Riots in New Caledonia

France: Azerbaijan prides itself on disinformation

French police accuse "actors from Azerbaijan" of being behind a "massive and coordinated" online disinformation campaign in New Caledonia, AFP reports.

The misinformation is said to be about French police shooting independence activists on the island group, where violent riots have been going on in recent days. France accuses Azerbaijan of meddling in local politics, which is denied by Azerbaijan.

According to France, the actors have, among other things, faked images and increased their spread through hashtags and extensive sharing on social media.

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Reduced violence with more police on site

The number of reported violent incidents in New Caledonia fell slightly on Friday after France declared a state of emergency and reinforced security forces with 1,000 police, the AP reports.

A curfew has been introduced between 18:00 in the evening and 06:00 in the morning, and will be in place for at least the eleven days that the state of emergency prevails.

At least five people, including two police officers, have been killed on the island group this week after riots and protests erupted in the wake of planned new voting rules on the French territory.