New Caledonia to be declared a state in ‘historic' agreement – but will remain French
'A State of New Caledonia within the Republic: it's a bet on trust,' the French president, Emmanuel Macron, posted on X on Saturday, hailing a 'historic' agreement.
Receiving the signatories later, the president said that 'after two agreements and three referendums, New Caledonia, through what you have signed, is opening a new chapter in its future in a peaceful relationship with France'.
Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence. New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders, gathered near Paris to hammer out a constitutional framework for the territory.
After 10 days of talks, the parties agreed that a 'State of New Caledonia' should be created.
Manuel Valls, the minister for overseas territories, called it an 'intelligent compromise' that maintains links between France and New Caledonia, but with more sovereignty for the Pacific island.
The priority now is New Caledonia's economic recovery.
Last year's violence, which claimed the lives of 14 people, is estimated to have cost the territory 2bn euros ($2.3 bn), shaving 10% off its gross domestic product, he said.
The French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, said Saturday's deal – which still requires parliamentary and referendum approval – was of 'historic dimensions'.
Home to about 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000km (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.
It has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France's power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.
Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents. Kanaks feared this would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.
As part of the agreement, New Caledonia residents will in future only be allowed to vote after having lived 10 years on the archipelago.
The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021, and was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population.
It was the latest of three since 2018, all of which rejected New Caledonian independence. Since the 2021 referendum however, the political situation in the archipelago has been deadlocked.
Macron declared in early June he wanted a 'new project' for New Caledonia.
The 13-page agreement announced on Saturday calls for a New Caledonian nationality, and the possibility for residents there to combine that status with French nationality.
Under the deal, a 'State of New Caledonia' would be enshrined in France's constitution, and other countries could recognise such a state.
The deal also calls for an economic and financial recovery pact that would include a renewal of the territory's nickel processing capabilities.
Both chambers of France's parliament are to meet in the fourth quarter of this year to vote on approving the deal, which is then to be submitted to New Caledonians in a referendum in 2026.
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Why the French do holidays better than us
You will have noticed that, in order to reduce France's €3.3 trillion debt (to which €5,000 is being added every second, apparently), French PM François Bayrou has proposed, among other measures, that two bank holidays be ditched. From now on, French people will effectively dedicate their effort to the nation by labouring through Easter Monday and VE Day. Mr Bayrou didn't quite say: 'And so my fellow French people, ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country', but he wasn't far off. The responses have been predictable. Some older people with longer memories have seen the point. Others – interviewed on TV, interestingly enough, from deckchairs on Med beaches – have suggested that they couldn't possibly put in even another hour's work for no pay. Exhaustion was already hounding them. Anyway, commemorating the defeat of fascism required a day of idleness (as, strangely enough, it never has in the UK). Such reactions, of course, fuel British suspicions that the French are a bunch of skivers. If they lose VE Day (May 8), they will still have three Bank Holidays each May. Should these fall on, say, Thursday or Tuesday, a good percentage of French workers will also take off the intervening day either side of the weekend, to faire le pont ('make the bridge'). In such instances, it's barely worth showing up anywhere serious for the entire month. And, by losing Easter Monday as well, the nation simply cuts the number of public holidays from 11 to nine. That leaves France still ahead of the UK, which has eight. You add in that many French people start work in their late 20s, retire at about 32 and work but 35 hours a week – and 'skivers' indeed seems to be the word. Or, as justice minister Gérald Darmanin himself said on Wednesday: 'France is the country where we retire earliest, start work latest and, on average, work less than our neighbours.' And yet, and yet – the country functions. Not flat out, but fairly well. I've lived here for the thick end of 40 years, and noticed no more skivers than I recall from visits to the UK. Maybe fewer, when I think of some of the Lancashire seaside pubs I know. If, pace Darmanin, Britons work slightly longer hours than the French – the figures are slippery, but suggest something like 1,624 hours a year against 1,511 – French productivity is 18 per cent higher than the UK's. That's not terrific – it hasn't yet reached pre-Covid levels – but isn't bad. Anecdotally, shops and offices stay open longer, towns don't shut down by late afternoon, restaurants don't close at 5pm (as experienced in the New Forest recently), school days are longer and, if the French lose a bank holiday because it falls on a weekend, they don't retrieve it the following Monday. It's lost. During recent heatwaves, our bins have been emptied twice a week by 6am each time. I think the thing is – and I'm speculating here – that the French have a good grasp of the work-leisure balance. When at work, they tend to work quite hard (I exempt the public administration, obviously) but when work is done, it's done. They're less likely to think that work defines them, and so hang around the work place forever. They do their bit – baking baguettes, emptying bins, perfecting perfumes, transplanting organs – and then it's holiday time. The French minimum paid holiday allowance is 30 working days (with Saturday counted as a 'working day'). That's only two more than Britain's 28 days. Nor do the French conform to their stereotypical image on their holidays. You know the image – ko'ed under a bush or parasol by pastis, wine and a superior sense of the right to relax. Frankly, half the French nation barely touches booze these days. (Younger friends are astounded when I tell them I drink wine every day. 'You need help!' they cry. 'Not really,' I say. 'I manage it quite well on my own.') Granted, pretty much every wine-making town and village has summer wine events. Among the finest are Wednesday evenings in the lee of the Pont-du-Gard, near Nîmes. Wine-makers share their wares as jazz plays and lights caress the Roman monument – but that's as civilised as it sounds. We're not talking bucketfuls of sangria. Meanwhile, great summer cultural festivals abound, from theatre in Avignon to opera in Aix and classical music in Orange via jazz events in Nice, Marciac, Juan-les-Pins and almost everywhere else. Which is all by way of saying that, more than you'd think – maybe even more than gastronomy – the French appreciate a cultural element to their leisure time. Call something 'cultural' and the French start queuing, regardless. Which is how a friend recently got stuck in an all-night reading of Homer's Odyssey. Elsewhere, though, the French have learnt to do culture well for holidaymakers. Châteaux visits, in the Loire valley and elsewhere, are way more lively than heretofore. I was recently at the châteaux of Chambord and Chenonceau, and the hordes made it clear that, after a fallow period, such monuments have regained their place in the French summer ritual. And ritual it is. Fewer people now holiday for the whole of July or August, but many do (including almost all the artisans whom we regularly call upon: all absent, all August). And of the 64 per cent of French people who go on holiday during these summer months, 89 per cent of those do so in France. That means, on August 1 and 2 this year, you'll need 10 days to get around Lyon or Bordeaux. Most are making for the seaside, and many for the continent's greatest collection of campsites. Some 30 per cent of all European campsites are in France (it has 7,000), and they have gone upmarket. Posh water parks, excellent evening shows and good restaurants are now the norm – though they are in addition to, rather than in replacement of, the more traditional pétanque, karaoke and as much merguez as you can manage. Because the French can let go with gusto. Not, though, to the point of falling shirtless out of bars at 3am. Beyond the campsites, even the most popular seaside towns wear an air of slight civilisation. Garish, maybe, but civilised, with seafood platters in proper restaurants rather than fish and chips in bus shelters. By night, there may be markets, music and dancing with everyone, tots through grandparents, out and about. Happily, I'm pretty sure that Mr Bayrou's measures won't much affect any of the above. The French are terrific at reacting appalled, and then carrying on as before. Should the Bayrou budget be approved – which, frankly, is unlikely – they may have to work two extra days in May. But this is a nation which, in the last 240 years, has been involved in three revolutions, uncountable wars, foreign occupation, oppression and terror, de-industrialisation and the 35-hour week, yet remains the seventh richest nation in the world – and may still argue vigorously about the correct preparation of a salade niçoise. 'Skivers' really isn't the word. They'll pull through – and have as happy holidays in 2026 as in 2025. Just as long as we can keep a lid on the striking railwaymen and air traffic controllers.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Europeans warn Iran of UN sanctions unless concrete progress on nuclear talks
PARIS, July 17 (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany told Iran on Thursday that they wanted Tehran to resume diplomacy immediately over its nuclear programme and warned if there were no concrete steps by the end of the summer they would restore U.N. sanctions. The foreign ministers of the so-called E3, along with the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the United States carried out air strikes in mid-June on Iran's nuclear programme. Speaking after the call, a French diplomatic source said the ministers had called on Iran to resume diplomatic efforts immediately to reach a "verifiable and lasting" nuclear deal. The three countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 deal with Iran that lifted sanctions on the country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme. A U.N. Security Council resolution which enshrines the deal expires on October 18 and under its terms U.N. sanctions can be re-imposed beforehand. The process would take about 30 days. The Europeans have repeatedly warned that unless there is a new nuclear accord they will launch the "snapback mechanism", which would restore all previous U.N. sanctions on Iran if it is found to be in violation of the agreement's terms. "The ministers also reiterated their determination to use the so-called 'snapback' mechanism in the absence of concrete progress toward such an agreement by the end of the summer," the diplomatic source said. The source did not elaborate what concrete progress would entail. Since the air strikes, inspectors from the U.N. atomic watchdog have left Iran. While Iran has suggested it is open to diplomacy, there are no indications a sixth round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran will resume imminently. Diplomats say that even if they were to resume talks, reaching a comprehensive accord before the end of August - the final deadline the Europeans have given - seems unrealistic, especially without inspectors on the ground to assess Iran's remaining nuclear programme. Two European diplomats said they hoped to coordinate strategy with the United States in the coming days with a view to possibly holding talks with Iran soon.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘It's ourselves and society on trial': playwright adapts Gisèle Pelicot case for stage
A stage play based on the trial of the men who drugged and raped Gisèle Pelicot will be staged this week in the southern city of Avignon, as France continues to debate the lessons for society from the country's biggest ever rape trial. The three-hour performance, The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot, has been created by Milo Rau, the Swiss director and playwright acclaimed for his theatre interpretations of court proceedings, including the Moscow trial of the Russian punks Pussy Riot and the trial of the Romanian despot Nicolae Ceaușescu. The play has the backing of Pelicot's lawyers and feminist groups, and Rau says he felt compelled to turn the trial into a theatre piece: 'To have done nothing would have been like not speaking of Gaza or of Ukraine, it would have been a silence that's complicit.' The director said the Pelicot piece was about looking at rape culture, the trivialisation of rape and patriarchy in all its forms. 'Through the Pelicot trial, it's ourselves and our society on trial,' he said. Pelicot was hailed worldwide after she waived her right to anonymity to ensure a public trial of her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who drugged her unconscious and invited dozens of men on an internet forum to come to her bedroom and rape her for almost a decade from 2011 in the southern village of Mazan. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December and guilty verdicts were returned for all the 51 accused men. Gisèle Pelicot, who had said in court she wanted 'all of society to be a witness' and 'shame must change sides', was this week given France's top civic honour, the Legion d'Honneur, in recognition of her determination to expose and change what she called a 'macho, patriarchal society that trivialises rape'. Rau, who worked with the playwright Servane Dècle to create the performance, said Pelicot's decision to choose a public trial instead of holding the case behind closed doors had in effect opened up the courtroom like a theatre. 'So we thought we should perhaps now turn the theatre into a courtroom,' he said. The performance is made up of staged readings of extracts from the trial, police files, social commentary and psychiatric reports. It looks at the 51 convicted and the question of how these men, including a nurse, a soldier, a journalist, a prison warden and delivery drivers, aged from 26 to 74, could travel to Pelicot's home to rape her. More than 50 performers will read extracts from the trial, and those on stage will include a psychiatric expert from the case and court artists who were present at the trial. Rau said it was important to stage the theatre piece in Avignon, where the trial took place and where crowds had gathered outside the court daily to cheer Gisèle Pelicot, and where the city walls were plastered with her quotes. It will be staged in a 14th-century open-air Carmelite cloister, with seats for 500 people, as part of the city's renowned theatre festival. But, with massive local interest, Rau said it would also be livestreamed in cinemas in Avignon as well as online. Rau said he had resolved to create the piece while he was preparing another play, La Lettre, for the Avignon festival. Having tackled other major trials on stage, he said it would have been a 'kind of absurd silence' not to also work on the Pelicot case. 'In the German-speaking world, Avignon is not famous for the theatre festival, it's famous for the Pelicot trial.' Pelicot's lawyers approved the idea, and journalists and researchers willingly gave Rau and Dècle thousands of pages of their notebooks to piece together the trial. 'It was clear for everyone that we had to do this, particularly here in Avignon and particularly now,' he said. The trial presented difficult topics for staged readings. 'At the start, there were many different issues – the rapists themselves, rape culture, masculinity, the family, the spaces where this took place,' Rau said. 'And then we followed the line of the trial and the questions it raised in society, in the media, and in people's minds.' The performance looks at the cross-examination of the accused men as well as their initial questioning by police, showing their shifting awareness of what was at stake. 'We see really what culture they're coming from, the patriarchal system, fraternity and rape culture that produces this,' Rau said. 'There was a moment of growing awareness in this city, but also in this country and in civilisation as a whole, to understand human relationships and how they have developed under a regime of capitalism, a regime of internet pornography, patriarchy, and drug-induced abuse.' The piece underlined to him how 'omnipresent' rape was in society, Rau said. A first performance took place at the Vienna festival last month, lasting seven hours, and the play will travel to other cities including Lisbon, Belgrade and Warsaw. Dècle, the play's co-writer, said: 'It's about pulling at all the threads with the audience to understand what is it that made these men – who were so different from one another – converge on that bedroom, share recipes for drugging women, suggest women close to them who should also be raped, and doing all of that while having apparently ordinary lives. It's very important what this says about our society today.' The Pelicot Trial: Tribute to Gisèle Pelicot, Avignon festival, 18 July and streamed online
