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Councils won’t be able to block townhouses or apartments under a sweeping reform aimed at improving affordability – but will it work? And could the idea cross the Tasman?New Zealand’s cities could be reshaped for decades to come, forcing the long-entrenched dream of the quarter-acre block to the margins, after the government joined forces with the opposition to pass sweeping legislation in favour of housing densification.In a rare display of cross-party collaboration, Labour and National passed the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) bill – a policy that aims to counter urban sprawl and boost supply by up to 105,000 new homes in the next eight years by forcing councils to loosen restrictions on building in urban areas. Continue reading...

Lawyer says secret 2008 agreement between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein protects prince from lawsuitA secret 2008 settlement that a lawyer for Britain’s Prince Andrew says would protect him against a lawsuit claiming he sexually abused an American when she was 17 should be made public, a judge said on Tuesday.The agreement was reached between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial in New York City. Continue reading...

Authorities say mostly Iraqi Kurds drowned in the Channel dinghy incident, including a teenager and one childFrench authorities have formally identified 26 out of 27 people who drowned last month in a Channel dinghy incident, with most of them being Kurds from Iraq.A statement from the Paris prosecutor said that there were 17 men among the deceased aged 19-26, seven women aged 22-46, as well as a 16-year-old teenager and a child aged seven. Continue reading...

Home Office changes follow PM’s ‘open arms’ promise to those who assisted UK forces or governmentThe Home Office has tightened the criteria allowing Afghans to enter the UK despite promises from Boris Johnson to give a “warm welcome” to those who assisted British forces or worked with the government.The department announced changes to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) which narrows the criteria from that used during the Operation Pitting evacuation in August 2021. Continue reading...

New Covid restrictions designed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK have passed through the House of Commons, with 369 ayes to 126 noes. However, opposition from 96 Tory MPs to Covid passes meant Boris Johnson had to rely on Labour support to get that new measure through Continue reading...

Soe Naing was arrested in Yangon while taking photos of a ‘silent strike’ protest against military ruleA freelance photojournalist in Myanmar has died in military custody after being arrested last week while covering protests.Soe Naing is the first journalist known to have died in custody since the army seized power in February, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 100 journalists have been detained since then, though about half have been released. Continue reading...

Police update public on investigation for first time in four years, after studying hours of CCTV footage from night couple were killedFour years after the unsolved murders of pharmaceutical billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman, police in Toronto have appealed to the public to help identify a possible suspect in the case.At a media briefing on Tuesday, homicide DS Brandon Price said police had studied hours of CCTV footage taken in the couple’s neighbourhood the night of the murders and had identified all people caught on camera – except for one person. Continue reading...

Australia’s latest Naplan study indicates first waves of pandemic did not cause a dramatic shift in outcomes, although experts are urging caution

All 11 countries on England’s travel red list are to be taken off it from 4am on Wednesday, amid diminishing concern about Omicron cases being imported into the country

Guardian readers from Scandinavia, the Philippines, Morocco and beyond explain their fandom, which has helped rejuvenate them, heal racial trauma and understand their identityK-pop boy band BTS swept the American Music Awards last month, making history as the first Asian act to win artist of the year; they were also nominated for a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for their single Butter.The seven-member band has a huge global following and their fans, known as Army, are known for their passion and loyalty. Here Guardian readers, who are BTS fans, speak about why the band means so much to them. Continue reading...

Mark and Abbie Butcher run Amazing Graze, a pizzeria that hands out free food and advice to people in Blackpool who need it. The town, one of the poorest in the UK, with jobs seasonal and dependent largely on tourist income, has been left reeling from the pandemic, and the restaurant is struggling to cope with heightened demand. As the government pursues its 'levelling up' policy, Mark and Abbie question what the slogan actually means as they deal with the effects of the £20 cut in universal credit on some of Blackpool's most vulnerable people, and prepare for the challenging winter ahead. Continue reading...

Survivors launch #chargesnow campaign, saying there is enough evidence to prosecuteGrenfell Tower survivors are demanding police accelerate their criminal investigation into the disaster so prosecutors can bring charges immediately, arguing enough evidence has emerged to deliver justice for their 72 loved ones.On Tuesday, exactly four and a half years since the fatal fire, they launched a “#chargesnow” campaign with billboards across the country, a protest outside Kensington and Chelsea town hall and a statement on behalf of dozens of families that reads: “We’ve been patient, we’ve stayed dignified but we’ve waited too long. Today we say enough is enough. We demand charges” Continue reading...

Nationwide test for teenagers included passage indicating female independence was undermining discipline in the homeAn Indian exam board has withdrawn a passage from a nationwide English exam that appeared to promote the subservience of wives, after an outcry over “blatant misogyny”.All students have been awarded full marks for the comprehension section of the exam covering the passage, which appeared to explicitly state that women’s independence was undermining discipline and parenting in the home. The passage appeared in an English language and literature exam taken by 14 and 15-year-olds on Saturday. Continue reading...

The pop star told Howard Stern that she had the virus in August: ‘I want it to be clear that it is because of the vaccine I’m fine’Billie Eilish has revealed that she had Covid-19 in August, and said that she felt sure she “would have died” had she not been vaccinated.Appearing on Howard Stern’s US radio show on Monday, Eilish said: “The vaccine is fucking amazing and it also saved [her brother/musical collaborator] Finneas from getting it; it saved my parents from getting it; it saved my friends from getting it.” Continue reading...

1 May 1937 – 12 August 2021

Matt Canavan says Covidsafe app ‘was worth trying’ despite low usage during Delta outbreaks; NSW commits to easing Covid rules for unvaccinated as Newcastle nightclub cluster grows; Victoria records 1,189 cases and six deaths; NSW records 804 cases and one death; 12 new cases in South Australia; Barnaby Joyce says Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US – follow all the day’s developments

Kais Saied, who is facing rising criticism after suspending parliament, says the public will be consulted ahead of the referendum set for 25 JulyThe Tunisian president, Kais Saied, has announced a constitutional referendum to be held next July, a year to the day after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents call a coup.Laying out the timeline for his proposed political changes in a televised speech, Saied said the referendum would take place on 25 July, following an online public consultation starting in January. Parliamentary elections would follow at the end of 2022. Continue reading...

Older people described how they coped with enforced isolation, with some finding the experience positiveA trove of nearly 800 letters recording the lockdown experiences of older New Zealanders has been collected in a University of Auckland research project called Have Our Say. Researchers appealed for written accounts of lockdown to understand how older people coped with enforced isolation, and to amplify elders’ voices. The letter writers were all over 70. Many described the importance of daily routines, their experiences during historical crises and how they stayed involved in their community. The letters will be held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.Here are some excerpts from the collection: Continue reading...

Strike that killed 10 civilians represented ‘a breakdown in process’, not negligence or misconduct, spokesperson saysNo US troops or officials will face disciplinary action for a drone strike in Kabul in August that killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children, the Pentagon said on Monday.Spokesman John Kirby said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had received a high-level review of the strike which made no recommendation of accountability. Continue reading...

UK prime minister appeals to public to step forward to assist the booster programme; Norway to act amid record high infections and hospitalisations

Kremlin wants legal agreement that alliance will not expand into disputed territoryVladimir Putin has told Boris Johnson that he wants immediate talks to secure clear legal agreements that Nato will not expand eastwards. According to a Kremlin readout of the two leaders’ phone call on Monday, Putin said talks were needed to discuss Nato’s future intentions, and to clarify Ukraine’s plans for the east of the country.The call marked the first time the two men had spoken since October before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. Johnson expressed the UK’s “deep concern over the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border”, and warned him “that any destabilising action would be a strategic mistake that would have significant consequences”. The British prime minister also called for the issues to be resolved through diplomatic channels. Continue reading...

State-owned company accused of ‘selling as much gas as possible without lowering market prices’• Gas prices near record highs as Berlin rejects pipeline from RussiaAbout 12.7bn cubic feet of gas flowed into Europe from Russia’s state-owned Gazprom last month. The world’s largest gas producer typically supplies more than a third of the needs of countries across the European Union, but in November flows dwindled to a six-year low.Gas supplies from Russia have fallen well short of pre-pandemic levels for months. The volumes of Russian gas flowing into homes, businesses and storage facilities this year have been almost a quarter below those in 2019. Continue reading...

Germany says escalating tensions over Ukraine are one factor in Nord Stream 2 not getting green light• Gazprom profits as Russia prospers from Europe’s gas crisisGas prices across the UK and Europe are on course to return to record highs after Germany said a controversial pipeline from Russia could not be approved amid deepening tensions on the Ukrainian border.The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could not be given the green light in its current form because it did not meet the requirements of EU energy law. Continue reading...

Appearance of highly transmissible variant poses serious threat to zero-Covid strategy

The ‘work from home’ rules are less stringent than before in the financial hub, but many seem to be staying away

Prosecution says fact Edward Colston was a slave trader is ‘irrelevant’ as four go on trial over statue topplingA woman accused of helping to topple the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston told police it was “an abhorrent offence” to the population of Bristol, a court has heard.Rhian Graham was one of four people to go on trial at Bristol crown court accused of criminal damage of the 125-year-old bronze statue, which was pulled from its plinth during Black Lives Matter protests last year, and thrown in the River Avon. Continue reading...

Protesters against police brutality were met with more police brutalityColombian police were responsible for the deaths of 11 protesters during anti-police protests that swept the capital in September 2020, according to a report published on Monday after an independent investigation backed by the mayor of Bogotá’s office and the United Nations.“It was a police massacre,” wrote Carlos Negret, a former ombudsman of the South American country who led the investigation, in the scathing and lengthy report published on Monday. “A decisive political and operational leadership, based on rights, was needed at national and local levels to avoid this happening.” Continue reading...

Inger Støjberg receives two-month sentence for separating several couples where woman was under 18Denmark’s former immigration minister has been sentenced to two months in prison after a special court found her guilty of illegally separating several couples of asylum seekers where the woman was under 18.Inger Støjberg was sentenced on Monday to 60 days in jail over accusations that she violated the European convention on human rights by ordering the separation of couples, some of whom had children. Continue reading...

Humza Yousaf confirms there will be fresh restrictions to stem Omicron spread

Several vessels and helicopter dispatched after collision between cargo ships in Swedish watersTwo people are missing after two cargo ships collided in foggy conditions in the Baltic Sea between the Danish island of Bornholm and the southern Swedish city of Ystad.The 55-metre Karin Hoej, registered in Denmark, had capsized and was upside down, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) said. It had two people onboard, the Danish Defence’s Joint Operations Centre (JOC) said. Continue reading...

Mark McGowan announces reopening plan after WA hits 80% fully vaccinated; PM confirms international borders to reopen Wednesday for some visa holders; defence deal inked as Korean leader visits; Greg Hunt says telehealth to be made permanent; Victoria records 1,290 new Covid cases and two deaths; NSW records 536 new cases and no deaths; NT to ramp up Covid rules for some communities after 17 new cases; Queensland records one new local case, with 13 reported in SA. Follow all the day’s developments

Labour MP writes to Home Office raising concerns over treatment of at least five women being put up at hotelThe Home Office is facing demands for an inquiry after it was claimed that pregnant refugees are not being fed or examined by doctors or midwives after arriving in the UK.A first-time mother who was 38 weeks pregnant was not seen by a doctor for several weeks after crossing the Channel, it is alleged. After the Iraqi Kurdish woman was examined, it emerged that she had a pathological fear of pregnancy, and the baby had a breech presentation. Continue reading...

19 December 1946: A Gypsy has also been selling white wooden clothes pegs and doubtless their good wishes will prevail with my housekeeperHereford

Scott Morrison is opening the door to South Korean and Japanese travellers from Wednesday and has spoken of closer defence ties with the signing of a $1bn defence contractAustralia’s international border will open to more travellers on Wednesday, as the prime minister confirmed that his government would end the “pause” triggered by the emergence of the Omicron Covid variant.Scott Morrison, welcoming the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, to Canberra on Monday, said Australia would open to travellers from South Korea and Japan and also international students and skilled workers more broadly. Continue reading...

Russian leader says it is ‘unpleasant to talk about’ his cab work in that period as he laments Soviet Union’s demiseRussian president Vladimir Putin has said the collapse of the Soviet Union spelled the end of “historical Russia”, revealing that he drove a taxi to make ends meet after the fall of the USSR.Putin, a former agent of the Soviet Union’s KGB security services, has previously lamented the USSR’s fall but this time said the disintegration three decades ago remained a “tragedy” for “most citizens”. Continue reading...

Foster was extradited from Victoria on Saturday accused of defrauding a Hong Kong man of Bitcoin worth more than $1.7m

Woman reportedly says she has ‘not made any mistakes’ and will challenge dismissal after e-commerce firm claimed she spread false informationChinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has dismissed a female employee who accused a former co-worker of sexual assault earlier this year, the government-backed newspaper Dahe Daily has reported.Dahe Daily interviewed the employee, saying she had received notification of termination at the end of November, and published a copy of what she said was her termination letter. Continue reading...

PNG, where less than 5% of the adult population is vaccinated, is creating opportunities for the virus to spread and mutate, epidemiologists say

Latest updates: UK prime minister gives televised address; Cyril Ramaphosa being monitored by doctors

The man is reported to have visited several different immunisation clinics and was paid by others to get the doses

Army to be deployed as part of effort to offer Covid vaccine dose to every adult by end of month

Nationalists furious as court sides with family abused for seeking quarter of lessons in Spanish for their childThe long-running and bitter row over language teaching in Catalonia has intensified after a family in the Spanish region was harassed and abused for seeking to ensure that a quarter of the lessons at the school their five-year-old son attends are taught in Spanish.The family’s actions have provoked an angry response from some Catalan nationalists who view their stance as an assault on the region’s language and culture. Continue reading...

Residents of Unesco-listed town, 400 miles north of Addis Ababa, say Tigrayan fighters have seized controlTigray rebels have recaptured the north Ethiopian town of Lalibela, home to a Unesco world heritage site, 11 days after Ethiopian forces said they had retaken control, local residents have said.It marks another twist in the 13-month-old conflict that has killed thousands of people and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the north of Africa’s second most populous nation. Continue reading...

Socialist mayor of Paris says divided leftwing field risks being wiped out by rise of far rightAnne Hidalgo, the French Socialist presidential candidate, has repeated her plea for her leftwing rivals to unite, saying the left risked collapsing amid the alarming rise of the far-right.“We’re at a critical moment for our democracy,” Hidalgo said before a rally in Perpignan. “The left is at risk of disappearing. Hate speech and xenophobia have saturated the airwaves for months.” Continue reading...

For the past two and half years, domestic violence awareness advocate, mother and victim-survivor Roia Atmar has been chronicling her life after abuse for the podcast Tender.

Residents of Givat Amal Bet neighbourhood forced out to make way for further gentrificationIn one of Tel Aviv’s most affluent neighbourhoods, a collection of ramshackle one-storey homes with rusting roofs known as Givat Amal Bet still sits in the shadow of the high-rise towers looming above.Israel’s economic centre has recently been named the world’s most expensive city to live in, overtaking Paris and Singapore in the 2021 rankings compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). As the Mediterranean city’s reputation as a global tech hub continues to attract foreign investment, however, and prices for goods and services soar as Israel’s economy makes a strong recovery from the pandemic, locals fear the widening gap between rich and poor is pushing out working-class residents and creating damaging new social divisions. Continue reading...

With a string of plaudits for portraying complex characters, the actor is now focusing her ‘quiet fire’ behind the cameras with a stunning debut filmFrom her breakthrough role in Secretary, wearing stilettos, a pencil skirt and manacles and attempting to operate a stapler with her chin, to her directorial debut which digs into the messy truths about motherhood, Maggie Gyllenhaal has always been attracted to what she has described as “troubled women. The ones that are a real challenge. They really need me.”It’s a quote that really gets to the heart of what distinguishes Gyllenhaal. An Oscar-nominated actor, and now– with her Elena Ferrante adaptation The Lost Daughter – an award-winning screenwriter and director, she is drawn to the kind of women whose stories don’t usually get told. She delves into the uncomfortable angles and sharp edges of her characters and found her niche by not quite fitting into the mould. Continue reading...

Large anti-vaccine mandate protests held in Sydney and Melbourne; Moderna Covid vaccines boosters approved by Atagi; wait time for vaccine booster shots cut from six months to five; NSW records 485 new coronavirus cases and two deaths; Victoria records 1,069 cases and two deaths; suspected Omicron case visited Newcastle nightclub; Follow all the day’s news