Briefly

NEW CALEDONIA

Police kills 1 civilian after Macron visit

A policeman in riot-hit New Caledonia killed a man on Friday after being attacked by protesters, as President Emmanuel Macron warned against the French Pacific territory turning into a new "Wild West", The latest fatality was a blow to hopes for calm after Macron's visit which some officials had seen as heralding an end to more than a week of violence that has now killed seven people. Macron flew on Thursday to the southwest Pacific archipelago, located some 17,000 kilometers from mainland France, in an urgent bid to defuse a swelling political crisis over voting reform. The killing of a 48-year-old man by police on Friday took the death toll from the unrest to seven, including two gendarmes. This was the first time that a civilian had been killed by a member of law enforcement since riots broke out on May 13.

THE NETHERLANDS

Mexico request for steps against Ecuador rejected

Judges at the International Court of Justice rejected on Thursday a demand by Mexico for measures to protect its embassy in Ecuador, amid an ongoing diplomatic spat that has seen Mexico cut ties with the South American country. Mexico and Ecuador have each filed lawsuits against each other at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, after the April arrest of Ecuador's former vice-president Jorge Glas, who had been living in the Mexican embassy in Quito since December. ICJ presiding judge Nawaf Salam said in his ruling that Ecuador had already promised to protect Mexican diplomatic premises and therefore there was no urgency for additional orders by the court. Final rulings on the cases could take years.

SOUTH KOREA

$19b plan announced to boost chip industry

South Korean President Yoon Sukyeol announced on Thursday a record $19-billion support plan for the country's crucial semiconductor industry. South Korea is home to the world's top memory chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and last year pledged to build the world's largest chip center using $456 billion of private investment as it seeks an edge in the global industry. "We have created a comprehensive support program for the semiconductor industry worth 26 trillion Korean won ($19 billion), which encompasses financial, infrastructure, research and development, as well as support for small and medium-sized companies," he said, according to a statement from his office. The package includes a $7 billion investment announced earlier this month.

Agencies - Xinhua