Indonesia’s Citarum is relied upon by millions, but decades of pollution have choked it with chemicals and rubbish

Holgate says she regrets that decision to give watches ‘caused so much debate and distraction’; Deb Frecklington quits as Queensland LNP leader; and Christian Porter flags plan for federal integrity commission

Minority ethnic network urges Holyrood to ‘do things differently’ and extend support

Trial judge to deliver long-awaited ruling online in case between actor and the Sun newspaper

The non-binary photographer chronicles the harsh realities of life for LGBTQ+ people in a hostile country. Ahead of a major Tate show, the artist reveals why ‘just existing is political’Amid the plethora of essays in the catalogue for Zanele Muholi’s forthcoming retrospective at Tate Modern, there is a moving testimony by Lungile Dladla, a South African lesbian. Entitled I Am Not a Victim but a Victor, it recounts how, on an evening in February 2010, she and a friend were accosted by an armed stranger, who ushered them into a field and ordered them to lie face down with their hands behind their backs.“We did as told,” she writes, “because we feared for our lives as he had a gun in his hand and threatened to use it if we did not do as he said. He undressed us and said, ‘Today ngizoni khipha ubutabane.’” (“Today I will rid you of this gayness.”) Continue reading...

Exclusive: Liz Truss urged to sign off deals quickly to spare African states high tariffs once Brexit transition period endsThe Labour party has urged the UK trade secretary, Liz Truss, to end delays over rollover deals with Kenya and Ghana to prevent them being slapped with high tariffs when the UK leaves the EU on 1 January.Negotiations with Kenya and Ghana have yet to be signed off with only nine weeks to go before the UK’s transition deal with the EU comes to an end, when import charges would be imposed on goods worth £2.6bn from the African countries. Continue reading...

Fears president will declare himself a winner prematurely amid ongoing legal challenges in some statesWelcome to today’s US election briefing for Australia.If this were a normal presidential campaign, you might expect the final days to be about polling, last-minute trips to swing states and the candidates’ closing pitch to voters. But this isn’t a normal presidential campaign, obviously. Continue reading...

Buckland in the Moor, Devon: An unpromising wheat harvest results in scruffy raw material for thatchers this year, but looks aren’t everythingIt began life as a cow shed. The low building at the edge of St Peter’s Church in Buckland in the Moor looks unremarkable enough – rough granite walls, a simple roof of Devon wheat – yet it is believed to be the only surviving thatched vestry in the country.I am here to repair the roof. The church treasurer, Patrick Watson, shows me inside to inspect the damp around the chimney; he explains that the building probably began its second life as a vestry in the second half of the 19th century. We shine our torches up on to crooked hazel battens and a basecoat (underlayer) of wheat as old as the building. Continue reading...

Restitutions committee members have links to the Stedelijk Museum, which houses the Kandinsky workA Jewish family, suing for the return of a €20m (£18m) painting by Wassily Kandinsky obtained by Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, has accused an official advisory committee of bias after ruling against them.Lawyers acting for the heirs to Robert Lewenstein, who fled for France in 1940, told an Amsterdam court there was an “appearance of partiality and a conflict of interest” within the Netherlands’ restitutions committee, which advises on the return of art lost by Jewish families during the second world war. Continue reading...

Tourists can return to crumbling resort in northern Cyprus – but Turkey’s involvement has caused angerPavlos Iakovou was 17 when he met his wife, Tuolla, at the Edelweiss cafe in Famagusta, the fashionable Cypriot holiday resort where his family owned a hotel. Last week, the couple returned to some of their old haunts in the abandoned quarter of Varosha, or Maraş in Turkish, for the first time in 46 years.Sealed off as a militarised zone and untouched since 1974, when Turkey invaded following a Greek coup, the decaying slice of 1970s glamour is now open again to visitors – Greek Cypriots included. Continue reading...

Volcanic mudflows bury houses before powerful winds weaken as storm blows towards ManilaA powerful super typhoon has slammed into the eastern Philippines, killing at least 10 people and causing volcanic mudflows to bury houses before weakening as it blew towards Manila, where the capital’s main airport was shut down, according to officials.Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn on Sunday with sustained winds of 140mph (225km/h) and gusts of 174mph. It was heading west towards densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon last week that left at least 22 people dead. Continue reading...

Bookshop.org, which launched in the US earlier this year, has accelerated UK plans and goes online this week in partnership with more than 130 shops

Journalist was reportedly admitted to hospital after suffering a suspected strokeThe veteran British foreign correspondent Robert Fisk has died at the age of 74.The journalist and author was reportedly admitted to St Vincent’s hospital in Dublin after becoming unwell on Friday. A source at the Independent, where Fisk was Middle East correspondent, confirmed the news of his death. Continue reading...

Monday: US president on final campaign sprint as positive poll in Iowa has Democrats rattled. Plus: Annastacia Palaszczuk’s historic winGood morning, this is Imogen Dewey bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 2 November. Continue reading...

Labour leader says his predecessor should ‘reflect’ on comments about antisemitism

Britain will also ‘not negotiate to remove ban’ on hormone-fed beef in post-Brexit trade dealThe government has finally vowed not to allow chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef on British supermarket shelves, defying demands from the US that animal welfare standards be lowered as part of a future trade deal.The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, and the environment minister, George Eustice, have also revealed the government will be putting the recently established trade and agriculture commission on a statutory footing with a new amendment to the agriculture bill. Continue reading...

Total of six people taken in for questioning over knife attack at basilica that killed threeFrench police investigating the terrorist attack in Nice have arrested three more men, bringing to six the number of people taken in for questioning.A 29-year-old Tunisian man was arrested on Saturday at Grasse. Later two other men aged 63 and 25 were taken in for questioning from the same address. They join two men aged 33 and 35 picked up on Saturday and a 47-year-old still being held since Thursday. Continue reading...

An election victory in Queensland was always predicted to be close. It relied on bringing together voters on all sides of some of Australia’s most divisive issues: climate change, mining and state borders during the pandemic. Annastacia Palaszczuk overcame expectations and looks set to bring in a majority Labor government. How did she do it?You can read Ben Smee’s piece on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s victory here Continue reading...

Exclusive: charities report influx of middle-income families during Covid pandemic

Latest updates: Cabinet Office minister says easing depends on R value coming down; Labour leader says schools should stay open

Gathering at Grand Palace follows months of protests calling for reform of monarchyThousands of royalists have thronged to Bangkok’s Grand Palace for a glimpse of the Thai king, in a massive show of support after months of protests calling for an overhaul of the government and reform of the monarchy.King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, his influence permeating every aspect of society. But the once-unassailable institution has faced an unprecedented challenge from a growing pro-democracy movement, with calls for reforms including an end to draconian royal defamation laws. Continue reading...

Critics say figures much higher than official tallies, but Putin has ruled out new lockdown

System formed in the Caribbean and tied record for most named storms in a single Atlantic hurricane seasonForecasters said they expected the newly-formed Tropical storm Eta to become a hurricane by Monday, shortly after the system formed in the Caribbean and tied the record for most named storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season.Related: Is climate change making hurricanes worse? Continue reading...

Government backs down on demands for fare increases in significant win for Sadiq Khan

More than 2.5 million Slovaks took swab tests on Saturday, with 25,850 testing positive

The giant land is the only place on Earth not touched by Covid. A British team is on a mission to protect it while also doing vital researchThis week, 40 men and women will emerge from quarantine and board the Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross as it prepares to sail from Harwich in Essex to the South Atlantic. Their mission is straightforward. They will attempt to salvage scientific operations in Antarctica while also keeping it Covid-free.The continent is the only place on Earth that is still untouched by the pandemic – though keeping the virus at bay there has come at a cost. All major research projects in the Antarctic have been halted. As a result, no senior British scientist will have embarked on a mission to the continent this year for the first time in decades. Continue reading...

Laeek Khan alleges he was duped by pair who even pretended to conjure up a genie

Fears of civil unrest grow as people across the continent no longer trust leaders to protect them during the crisis

Several note Boris Johnson’s sharp ‘u-turn’ on the month-long restrictions starting on Thursday, while others say it’s needed to save the NHS

Peer warns racial profiling is thwarting measures to boost diversity of force in BritainAttempts to recruit more black police officers are being made “10 times” harder by the racial profiling by police, according to experts behind a government-funded recruitment programme.Lord Woolley, former chair of the government’s Race Disparity Unit, said that recruitment was being compromised by the continued criminalisation of young black men for minor crimes, such as cannabis possession, and the racial disproportionality of measures like stop and search. Continue reading...

Coup 53, which charts MI6’s role in the shah’s restoration, has been blocked by makers of an 1985 show, who say it sullies their namesCoup 53 was heralded by critics this summer as a “powerful and authoritative” documentary “as gripping as any thriller”, and judged by historians as crucial to understanding Britain’s relationship with the Middle East.Made over 10 years by Walter Murch, the celebrated editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, in collaboration with the Anglo-Iranian director Taghi Amirani, it tells the story of covert British intervention in Iran after the second world war and stars Ralph Fiennes, left, as an MI6 spy in a reconstruction of a key incident. Continue reading...

Authorities report four deaths, power outages, flash floods and infrastructure damage as the strongest storm this year passes over main island

The Scottish actor enjoyed a long and varied career but will for ever be associated with the role of James BondSean Connery, one of Britain’s greatest screen stars, has died at the age of 90. The Scottish actor, forever linked with the role of James Bond and regularly saluted as the best to play the famous part, was mourned by the entertainment industry and his many fans on Saturday as the news broke.Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said she was “heartbroken” to learn of the loss of the actor, also one of the most prominent campaigners for an independent Scotland: “Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons. Sean was born into a working-class Edinburgh family and, through talent and sheer hard work, became an international film icon and one of the world’s most accomplished actors.” Continue reading...

Multiple award-winning Scottish actor best known for 007 role in seven spy films

Labor holds on to regional Queensland seats and strengthens grip on south-east of state in result that could see increased majorityAnnastacia Palaszczuk says she is confident Labor has won a clear majority in Queensland, and she becomes the first woman in the nation’s history to win three consecutive elections.The foundation of Labor’s state election victory was a defence of regional Queensland seats that were considered vulnerable after voters in those same areas swung behind the Coalition at the 2019 federal election. Continue reading...

PM likely to announce national lockdown as scientist says coronavirus is ‘running riot’

Jeanise Jones, 62, was unaware she was participating in comedy film while mentoring Borat’s fictional daughterSacha Baron Cohen, who stars in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, has donated $100,000 (£77,000) to the church of a woman who was featured in his comedy film believing it was a real documentary.Jeanise Jones, 62, thought she had been recruited by her place of worship, Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, to mentor Tutar, Borat’s fictional daughter who came to the US with him from Kazakhstan. But Jones didn’t find out until the film was released on Amazon Prime last week that Tutar was an actor and the man believed to be her father, Borat, was actually Baron Cohen. Continue reading...

She doesn’t believe in a stiff upper lip, or pretending – unless it’s for work. The actor talks about her split with Tim Burton, friendship with Johnny Depp, and playing the Queen’s sisterDing-dong, it’s the doorbell. And look who’s standing on my rain-sodden doorstep, it’s Helena Bonham Carter. In her stompy, clumpy boots and dark floral ruffled dress, curls piled on top of her head, she looks so exactly herself – which is to say, like a Victorian goth drawn in charcoal – that she could be an actor playing a character playing Helena Bonham Carter. Which, to a certain degree, she is.“I love dressing up and creating myself, as it were, according to the day and the mood. But it’s an illusion, because then the Daily Mail photographs you, and you see it and think, that wasn’t what I meant at all,” she says as we walk into my kitchen and I compliment her outfit. Her fashion sense – invariably described as quirky (“God, quirky,” she says, as if repeating a doctor’s fatal diagnosis) – has made her a favourite of the paparazzi, and photos of her mooching around London in her distinctive outfits have been a staple of the tabloids for several decades. Does she ever think, “I’ll dress normcore today – that’ll throw off the paps”? Continue reading...

Annual spend up £50m driven by multipacks and ‘sharing bars’, but smaller bars declineSpending on chocolate has soared by £50m year on year, powered by sales of chocolate bars bought in supermarkets to eat at home.The increase in sales of multipacks and large “sharing bars” has offset a dip in sales of single bars, often impulse buys to eat on the go, from newsagents and other outlets. Continue reading...

Raphael Fernandez and Fanos Panayides used social media to accuse Ahmed Hassan of pretending to contract coronavirus to spread fearTwo conspiracy theorists who claimed a Victorian youth leader pretended to contract Covid-19 as part of a deal with the premier, Daniel Andrews, to spread fear about the pandemic have been forced to apologise.Raphael Fernandez and Fanos Panayides posted public apologies to Ahmed Hassan on Friday after posting several videos in July that accused him of being a Covid-19 “crisis actor”. Continue reading...

Drone footage captured buildings reduced to piles of rubble in the Turkish city of İzmir on Friday after a strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea, setting off tidal waves which slammed into coastal areas and islands. Search and rescue operations continued at 17 collapsed or damaged buildings, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said.

Opposition dismisses John Magufuli’s landslide victory as a ‘travesty’Tanzania’s president, John Magufuli, has won re-election, the national electoral commission said on Friday, after a contest that has been dismissed by the opposition as a “travesty” due to widespread irregularities.Magufuli received 12.5m votes in Wednesday’s presidential ballot, while his main challenger, Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party, received 1.9m votes, the commission said. Continue reading...

Security council resolution that many feared would weaken human rights is rejected by UK, US and other statesAttempts by Russia to introduce a UN security council resolution, which activists said would have unravelled the rights of women in conflict have failed as 10 countries abstained on a crucial vote on Friday.The UK, US, Germany and France were among the abstaining member states, which meant the resolution did not gain the nine votes required to pass. Continue reading...

Coronavirus didn’t kill the culture wars, it only sent them into a momentary recessWhen Covid-19 hit, I’d been wondering for a long time what glued together the disparate positions of the religious right in Australia: for deregulation yet also massive taxpayer subsidy; for free enterprise yet also against the free movement of labour; for the equality of all freedoms as long as one, religion, is more equal than others; for “our children’s future” yet also against climate science.During the coronavirus crisis, the patterns began to repeat: divergent positions coalescing under an intellectually amorphous but readily identifiable tribal banner. What unified that tribe was, for want of a better word, a contrarianism, what impolite adherents might call an “up yours” to political correctness. Continue reading...

Deaths doubling every six days in Belgium despite already tough restrictions

Exclusive: ex-party chair says fear of Starmer ‘purge’ may lead to MPs sitting as independentsLabour MPs who support Jeremy Corbyn have discussed resigning from the parliamentary party and sitting as independents amid fears that Keir Starmer could lead a “mass purge” of the left, an ally of the former leader has warned.As senior party figures called for calm following Labour’s suspension of Corbyn on Thursday for saying the party’s antisemitism problem had been overstated, Ian Lavery said there are fears that the move was a “war cry” that could force some MPs to leave. Continue reading...

Silva, 44, had lived in France for three decades and worked as carer for elderly people

People across the continent are embracing a range of pursuits in an effort to stay healthy and in good spirits

Same-sex couples say hotels make excuses to turn them away despite 2018 law changeIn May this year, at the height of the coronavirus’s first wave, two gay men living together in Amagasaki, western Japan, thought they would ease the boredom of the country’s soft lockdown with a visit to a love hotel, where couples pay for short stays to have sex.But rather than the carefree time they had anticipated, the couple, in their mid-30s, did not even get as far as the door to their room. Continue reading...