New Zealand Herald
The prime minister has reportedly joined police in condemning the behaviour from Covid-19 protesters in Wellington that saw three officers hospitalised.
It follows an early morning police operation to move in on the anti-vaccine occupation, now in its third week, after which a protester was arrested for driving a car into a crowd.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern was reported as saying the attacks on police had been disgraceful. "There are a group that are increasingly acting out in a violent way towards police officers who are only doing their job," she said.
To anyone who has said this is a peaceful protest, they could surely see now that in some quarters, it was not, she added.
Shortly after Ms Ardern's press conference, former deputy prime minister Winston Peters reportedly arrived at the camp and addressed protesters without wearing a mask. Mr Peters told protesters the Government should have talked to them earlier.
San Francisco Chronicle
The balmy weather that has swathed the Bay Area in summery warmth over the past several weeks is expected to give way to a cold snap that could bring freezing temperatures and the first measurable rain in 45 days - plus a dusting of snow in the hills.
A dry cold front swept into the Bay Area overnight on Sunday, bringing low temperatures and strong breezes. It said conditions will get colder and possibly wetter early today (Tuesday), according to the National Weather Service.
Along with low temperatures, the front is expected to bring a tenth of an inch of rain to most of the Bay Area and a dusting of snow above 2,000ft in the East Bay hills and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The Sierra, which got a couple of inches of snow early yesterday, could see two to three feet more. Winter storm warnings were issued for the northern Sierra Nevada starting at 4pm yesterday and continuing through to 10pm today. Travellers headed to Lake Tahoe were advised to carry snow chains for tyres and be prepared for highway closures.
If it rains in San Francisco, it would end the dry spell at 45 days, a day short of the record set in 1877, said Matt Mehle, a National Weather Service meteorologist for the Bay Area.
NL Times, Holland
The European Union will announce a "limited package of sanctions" against any Russian people involved in the decision to recognise the independence of two renegade regions in eastern Ukraine, said Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. If Russia actually invades its neighbouring country, "massive sanctions will follow," he warned.
Mr Rutte is quoted as saying the sanctions will likely target people in the Russian parliament who were involved in the vote to call upon president Vladimir Putin to recognise the Ukrainian regions. There will also be sanctions against people in the renegade regions, and their financial interests.
Russia entering the renegade “people's republics” will be enough to trigger the start of this heavy package, Mr Rutte said, as he called Mr Putin's decision to recognise Donetsk and Luhansk a "major escalation" and "really very serious”.
Buenos Aires Times, Argentina
Relentless fires have continued to ravage Corrientes province in Argentina, with officials confirming that more than 1.5 million acres of land has been destroyed – close to seven per cent of the region’s territory.
Forest fires are sweeping the north-eastern province on an unprecedented scale, causing heavy economic losses and serious environmental damage, according to government officials, farmers and environmentalists.
Experts reportedly warn of the environmental damage, with images going viral on social networks on Friday of caimans fleeing the flames. A second video, showing a disorientated puma in dry pastures, also went viral.
"We have hydrant planes and helicopters, but we can't keep up," Daniel Bertorello, commander of the regional volunteer fire brigade, told the Reuters news agency.
Coninagro producers' association estimated that fields of yerba mate, a plant used to make a form of tea, worth at least £.3.1 million, have been destroyed, along with £33 million of rice crops. At least 70,000 heads of cattle have been killed.
Japan Today
Japan is reportedly considering requiring those who want a job in child care or education to submit proof that they are not convicted sex offenders, government officials said on Monday, after lobbying by parents calling for such a system amid growing cases of children being sexually abused by teachers and babysitters.
Prime minister Fumio Kishida is reportedly planning a system similar to the Disclosure and Barring Service certificates in Britain, officials said.
In the year to last March, 200 teachers at Japanese public schools were reportedly subject to disciplinary action or reprimanded for obscene acts or sexual harassment. Cases among babysitters and child care workers were also emerging.
In Japan, licensing for teachers and babysitters is overseen by different ministries, making it difficult for authorities to prevent a person with a history of sex crimes from switching between professions involving children.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
