U.S. Secretary of State Rubio in Israel to support Gaza peace plan
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Thursday with the goal of implementing U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan...
France has unveiled a new agreement offering greater autonomy to New Caledonia, a move Paris described as “historic” but which falls short of the full independence long demanded by many Indigenous Kanaks.
The deal, announced on 12 July after ten days of tense negotiations at the Élysée Palace, comes more than a year after deadly riots shook the South Pacific territory over proposed changes to voting rules. Those changes, strongly opposed by pro-independence groups, were seen as a threat to Kanak political representation.
Under the accord, New Caledonia would become a “state of Caledonia” within the French Republic, and the French constitution would recognise a new “Caledonian nationality” alongside French citizenship. While celebrated by President Emmanuel Macron as a “historic” compromise, the deal still requires approval in New Caledonia and may be put to a vote there as early as February.
Participants in the talks — which included officials from the French government, pro-independence Kanaks, and anti-independence representatives — agreed the arrangement could eventually expand local control over international relations, policing, and justice. It may also allow New Caledonia to adopt its own flag, anthem, and name.
However, critics say the agreement stops short of recognising the right to self-determination — a long-standing demand of the Kanak independence movement, which has roots stretching back to French colonisation in the 1850s.
France granted citizenship to Kanaks in 1957 and the territory has held three referendums on independence since 2018, all of which ended in favour of remaining under French control — although the most recent vote in 2021 was boycotted by pro-independence groups after a COVID-19-related delay.
A special congress will be held to determine next steps. What lies ahead remains uncertain — not only in terms of whether New Caledonians will back the proposal, but also whether it will meaningfully address the deep-rooted tensions that continue to define politics in the archipelago.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo held a historic joint prayer in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday, the first such act of worship between an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII’s break from Rome in 1534.
Two journalists have died with one other injured after the vehicle they were travelling in were struck by drones in the Kramatorsk region, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
Four family members of Republican Illinois governor candidate Darren Bailey — his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren — have been killed in a helicopter crash in Montana, his campaign said.
Tens of thousands of Viktor Orban supporters marched in Budapest on Thursday to show support for the nationalist premier on a key Hungarian anniversary, as he faces the most acute threat to his 15-year rule from a pro-EU opposition party ahead of 2026 elections.
US president Donald Trump has said that a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is “scheduled” to take place during his upcoming trip to South Korea.
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