Campuses become latest battleground after months of protests that have brought the city to a standstillHong Kong was paralysed on Wednesday, with riot police making arrests in a busy business district, much of the city’s public transport suspended and all universities closed following sharp clashes overnight with anti-government protesters.Around lunch time, hundreds of protesters in office outfits took to the streets in Central, the city’s most prestigious business district, for the third day in a row. Bricks were strewn across the normally busy, traffic-filled thoroughfares as white-collar workers shouted slogans. Some held placards emblazoned: “Do not shoot our young people!” Continue reading...

Why has the ravaged fallen city been such an inspiration to artists for millennia? Ahead of an epic show at the British Museum, our writer unravels its extraordinary influenceTroy is a real place. The excavated city of tumbled stone at Hisarlık in western Turkey, near the mouth of the Dardanelles, is generally accepted as the site of its remains. But perhaps Troy is now more a zone of the imagination, rebuilt and repeopled every time someone makes it afresh in their mind – through the act of reading or looking, writing or making.It all started with the Homeric poems: The Iliad, about the Trojan war; and The Odyssey, about Greek fighter Odysseus’s troubled, circuitous return home after victory. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the first century BC scholar, called Homer the source from which every sea, every fountain, every river flows. As if to prove his point, he was quoting Homer when he wrote that (specifically, the ancient Greek poet’s description of the ocean, the encircling girdle of waters that surrounds the known world, in book 21 of The Iliad). Continue reading...

Minister says inquiry into whether New Zealand mosque attacks could have been prevented will get an extra $3m in fundingA major investigation into whether the Christchurch mosque attacks could have been prevented will be given months longer to produce its final report, New Zealand’s government has said.Tracey Martin, the internal affairs minister, said on Wednesday the inquiry would now report back on 30 April 2020 instead of 10 December, after an extension was requested by those running it and the Muslim community also raised concerns about its eight-month timeframe. Continue reading...

The court ruling was not as straightforward as it originally seemed, explains Paul KarpCardinal George Pell will get his day in the high court to argue against his conviction on historical child sexual abuse offences.On Wednesday the full court gathered to announce the results of special leave applications, including Pell’s bid to overturn the decision of the Victorian court of appeal. Continue reading...

Former chief of the defence staff who served at D-day and was later embroiled in the Metropolitan Police’s Operation MidlandField Marshal Lord Bramall, who has died aged 95, was chief of the defence staff from 1982 until 1985, the pinnacle of a long military career that began just in time to land him on the beaches of Normandy as a freshly minted second lieutenant in the D-day invasion of June 1944.But in March 2015 he was drawn into the saga of claims of historical paedophilia and child abuse in high places that began with the unmasking of Jimmy Savile in 2012. Bramall’s cottage in a village near Farnham, Surrey, was raided by police as part of a co-ordinated initiative that also included the homes of Lord (Leon) Brittan, the former home secretary, who died in January 2015. All this was part of Operation Midland, set up by the Metropolitan police in response to allegations against a number of notable public figures. Continue reading...

There’s intermittent fun to be had in this throwaway relaunch of the female secret agent franchise but the party is cut short by incoherent action and a clunky scriptBack in 2000, the glossy relaunch of Charlie’s Angels felt like a genuine pop culture event. The central casting of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu, all at the height of their fame, was an impressively inspired get. The accompanying lead single from Destiny’s Child was not only a smash hit but a deserved one. The gaudy aesthetic and post-Matrix bullet time action were laughable but also undeniably of the moment. It was the most 2000 film released in 2000, and at the time it was impossible to avoid – a slick, pre-packaged blockbuster received with as much enthusiasm as it was made. Almost 20 years, one sequel and one failed TV series later, the franchise is back, but all that buzz has been replaced with something else: deafening silence.Related: Elizabeth Banks: ‘My film is loaded with sneaky feminist ideas’ Continue reading...

Wednesday: dozens of out-of-control bushfires rage and more than 170 homes destroyed. Plus: Google secretly transfers 50m medical recordsGood morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 13 November. Continue reading...

Alleged militant deported as part of Turkey’s drive to expel foreign jihadists in its custodyAn alleged American member of Islamic State, stranded for a second day on the border between Greece and Turkey after Turkey expelled him, is “not our problem”, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said.The man, named by the Turkish news agency Demiroren as Muhammed Darwis B, is believed to be a US citizen of Jordanian descent. He was deported on Monday as part of Turkey’s controversial new policy to deport foreign jihadists in its custody. Continue reading...

Facebook’s decision to allow politicians to promote content already rated false by factcheckers has been widely condemnedSri Lankan civil society groups are sounding alarms about Facebook’s policies in advance of the country’s 16 November presidential election, with warnings that the company’s controversial decision to allow politicians to advertise misinformation is “inappropriate and incendiary to boot”.Sanjana Hattotuwa, a senior researcher for the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), on 7 November published a letter he had sent to Facebook on 30 September seeking additional support for civil society groups monitoring the election because he said he had received no response. Continue reading...

Sarah Barrass and half-brother Brandon Machin also tried to kill four remaining children

Olivia Colman has said that Her Majesty is feminist through and through – a shining example to other women. Here’s why her reasoning doesn’t stack upFor clarity, I love Olivia Colman, we love her (if I have read this memo correctly) and she is a feminist. She was accused of having a “leftwing face” by the Telegraph columnist Charles Moore. “What the hell is a leftwing face?” she retorted, rightly. She does, however, have a feminist face, by which I mean there is a lot going on in it.However, her assertion this week that the Queen – whom she plays, following a cast change, in the new series of The Crown – is the “ultimate feminist”, is incorrect. The more Colman explains her reasoning in an interview with Radio Times, the more incorrect it becomes. “She’s the breadwinner, she’s the one on our coins and banknotes. Prince Philip has to walk behind her. She fixed cars in the second world war. She insisted on driving a king who came from a country where women weren’t allowed to drive [King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, at Balmoral in 1998]. She’s no shrinking violet.” Continue reading...

Parks agency plans to move hundreds of animals in ‘biggest translocation of wildlife in Zimbabwe’s history’Hundreds of elephants and tens of lions in Zimbabwe will be moved by the country’s wildlife agency as part of a major operation to save the animals from a devastating drought.More than 200 elephants have died over the last two months due to a lack of water at the country’s main conservation zones in Mana Pools and Hwange National Park. Continue reading...

Alleged attacker subjected women and children to terrifying ordeal, court toldA man attacked 11 women and children across England in a fortnight, subjecting his victims, including one as young as 11, to terrifying ordeals, a court has heard.Joseph McCann, 34, denies the charges, including that he abducted young women and children and held them prisoner, to be in some cases repeatedly raped and attacked. Continue reading...

Radical New Zealand Green party MP has captivated voters who feel let down by Jacinda ArdernFor many progressives, Jacindamania is waning, and it’s only natural to look around for a new champion. Some – especially the young – are looking to 25-year-old Green party MP Chlöe Swarbrick. There is talk across New Zealand of the “Swarbrick effect”, which saw a surge of young candidates in recent local government elections, supposedly inspired to stand for office by her political career. Continue reading...

Assassination attempts target political leader in Syria and kill commander in Gaza

World’s biggest planemaker hopes aviation authorities will soon approve plane’s flight control softwareBoeing said on Monday it could have its fleet of 737 Max jets flying again by January as safety checks on the aircraft’s troubled flight software reach completion. The planes were grounded in March in the wake of two fatal crashes in the space of five months that killed 346 people.The world’s biggest planemaker said it hoped the Federal Aviation Administration would approve certification of the plane’s flight control software before the end of the year. A fault with the plane’s anti-stall mechanism is believed to have caused the Lionair crash in Indonesia last October and then the Ethiopian Airlines disaster in March. Continue reading...

Ex-president claims he is victim of coup as unrest spreads and fears grow about political chaosThe former Bolivian president Evo Morales has been granted asylum by Mexico, the country’s top diplomat has said, following the veteran socialist’s announcement on Sunday that he would resign.Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, told reporters: “We will immediately proceed to inform Bolivia’s foreign ministry that under international law, it should offer safe conduct [to Morales].” Continue reading...

Brexit party will not contest Conservative seats but source says it will pursue Labour-held onesNigel Farage is facing calls from Brexit supporters to stand down further candidates to help Boris Johnson after he made a dramatic public U-turn by agreeing to withdraw his party from all Conservative-held seats.The Brexit party leader claimed he had changed his mind about fielding candidates in 317 seats held by the Tories after Johnson released a video pledging to take Britain out of the EU by 2020 and to pursue a Canada-style trade deal. Continue reading...

A student was shot by Hong Kong police on Monday, the third time a demonstrator has been hit with live ammunition. Police used teargas, pepper spray and firearms at multiple locations as demonstrators blocked roads, lit fires and hurled missiles.Later in the day, a man was doused in a flammable liquid and set on fire after arguing with protesters. Both the student and the man were said to be in a critical condition.

Police fire at unarmed student and middle-aged man set on fire in day of violent clashesTwo people are in a critical condition in Hong Kong after another day of protests and violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police that left more than 60 people injured.A police officer shot an unarmed 21-year-old male university student in the stomach as demonstrators attempted to disrupt the Monday morning rush hour as part of a day of planned protests and strikes. Continue reading...

Socialist party to unveil plans to break impasse after winning poll without securing majority

The court will announce on Wednesday morning whether it will hear an appeal by the disgraced cardinalA decision on whether disgraced cardinal George Pell can appeal his child sexual abuse conviction in the high court will be made this week.The court will announce its decision at 9.30am on Wednesday in Canberra. Continue reading...

Almost all votes are now counted in Spain’s second election this year, and the Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez has failed to break the parliamentary deadlock that was stopping him forming a new government. But his opponents on the right are also short of a majority.Latest reaction and analysisFull report Continue reading...

Bolivian president’s decision follows protests over disputed 20 October election resultThe Bolivian president, Evo Morales, is to call fresh elections after international monitors identified serious irregularities in the last vote and recommended a new ballot.The announcement comes after weeks of unrest over disputed election results, which escalated over the weekend as police forces joined anti-government protests, and the military said it would not “confront the people” who had taken to the streets. Continue reading...

A Senate inquiry into Newstart heard first-hand accounts of what life is like for some of Australia’s most vulnerable peopleSitting in a nondescript conference centre in Launceston, Deborah asked the senators in front of her to be patient.“You’ll have to excuse me,” she told them, her voice trembling. “I’ve never done this before and I’m extremely nervous.” Continue reading...

Man who spent nine weeks locked up inside Australian-funded centre in Port Moresby describes hunger, isolation and lack of legal supportAriobarzan endured six years of detention inside and outside the barbed wire on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island in the hope he would find a new life in Australia.But after nine weeks at the Bomana immigration centre, a Canberra-funded detention centre in Port Moresby, the Iranian asylum seeker has signed up to go home. Continue reading...

French youngster regains some leg movement, say family on GoFundMe pageThe six-year-old boy seriously injured after allegedly being thrown from the viewing platform of the Tate Modern art gallery in London, is now able to venture outside, his family said.

Parties clash over spending plans as Conservatives reveal ‘true cost of Corbyn’s Labour’

Founder of Cambodia National Rescue Party, charged with treason in 2017, cannot leave country or join political activitiesCambodia has freed a prominent opposition figure from house arrest more than two years after he was charged with treason, after attempts by his colleagues to return to the country were thwarted.Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and accused of plotting to overthrow the government of strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled since 1985. He was sent to a remote prison, then confined to his house and the surrounding block and prohibited from talking to the media. Continue reading...

Met Office issues yellow warning for showers across southern EnglandParts of the UK are bracing for further torrential rain on Saturday evening following flooding in northern England.The Met Office issued a yellow warning until 11.59pm for showers in Brighton, London, Oxford and Portsmouth, expected to cause disruption on bus and train services. Continue reading...

30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall the two teams have let go of the ghosts of the pastAndreas applied for papers to leave East Germany in 1986. After a three-year wait his request was granted in July 1989. “As a 24-year-old I was ready for the west,” he says. Like everyone else he had little idea what would happen in just four months’ time. I ask him where in the west he wanted to go. “To West Berlin,” he replies.On the eve of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Andreas’s team Berliner FC Dynamo is in west Berlin, playing away in a Regionalliga Nordost fixture in the German fourth division. Home to FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin, the Lichterfelde stadium is just 10 miles from the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in the north-east, where Berliner FC Dynamo plays. It’s easy to draw a line through the city from one ground to the other, but this is a Berlin derby that couldn’t have happened 30 years ago. Continue reading...

The fall of the iron curtain saw the market dominate. But environmental protection has become a significant rival beliefGeorge Smiley finally gets his man at the end of John le Carré’s Karla trilogy, but is far from jubilant as the Soviet spymaster defects from East to West Berlin. Reminded by a colleague that he has won his cold war battle, Smiley replies: “Did I? Yes. Yes, well, I suppose I did.”Smiley’s world-weariness was notable by its absence when the west finally claimed victory in the cold war 30 years ago this week. The Berlin Wall was a symbol of oppression. Its demolition was a euphoric moment. Continue reading...

How did a one-woman show at Edinburgh become a worldwide hit? As a book of the series is published, performers and writers ask her about inspiration, sex and guinea pigs Continue reading...

Before she died, my mother asked me to find a support group – but there were none for twentysomethings like me. Could I start my own?I arrived at the pub early and sent out an email: “I’m the girl in the white shirt and red lipstick!” Not long after that, a young woman, nervous and looking a little lost, appeared and asked: “Are you Rachel?” At first, the conversation was a little stilted, but it began to flow as we got on to common ground.If this sounds like a blind date, it wasn’t far off – except we weren’t searching for romance, and she wasn’t the only person looking for me. She was, in fact, the first of many to arrive that evening, and what had brought us all together was death, not romance. We were bereaved millennials who had lost someone close and discovered how little grief support exists for people our age. Continue reading...

Groups of officers in major cities join protests over disputed presidential election resultPolice in at least three Bolivian cities have declared mutinies and joined anti-government protests – a possible indication that parts of the security forces may be withdrawing their backing for President Evo Morales after weeks of unrest over disputed election results.Bolivia’s defence minister, Javier Zavaleta, said on Friday that no military action would be taken against the police involved for now and the government would not mobilise troops as tens of thousands of Bolivians took to the streets in cities across the country. Continue reading...

Bahareh Zare Bahari was subject of Interpol arrest warrant after criticising regimeThe Philippine government has granted asylum to an Iranian former beauty queen and critic of the Iranian regime after she was stranded for four weeks in an airport.Bahareh Zare Bahari was the subject of an Interpol “red notice” issued by Iran, resulting in her detention on 17 October when she attempted to enter the Philippines. She cited fears that she would be jailed or executed in Iran on politically motivated charges. Continue reading...

Irregularity known as Indian Ocean dipole bringing weather extremes across regionTwenty years ago in 1999 a new weather pattern was described for the first time. Now it has shifted up a gear and is causing devastation across east Africa.The Indian Ocean dipole, sometimes called the Indian El Niño, is an irregular oscillation in which the surface temperature of the sea is alternatively greater in the ocean’s west and its east. The positive phase, when it is warmer in the west, sees more rain in the west and greater chance of drought in the east. These are reversed in a negative phase. Continue reading...

Lance corporal reburied with full military honours in front of granddaughter after 1917 deathBut for a spoon and a “lightbulb” moment, Linda Cook would never have found her grandfather, who had been missing for 102 years.He was lying where he fell, gradually hidden then finally lost as shellfire exploded in the earth around him in a field near Lens, northern France. Continue reading...

PM says there will be no checks on goods going from Northern Ireland to rest of UK

Directors taking part in two UK film seasons believe separation is becoming more prevalentThirty years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, film-makers who documented life on either side say divides between communities are becoming more prevalent, from Brexit to tensions at the US-Mexico border.The subject of the Berlin Wall and its effect on East and West Germans is being explored in two film seasons: the Barbican’s Borders and Boundaries, and Home in Manchester’s Beyond the Berlin Wall, which focuses exclusively on female directors. Continue reading...

Libertines frontman was detained on Thursday night after police stopped a drugs transaction in Pigalle districtParis authorities report that British singer Pete Doherty has been arrested in Paris for allegedly buying cocaine.The Paris prosecutor’s office said the 40-year-old Libertines and Babyshambles frontman was placed in detention on Thursday night after being stopped by police during a drugs transaction. Continue reading...

Laura Kuenssberg’s definition of scatological phrase on Brexitcast confuses colleagues

Feminist bloc plans to build on role in protests that brought down prime minister

The tube photographs of Mike Goldwater, shot between 1970 and 1980, capture intimate private moments of tenderness and humour behind the hustle and bustle of the human traffic. Be transported back to a time when it was fine to talk (and smoke) on London’s underground

Returning infrastructure investment to 1970s levels may be undeliverable, says IFSLabour and the Conservatives have triggered a public spending bidding war, promising massive programmes of borrowing that will return public investment to levels last seen in the 1970s, according to Britain’s leading experts on the public finances.The Institute for Fiscal Studies said plans unveiled by Sajid Javid, the chancellor, and John McDonnell, his Labour shadow, would represent a decisive break with the past, but warned that a future government might have trouble delivering projects on the scale envisaged. Continue reading...

Judge’s landmark 2015 ruling declared Sandra, who was born in Germany and spent 25 years in Argentina, is a non-human personA 33-year-old orangutan granted legal personhood by a judge in Argentina is settling into new surroundings in central Florida.Related: Bones of ape living 12m years ago point to genesis of upright walking Continue reading...

French police officers have begun clearing more than 1,000 migrants and refugees from a makeshift camp in northern Paris, where they had been sleeping rough in squalid conditions for months. The move comes after the country’s centrist government set out Emmanuel Macron’s tougher stance on immigration this week and vowed to clear the camps

The Guardian’s Libby Brooks is reporting from the constituency of Stirling to find out what issues people there care about most – and he wants your helpThe Guardian will be reporting from Stirling next week ahead of the General Election, as part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters to the people who live there. For example, Scottish Tory MP Stephen is defending one of the smallest majorities in the UK, of just 148 votes, against high profile SNP candidate Alyn Smith. Will the contest be dominated by Brexit and independence or more local issues?If you live in Stirling, can you tell us what this has meant? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? Continue reading...

Shadow police minister says police interpretation of when a strip-search is justified is ‘very loose’The New South Wales opposition has called for a review of strip-search laws after revelations about the number of children being targeted by the controversial policing tactic.On Thursday, Labor’s shadow police minister, Lynda Voltz, said figures revealed by Guardian Australia this week showing police in New South Wales have strip-searched 122 girls, including two 12-year-olds, in the past three years demonstrated a need for an overhaul of the laws governing the practice. Continue reading...