‘A vicious circle’: how the roof blew off Spain’s housing crisis

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Rents spiral and neighbourhoods lose charm as cities report tourist flat boom and surge in housing speculation

Ciutat Vella, the old city of Barcelona, was once quirky and mysterious.

Now it has become a parody of itself, a place from which the local population has been exiled in the interests of tourism and maturing investments. Doorways have sprouted combination key safes, a telltale sign of an apartment given over to tourist lets. A 100-year-old apothecary and shirtmaker that stood on La Rambla for two centuries have been replaced by shops selling flamenco dolls and ceramic bulls.

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At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says – NPR

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  1. At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says  NPR
  2. More than 80 people killed in Colombia as truce between rebel groups collapses  The Guardian
  3. At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as ELN peace talks fail  Al Jazeera English
  4. Colombia: At least 39 killed in guerilla violence  DW (English)
  5. Colombia's president suspends peace talks with ELN rebels  Reuters Canada
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South Australia proposes law for bigger garages to stop street parking being ‘overrun’ with SUVs

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Plan sparks debate about use of urban space, housing costs and investment in public transport amid climate crisis

South Australia is proposing laws that will force developers to build bigger garages in new homes, in an effort to stop cars too big for standard off-street parking from crowding suburban streets.

Under the plan, which is still in the consultation process, residential car park sizes will have to be half a metre wider and 60cm longer to accommodate big cars and dual-cab utes. The size of a single car park, under the proposed changes, would be 3.5m wide and 6m long.

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Campaigners call for action as jellyfish threaten Scottish salmon farms

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String jellyfish species that has killed millions of salmon in Norwegian sea farms reported in Scotland

A jellyfish species that has been wreaking havoc on Norway’s salmon industry has made its way to Scotland, causing significant damage and prompting calls for urgent action.

The string jellyfish has killed millions of salmon in Norwegian sea farms with officials urging an extermination of affected stocks.

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Motorists able to lock in low petrol prices for 24 hours under Victoria’s new ‘fair fuel’ plan

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State government will force 1,500 petrol stations to report fuel prices a day in advance under ‘cost-of-living shake-up’

Petrol stations in Victoria will be forced to publicly report their fuel prices a day before they come into effect, with motorists then able to lock them in for 24 hours, under a “cost-of-living shake-up” announced by the state government.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, on Monday announced her “fair fuel-price plan” in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer west, ahead of a crucial byelection in the area next month.

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Myanmar airstrike on detention camp kills dozens, armed opposition group says

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Those killed in attack on camp for relatives of junta soldiers in Rakhine state were women and children, Arakan Army says

A Myanmar junta airstrike has killed 28 people, including children, and wounded 25 at a temporary detention area in western Rakhine state, an ethnic minority armed group has said.

The Arakan Army (AA) is engaged in a fierce fight with the military for control of Rakhine, where it has seized swaths of territory in the past year, all but cutting off the state capital Sittwe.

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Poland wants the EU focused on security. Its border with Belarus highlights the challenges – The Associated Press

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  1. Poland wants the EU focused on security. Its border with Belarus highlights the challenges  The Associated Press
  2. Poland focuses on border security at start of EU presidency  Euronews
  3. Europe must take responsibility for its own security, says Polish minister  The Guardian
  4. Poland's turn to lead: Tusk's challenge to Germany and the future of Ukraine in the EU  Європейська правда
  5. Pax Polska: Poland is Primed to Become the Backbone of Europe’s Security  smallwarsjournal
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How Trump Could Reshape the Middle East – Foreign Affairs Magazine

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  1. How Trump Could Reshape the Middle East  Foreign Affairs Magazine
  2. Opinion | President Trump, You Can Remake the Middle East if You Dare  The New York Times
  3. Bowen: Israel has changed since Donald Trump's last term – has he?  BBC.com
  4. Trump ally Mike Evans: Ceasefire an opportunity to stop Iran, make peace with Saudis - interview  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Trump’s self-interest could bring Middle East peace  The Telegraph
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Mugshot, khaki uniform and solitary cell for South Korea’s detained President Yoon – Reuters

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  1. Mugshot, khaki uniform and solitary cell for South Korea's detained President Yoon  Reuters
  2. South Korea's Yoon shuns questioning, as supporters face charges over court rampage  Reuters
  3. South Korea: Yoon backers riot at court over his arrest  DW (English)
  4. Inside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Life in Jail  The New York Times
  5. YouTube election fraud conspiracy theories fuel impeached South Korean president and his supporters  The Associated Press
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Inside an Elite Ukrainian Unit’s Mission to Capture a North Korean Soldier – The Wall Street Journal

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  1. Inside an Elite Ukrainian Unit’s Mission to Capture a North Korean Soldier  The Wall Street Journal
  2. What the North Koreans took into battle against Ukraine  The Washington Post
  3. North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia  ABC News
  4. Troops Captured by Ukraine Provide Rare Glimpse Into North Korea’s Military  The New York Times
  5. ‘He wanted to live’ — How Ukraine captured a North Korean POW, told by the soldiers who took part  Kyiv Independent
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