New Caledonia votes on becoming independent from France

Voters in New Caledonia turned out in large numbers Sunday to decide whether the archipelago in the South Pacific should become independent from France and break ties that were first established in the mid-19th century. Sunday's independence referendum is part of a three-decade decolonization effort aimed at settling tensions on the archipelago between native Kanaks seeking independence and residents willing to remain in France. In Noumea, the capital, large lines of people waited to vote under the hot sun, sometimes for hours.