Someone explain ::new c++

[akvino]

void 
construct(pointer __p, const _Tp& __val)                                                                                                  │
 { ::new((void *)__p) _Tp(__val); } 

Taken out of std::queue. What does ::new or exactly :: do in this syntax?

[pbrane]

Basically :: in this case means to use the current namespace new as opposed to one that may have been defined in the std::queue class. I think :: is called the scope resolution operator.