France has announced a “historic” accord with New Caledonia in which the overseas territory, rocked by deadly separatist violence last year, would remain French but be declared a new state.

“A State of New Caledonia within the Republic: it’s a bet on trust,” the French president, Emmanuel Macron, posted on X on Saturday, hailing a “historic” agreement.

Receiving the signatories later, the president said that “after two agreements and three referendums, New Caledonia, through what you have signed, is opening a new chapter in its future in a peaceful relationship with France”.

Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence. New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders, gathered near Paris to hammer out a constitutional framework for the territory.

After 10 days of talks, the parties agreed that a “State of New Caledonia” should be created.

Manuel Valls, the minister for overseas territories, called it an “intelligent compromise” that maintains links between France and New Caledonia, but with more sovereignty for the Pacific island.

The priority now is New Caledonia’s economic recovery.

Last year’s violence, which claimed the lives of 14 people, is estimated to have cost the territory 2bn euros ($2.3 bn), shaving 10% off its gross domestic product, he said.

The French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, said Saturday’s deal – which still requires parliamentary and referendum approval – was of “historic dimensions”.

Home to about 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000km (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.

It has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France’s power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.

Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents. Kanaks feared this would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.

As part of the agreement, New Caledonia residents will in future only be allowed to vote after having lived 10 years on the archipelago.

The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021, and was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population.

It was the latest of three since 2018, all of which rejected New Caledonian independence. Since the 2021 referendum however, the political situation in the archipelago has been deadlocked.

Macron declared in early June he wanted a “new project” for New Caledonia.

The 13-page agreement announced on Saturday calls for a New Caledonian nationality, and the possibility for residents there to combine that status with French nationality.

Under the deal, a “State of New Caledonia” would be enshrined in France’s constitution, and other countries could recognise such a state.

The deal also calls for an economic and financial recovery pact that would include a renewal of the territory’s nickel processing capabilities.

Both chambers of France’s parliament are to meet in the fourth quarter of this year to vote on approving the deal, which is then to be submitted to New Caledonians in a referendum in 2026.

Israel has been arming a criminal gang in the Gaza Strip as part of an effort to strengthen opposition to Hamas in the enclave, defense sources confirmed on Thursday following remarks on the matter by former defense minister Avigdor Liberman.

Liberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, told the Kan public broadcaster on Thursday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had unilaterally approved the transfer of weapons to the Abu Shabab clan, an armed gang or militia that is opposed to Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister,” Liberman charged. “To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet.”

He claimed that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was aware of the decision to arm the group, “but I don’t know how much the IDF chief of staff was in on it.”

The group in question, which is sometimes described as a militia and sometimes as a criminal gang, is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a large clan in southern Gaza. The have been linked in the past to smuggling operations with Egyptian Jihadist groups, but it was not immediately clear why Liberman branded them as linked to the Islamic State.

His gang has been documented in recent days operating in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing under Israeli military control.

In the footage, which was published online by Abu Shabab, members of the group can be seen wearing military-style uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the words “Counter-Terrorism Mechanism” emblazoned on them.

The Prime Minister’s Office, in response to Liberman’s comments, did not deny the allegations but said instead that Israel was “working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment.”

In a later statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the move.

In the latest installment in a series of short interviews with advisor Topaz Luk his office has posted in recent weeks, Netanyahu said that “in consultation with security officials, we made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas.”

“What’s wrong with that?” he continued. “It’s only good. It saves lives of IDF soldiers.”

“It’s extremely serious,” Netanyahu said of Liberman revealing the move and predicting that it won’t be investigated. “Publicizing it only does good for Hamas.

Liberman’s accusation was later confirmed by defense officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and the details were cleared for publication by the Israeli military censor.

The sources confirmed that Israel has been arming the gang with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that were seized from Hamas during the ongoing war.

The decision to start arming the group was made without the approval of Israel’s security cabinet, forgoing normal procedure. It was instead led by Israeli security bodies, with Netanyahu’s approval, the defense sources said.

The militia has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control. Abu Shabab has claimed to be securing the humanitarian aid convoys entering Israel through the southern border crossings, although others have accused his gang of looting them.

Targeted by Hamas

The clan has caught Hamas’s attention. On May 30, Hamas published an official video on May 30 showing a group of armed, masked men operating outside a building before being blown up.

The terror group claimed the group in the video was working with the IDF to inspect buildings before Israeli troops moved in, without specifying whether they were Israeli or Palestinian. However, online comparisons to previous images of Abu Shabab’s gang suggested it was the same group.

In a conversation with Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper earlier this week, anonymous Hamas sources shared more information about the group, which they admitted has been a thorn in their side.

According to the sources, the militia comprises some 300 people, of whom Abu Shabab personally recruited around 50. They alleged that the remaining 250 members were recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence service.

The Hamas sources did not offer proof of Abu Shabab’s alleged ties to the Ramallah-based PA, and Al-Akhbar did not verify any of the terror group’s claims.

The group emerged in Rafah in May 2024, following the IDF invasion of the Strip’s southernmost city, the Hamas sources said. They told Al-Akhbar that the Al-Qassam Brigades have “already started carrying out direct assassinations” against members of Abu Shabab’s gang, and that its continued existence has fast become a “central issue” for the terror group.

According to the sources, some members of the group belong to an extremist Salafi faction that had run-ins with Hamas prior to the war as well.

This is not the first time that Netanyahu has been involved in or accused of propping up burgeoning militias and terror groups to undermine a common enemy.

Various reports over the years have indicated that Israel’s policy under Netanyahu was to treat Hamas as an asset that could be used to weaken the Palestinian Authority.

The premier reportedly told a Likud faction meeting back in 2019 that anyone who opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state should support sending funds to Hamas, the enemy of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made a similar claim in an interview in 2015.

Amid the outrage generated by Liberman’s revelation on Thursday, the left-wing The Democrats leader Yair Golan pointed out the pattern of behavior.

“Netanyahu, who transferred billions to Hamas in suitcases full of cash, based on the incorrect belief that Hamas is an ‘asset,’ is now promoting a new dangerous concept: Arming a Gazan militia with ties to ISIS,” the politician wrote on X.

“Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel’s security,” he charged. “This is not a mistake. This is systematic. Netanyahu is selling Israel’s security for another day in office.”

I think it's absolutely appalling that Sony is raising prices on controllers while basically under supplying the dual sense edge joysticks and refusing to fix the stick drift issues. I have 3 controllers and each one of them has the same problem after a few months. It's maddening.

If you need a clearer example of how the Clintons are opportunist scumbags that will use race to get elected in one breath and throw minorities under the bus if they don't agree with their horrific world views.

Absolute shame that this show got canceled.

The difference between European countries and America is becoming so stark. Anyone reading or watching global news has to see how backwards this country is and that it’s only getting worse.

It’s about time that Intuit was called out for their scam. Hopefully, the attempt to stop the federal tax filing will get dismissed as well.