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If we fail to learn how to use it to our advantage we fall into the hands of those have mastered itCast your mind back to 2011 and the Arab uprisings that began in Tunis before spreading to Egypt and beyond. Protesters used social media to communicate and coordinate, so it became the “Twitter revolution” and the “Facebook revolution”. It was the peak of techno-utopia, a moment of hope that technology would transform our political lives and put citizens in control.Today, techno-utopia has given way to techno-dystopia. Many worry that technology is undermining democracy, spreading misinformation, equipping criminals and the authorities with new tools. This month, Apple, under pressure from the Chinese government, pulled an app that let protesters track the movements of Hong Kong police with crowdsourced data. It has been a long road from Tunis to Hong Kong. There is an element of truth about techno-utopia and dystopia. Social media makes it easier for protesters to communicate, create forums for discussion and spread information. Technology also makes it easier for authorities to snoop on citizens and control dissent. Continue reading...

• Sebastien Vahaamahina dismissed for second-half elbow

Self-interested and reckless leadership defines too much of our past – and presentBoris Johnson concludes his Churchill biography with splutters against historians who insist the “story of humanity is not the story of great men and shining deeds”. The story of Winston Churchill, he cries, “is a pretty withering retort to all that malarkey. He and he alone made the difference.”The story of Boris Johnson withers too. He is shrivelling Britain: making it cramped, poor and irrelevant. Modern historians may sniff at the 19th-century notion that “the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men” to use Thomas Carlyle’s words. The rest of us should not be so complacent and register the capacity of catastrophic men and women to change the world for the worse. Continue reading...

When the fast-food giant’s lawyers swooped on a small Canadian restaurant over its fish burger, the response was pithyWhen Canadian chef Paul Shufelt decided to market a new burger at his Edmonton restaurant, he wanted to pay homage to the fast-food greats that have come before him – not find himself embroiled in a legal battle with a multinational corporation.After creating a cod burger with coleslaw and red onions, Woodshed Burgers named their newest item the Effing Filet O’ Fish, a reference to both local company Effing Seafood, which provided the seafood, and the famous McDonald’s sandwich. Continue reading...

Two women take on heritage organisation over its contract with the chocolate makerIn one corner were two women, a teacher and a graphic designer, from Cambridgeshire. In the other was the guardian of the country’s heritage and green spaces. Both were engaged in a high-intensity battle – over chocolate.The usually staid proceedings of the National Trust annual general meeting in Swindon yesterday erupted into a heated row about the conservation charity’s longstanding deal with one of the largest confectionery giants in the world. Continue reading...

In Lisburn, once the home of the Ulster Defence Regiment, there was confusion about the DUP’s role in a dramatic weekLisburn’s Britishness is etched in stone and bronze, its town centre dotted with plaques, monuments and statues to those who built the empire and served the United Kingdom.General John Nicholson towers over Market Square, cutlass in one hand, pistol in the other, the plinth declaring he fell mortally wounded “in the hour of victory” during the 1857 Indian mutiny. Continue reading...

Whitehall sources are working with local agencies to bring back minors born to Islamic State fightersBritish officials have taken the first steps to repatriate children stranded in Syria by liaising directly with agencies on the ground to identify unaccompanied minors for “safe passage” back to the UK.Whitehall sources have confirmed they are working with “various agencies” in north-east Syria – believed to include the International Committee of the Red Cross – to kickstart the process of transferring children of British parents linked to Islamic State back to the UK. Continue reading...

In confronting Bulgarian extremism, the players upheld values that our leaders casually spurnIf you want to feel good about Britain right now, or at least England, where do you look? Not to our parliament, in the latter stages of its descent into something close to chaos, the green spaces around the Palace of Westminster slowly being churned into mud by ceaseless protests. And there is little comfort to be had turning to our prime minister, a man so renowned for dishonesty that the likelihood that he will break his word is baked into the political calculations of his opponents.Across the world, our reputation as a serious-minded, pragmatic (even perfidious) nation is in tatters and our former sense of ourselves as a reasonable, level-headed, no-nonsense people is difficult to sustain after the past three and half years of political turmoil. Continue reading...

The abortive bid to arrest the son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán last week made one thing clear: someone betrayed the governmentSinaloa cartel gunmen took over a Mexican city on Thursday, turning the streets into an apparent war zone. Their mission was to rescue the son of the notorious drugs lord, El Chapo, who had been captured by police. Officers were forced to release Ovidio Guzmán López after gang members threw up roadblocks with blazing trucks, and staged a prison break of 51 of their comrades.The battle came only a week after Mexico’s interior secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero pledged that the country would “very soon” see results of the deployment of a 70,000-strong National Guard – a showpiece unit formed this year by president Andrés Manuel López Obrador – against resurgent violence and record murder levels. Continue reading...

The Tranquility, seized by authorities and sold for a ‘bargain’ $126m in April, is back on market after stint as celebrity hangoutA superyacht once owned by Jho Low, a fugitive at the centre of Malaysia’s 1MDB financial scandal, has been put back on the market after a few months as a celebrity party venue.The vessel, now named Tranquility, is being sold for US$200m, an increase of more than $70m on its previous price tag. It is currently owned by the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate with business interests in real estate, hospitality, plantations and energy supply. Continue reading...

PM sends to Donald Tusk a photocopy of the request required by Benn Act, with a conflicting view in a second letterBoris Johnson has sent an unsigned letter to European council president Donald Tusk requesting a further Brexit delay beyond 31 October – accompanied by a signed one arguing against it.The prime minister sent three letters: an unsigned photocopy of the request he was obliged to send under the Benn Act, an explanatory letter from the UK’s ambassador to the EU and a personal letter explaining why Downing Street did not want an extension. Continue reading...

Former gun runner claims republicans plotted to bomb London power supply in 1990sThe IRA planned to attack power stations in south-east England in the final years of its terror bombing campaign, a former member has claimed.The plan is alleged to have been made in the mid-1990s, shortly before the Belfast Agreement peace accord. Continue reading...

Newspapers cast prime minister as either a fighter or a loser, with plenty of anger directed at Parliament, too

PM to attend Joko Widodo’s inauguration and hold talks on FTA, which opposition leader says will be good for jobsScott Morrison’s whirlwind trip to Indonesia is a “good thing”, his political opponent says, as Labor embraces bipartisan support for Australia’s latest free trade agreement.Morrison travelled to Indonesia for Joko Widodo’s second inauguration as president, with talks between the two leaders planned at the presidential palace. Continue reading...

Attorney general’s admission comes as media chiefs raise increasing concerns over state of Australian press freedomThe federal attorney general, Christian Porter, maintains he would be “seriously disinclined” to sign off on the criminal prosecution of journalists for public interest journalism, but added he cannot give any guarantees.“I can’t, though, give anything more definitive than that, because my role in this process is to assess a brief that may or may not come up, and a recommendation that may or may not come up, to the commonwealth director of public prosecutions,” he told the ABC. Continue reading...

Kurdish forces reveal plans to begin evacuation on Sunday following Turkish president’s ceasefire ultimatumRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, has said his country would “crush the heads” of Kurdish militants if they did not withdraw from a planned “safe zone” in northern Syria in time.Speaking at an opening ceremony in the central Turkish province of Kayseri, Erdoğan said he would discuss the deployment of Syrian government forces in the safe zone during talks with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, next week, but warned Ankara would “implement its own plans” if a solution was not reached. Continue reading...

ABC chair says journalism’s importance to Australia’s interests in region ‘cannot be underestimated’ABC chair Ita Buttrose has called for additional funding for international broadcasting so the public broadcaster can be a “clarion” voice of trusted news and play a bigger role in soft diplomacy in the region.“The importance of journalism to our country’s Asia-Pacific interests cannot be underestimated and I believe a renewed ABC focus on international broadcasting would greatly benefit Australia,” Buttrose said in her Lowy Institute media lecture. Continue reading...

A 19-year-old democracy activist was allegedly stabbed by a man shouting pro-China slogansA man handing out leaflets for a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant who slashed his neck and abdomen on Saturday, days after a leading activist was left bloodied in another street attack.The injured 19-year-old, wearing black clothes and a black face mask, was knifed near one of the large “Lennon Walls” that have sprung up around the city during months of demonstrations, police said. Continue reading...

A Christian party has quit Lebanon’s coalition government after more protests against tax rises and alleged corruptionA Lebanese Christian party quit the coalition government on Saturday after tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a third day of protests against tax increases and alleged official corruption.After protesters marched in Beirut, Tripoli and other cities, the head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, said his group was resigning from the government. Continue reading...

Quim Torra urges dialogue for democratic solution to tensions following fifth consecutive night of violenceCatalonia’s president, Quim Torra, has called for talks with the Spanish government. Speaking on Saturday morning, Torra again condemned the violence of recent days, adding: “Violence has never been our flag.”He urged talks with Spain’s acting government “to open a dialogue to find a democratic solution and a political and democratic” way out of the crisis over regional independence. Continue reading...

Youngsters, aged between 14 and 17, detained alongside 18-year-old over death of Clinton EvbotaFive youths have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an 18-year-old man in south-east London on 10 October, police have said.The youngsters, aged between 14 and 17, were detained alongside an 18-year-old man over the death of Clinton Evbota, who was stabbed to death on the Brandon Estate in Camberwell, south-east London. Continue reading...

Lambie’s vote will decide the fate of the medical evacuation laws the previous parliament’s crossbench was instrumental in passingShe came in like a wrecking ball.But Jacqui Lambie, the senator, has grown up. Continue reading...

After water restrictions and emergency infrastructure, the final drought strategy is sheer perseverancePeople have started visiting the outback town of Pooncarie just to see a place that’s running dry.Josh Sheard, the publican at the Pooncarie hotel, says the remote town in far south-west New South Wales needs the attention. Continue reading...

The blunt words of Sydney archbishop Glenn Davies come at a critical moment for Australian churches and demands for religious freedomFor a man renowned for his civility, the language was blunt. During his annual speech to the Anglican Church’s Sydney synod, Archbishop Glenn Davies told supporters of same-sex marriage to “please leave us”.“My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views,” he said. “But do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of scripture.” Continue reading...

Sources tell Hollywood reporter Bruce Lee’s daughter raised concerns over the film’s portrayal of the martial arts starQuentin Tarantino will not edit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to placate Chinese censors, the Hollywood Reporter said.Related: Bruce Lee's daughter hits out at father's portrayal in Tarantino film Continue reading...

Led by mayor Sadiq Khan, around one million protesters gathered to demand a fresh referendumIn one of the largest public demonstrations in British history, a crowd estimated at around one million marched outside parliament to demand MPs grant them a fresh referendum on Brexit.Organisers of the march said the turnout, buoyed by the dry weather and the promise of “super Saturday”, was comparable to the previous second referendum rally six months ago, when a million people gathered in central London. Continue reading...

The jailing of nine pro-independence Catalan leaders over their roles in the failed push for secession two years ago has sparked five nights of violent unrest in Barcelona and other areas of Catalonia. The region's president, Quim Torra, has called for talks with the Spanish government after a peaceful march and general strike was followed by further clashes between protesters and police

Somewhere in the middle of the Irish Sea, a mermaid is luring us to our doom• You can buy your own print of this cartoon Continue reading...

Greater Manchester force detain 26-year-old under Mental Health ActA man has been detained under the Mental Health Act after a major security incident at the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester.Police descended on the centre at 8.55pm on Friday to reports of a man with a knife. The alert comes a week after two people were stabbed by a man in a random attack at the shopping centre. Continue reading...

Despite last week’s US-brokered truce, fighting continues on the Turkish-Syrian borderIt’s an unusually hot autumn in the plains of southern Turkey, where in some places nothing but wire fencing is all that separates this country from the chaos that has engulfed Syria over the last eight years.Cotton, pistachio and olive trees grow on both sides of the border. But plumes of black smoke are only rising above towns on the Syrian side. Continue reading...

Investigation launched into safety regime at alluvial mine in remote Krasnoyarsk regionAt least 15 gold miners were killed when a dam collapsed, flooding a mining encampment in a remote part of Siberia, officials have said.Heavy rains weakened the dam and water broke through, sweeping away several cabins where the miners lived, about 100 miles south of the city of Krasnoyarsk. Continue reading...

Intricately carved coffins with mummies from 1000BC ‘biggest such find in over a century’Egypt has revealed details of 30 ancient wooden coffins with mummies inside, which were discovered in the southern city of Luxor in the biggest find of its kind in more than a century.A team of Egyptian archaeologists found a “distinctive group of 30 coloured wooden coffins for men, women and children” in a cache at Al-Asasif cemetery on Luxor’s west bank, the ministry of antiquities said in a statement on Saturday. Continue reading...

Ben Atkinson, 43, climbed scaffolding around clock tower dressed as Boris JohnsonAn Extinction Rebellion activist who scaled Big Ben’s tower and evaded capture for more than three hours has been released by police.Ben Atkinson, 43, climbed the scaffolding surrounding the clock tower dressed as Boris Johnson – complete with a blond wig, shirt, jacket and tie – at about 3.30pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Top art historians clash over authenticity of Apsley House treasureA painting thought to be by Titian, which will be included in a touring exhibition to begin at the National Gallery in London next March, has been dismissed as a “dud” by a leading art historian.Professor Charles Hope, a Titian expert, told the Observer that The Danaë, an early 1550s picture on a mythological subject, is “a later pastiche” and should be downgraded from being attributed to the 16th-century Italian master to that of a minor hand. Continue reading...

People on a crowded underground platform in Buenos Aires came to the rescue of a woman who fell on to train tracks.CCTV footage from Pueyrredón station shows the woman being knocked off the platform by a man who fainted. Passengers quickly responded by waving their hands to alert the train driver. They then jumped on to the tracks to help the woman after the train came to a halt Continue reading...

Matteo Salvini’s League joins rightwing parties in ‘Italian pride’ protestThousands of protesters are gathering in Rome for an “Italian pride” rally that brings together the rightwing League of Matteo Salvini, the far-right Brothers of Italy party led by Giorgia Meloni and former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.Salvini’s League, which remains Italy’s largest party, called for the mass demonstration to protest against the government forged by two former arch-enemies, the centre-left Democrats and the 5-Star Movement. Continue reading...

• Aaron Smith’s double sets rampant All Blacks on way to victory

State blames Taliban for blasts targeting worshippers during Friday prayersPolice and local residents were searching for bodies in the rubble of a mosque in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, after bomb blaststhat killed at least 69 people during Friday prayers.The explosives had been placed inside the mosque in the Jawdara area of Haska Mena district. Continue reading...

James Chadwick, 21, arrested and charged after incident in Radcliffe on WednesdayA man has been charged with the murder of a one-year-old baby girl.James Chadwick, 21, of Radcliffe, had been arrested along with Chelsea Crilly, 19, from Atherton, both in Greater Manchester. Continue reading...

PM appears to accept he would have to request delay if MPs pass amendment to avoid no deal

Crime Has No Gender website shows suspects hidden behind masks, which users removeEurope’s policing agency has launched a campaign to catch the continent’s most wanted female criminals.Europol’s new website, called the Crime Has No Gender campaign, reveals the faces of fugitives wanted by 21 EU countries in an interactive way. Eighteen of them are women. Continue reading...

Prime minister suggests Coalition may commit to extra funding relief in Liberal party federal council speechScott Morrison has indicated the federal government might be prepared to commit extra relief funding to drought-stricken communities, reaffirming the drought is the government’s top priority.In a triumphal speech to the Liberal party’s federal council in Canberra on Saturday, Morrison again said the drought was “the most pressing and biggest call on our budget”. Continue reading...

The first black woman to win the Booker prize argues that a revolution is sweeping through British publishing. But can it lead to lasting change?Chidera Eggerue, AKA The Slumflower, is a social media star, south-east London homegirl and feminist. She first came to prominence in 2017 when she created the hashtag #SaggyBoobsMatter on Twitter in order to promote the body-positive message that women’s breasts and bodies are fine just as they are. It’s an important idea and antithetical to a beauty industry that berates us for our imperfections. A year later Eggerue published a self-help motivational book, What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough, which entered the Sunday Times bestseller list the week it was published in 2018, when she was 23. In her very pink, zanily illustrated book, Eggerue, a self-styled “guru, confidante and best friend” to her readers, offers advice on self-worth and self-acceptance. An earlier booklet called Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women, by Otegha Uwagba, became a bestseller in 2016, paving the way for Eggerue. This, in turn, was probably influenced by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2014 essay We Should All Be Feminists.These are unprecedented times for black female writers, in no small part due to the internet. It has reconfigured how we present ourselves to the world at large, as well as bringing previously marginalised social groups and writing to the fore in ways hitherto unimaginable. As a society we are beginning to recognise and take seriously the ills and pitfalls of social media, but it is still the most exciting channel of mass communication since history began. Continue reading...

Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google decline to release figures despite pledge in wake of Christchurch attackUS tech companies have declined to release data on the online spread of footage of last week’s shooting in Halle, Germany, despite pledging greater transparency as part of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s “Christchurch Call”.Companies including Facebook and Twitter committed in May to take “transparent, specific measures” to prevent the amplification of violent content, after the killing of 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand was livestreamed on Facebook. Continue reading...

Maythem Radhi accused of being part of syndicate that charged 421 mostly Iraqi and Afghan refugees for place aboard Indonesian boatAn Iraqi man has been charged in Australia with people-trafficking in connection with the drowning deaths of more than 350 asylum seekers in the 2001 SIEV X tragedy.Maythem Radhi, 43, was arrested at Brisbane airport late Friday after being extradited from New Zealand and has been charged with “organising groups of non-citizens into Australia”, police say. Continue reading...