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France Bans TikTok In Riot-Hit New Caledonia

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

France deployed troops to New Caledonia’s ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded.

The emergency measures give authorities greater powers to tackle the unrest that has gripped New Caledonia since Monday, when protests over voting changes pushed by Paris turned violent.

Additional powers under the state of emergency include the possibility of house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and the ability to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators.

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The last time France imposed such measures on one of its overseas territories was in 1985, also in New Caledonia, the interior ministry said.

“No violence will be tolerated,” said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, adding that the state of emergency “will allow us to roll out massive means to restore order”.

Attal told a crisis ministerial meeting that troops had been deployed to secure ports and the international airport and the government representative in New Caledonia has “banned TikTok”.

The airport is already closed to international flights.

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The state of emergency was announced hours after a French gendarme who was seriously injured during riots in New Caledonia died of his wounds, said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, raising the death toll to four.

The death of the French gendarme followed two nights of rioting as protesters demonstrated against a constitutional reform being debated in the national assembly in Paris that aims to expand the electorate in the territory’s provincial elections.

Vehicles torched, shops looted

The unrest flared after French lawmakers approved a bill extending voting rights in provincial elections to residents arriving from mainland France – a change critics fear could marginalise Indigenous people and benefit pro-France politicians.

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Following lengthy and at times tense debates, the National Assembly in Paris adopted the reform shortly after midnight, by 351 votes to 153.

Macron cancelled a planned visit to Normandy to chair cabinet-level national security talks on the crisis Wednesday morning, his office said.

Protests turned violent Monday night, with shots fired at security forces, vehicles torched and shops looted in the worst unrest the French overseas territory has seen since the 1980s.

In response, authorities deployed a heavy security contingent, imposed a curfew, banned public gatherings and closed the main airport.

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French authorities in the territory said that more than 130 people have been arrested and more than 300 have been injured since Monday in the violence.

“More than 130 arrests have been made and several dozen rioters have been taken into custody and will be brought before the courts,” the French High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia said in a statement early Wednesday morning.

Describing the “serious public disturbances” as ongoing, the High Commission decried widespread looting and torching of businesses and public property, including schools.

It added that classes will remain scrapped until further notice and the main airport shut to commercial flights.

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Dispute over voting rights

Macron has been seeking to reassert his country’s importance in the Pacific region, where China and the United States are vying for influence but France has a strategic footprint through its overseas territories, which include New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

Lying between Australia and Fiji, New Caledonia is one of several French territories spanning the globe from the Caribbean and Indian Ocean to the Pacific that remain part of France in the post-colonial era.

In the Noumea Accord of 1998, France vowed to gradually give more political power to the Pacific island territory of nearly 300,000 people.

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Under the agreement, New Caledonia has held three referendums over its ties with France, all rejecting independence. But independence retains support, particularly among the Indigenous Kanak people.

The Noumea Accord has also meant that New Caledonia’s voter lists have not been updated since 1998 – meaning that island residents who arrived from mainland France or elsewhere in the past 25 years do not have the right to take part in provincial polls.

The French government has branded the exclusion of one out of five people from voting as “absurd” while separatists fear that expanding voter lists would benefit pro-France politicians and reduce the weight of the Kanaks.

‘Determination of our young’

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Simmering protests over the planned changes to voter eligibility took a violent turn on Monday night, with groups of young masked or hooded demonstrators taking over several roundabouts and confronting police, who responded with non-lethal rounds.

One business group said around 30 shops, factories and other sites in and around the capital Noumea had been set ablaze, while an AFP journalist saw burned-out cars and the smoking remains of tyres and wooden pallets littering the streets.

Firefighters said they had received around 1,500 calls overnight and responded to 200 blazes.

Even after the curfew was put in place on Tuesday, there were acts of vandalism overnight, with the store of a major sports brand ransacked.

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A prison rebellion involving some 50 detainees in the Camop-Est facility subsided after security forces regained control, local officials said.

Pro-independence party leader Daniel Goa asked the youths to “go home”, and condemned the looting.

But he added: “The unrest of the last 24 hours reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France take control of them.”

The main figure of the non-independence camp, former minister Sonia Backes, denounced what she described as the anti-White racism of demonstrators who burned down the house of her father, a man in his 70s who was exfiltrated by the security forces.

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“If he was not attacked because he was my father, he was at least attacked because he was White,” she told BFMTV.

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Tinubu Is Beatable in 2027, I Know Him Well — Makinde’s Running Mate, Daura

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Former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Musa Daura, has declared that President Bola Tinubu is beatable in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that he knows the President personally and understands his political strengths and weaknesses.

Daura, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Asked whether Tinubu could be defeated at the polls, Daura responded, “Very well,” arguing that the administration had made several mistakes that could work against the President in the 2027 election.

The former intelligence chief also dismissed the perception that Tinubu was unfamiliar to him, saying their relationship extends beyond politics.

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“President Bola Tinubu is not a stranger to me. Even though he is the President of the nation, he’s the leader, the Commander-in-Chief; in another class, we’re friends. We know ourselves very well,” he said.

Daura, however, cautioned that some claims and actions attributed to Tinubu did not necessarily reflect the President’s true position.

“There are lots of things being ascribed to him which he’s not,” he added.

‘I Took Bullets for Buhari’

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Reflecting on his years in government, Daura said he still misses former President Muhammadu Buhari, under whom he served as DSS Director-General.

“I do miss Muhammadu Buhari. I took bullets for him,” he said, recalling the risks he faced while serving the former President.

Daura also criticised individuals he described as sycophants who surrounded Buhari, accusing them of betraying the former President’s trust and exploiting his administration.

“There were so many sycophants around Buhari; they betrayed the trust he gave them and took advantage of that government,” he said.

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Why Makinde-Daura Ticket

Defending his partnership with Oyo State Governor and APM presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, Daura said the duo shared a common vision and understanding of the country’s challenges.

“We are a pair that seems to really understand each other; we share the same passion for this country,” he said.

Daura added that the ticket’s central message was to “reset” the country and chart a new direction for Nigeria.

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His comments came shortly after the unveiling of Makinde’s presidential campaign office in Abuja.

The event was attended by several political figures, including former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi.

Obi described Makinde as qualified to serve as President and urged Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidate in the 2027 election.

He also called on political leaders to work together in the national interest, regardless of who eventually emerges victorious at the polls.

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17-Year-Old Makes History as Ghana Premier League’s Youngest Captain

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At just 17, Labaran Majeed Alidu is already making history in Ghanaian football after taking on the captaincy of Vision FC in the Ghana Premier League.

Born on February 24, 2009, Alidu has emerged as one of the league’s most promising young defenders and is recognised as the youngest player to captain a Ghana Premier League side.

His appointment is particularly remarkable given the demands of leading a senior professional team at an age when many players are still competing in youth football.

Alidu has been a key part of Vision FC’s commitment to developing young talent, earning valuable experience in Ghana’s top-flight league while taking on increasing responsibility within the squad.

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His progress has also been recognised by the club. At Vision FC’s end-of-season awards, Alidu was named Young Player of the Season, highlighting his rapid development and growing importance to the team.

The teenage defender featured regularly for Vision FC during the 2025/26 season, further strengthening his reputation as one of Ghana’s emerging young footballers.

Beyond his defensive abilities, Alidu’s leadership qualities have set him apart. Wearing the captain’s armband at 17 represents a significant vote of confidence from the club and places him in a unique position to develop both as a player and a leader.

Vision FC’s willingness to give young players opportunities at senior level has provided Alidu with a platform to test himself against experienced professionals and accelerate his development.

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His breakthrough could also serve as a model for Ghana’s youth development system, demonstrating the potential rewards of giving talented youngsters meaningful opportunities in the domestic league.

With much of his career still ahead of him, Alidu will now be hoping to build on his historic breakthrough, improve his game and establish himself as one of Ghana’s leading young defenders.

For now, his remarkable rise has already secured him a place in Ghana Premier League history.

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Crocodile Handler Dies After Being Mauled at Papua New Guinea Wildlife Park

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A crocodile handler has died after being attacked by a crocodile while working inside an enclosure at a wildlife park in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The worker, whose identity has not been released, was attacked at Adventure Park on Saturday, September 5, while reportedly attempting to feed a crocodile.

He was rushed to 3 Mile General Hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries at about 7am on Sunday, September 6.

Footage of the horrifying incident circulated on social media, showing the injured worker clinging to the edge of a pool as bystanders desperately tried to assist him.

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The crocodile appeared to have its jaws locked around the man’s legs while a person outside the enclosure used a pole in an attempt to help free him. Another individual was also seen supporting the victim as onlookers gathered around the enclosure.

An eyewitness, Gibson John, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the attack occurred as the handler approached the crocodile with a chicken.

“He brought the chicken to the fence and the crocodile attacked the person and tried to bring him into the pool,” John said.

He said he contacted St John Ambulance after witnessing the attack but claimed the crocodile kept hold of the man’s legs for more than an hour before emergency responders arrived.

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According to John, security guards at the park did not have firearms and instead gave the victim a small iron rod to use while they waited for the police and ambulance crew.

“He was in severe pain but he couldn’t scream,” John said, describing the victim’s condition during the ordeal.

“The only thing I could hear him say was, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’”

John said he later learned that the victim had lost a leg before he was taken to hospital.

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The deceased worker was reportedly from the Western Islands in northern Papua New Guinea and had worked at the wildlife park for about two years.

Following the tragedy, Adventure Park has been closed indefinitely, while colleagues who witnessed the attack are reportedly mourning the handler at a funeral home.

Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal attack.

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