Just 3.5 per cent vote for independence from France in New Caledonia poll. Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai jailed after Tiananmen Square vigil. Boris Johnson’s popularity plummets over Downing Street Christmas parties under lockdown.
Kanak leaders call for the latest independence vote to be postponed in New Caledonia. Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to detention again. Ukraine appears in Vladimir Putin’s sights.
China pledges to supply an extra one billion vaccine doses to Africa as Omicron takes hold. India repeals farming laws that led to year-long protests. Barbados removes Queen as head of state and becomes a republic.
Human rights groups want proof of Chinese tennis player’s wellbeing. Venezuela’s opposition performs dismally in polls for governors and mayors. Austria locks down as Covid-19 cases grow again in Europe.
Kiribati wants commercial fishing to return in World Heritage-listed marine reserve. Gangs are stopping fuel supplies in Haiti to pressure caretaker PM to resign. Portugal enacts laws to support staff working from home.
New Zealand eases its Covid-19 restrictions and changes strategy. European Union accuses Belarus’s Alexander Lucashenko of using asylum seekers for political purposes. Police raid cybercrime group REvil to shut down ransomware attacks.
Tonga goes into lockdown after repatriation flight brings first case of Covid-19. Egypt lifts state of emergency but new laws give more powers to the president and military. Japan’s new leader Fumio Kishida secures election win.
Papua New Guinea in dire situation due to vaccine hesitancy. General says he staged a coup to avoid civil war in Sudan. A Facebook experiment shows how the platform spreads hate speech.
