers, the looters and the rioters right,â said Nicolas Metzdorf, a New Caledonia MP for Emmanuel Macronâs Renaissance party.
âViolence cannot replace the ballot box in a democracy,â he said.
The first transport with evacuees landed in Brisbane in eastern Australia around 7:00 pm (0900 GMT) today, AFP reported.
Charles Roger, director of New Caledoniaâs Chamber of Commerce and Industry which operates Noumeaâs larger La Tontouta international airport, told AFP there would be no commercial flights there until Saturday morning.
A week of unrest in New Caledonia â in pictures
Macron to visit New Caledonia
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will travel to New Caledonia, the Associated Press reported.
A government spokesperson said âhe will go there tonight.â
A state of emergency was declared by Paris last week. âThe return to calm is starting to arrive,â the spokesperson said.
Fico ‘conscious and communicative’, hospital says
Slovakiaâs government, together with the F.D. Roosevelt university hospital in Banská Bystrica, has issued an update this morning on the prime ministerâs health.
As a result of the morning medical board meeting, the Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent a follow-up CT scan of the abdominal cavity. At the same time, further actions are being taken to improve his health condition. The patient remains conscious and communicative.
Karl Nehammer, the Austrian chancellor, hosted the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
âThe leaders committed to implementing stronger frameworks to deal with migration, and that new innovative solutions are crucial to this end,â Nehammer said.
âBoth think the answers lay with deeper partnerships with others, and increasing cooperation with countries involved in all stages of the migrant journey was essential to tackling this growing pan-European challenge,â he added.
British and Austrian leaders discuss security and illegal migration
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has met with Austriaâs chancellor, Karl Nehammer.
âTogether, they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening our security and tackling illegal migration,â Sunakâs office said.
Finnish government puts forward emergency border security legislation
Finlandâs government proposed emergency legislation today to block asylum seekers entering from its border with Russia, Reuters reported.
Helsinki believes Moscow has been weaponising migration, and shut down the border last year.
âIt is the governmentâs duty to ensure the security of the borders, Finland and Finns in all situations,â the Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, said.
âUnfortunately the EU legislation does yet not provide us with effective tools to tackle the problem. I hope our work will pave the way for European level solutions,â he added.
Here are the latest images from New Caledonia.
French officials said over weekend that security forces had destroyed 76 roadblocks along the road from the capital Noumea to the international airport.
However, AFP journalists said many had quickly been rebuilt by Kanak militants.
Kanaks with scarfs over their faces, some armed with homemade catapults, were still manning a roadblock Tuesday on the road to the international airport, AFP reported.
Explainer: Why is there unrest in New Caledonia?
Deadly violence has paralysed New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific, for more than a week after lawmakers in Paris approved a constitutional amendment to allow recent arrivals to the territory to vote in provincial elections.
The amendment, which some local leaders fear will dilute the vote of the Indigenous Kanak people, is the latest flashpoint in a decades-long tussle over Franceâs role in the island.
At least six people have died in the protests, which has prompted authorities to shut the international airport and schools and impose a curfew in the capital, Nouméa, where businesses and vehicles have been set alight.
France has launched a major security operation in a bid to quell the violence, and this week Australia and New Zealand are sending government planes to evacuate their nationals.
The worldâs No 3 nickel producer, New Caledonia lies at the heart of a geopolitically complex maritime region, where China and the US are jostling for power and influence in security and trade. Without naming China, the French president has previously said Franceâs drive to expand its influence in the Pacific was to ensure a ârules-based developmentâ.
Read the full explainer from Reuters here.
Penny Wong, Australiaâs foreign minister, has said that âweâve received clearance for two Australian Government assisted-departure flights today for Australian and other tourists to depart New Caledonia.â
âPassengers are being prioritised based on need. We continue to work on further flights,â she added.
New Zealand evacuates citizens from New Caledonia
Winston Peters, New Zealandâs foreign minister, said a plane has left New Caledonia after picking up a first group of people.
Hereâs the latest footage from New Caledonia.
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