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Germany coalition deal: Merkel promises action on jobs and EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a press conference at the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) headquarters in Berlin, Germany, 5 March 2018 — Image captionAfter months of political deadlock Chancellor Merkel is now set to serve her fourth term

Angela Merkel has said it is important that a new government gets to work quickly after the longest period of coalition-building in post-war Germany.

She said she would work to secure jobs and prosperity, and promised to provide a strong voice for Germany in the EU.

The chancellor is set to form her fourth government after the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) voted in favour of another grand coalition on Sunday.

Two thirds of SPD members backed the deal, despite the threat of veto.

The SPD had been split between the party’s leadership, which backed joining the coalition, and its radical youth wing, which did not.

“Almost six months after the election, the people expect something to happen now,” Mrs Merkel said in a short statement on Monday.

“We see that… Europe faces challenges and that a strong voice from Germany, along with that of France and other member states, is necessary,” she added, pointing to issues including conflict in Syria and world trade.

High price

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has formally proposed Mrs Merkel as chancellor to the lower house of parliament.

She faces a range of challenges, including strong opposition from the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The anti-immigrant party entered the federal parliament for the first time in September with just over 12% of the vote and now makes up the largest opposition group.

Election results graph: CDU-CSU: 33%; SPD: 20.5%; AfD: 12.6%; FDP: 10.7%; Left: 9.2%; Greens: 8.9%

The SPD suffered its worst ever election result and many blamed their coalition with Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) for that poor performance.

Mrs Merkel, who also did badly, losing 65 seats, had tried and failed to form an alliance with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens.

She was forced to pay a higher price for continuing the existing coalition – the new finance minister will be a Social Democrat.

The SPD will now decide who will fill the six ministerial roles it is entitled to before Mrs Merkel’s expected election by parliament on 14 March.

Merkel has her work cut out

Analysis by OP’S NEWS

Germany has waited nearly six months for this. Its new government is a continuation of the last one – a coalition between Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats, or SPD.

Mrs Merkel will no doubt be relieved. But this is no glorious victory. The SPD – which had the final say on the coalition deal – has torn itself apart over the decision to renew the alliance. Many members still oppose it and the internal schism has worsened what were already dismal approval ratings.

There’s also limited public enthusiasm for the union. Months of political wrangling (don’t forget Mrs Merkel tried – and failed – to form a coalition with the Green and FDP parties) have done little to inspire confidence in Germany’s established parties.

Angela Merkel, herself profoundly damaged by the whole episode, has her work cut out now if she’s to deliver the stability she promised her country.

Oscars 2018: Latin America shines as del Toro wins big

Best Director and Best Film laureate Mexican director Guillermo del Toro stands at the engraving station as he attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at the Hollywood ^ Highland Center on March 4, 2018, in Hollywood, California. — Image captionGuillermo del Toro with two of the four Oscars his film won

The 90th Academy Awards saw Latin American artists and films take home some of the most coveted Oscars.

Mexico’s Guillermo del Toro won best director and his The Shape of Water took the top honour for best film.

Chile’s A Fantastic Woman was named best foreign language film and its star Daniela Vega became the first openly transgender woman to present at the ceremony.

Coco, a film with a Mexican Day of the Dead theme, won best animated feature.

How many awards did Latin America bag?

Well, that depends on your definition of a Latin American film. There is no doubt that Mexico did extremely well by getting the two most coveted awards of the night. Guillermo del Toro, the 53-year-old from Guadalajara, won both best director and best picture.

Image captionResidents of Guadalajara celebrated del Toro’s Oscar triumph

His film, The Shape of Water, also won best original score and best production design. But the score’s composer is French musician Alexandre Desplat and the three men honoured for the film’s production design and set decoration, Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin, are all Canadian.

Coco, the best animated feature, definitely has a Mexican theme even if it was made by California-based Pixar Animation studios.

Not only is the animated feature set in Mexico, it deals with the annual celebration for which Mexico has arguably become most famous around the world, the Day of the Dead. Oh, and its co-director, Adrián Molina, is Mexican-American.

There is no doubt about the Latin American credentials of the best foreign language film, A Fantastic Woman. The Chilean film’s director, Sebastián Leilo, was born in neighbouring Argentina but the drama is both set in Chile and its main star is Chilean transgender singer Daniela Vega.

Is the Latin American influence a new trend?

Hardly. Mexican directors have won four out of the five best director Oscars since 2014.

In 2014, Mexico City native Alfonso Cuarón became the first Latino to win the award for Gravity, his film about two astronauts stranded in space.

Image captionBefore Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón was the golden boy of Mexican cinema

In 2015, another Mexico City native, Alejandro González Iñárritu, followed suit with Birdman. Not content with just the one best director statuette, he added another the following year for The Revenant.

The spell was briefly broken by French-American director Damien Chazelle, who won with La La Land last year, but Mexicans are certainly hoping for more top awards in years to come. And with three directors who are well established in the cinema world and arguably at their height of their careers (Cuarón, González Iñárritu and del Toro are all in their fifties), the chances are looking good.

What about Latin American actors?

Touchy subject this one. No Latino actors were even nominated for any Oscars this year.

90th Academy Awards - Oscars Show - Hollywood, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 - Presenter Rita Moreno — Image captionPuerto Rican Rita Moreno, who played Anita in West Side Story, won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1961

The last time a Latin American actor was nominated was in 2011. That was Demián Bichir for A Better Life.

The first and only Latino to ever win the Oscar for best actor was Puerto Rican actor José Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac. Don’t remember that? That may be because it was all the way back in 1950.

More recently, Benicio del Toro won best supporting actor for Traffic but that now dates back 18 years.

Women have fared little better. While Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno stole the show at this year’s award by presenting in the same dress she wore when she won best supporting actress in 1961, there has been a dearth of awards since.

90th Academy Awards - Oscars Arrivals - Hollywood, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 - Actress Lupita Nyongo — Image captionLupita Nyong’o was born in Mexico City

That is, unless you count 2014 best supporting actress Lupita Nyong’o, who Mexicans proudly consider as one of their own thanks to her being born in Mexico City.

The lack of Latino representation in the film industry is an issue the National Hispanic Media Coalition has tried to raise awareness of in the run-up to the Oscars.

So overall a Latin American success?

Judging by the reaction on social media, where Guillermo del Toro’s name trended, the 2018 did highlight the achievements of Latin American filmmakers, if not of actors.

Actor Gael Garcia Bernal (R) performs onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood ^ Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. — Image captionGael García Bernal’s singing caused more amusement than praise

One Latin American actor who came in for a quite a lot of teasing on social media was Mexican actor Gael García Bernal.

Bernal sang the opening lines of “Remember Me” from the film Coco, which won the Oscar for best original song, before Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade and US singer Miguel took over.

And while some lauded his stab at singing, many on social media suggested he had better keep the day job of acting.

Oscars 2018: The Shape of Water and Frances McDormand rule

Media captionOscars 2018: Female nominees stand with Frances McDormand

The Shape of Water, about a woman who falls in love with a sea creature, has taken the top honours at the Oscars.

Frances McDormand won best actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and persuaded every female nominee to stand with her in a night full of statements about inclusion.

Britain’s Gary Oldman was named best actor for playing Winston Churchill in World War Two epic Darkest Hour.

The Shape of Water won the most Oscars with four, including best film.

Image captionFrances McDormand called for greater support for female nominees’ projects

In her acceptance speech, McDormand put her Oscar on the floor in front of her and addressed executives as the female nominees got to their feet. It was one of the most powerful and symbolic moments of the night.

“Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” she said.

“Don’t talk to us about it at the parties tonight – invite us into your office in a couple of days, or you can come to ours, whatever suits you best – and we’ll tell you all about them.”

Image captionThe Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro celebrates their best picture win

Her request came amid a push for greater equality in film – especially in the wake of the Hollywood sexual harassment scandal.

She finished her speech with the words: “I have two words to leave you with tonight – inclusion rider.”

What is an inclusion rider?

Backstage, McDormand explained that an inclusion rider is a clause that actors can put in their contracts to insist on at least 50% diversity in the film’s cast and crew.

“We’re not going back,” she said in the winners’ room.

“This whole idea of women trending? No. No trending. African Americans trending? No. No trending. It changes now, and I think the inclusion rider will have something to do with that.”

McDormand received a rousing reception for her best actress win, which came for playing a vengeance-seeking mother who is let down by the authorities after her daughter is raped and murdered.

It’s her second Oscar, 21 years after her first for Fargo.

Image captionGary Oldman: “Put the kettle on. I’m bringing Oscar home.”

Jennifer Lawrence presented her with the best actress award and introduced the category by saying: “It’s a new day in Hollywood, with new challenges ahead for all of us.

“But none of us will ever forget those who came before us – those who blazed a trail for my generation and those to come.”

Image captionAshley Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek introduced a segment marking the Time’s Up campaign

The ceremony also marked the Me Too and Time’s Up campaigns with a segment presented by actresses Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra, who have all accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

“The changes we are witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, of different voices, of our voices, joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying: Time’s up,” Judd said.

Media captionWatch the highlights from the Oscars red carpet

Host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the issue head-on in his opening monologue, saying the downfall of Weinstein, and the reforms that had begun since, had not come soon enough.

“What happened with Harvey and what’s happening all over was long overdue,” he said. “We can’t let bad behaviour slide any more. The world is watching us.”

Left-right: Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Allison Janney, Gary Oldman — Image captionThe acting winners, left-right: Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Allison Janney, Gary Oldman

Accepting his first ever Oscar, Gary Oldman mentioned his 98-year-old mother, among other people, telling her: “Thank you for your love and support. Put the kettle on. I’m bringing Oscar home.”

Mexico’s Guillermo del Toro won best director for The Shape of Water, which stars British actress Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning lady who has a relationship with a mysterious river-dwelling creature. It led the Oscar race with 13 nominations.

The winning film in numbers:

The Shape of Water – 4
Dunkirk – 3
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – 2
Darkest Hour – 2
Blade Runner 2049 – 2
Coco – 2

Hollywood legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway – who announced the wrong best picture winner last year – returned to present the same award this time.

The contest had been wide open – Three Billboards had also been hotly tipped, while Get Out, a savage satire on hidden liberal racism, had a wave of late support.

Get Out won one prize on the night – best original screenplay for its writer-director Jordan Peele.

Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele — Image captionJordan Peele was congratulated by Get Out’s British star Daniel Kaluuya

He’s the first black winner of the award and hailed a “renaissance” moment in Hollywood.

“I feel proud to be at the beginning of a movement where I feel like the best films in every genre are being brought to me by my fellow black directors,” he said.

Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, another action-packed war drama, won three awards in the technical categories.

Other British winners included former Hollyoaks actors Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton, who won best live action short film for The Silent Child, starring six-year-old Maisie Sly from Swindon.

Other notable winners included:

Allison Janney, hitherto best known for The West Wing, won best supporting actress for I, Tonya
Sam Rockwell was named best supporting actor for playing a racist policeman in Three Billboards
James Ivory, the director and writer of Merchant Ivory fame, won best adapted screenplay for Call Me By Your Name. At 89, he’s the oldest ever Oscar winner and was born before the first Academy Awards took place
Chile’s A Fantastic Woman, with an acclaimed central performance by transgender actress Daniela Vega, was named best foreign language film
Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant won best animated short for Dear Basketball – a retirement letter he wrote to the sport, which he paid veteran Disney artist Glen Keane to animate
British cinematographer Roger Deakins finally won an Oscar at the 14th attempt for Blade Runner 2049

Lady Bird and The Post were among the films that were left empty-handed.

Syria war: Aid enters Eastern Ghouta despite air strikes

Media caption“At least in heaven there’s food”: The children caught up in Eastern Ghouta air strikes

An aid convoy of lorries carrying urgently needed humanitarian supplies has entered the rebel-held Syrian area of the Eastern Ghouta.

The 46 trucks are the first to reach the besieged enclave since mid-February, despite a recent UN-backed ceasefire and short, daily truces ordered by Russia.

At least 719 people have been killed in that period, many of them children.

Fourteen civilians died in government air strikes overnight, activists say.

Another 5,640 people have been injured in the Eastern Ghouta, an agricultural region east of the capital Damascus, according to a local opposition-run health directorate.

If the convoy of trucks are able to deliver their food and aid supplies to the 27,500 people it is supposed to, despite nearby shelling, it would be a “significant beginning”, according to the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen.

A World Health Organization official told Reuters that Syrian government officials had removed 70% of the supplies, which included surgical materials and trauma kits, from the trucks before they had left warehouses. This is believed to be part of the government’s efforts to ensure rebels are not treated.

The Syrian government and its allied forces have reclaimed a third of the rebel enclave in the Eastern Ghouta in a matter of days, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has a network of sources on the ground. The region had been under the control of Islamist and jihadist groups since the civil war began in 2012.

President Bashar al-Assad said on state television on Sunday that the offensive against “terrorism” should continue, and he dismissed dire assessments of the humanitarian situation in the enclave as “ridiculous lies”.

He said he supported a Russian-sponsored daily truce of five hours, to allow “the majority of those in Eastern Ghouta” to escape the areas under the control of “terrorists”.

The US has condemned the government assault and said Russia, a key ally of Damascus, is killing innocent civilians.

How bad is the humanitarian situation?

Neither the daily pause ordered by the Russians – Syria’s main backers – nor the ordering of a nationwide ceasefire by the UN Security Council have led to any humanitarian relief for the enclave.

The UN says that the “collective punishment of civilians is simply unacceptable”.

“Instead of a much-needed reprieve, we continue to see more fighting, more death, and more disturbing reports of hunger and hospitals being bombed,” UN regional humanitarian co-ordinator Panos Moumtzis said on Sunday.

Some 393,000 people are trapped in the besieged enclave.

Where are people fleeing to?

Opposition sources and journalists on the ground say that hundreds of people have been fleeing the bombardment of Beit Sawa, south of Douma, and on the eastern edge of the densely populated centre of the Eastern Ghouta. The enclave is an agricultural region about the size of Manchester in the UK.

Residents, many of them women and children, are reported to have fled into the centre of the enclave to seek shelter. Fighting has intensified in Beit Sawa between government forces and the Islamist faction Jaysh al-Islam.

The Eastern Ghouta is dominated by Jaysh al-Islam. But Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by al-Qaeda’s former affiliate in Syria, also has a presence there.

A resident speaking to the BBC described the situation in the Eastern Ghouta as “beyond critical”.

What is the Syrian government’s aim?

Several reports suggest government forces are attempting to cut the region in two.

Syrian state media say the army has advanced on several fronts, and has taken control of villages and farms while attacking from the eastern side of the enclave.

The SOHR said government forces were 3km (two miles) from Douma.

The military has been accused of targeting civilians, but it says it is trying to liberate the region, one of the last rebel strongholds, from those it terms terrorists.

US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May agreed in a phone call on Sunday that Syria and its Russian backers bore responsibility for the “heart-breaking human suffering”, Downing Street said.

The leaders agreed that Russia must act now to persuade the Syrian government to stop the bombing.

Map showing control of the Eastern Ghouta and al-Wafideen checkpoint (19 February 2017)

Trump trade row: EU considers tax on Levi jean imports

Levi jeans and bourbon are among the US goods that could be taxed by the European Union if US President Trump should go ahead and tax European steel and aluminium imports.

Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Trade, told the BBC that the items were on a draft list of goods to be taxed.

Last week, President Trump said that “trade wars are good” amid controversy over his plan to impose steel tariffs.

His comments have prompted reaction around the world.

Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her concern in a telephone call to Mr Trump on Sunday.

What is the EU considering?

Ms Malmström told the BBC: “We are looking at possibilities to retaliate, meaning we will also put taxes or tariffs on US imports to the European Union.”

She said they would wait for the final decision, but added that “we are of course preparing. This has been in the air for some time”. She said that if the US went ahead and applied taxes to European steel, the EU would take the issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Ms Malmström stressed that Europe was looking to respond “to retaliate but not escalate”.

But any action by Europe is likely to provoke further action by the US.

Has there been any impact on European business so far?

Shares in major European car makers fell on Monday following a threat by US President Trump to tax their vehicles.

Mr Trump said if the EU “wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on US companies… we will simply apply a tax on their cars”.

The US is an important market for cars built in the country. US demand for British-built cars rose by 7% in 2017, with exports reaching almost 210,000, and the US is now the UK’s second-largest trading partner after the EU, taking 15.7% of car exports.

What does Trump want to do and why?

Mr Trump has decried the “$800 Billion Dollar Yearly Trade Deficit because of our ‘very stupid’ trade deals and policies”, and vowed to end it.

On Thursday, he said steel imports would face a 25% tariff and aluminium 10%.

Then came Saturday’s threat on EU-made cars.

In January, he had already announced tariffs on solar panels and washing machines.

What are US’s trading partners making of this?

Downing Street said that during Mrs May’s call to President Trump on Sunday she raised “our deep concern at the President’s forthcoming announcement on steel and aluminium tariffs, noting that multilateral action was the only way to resolve the problem of global overcapacity in all parties’ interests.”

Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for China’s National People’s Congress, said it was natural that “some friction will exist” between the US and China, given the volume of trade between them surpassed $580bn (£420bn) last year.

But he said China would take “necessary measures” if its interests were hurt.

Canada said tariffs would cause disruption on both sides of the border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “confident we’re going to continue to be able to defend Canadian industry”.

A chart shows the top steel importers to US: Canada, EU, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, China, Russia, Turkey

EU trade chiefs could apply 25% tariffs on around $3.5bn of imports from the US – targeting iconic US exports including Levi’s jeans, Harley-Davidson motorbikes and Bourbon whiskey.

Brazil, Mexico and Japan, that have said they will consider retaliatory steps if the president presses ahead with his plan next week.

The move has also been strongly criticised by the International Monetary Fund and the WTO.

Has Trump got political support at home for a trade war?

A number of Republicans have questioned the wisdom of the tariff proposal and have been urging the president to reconsider.

Senator Orrin Hatch said American citizens would be made to pay.

An employee of the South Jersey Port Corporation in Camden NJ with a coil of imported steel — Image captionCritics say the plan could put US jobs at risk

Senator Ben Sasse agreed that “kooky 18th Century protectionism will jack up prices on American families”.

Jason Furman, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama, told the BBC the proposed tariffs were “a very costly and inefficient way to help a small number of people”.

He says consumers are likely to face higher prices. “This could be bad or awful, there’s no scenario under which it’s good.”

Industry bodies like the US Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association have expressed deep concern.

But steelworkers in Pennsylvania and Indiana will welcome Mr Trump’s comments.

Is Trump right about the trade imbalance?

The US imports steel from more than 100 nations and brings in four times more steel from abroad than it exports.

Since 2000, the US steel industry has suffered, with production dropping and the number of employees in steel work falling.

The US is the largest export market for EU cars – making up 25% of the €192bn (£171bn; $237bn) worth of motor vehicles the bloc exported in 2016 (China was second with 16%).

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un meets South Korean envoys

Image captionChung Eui-yong (centre) and Suh Hoon (second left) are among the delegates going to North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is hosting a dinner for two South Korean delegates, the first time officials from Seoul have met the young leader since he took office in 2011.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported the dinner, quoting a South Korean presidential spokesman.

The delegation is in Pyongyang for rare talks partly aimed at restarting dialogue between the North and the US.

Relations between the Koreas have warmed following the Olympics.

In an unprecedented move the delegation includes two ministerial-level envoys – intelligence chief Suh Hoon and National Security adviser Chung Eui-yong.

North Korean state radio said the delegation was met by Ri Son-gwon, North Korea’s reunification chief, who led talks in the weeks before the Winter Olympics.

During the two-day visit, the South Korean group will focus on establishing conditions for talks aimed at getting rid of the North’s nuclear weapons as well as dialogue between the US and Pyongyang.

Mr Chung had earlier told a press briefing he would deliver President Moon Jae-in’s “resolution to maintain the dialogue and improvement in relations between the South and the North… [and] to denuclearize the Korean peninsula”.

“I plan to hold in-depth discussions on various ways to continue talks between not only the South and the North, but also the North and the United States,” he added.

‘US is not interested in talks’

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US would be prepared to meet North Korea, but reiterated that Pyongyang would first have to “denuke”.

However, North Korea – which has said it wants to talk to the US – said it was “preposterous” for the US to insist on preconditions.

“The US attitude shown after we clarified our intention for dialogue compels us to only think that the US is not interested in resuming… dialogue,” said the foreign ministry in a statement reported by state media.

It’s remains unclear who would represent the US in any such meeting.

The top US diplomat on North Korea Joseph Yun announced his decision to retire earlier last week, a departure which could hamper the Trump administration.

Analysts believe that Mr Yun was very much in favour of compromise and diplomacy with North Korea.

Joseph Yun (C), US special representative for North Korea policy, answers questions from reporters following a meeting with Japanese and South Korean chief nuclear negotiators at the Iikura Guesthouse in Tokyo on 27 April 2017. — Image captionJoseph Yun leaves his post as a US special representative for North Korea policy without a successor

The relationship between the US and North Korea were particularly tense before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, with both countries repeatedly threatening each other with total destruction.

But the Games saw the two countries march together under a single flag – the outcome of the first inter-Korean talks in two years.

The question now being asked is whether North Korea’s participation in the Paralympics, starting this week, can lead to an even bigger breakthrough.

The US has distanced itself from the North Korean overtures during the Games.

US Vice-President Mike Pence has said there is “no daylight” between the US and its regional allies on the need to “continue to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

May to tell sluggish housebuilders to ‘do their duty’

Construction firms that have been slow to build new homes could be refused planning permission in future under a shake-up to be unveiled by Theresa May.

The PM will tell developers to “step up and do their bit”, warning that sitting on land as its value rises is not on at a time of chronic housing need.

Housing has become unaffordable to anyone without the support of “the bank of mum and dad”, she will say.

Labour has accused ministers of warm words but little action on housing.

The prime minister has made increasing levels of house building among her most pressing domestic priorities, announcing £2bn for new council homes in England in October.

In a speech in London, she will say that too many people have been locked out of the housing market and point the finger of blame partly at developers who she will say have a “perverse” financial incentive to hoard land once it had been approved for development rather than actually build on it.

Bonuses in the construction sector have been under the spotlight since Persimmon announced last year that 140 staff would share a bonus pool of £500m and that its chief executive was in line for a pay-out of £110m, a figure that has since been reduced by £25m following an outcry among investors.

While the firm defended the payouts, saying they were a reward for success, critics say the tripling of the firm’s share price since 2013 was in part due to government subsidies for new homes via the Help to Buy Scheme.

Mrs May will criticise bonuses which are “based not on the number of homes they build but on their profits or share price”.

“In a market where lower supply equals higher prices, that creates a perverse incentive, one that does not encourage them to build the homes we need,” she will say.

Media captionWant to buy a house? Under 25? Watch this

Although the number of planning permissions being granted has risen since 2010, the PM will say this has not been matched by a corresponding rise in the number of homes being built.

While the planning rules need to be rewritten and simplified to make it easier to bring forward land for development and to fast-track approvals, she will also say that councils should be allowed to take firms’ past development records into consideration when deciding whether to approve projects.

“I want to see planning permissions going to people who are actually going to build houses, not just sit on land and watch its value rise,” she will say.

“I expect developers to do their duty to Britain and build the homes our country needs.”

Recalling the joy she and her husband felt when they bought their first home and the security it gave them, she will say the dream of home ownership risks being denied to an entire generation while the gulf between supply and demand have pushed up rental prices way beyond peoples’ means.

“The result is a vicious circle from which most people can only escape with help from the bank of mum and dad.

“If you’re not lucky enough to have such support, the door to home ownership is all too often locked and barred.”

Woman walks past estate agent window — Image captionLabour wants action to address what it says is a 30-year low in home ownership

Up to 80 proposals set out in last year’s housing white paper will now be implemented, including requiring councils to adopt a new nationwide standard that shows how many homes they need to plan for in their area.

But she will insist that “tearing up” the Green Belt is not the answer to the UK’s housing crisis and that existing protections will be maintained and, in some cases, strengthened.

Councils will only be able to amend Green Belt boundaries if they can prove they have fully explored every other reasonable option for building the homes their community needs.

When developments do go ahead, councils will be expected to create “new spaces” to compensate.

Labour said action was drastically needed to address what it said was the fall in home ownership to a 30-year low since 2010 and the doubling in rough sleeping.

“There are thousands of planning applications that have been granted and yet developers are just sitting on that land and developments that are chronically needed are not being built,” said shadow minister Andrew Gwynne.

Adrian Donohoe: Crossmaglen man charged with murder

Det Garda Adrian Donohoe — Image captionAdrian Donohoe, 41, was killed in a robbery near Dundalk in 2013

A man from County Armagh has been charged with the murder of Irish police officer Adrian Donohoe.

Aaron Brady, 27, from New Road, Crossmaglen, appeared in court in Dundalk, County Louth on Sunday night.

The court heard that he denied involvement in the murder. He was remanded in custody until 9 March.

Det Garda Donohoe, 41, was shot dead in a robbery at Lordship Credit Union near Dundalk in January 2013.

The father-of-two was one of two detectives on late-night escort duty at the rural credit union when the robbery took place.

A Garda detective inspector told the court that when Mr Brady was charged with Det Donohoe’s murder, he replied: “I strongly deny any involvement in the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.”

Earlier on Sunday, a man in his 50s who was also arrested in connection with Det Garda Donohoe’s murder was released.

A file will be prepared for the Irish director of public prosecutions following his release.

Grandson charged with murder of Walsall woman Anne James

A 25-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his grandmother, who was stabbed to death at her home.

A neighbour found 74-year-old Anne James collapsed with suspected knife injuries at her home in Walsall on Wednesday evening.

Her grandson Greg Irvin, from Walsall Wood, was arrested the day after her body was discovered and charged with murder on Sunday.

Mr Irvin is due to appear before magistrates in Wolverhampton on Monday.

In a statement, Mrs James’ family said: “We are all devastated at the loss of a loving wife, mum, grandma and great grandma.

“She was an amazing, generous, kind, and much-loved part of our family; she will be very sadly missed.”

Weather-related water problems hit 20,000 London homes

Burst pipes — Image captionThames Water said freezing temperatures followed by a “sudden thaw” has led to an increase in burst pipes

More than 20,000 homes in London were left without water or suffered from low pressure because of freezing weather.

Thames Water said it was dealing with an “unprecedented demand” because of multiple burst mains, leaks and a drained reservoir in Hampstead.

Customers said they could not register outages as the helpline is unavailable.

By Sunday night the number of affected properties had fallen to 12,000, but Thames Water urged those with water to “use as little as possible”.

“We are putting as much extra water as we can into our local networks and fixing leaks and bursts as quickly as possible,” Thames Water said in a statement.

“Please do not use water for anything that isn’t essential… This will make a real difference.”

Hundreds of customers have been on Twitter highlighting problems with their water supply to the company.

Debbie Morrison told the OP’S NEWS her house in Wandsworth had been without water since 20:00 GMT on Saturday “with no information on when the supplies will be reinstated”.

She said: “You can’t get through on the telephone and the only means of communications with Thames Water is via the website and Twitter.

“I am concerned for all the elderly people stuck without water or information – and disabled people.”

Some schools across the capital have said they will be closed on Monday because they cannot guarantee running water.

Shops reportedly run out of bottled water in some of the worst-affected areas, though Thames Water was setting up water bottle stations while the burst pipes were being fixed.

Shop with empty water shelves — Image captionShops have reportedly run out of bottled water in some areas

Jerry White, business manager at Thames Water, said engineers were “working extra hard” to get on top of the problems before Monday when an increase in demand is expected.

Mr White said freezing temperatures followed by a “sudden thaw over Friday night” has led to a sharp increase in reported leakages and burst pipes.

There has also been a “20% jump in the demand for water in the last five days”, he added.

“We’re asking customers to look at their pipes in their properties and end any unnecessary use of water, such as washing a car,” Mr White said.