The French Pacific islands of New Caledonia began voting Sunday on whether to become an independent nation, in a closely-watched test of support for France in one of its many territories scattered around the globe. Some 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles) from the French mainland, New Caledonia is home to a quarter of the world’s known supplies of nickel — a vital electronics component — and is a strategic foothold for France in the Pacific. Voting in New Caledonia’s 284 polling stations opened at 8:00 am local time Sunday (2100 GMT Saturday) and was to end at 6:00 pm, with results...