Latest News Headlines Noumea

New Caledonia will vote in a referendum on independence from France on Sunday. About 175,000 inhabitants of the archipelago in the Pacific may vote. The strongest advocates for independence are the Kanaken, the original inhabitants. They have been waiting for the referendum for more than three decades.

On the coast of New Caledonia, the French navy has intercepted a yacht with a huge amount of drugs aboard. A record of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine was hidden in the hull, worth $ 322 million (EUR 271 million) and was on its way to Australia.