Hayat Ashraf

French security forces are stepping up efforts to regain control of New Caledonia amid ongoing and deadly unrest.  About New Caledonia: It is a French overseas collectivity with significant autonomy under the terms of the 1998 Nouméa Accord.   It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 km) east of Australia. Unlike many Pacific islands that are of relatively recent volcanic origin, New Caledonia is an ancient fragment of the Gondwana supercontinent. It comprises the main island of Grande Terre, the four Loyalty Islands (Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré), the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and some remote islands.  Capital:  Nouméa (located on Grande Terre) Population: Just over 270,000 people live in New Caledonia (2019). Approximately 39 percent are indigenous ('Kanak'). The remainder are Caledonians of European, Polynesian, and other (including Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Algerian) origins. New Caledonians are Fre...