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Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East, likened how long it took him and his wife to choose a sofa to the length of time given to MPs to debate Boris Johnson's Brexit bill. Turner said MPs required more time to debate 'this incredibly important bill', adding that Nikki da Costa, the PM's legislative adviser, had suggested the House needed at least four weeks to consider the legislation Continue reading...

Vajiralongkorn wields dominant control over his country’s politics and mediaWhen Thailand’s 67-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn stripped his royal consort of her titles on Monday, it sent shockwaves through Thai society. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi had spent several years as a companion to the monarch alongside the now queen, but had only been given her official title in July.The palace claimed her title was stripped because Sineenat, 34, tried to convince the king to elevate her to the same standing as his fourth wife and current queen, Suthida Tidjai, 41. Continue reading...

Death toll rises to 15 in worst unrest Chile has faced since Pinochet, as armed men in masks prowl Santiago firing at defiant protestersAs helicopters clattered overhead and army truck convoys rumbled through the city, armed men in masks prowled the streets of Santiago on Monday night, firing at protesters defying a fourth night of curfew under martial law.By Tuesday morning, the official death toll stood at 15. The Chilean government claimed all the casualties were looters, but there were widespread allegations of brutality by the military, following the declaration by president, Sebastián Piñera that his country was “at war”. Continue reading...

They have fought Isis with unparalleled bravery. But their fate lies in a power struggle between Putin, Trump and ErdoğanIn August 2014 Marie Claire published an unusual photo shoot. The women in the stylised images were not in fancy haute couture, but instead wore khaki jumpsuits and held machine guns. These were the female fighters of the YPG – the main Kurdish group of the Syrian Democratic Forces – in Rojava, a de facto autonomous region in northern Syria.These women were praised for their bravery in fighting against the most unfathomable evil of our times, Isis. The world championed them as an antidote to the death cult originating from the Middle East, which spread its ideas to Europe and the US. At the same time, the women remained quite invisible to Turkish audiences, because of their connection to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ party) which has been designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU. Continue reading...

Seven-month-old twins among wounded after man drives off in vehicle and hits familyAn armed man has stolen an ambulance in Oslo, injuring three people including two babies when he drove off and hit a family, Norwegian police and hospital officials have said.The man was apprehended after police fired shots at the vehicle. The suspect was not critically injured. Continue reading...

Northamptonshire police chief says he wants to ‘provide clarity and put rumours to bed’

Hashem Abedi, 22, denies all charges relating to explosion at Ariana Grande concert in 2017The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has denied murdering 22 people who were killed while leaving an Ariane Grande concert in 2017.Hashem Abedi, 22, also pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder, encompassing all the injured victims, and conspiring with his brother to cause explosions. Continue reading...

Japan’s new emperor ascends the Chrysanthemum throne in a ceremony marking the high point of several succession rituals that began in May

Proposal to counter rising housing costs still requires approval by state parliamentBerlin’s state cabinet has agreed on a rent freeze for five years to counter rising housing costs in the German capital.The city’s leftwing coalition government wants to freeze the rent for apartments built before 2014, according to a report by the German news agency dpa. Continue reading...

Javed Iqbal denies involvement in scandal over alleged use of CCTV footage to extort money from students in Balochistan

A fire burned in the heart of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, starting from the roof of the SkyCity centre, which is still under construction. Thousands of people were evacuated. Workers on the site were sent away immediately, but as the fire continued to rage, other areas – including New Zealand's tallest building, Sky Tower – were cleared.The New Zealand fire service asked residents to stay clear of the city centre and a spokesperson said it was 'a very, very difficult fire to extinguish'

Turkish leader says he will act ‘even more strongly’ as end of US-brokered ceasefire loomsThe Turkish president has threatened to press ahead with an operation against Kurdish-led forces in Syria “even more strongly” if promises made by the US regarding the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters have not been met by the time a five-day ceasefire expires.Up to 1,300 fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are yet to vacate Ankara’s proposed border “safe zone”, as per the terms of a ceasefire announced by the US vice-president, Mike Pence, in Ankara last week, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters before flying to Russia. Continue reading...

Canada's Conservative party leader, Andrew Scheer, said he had spoken to Justin Trudeau to congratulate him on winning the most seats. In his concession speech he added that the election result, in which the Liberals lost 20 seats, showed that the 'Conservatives have put Trudeau on notice'. Scheer said: 'Mr Trudeau, when your government falls, Conservatives will be ready and we will win'

Liberals secure four more years in power despite lingering criticism over handling of corruption inquiry and blackface scandal

In the shadow of South Africa’s car industry, making use of discarded parts is a way of life – so Port Elizabeth’s Kevin Kimwelle makes a virtue of itTell us: how have South African cities changed in the 25 years after apartheid?“You’re lucky you arrived on a Monday,” says architect Kevin Kimwelle as we drive through the twisting back streets of Port Elizabeth. “The municipality collects rubbish on a Monday … but later in the week, it’ll be a terrible mess.”In South Africa waste collection is just one of the services that government struggles to deliver. A little under half of the country (41% of households) is without basic waste collection services, let alone recycling: as a nation, only 10% of waste is recycled, while 90% ends up in landfills. Continue reading...

Liberal Party holds on to power in Canadian federal election, but loses majority

Jean-Claude Juncker has spoken in the European parliament as his five-year term as president of the European commission comes to an end. He said Brexit had been a waste of time and a waste of energy and that Brussels would be watching Westminster closely as it votes on a withdrawal agreement. Boris Johnson will make a final attempt on Tuesday to force his deal through by 31 October

Merging of Victoria’s court fines system with the centralised fines system has led to a delay in paymentsIssues merging Victoria’s court fines system with the centralised fines system has led to a delay in payments for more than 100,000 fines, adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars waiting to be paid to the Victorian government.Reports estimate the amount of outstanding fines sits as high as $700m, with 120,000 fines going unpaid. Continue reading...

Just six months on from the election and tensions are rising as Senate estimates resume and calls ramp up for greater press freedom. All the day’s events, live7.08am BSTAs today’s estimates hearings come to a close, it is worth noting that Labor busy bees have taken a look at the prime minister and cabinet estimates for the phrase “take it on notice” and found that during yesterday’s hearing, the department took 125 questions on notice – meaning they had no answer for them.That would make sense – Mathias Cormann was working overtime yesterday.7.03am BSTYou can take what Peter Dutton said there in Paul’s post as another direct appeal to Jacqui Lambie.Medevac can’t be voted on until November, when the Senate sits again. Continue reading...

Justin Trudeau has won a second term as Canada’s prime minister, losing his majority but delivering unexpectedly strong results despite having been weakened by a series of scandals that tarnished his image as a liberal icon

Justin Trudeau has won a second term as prime minister of Canada and will lead a minority government as his Liberal party led in 146 out of 304 electoral districts. Addressing supporters, Trudeau said the country had voted in favour of a 'progressive agenda' and committed his government to fighting for all Canadians, not just those who voted for him.Early on Tuesday, barely a minute after Andrew Scheer started addressing supporters at Conservative HQ, Trudeau took to the stage in Montreal to deliver his victory speech, in a highly unconventional moment of political scheduling

Canada’s 43rd election campaign capped a particularly bruising year for Trudeau, but in the end his right-leaning rivals fared worseLiberal supporters trickled into the party headquarters in downtown Montreal on Monday night, apparently worried that they were about to witness an electoral comeuppance for Justin Trudeau.Yet any jitters quickly turned to cheers as the party secured a minority government, thereby rescuing Trudeau’s legacy – and probably tilting Canada’s political landscape further to the left in the process. Continue reading...

Court hears job was outsourced repeatedly before fifth hitman offered to stage the death and pocket the paymentA court in southern China has sentenced six men to prison for attempted murder in a hit job that was botched after being subcontracted several times.According to the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court in Guangxi, in the autumn of 2013 a real estate businessman by the name Qin Youhui hired someone to take out a businessman surnamed Wei, who was suing Qin. But the hitman kept half of the 2m yuan ($280,000) Qin paid and outsourced the job, offering a new assailant the other half. Continue reading...

Petty crimes forgiven ahead of ceremony that completes ascension after father’s abdication in MayNaruhito has proclaimed himself Japan’s new emperor and vowed to “stand with the people” after performing a series of ancient rituals that culminated in his appearance on the imperial throne alongside his wife, Empress Masako.Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum throne in May, following the abdication of his father, Akihito, marked his official enthronement on Tuesday in front of around 2,000 guests, including heads of state and other royals from more than 180 countries. Continue reading...

A quarter of Johannesburg’s population live in this modern and sophisticated township that is also blighted by poverty, drug addiction and crimeMy mother tells me the house where I was born in the Chiawelo section of Soweto in 1973 didn’t have windows, doors or a paved floor when they moved in. My father earned very little as a cleaner at the post office and had no money to fix it.So my mother and her friends would go to a nearby farm to steal cow dung to make the floor. One day she got bitten by the farmer’s dog. That scar of poverty is still engraved on her hand like an ugly tattoo. Continue reading...

Our two-year study shows the lake has been stable since the 1990s. Costly ‘solutions’ shift focus from the complex causes of the region’s deadly crisisLake Chad is a hydrological miracle – a life-giving, freshwater lake in the Sahara desert. But the region around the lake has been engulfed in a violent crisis for more than a decade, which has left nearly 10 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.Military crackdowns on insurgent groups such as Boko Haram have failed to end the violence. Bringing durable peace to the region requires unpicking a Gordian knot of many interlinked factors: poverty, sectarian mistrust, political marginalisation and corruption. The risks posed by the climate crisis to the rainfall-dependent livelihoods of the people of Lake Chad are an important strand of this challenge. Continue reading...

The fire started just after 1pm on the roof of the SkyCity convention centreThousands of people were evacuated from central Auckland on Tuesday as a massive fire burned in the heart of New Zealand’s largest city.The fire started just after 1pm on the roof of the SkyCity convention centre, which is still under construction. Continue reading...

Aki Ra was a child soldier for Pol Pot, laying mines around Siem Reap. Now he is using his expertise to clear land in rural Cambodia and make it safe againThe rusty tailfin of the mortar round can be seen poking through the roots and mud of a small dirt patch, next to a skull and crossbones sign.Aki Ra thinks the bomb could have been lying in rural Siem Reap, Cambodia, for 40 years. If it hadn’t been found, it may have added another death to the approximately 20,000 people killed by explosives laid in the country from the late 1960s to the 1990s. Continue reading...

Caroline Cornélis draws on everyday life to make elegant shows for young audiences. In 10:10, three dancers and a drummer recreate break timeShows for young audiences are frequently set in fantasy and fairytale worlds, but the school playground is children’s daily domain of make-believe. A stretch of tarmac and a knackered climbing frame will host dozens of overlapping adventures, either continued next playtime or forgotten forever.These mini playground dramas are the inspiration for a wonderfully assured dance production for over-sixes, created by Belgian choreographer Caroline Cornélis. It’s called 10:10, named after a popular time for morning break in European schools. The show begins with a musician sweeping sand to the edges of the stage before resting the brush against a drum kit, picking up a pair of sticks and pounding out a blistering solo. Three dancers appear at the wings, itching to rush on, as if anticipating the school bell. As the drumming accelerates, they storm a stage suddenly flooded with light. Break time begins. Continue reading...

The first southern hemisphere city to host the world’s biggest LGBTQI event plans to shine a light on Indigenous culture and the Asia Pacific regionAdrian Phoon, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ newest board director, was tired yet excited as he nervously awaited the results of Sydney’s mammoth bid to host WorldPride 2023.Widely described as the “gay Olympics”, reflecting its sheer scale, he knew WorldPride, which has run every two years since 2000, is a juggernaut – now the world’s biggest LGBTQI event. It unites Gay Prides and their communities across the globe – attracting, at a conservative estimate, a million visitors and world-class talent. At this year’s WorldPride in New York, Madonna performed hits including Vogue and songs from her new album Madame X. Continue reading...

Travel guide company says ‘timeless treasures’, seaside and historic buildings put country in second place, behind BhutanEngland has been named the world’s second best tourist destination in 2020 due to its “timeless treasures” by the guide book firm, Lonely Planet, behind Bhutan.The list, featured in the Best in Travel 2020 book, was compiled based on “topicality, unique experiences and wow factor”. Continue reading...

Nine suicides have been linked to the wave of unrest as young people grow frustrated and exhausted by the intense, months-long standoffNiko Cheng was ready to die in August. The 22-year-old nursing student and her fellow protesters known as “fighters” for their willingness to confront police in Hong Kong, had decided to make their last stand on 31 August.Exhausted and weary after months of protesting, she had floated the idea of throwing herself at police and forcing them to fire on her. The other protesters talked her out of it. Still, she expected to be arrested or badly hurt. Continue reading...

Equality campaigners were celebrating before the midnight deadline for law to take effectNorthern Ireland is to legalise abortion and same-sex marriage after an 11th-hour attempt by the region’s assembly to block change collapsed into farce.Equality campaigners celebrated on Monday as the clock ticked towards midnight when laws extending abortion and marriage rights came into force, ushering in momentous social change as Northern Ireland aligned with the rest of the UK. Continue reading...

Sentencing Council consulting on raising sentences for the most serious terror offencesTougher punishments for those convicted of expressing support for banned organisations or viewing terrorist material online are being proposed by the Sentencing Council.Following changes to legislation brought in by the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, the official body, which publishes guidelines for judges, has circulated a fresh consultation on raising sentences for the most serious offences. Continue reading...

A dark cabaret use First Nations flair to reveal the shocking stories and striking talents behind ‘the greatest showman’ PT Barnum’s circuses. Curated by Sydney Opera House’s Rhoda Roberts and directed by Chelsea McGuffin, the hectic, heady production fuses burlesque, cabaret, vaudeville and circus. Natives Go Wild stars First Nations dancers, performance artists and musicians from all over the Asia-Pacific region and aims to rework history with satirical humour and gravity-defying feats• Natives Go Wild opens at Sydney Opera House on 22 October and runs until 27 October• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star translated and sung in Noongar – music video Continue reading...

PM will seek to win two crucial votes on Tuesday in bid to leave EU by 31 October deadlineBoris Johnson will make a final bid on Tuesday to force Brexit through by the 31 October “do or die” deadline, amid growing signs he will make a renewed push for a general election whether his deal passes or not.Johnson has already requested a delay to Brexit, by sending the letter to Brussels required by the backbench Benn act after MPs declined to support his deal on Saturday – something he said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than do. Continue reading...

Here’s everything you need to know about the legal framework for the PM’s proposed Brexit dealIt is here – the legislation setting out the legal framework for Boris Johnson’s proposed Brexit deal. The withdrawal agreement bill, or WAB, is 115 pages long, with an extra 126 pages of explanatory notes. It was published at 8pm on Monday, giving MPs 12 hours to digest details of the most notable constitutional change to the UK’s status in decades before the Commons resumes and they must cast their first votes on it. But what does it say? Continue reading...

Japanese media say professor from Hokkaido University was detained in SeptemberChinese authorities have detained a Japanese man in Beijing following media reports that a university professor was being held on suspicion of spying.“The Japanese embassy in China confirmed that a Japanese man in his 40s was detained by Chinese authorities in Beijing in September for allegedly violating Chinese laws,” Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, told reporters. Continue reading...

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, announces move in light of British teenager’s deathThe foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has commissioned a review into immunity arrangements for US personnel and their families at an RAF base following the death of Harry Dunn.He claimed there were “no barriers to justice being done” in the case of the road crash victim, telling MPs the UK government believed diplomatic immunity “clearly ended” for suspect Anne Sacoolas, 42, when she left the country for the US shortly after the crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. Continue reading...

Tuesday: Speaker John Bercow blocks second Brexit vote saying it would be ‘repetitive and disorderly’. Plus: plan for new Galilee Basin mineGood morning, this is Stephen Smiley bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 22 October. Continue reading...

Merkel ally Peter Altmaier says ‘it goes without saying’ Brexit extension would be granted

Both left and right have refused to deal with the conflict as an administrative issue, leaving it to be consumed by dog-whistle nationalismAll last week, Barcelona went to sleep to the sound of police helicopters hovering overhead, as smoke rose in columns from burning barricades in the city centre. Each day brought new images of riot police firing foam and rubber bullets into large crowds and swatting stragglers with batons. Each day, too, brought news of angry young people in hooded hordes sowing chaos in the streets. Helmeted television journalists scrambled behind them, broadcasting a shaky live stream. The background noise evoked war films and video games.Things have become messy in Catalonia. The harsh sentencing of pro-independence politicians and civic leaders has unleashed a tidal wave of indignation. On the day it was announced, thousands of protesters shut down the Barcelona-El Prat airport, the action called via an anonymous, highly centralised app called Tsunami Democràtic. Over the next several days, roads were blocked, railways sabotaged and demonstrations held, and pro-independence mayors announced they would march into the capital to protest. Continue reading...

Opposition leader Benny Gantz will have 28 days to build coalition or risk fresh electionBenjamin Netanyahu has informed Israel’s president he has been unable to form a coalition government after talks with his political rival and former army chief Benny Gantz broke down.In a video statement published on Monday evening – the day of his 70th birthday – Netanyahu said he and his Likud party had worked “incessantly” to forge a “broad national unity government” with Gantz’s Blue and White party, but ultimately failed. Continue reading...

Dozens of celebrities join Prince Harry in new cases against Sun and Mirror publishersPrincess Diana’s former lover James Hewitt and her butler Paul Burrell are among dozens of individuals who have joined Prince Harry in the latest round of phone-hacking claims against tabloid newspaper publishers.Hewitt and Burrell recently filed their cases against the publisher of the Daily Mirror at the high court, according to court filings seen by the Guardian, joining the Duke of Sussex in alleging the publisher intercepted their voicemails. Their claims will focus attention on the extent to which British newspapers targeted the royal family and those around them in the hunt for stories during the 2000s. Continue reading...

More clashes likely after Piñera expands state of emergency following ‘weekend of rage’Latin America’s most prosperous country is braced for fresh upheaval after Chile’s president expanded a state of emergency beyond the capital and the death toll from three days of violence rose to 11.“We are at war with a powerful and uncompromising enemy that respects nothing and no one,” Sebastián Piñera declared in an unyielding late-night address on Sunday. Continue reading...

Columnist, editor and author hailed as ‘fearless’, after her death at the age of 57Friends and colleagues have responded to the death of the journalist and author Deborah Orr with a flood of tributes, describing the longtime Guardian columnist as fearless, hilarious, and “a lioness in a world full of mogs”.Orr, who died from cancer at the age of 57, had a long and varied journalistic career at the Guardian, the Independent, and the i newspaper, among others. Her memoir about her upbringing in Scotland, Motherwell: a Girlhood, is due to be published next year. Continue reading...

Rolling updates on latest political developments, including Speaker saying withdrawal bill motion is ‘in substance the same’ as the one on Saturday

Jean Nouvel’s lawyers say sums demanded from him are ‘totally disproportionate’The star architect behind the Philharmonie de Paris, one of the world’s most expensive concert halls, is suing the body that manages it over fines issued against him when the building opened over budget and behind schedule.The cost of the concert hall rose from €173m when the project was announced in 2006 to €386m by the time it opened two years late on 14 January 2015. Continue reading...

George King taken to court by skyscraper’s manager, which wants to ‘deter other climbers’A climber who scaled the Shard building, in central London, without ropes or suction pads has been jailed for breaching an injunction imposed by its owners.George King, 20, was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment by the Royal Courts of Justice, in London, on Monday. Continue reading...