Word: french
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...President's visit came five days after France had dispatched 1,000 extra gendarmes and paratroopers to New Caledonia. The contingent had been sent to reinforce the territory's 2,280-man French security force after confrontations two weeks ago between native Melanesians, known as Kanaks, and predominantly French settlers, called caldoches, left three people dead, prompting Special Envoy Pisani to declare a state of emergency...
...latest in a series of sporadic disturbances over the past two months began on Jan. 11, when a 17-year-old French settler was killed, allegedly by Kanak militants. The shooting brought a mob of 1,500, mainly made up of caldoches, into the streets of Noumea, where they hurled rocks and bottles at police. Tensions increased the next day when at least 100 gendarmes surrounded a farmhouse near La Foa, 55 miles northwest of the capital. There, Eloi Machoro, a leader of the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front, a militant Separatist party, and 50 of his followers were gathered...
...minority (42.5%) of the population of 145,000, and the caldoches and Asian and South Pacific immigrants, who are in the majority. Under the Pisani plan, New Caledonia would become a sovereign nation but remain "associated" with France, which has ruled it since 1853. Political representatives of the French settlers have already rejected the plan because, they claim, it would give the Kanaks effective control. Machoro's death also turned moderate Kanaks against the proposal. "We will stay open to discussion, but we will not negotiate at all for the sovereignty of our country," Tjibaou told the 2,000 mourners...
...French President's surprise visit was viewed as an attempt to bolster his popularity at home before local elections in March and next year's parliamentary ballot. "Mitterrand is trying to disengage himself from overseas torments," said one government official...
...British imperial crown. But last week the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had to rush to rescue the once proud pound from sinking below $1 in value. The pound has always been something of an anomaly in international currency markets. While it takes several deutsche marks or French francs, and hundreds of Japanese yen, to equal one U.S. dollar, the British pound is the only major Western currency worth more than a dollar. In 1949 a pound was worth $4.03, and as recently...