Louis Mapou became, 8 July, the first pro-independence president in New Caledonia’s history, after an absolute majority of members of the islands’ cabinet voted for him. If no new government crisis bursts, Mapou will be the New Caledonian president during the third independence referendum, to be held on 12 December. Keep reading

Corsican voters yesterday gave massive support to parties calling in the short term for a statute of autonomy with legislative powers for the Mediterranean island and for co-official status for the Corsican language. Three Corsican nationalist lists obtained 68% of the votes in the second round of the Corsican Assembly election, thus getting their best combined result of all times. Gilles Simeoni will be re-elected president. Keep reading

For weeks now, one of the most talked-about debates in Quebec and Canadian politics has been a bill introduced by the Quebec government that seeks to strengthen the role of the French language in the province. One of its most controversial aspects is the intention of the Quebec authorities to have Quebec constitutionally recognised as a nation of which French is the common and only official language. Keep reading

What was supposed to be a “historic law” for France’s minoritised languages has given way to a threat over their present and future. Tens of thousands marched 29 May in towns of several stateless nations in France calling for respect for language immersion in minoritised languages, as this pedagogic approach has now an uncertain future after the declaration of unconstitutionality of two articles of the so-called Molac Law. Keep reading

The SNP’s victory and the enlargement of the pro-independence parties’ absolute majority in the 6 May election to the Scottish Parliament has strengthened the Scottish government’s call for a second self-determination referendum. But the UK government’s refusal to negotiate and the threat of a court case make a vote unlikely in the short term. Keep reading