A huge cloud of red smoke from SLN’s nickel plant hovered above Nouméa sky on Friday. Photo: SCAL-AIR
New Caledonia's smelter accidentally spews huge nickel cloud
A smelter at New Caledonia's Société Le Nickel (SLN) at the Doniambo plant site (near Nouméa) has last weekend spewed a spectacular cloud of dark-reddish smoke in what has later been described as an "accident".
The volcano-like eruption was due to a fault in one of the smelter's anti-return valves safety devices.
SLN has posted its apology in a release, but assured the nickel dust cloud did not pose any direct health threat.
After hovering about fifteen minutes above the plant and Nouméa, the cloud was eventually swept at sea on Saturday 24 February.
Foreign tourists arrive in Tahiti on a cruise liner. Photo: Tahiti Nui Télévision
French Polynesia records highest visitors number for 2023
French Polynesia's tourism statistics have officially placed 2023 as a record year to date, with some 262,000 arrivals.
The previous record was in pre-Covid times, in 2019, with 236,642 arrivals.
The bulk of tourists (90 percent) mostly came from up-market sources such as North America and mainland France, the Statistics Institute of French Polynesia (ISPF) announced. The figure does not include cruise liner visitors (43,887 for 63 vessels in 2023), which would then bring the total numbers to 305,700.
French Polynesia's President Moetai Brotherson has consistently fixed a middle-term target of 600,000 tourism arrivals in French Polynesia, to be reached within the next five years.
Before that, tourism industry players are confident of reaching very soon the target of one visitor per one inhabitant (280,000).
However, they admit French Polynesia, as a destination, is currently facing a shortage of hotel capacity (especially in the low and middle class categories) and with a vast potential of some 118 archipelagos) needs to diversify its destination offers (other than the classic islands of Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora).
In July 2024, the 2023 record is expected to be surpassed again as French Polynesia is hosting the surfing chapter of the Paris 2024 Olympics on the iconic beach of Teahupoo.
France's Darmanin meets Australian officials
In the footsteps of a two-day visit in New Caledonia last week, French Home Affairs and Overseas minister Gérald Darmanin has met several Australian high officials.
The visit, described as a first for a Home affairs and overseas French territories minister, was intended to "strengthen" a recently-renewed cooperation between Paris and Canberra, especially in terms of joint assistance for Pacific island States.
During several one-to-one meetings, Darmanin and Australian executive members have touched on a variety of topics such as "joint efforts to help Pacific countries cope with climate risks and strengthen their resilience", a "joint fight against cybercrime, cooperation in the field of civil protection (fires, cyclones)", police cooperation to fight against transnational crime, joint support for Pacific police and a French-initiated project of "Pacific Military Academy", French Ambassador in Australia Pierre-André Imbert posted on social network LinkedIn.
In terms of security, Darmanin also had a special encounter with the New South Wales police force "to exchange feedback from the Sydney Olympic Games held in 2000 as France is preparing to host the 2024 Olympics.
Prior to arriving in Australia, late last week, Darmanin said another significant subject was related to France's "Indo-Pacific" strategy.
"We are working very well with our Australian friends who are also watching New Caledonia's developments very closely. We want to work with them on matters of strategic protection in relation to great powers such as China, which is sometimes behaving in a predatory manner towards our territories".
The longest cruise in the world, the Serenade of the Seas stops over in Mooera. Photo: Polynésie la 1ère
'World's longest cruise liner' stops over in Tahiti, Moorea
What is described as the world's longest cruise has this week touched both Tahiti and Moorea islands.
On board Royal Caribbean Cruise-owned "Serenade of the Seas" ship, some 2,400 passengers are said to be travelling for a record duration of 274 days and some 65 countries visited.
The luxury liner left Miami on 10 December 2023 and passengers are reported to have spent up to 50,000 US dollars for a ticket.
The ship is scheduled to return to Miami on 10 September 2024.
French Polynesia’s Tahiti Pride Week to start on 4 March, with a focus on building awareness among the general public. Photo: LGBTQIA+ Cousins, Cousines
Tahiti Pride to start next week
The Tahiti Pride Week is scheduled to start on 4 March, with a focus on building awareness among the general public of French Polynesia.
This year's theme is "Knowledge is Power" - Act Up: "everyone deserves to be happy", local NGO "Cousins, cousins" said in a release calling for "respect for all diversities" and to fight all forms of discrimination against French Polynesia's LGBTQI+ persons.
The six-day programme includes movie screenings, public readings, music shows all focusing on gender identity, but also "freedom and equality in everyday life'.
Invited guests from the wider region will include members of New Caledonia's the drag queen community, organisers announced.