Speculation over Hong Kong chief executive’s future comes as man whose murder case prompted the extradition bill is released from prisonChina reportedly has plans to replace Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, with an “interim” chief executive once protests have settled down.The news emerged as the murder suspect whose case prompted the original extradition bill that in turn sparked the protest movement in June was released from prison on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Malaysia and Indonesia are home to the oldest jungles in the world and produce more than 85% of the world’s palm oil. However, cultivation and production of the oil have caused deforestation, pollution, land degradation and human-wildlife conflict.Deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia has endangered the Borneo elephant, which depends on forest connectivity to survive, by isolating it from large foraging grounds. Now, some plantations are working with WWF-Malaysia to create ecological corridors to enable the animals to travel between forest patches Continue reading...

Farmers fear development of Cape Town’s Philippi urban farmlands could cost them their livelihoods and worsen the city’s already extreme food inequalityTell us: how have South African cities changed in the 25 years after apartheid?“Losing the Philippi Horticultural Area to development would be catastrophic,” says farmer Nazeer Sonday who has been fighting to protect this farmland in the heart of Cape Town for nearly a decade.“The area is key to the city’s climate resilience and resolution of its food crisis.”The coming months are critical. Last week, a court battle began which Sonday fears may determine not only his own future, but that of the most fertile agricultural land in South Africa. Continue reading...

Fire authorities warn residents to use advance notice of risk to prepare their survival plansEastern parts of Australia will experience their hottest October day in years on Thursday as forecasters warn temperatures could hit 16C above average in some areas as the risk of bushfires increases.The Bureau of Meteorology says southern parts of South Australia, west and central parts of New South Wales and much of Victoria and Tasmania will see temperatures peak well above average on Thursday. Continue reading...

It was a subculture shaped by communism, inspired by the west – and watched by the KGB. Now, a new documentary charts the movement’s charismatic leaders, conflicts and futureIn 1968, Aksel Lampmann was a teenager growing up in Soviet Estonia. That summer, he went to an international camp, where he met students from Czechoslovakia and began listening to the Beatles. He didn’t understand the lyrics (“No one spoke English back then”), but loved the sound. “We had no clue what they were singing about. What a strange vibration!”He learned guitar and grew his hair. By 1969, Lampmann had become a full-blown Soviet hippy. The iron curtain made a road trip to the US impossible, so he hitchhiked from his home in the Baltics to Crimea. “Our lives were more colourful, more alive,” he says. “Other people didn’t have the same encounters or emotions.” Continue reading...

General who has been accused of abuses is named in cabinet of Joko Widodo, against whom he ran for presidentThe Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has appointed as his defence minister his former bitter election rival Prabowo Subianto – an ex-army general accused of human rights abuses.Widodo announced his cabinet line-up on Wednesday having beaten Subianto in April’s general election. At least nine people died and more than 200 were injured due to riots in Jakarta following the fraught campaign, during which Subianto accused Widodo’s government of hosting a “massive, systematic and fraudulent” election. Continue reading...

Pressure is mounting in the west African country – recovering from 14 years of conflict – for a war-crimes tribunal to bring ‘closure’As a child in Liberia’s first civil war, Rustonlyn Dennis remembers seeing dead bodies in the street. In 1991, her immediate family managed to get out of the shattered capital, Monrovia, and survived, but a dozen relatives starved to death.Civilians were attacked, child soldiers recruited and ethnic groups were targeted in that war, setting a pattern for many of the wars that were to follow on the African continent. Hundreds of thousands of people died. Continue reading...

North Korean ruler demands makeover of joint resort, saying South Korean facilities are like ‘temporary buildings at construction sites’Kim Jong-un has ordered the demolition of “unpleasant-looking” South Korean facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort – a rare symbol of inter-Korean collaboration – and called for them to be replaced with “modern” buildings constructed by the North.The North’s ruler said it was a “mistake” for the resort, on the east coast, to be regarded as the common property of two Koreas given its location on North Korean soil, according to the state news agency KCNA. Continue reading...

Psychologists say crackdown has led to a rise in people seeking help for anxiety, stress and other issuesIt had been six weeks since Syed Ruhi, 19, saw her boyfriend, Ashfaq Ahmad, 25. They last met in his shop in the bustling town market in Pulwama. The atmosphere was tense: extra troops had just been deployed to Kashmir, and everyone suspected something might be about to happen. Continue reading...

Fire at convention centre that is still under construction sends thick smoke across New Zealand’s largest cityA massive fire at a convention centre building sitein Auckland was still spewing thick smoke across New Zealand’s largest city on Wednesday, 24 hours after it started.The fire had prompted an evacuation of SkyCity Entertainment Group’s entire complex, including hotels, casinos and restaurants when it erupted around lunchtime on Tuesday. “We’re hopeful the fire will be contained by tonight,” Graeme Stephens, SkyCity’s chief executive, told a news conference. Continue reading...

A woman was also injured when the pair fell from the flying fox at Cape TribulationA South Australian man has died and a woman is in hospital after they fell about 10 metres from a zipline in Queensland’s far north.The pair were believed to have been harnessed together when they fell from the flying fox run by Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours at Cape Tribulation about 2pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

UNHCR says children arriving in UK whose age is disputed likely to be denied servicesAge disputes are having a “devastating impact” on unaccompanied and separated refugee or asylum seeker children arriving in the UK, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned.Evidence from an assessment conducted by the UNHCR found disputes over a refugee or asylum seeker’s age impeded and delayed access to services and environments that can assist integration. Continue reading...

Bishop of Liverpool says he regrets that Archbishop Glenn Davies ‘seems to want to exclude people rather than to engage with them’A senior Church of England bishop has expressed regret at comments by the Archbishop of Sydney that supporters of marriage equality should leave the Anglican church.Reflecting sharp divisions within the global Anglican communion over LGBT+ issues, the Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, said: “I regret that the archbishop [of Sydney] seems to want to exclude people rather than to engage with them within the wider Anglican family.” Continue reading...

Parliament votes to reject government’s timetable for passage of bill that would implement Brexit deal

Exclusive: Property developer, who is being pursued for $140m by tax office, says allegations of political donations and being ‘agent of influence’ are fictionThe Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo has called the tax office a “despicable tool for political persecution” over its pursuit of an alleged unpaid $140m tax bill, saying “unknown dark forces” and an Australian “deep state” were conspiring against him.In a swingeing attack, the normally reclusive property developer – whose Australian permanent residency was cancelled on advice from Asio in December over fears of foreign political interference – condemned Australian politicians, government agencies and the media for what he described as their “amazingly synergized collaboration” in attacks on him. Continue reading...

PM fails to restrict scrutiny of bill to just three days in effort to meet 31 October deadlineBoris Johnson’s plan to fast-track his Brexit deal through parliament in time for next week’s 31 October deadline was blocked by MPs on Tuesday night, even after he threatened to pull it and press for a general election.The prime minister said he would speak to EU leaders and urge them not to agree to a prolonged Brexit extension after former Tory cabinet ministers Philip Hammond and Rory Stewart joined with Labour to inflict a humiliating defeat on the government. Continue reading...

Doug Oak, 35, was restrained while suffering an episode of acute behavioural disorderThe family of a company director who died after being restrained on a street by police while suffering acute behavioural disorder (ABD) have called for more training to be given on how to deal with people experiencing such a crisis.Doug Oak, 35, was restrained by officers with handcuffs and leg straps after being spotted behaving erratically and appearing terrified outside his parents’ home in Poole, Dorset. Continue reading...

Erdoğan hails agreement with Putin in which Kurdish fighters will be moved from border areaThe Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have agreed on the parameters of a proposed Turkish “safe zone” in Syria, a development that could bring an end to Ankara’s offensive against Kurdish forces over the border by severely curtailing their control of the area.The two leaders were locked in marathon talks for more than six hours in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, emerging just two hours before a five-day ceasefire brokered by the US expired at 10pm local time. Continue reading...

Footage passed to the Guardian by the freelance journalist Jonathan Franklin shows shots being fired at protesters on the streets of Chile's capital on Monday night. Armed men in masks fired at people defying a fourth night of curfew under martial law. The death toll on Tuesday morning stood at 15. The Chilean government claimed all those who died were looters, but there have been widespread allegations of brutality by the military.Chile is facing its worst unrest in three decades

PM faces landscape that will require skill to pass legislation – and rivals who could unseat his government on a whim

Couple’s interview about impact of press intrusion could ‘just feed media machine’The decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to agree to a highly emotional TV interview about their treatment at the hands of the press could open them up to further damaging headlines, according to PR experts and royal watchers.In the ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Harry appeared to give credence to long-standing rumours of a rift with William when he admitted the brothers had “good days and bad days” and that they were following different paths. Continue reading...

The prime minister did himself more damage in this contest than his opponent. While Justin Trudeau’s defeat of the Conservatives is welcome, closer scrutiny of his record is overdueFour years ago, Justin Trudeau promised his country “sunny ways”. This time there was no euphoria; simply relief, as the Liberals lost the popular vote but hung on as a minority government, just ahead of their Conservative rivals. It was a victory, but no triumph. This election was Mr Trudeau’s to lose – and he almost did.He rose to power as a young, charismatic idealist, cloaked in the aura of his father Pierre, the long-serving prime minister. He appointed a gender-balanced and racially diverse cabinet. While his Conservative predecessor pulled the country out of the Kyoto protocol, he pledged decisive climate action. He welcomed tens of thousands of refugees as others shut their doors. The economy has boomed. His record looked even better when Donald Trump entered the White House. Continue reading...

Campaigners gather outside Vatican as church struggles with shortage of priestsCampaigners have gathered in Rome to call for the lifting of a ban on female priests that would “save the Catholic Church” where it is failing to ordain enough men.Activists from the Women’s Ordination Worldwide (Wow) group protested outside the Vatican on Tuesday as the church’s hierarchy pondered the idea of allowing married men in the Amazon to become priests in order to plug the shortage in the region. Continue reading...

PM faces down MPs pushing for concessions to prevent no deal before agreeing to timetable

Politicians from both sides have railed against the practice but there is no ban in the federal sphereMore than a decade ago, in the relatively benign setting of the ACT’s local parliament, a politician stood up to deliver a stirring speech on what he described as an “insidious undermining” of democracy.He spoke of a deep imbalance in the political process. One that allowed governments to misuse and weaponise their access to the vast public resources of the state to boost their own political prospects. Continue reading...

Government accused of not doing enough to help children whose parents joined IsisA Foreign Office minister said there was no official estimate of how many British children were trapped in Syria during a testing Commons debate in which politicians of all sides accused the government of not doing enough to help.Andrew Murrison told MPs the government was seeking to repatriate orphans and unaccompanied children, but was not in a position to confirm estimates released on Monday by Save the Children that at least 60 children needed assistance. Continue reading...

Protesters set fire to electoral offices in three cities across the country late on Monday amid fury over allegations of vote-riggingBolivians are bracing for further protests after the country’s electoral authorities said that Evo Morales was close to winning an outright victory in his bid for a historic fourth term as president.Amid widespread fury over allegations of vote-rigging, violent skirmishes broke out late on Monday, as protesters set fire to electoral offices in three cities across the country. Continue reading...

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...