The United States remains the top power in the region but China is on track to match it by the end of this decade, the Asia Power Index saysThe United States remains the top power in the Indo-Pacific but has suffered the biggest relative fall in its standing in the region over the past year, partly because of the loss of prestige over the mishandling of Covid-19, according to the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index.Releasing the latest annual results on Monday, the Australia-based foreign policy thinktank said while China’s standing had stalled, the rising power remained in second place and was believed to be on track to match the US by the end of this decade. Continue reading...

Changes in welfare payments since the 1990s have led to a dramatic change in the typical jobseeker, who is now most likely to be a woman aged over 50. Those on the unemployment benefit were given a boost during the pandemic when the rate was doubled but now face an uncertain future. Luke Henriques-Gomes reports on how people are copingYou can read Luke Henriques-Gomez’s feature on how jobseeker has become a pre-pension for older women here. And you can read more of his reporting on welfare and inequality here. Continue reading...

Nation mourns Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in a terrorist attack on Friday

Britain’s first black archbishop has not been given Lords seat though his predecessor wasThe government has been accused of “institutional prejudice” for failing to give an automatic peerage to John Sentamu, the former archbishop of York.Sentamu’s successor, Stephen Cottrell, who was enthroned as the 98th archbishop of York on Sunday, tweeted that he was “disturbed to find out today whether it be through negligence or intent my predecessor @Sentamu has not been given the peerage that has been the custom for many years. I trust this will soon be rectified.” Continue reading...

Feline geoglyph from 200-100BC emerges during work at Unesco world heritage siteThe dun sands of southern Peru, etched centuries ago with geoglyphs of a hummingbird, a monkey, an orca – and a figure some would dearly love to believe is an astronaut – have now revealed the form of an enormous cat lounging across a desert hillside.The feline Nazca line, dated to between 200BC and 100BC, emerged during work to improve access to one of the hills that provides a natural vantage point from which many of the designs can be seen. Continue reading...

Overlooked between north and south, locals want to know when their long purgatory will come to an endMezmin Malida’s neighbours have been wondering what she’s up to for a while now. Seven days a week, several times a day, they see her load up every crevice of a BMW with mysterious bin liners and boxes until the pile looks like it might topple into the driver’s seat, and then head off into Leicester and return a few hours later having got rid of the lot. Also, they ask themselves, why do the police keep coming round?There’s nothing for them to worry about. Malida, 39, is a trustee of Rosemina’s Outreach Project, and a one-woman Deliveroo for Leicester’s most vulnerable people as they wait out a crisis that feels like it will never end. (She also does community support work with the police, which explains the visits.) Continue reading...

Immediate shopping spree is unlikely after end to military sanctions despite US protestsIranian officials have hailed the lifting of a 13-year UN arms embargo on their military as a momentous day, claiming they were once again free to buy and sell conventional weapons in an effort to strengthen their country’s security.The embargo was lifted on Sunday morning despite US protests and was in line with the five-year timetable set out in the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015. Continue reading...

Documents reveal UAE president owns multibillion-pound property portfolio spanning London’s most expensive neighbourhoodsThe row of 1960s-built houses with untidy gardens on a quiet cul-de-sac near Richmond upon Thames appears to have little in common with Ecuador’s red-brick embassy in Knightsbridge, where Julian Assange spent seven years in hiding, just across the road from Harrods. Continue reading...

Legendary sambista Moacyr Luz spent much of the pandemic confined to his beachside home but is resuming his weekly jam sessions as lockdown curbs easeIt has been seven months since Moacyr Luz, one of Brazil’s most celebrated sambistas, sat down before a live audience in the city his songs serenade.As Covid-19 shook Luz’s homeland, killing more than 150,000 and infecting millions, it also wreaked havoc on Rio’s signature sound, with all shows scrapped, carnival postponed until a vaccine is found and several cherished samba proponents among the dead. Continue reading...

After securing a historic election victory, the New Zealand prime minister was asked about the world leaders who sent her congratulations. 'I have had a few lovely messages. Scott Morrison ... I've had the prime minister of Denmark, Pedro Sánchez from Spain. Of course, Boris Johnson reached out as well.' When asked about whether Donald Trump had been in touch, she replied: ' I don't tend to have those direct communications with the president of the United States'

The Militant tendency emerged here amid the ravages of economic decline. A new self-confidence is helping the city face its latest testThere’s little that’s modest about Liverpool. As cities go, it’s a glorious show-off – one knockout building after another inviting you to take an admiring look.Which makes it deeply sad then, unnatural even, to walk along its handsome waterfront – mid-afternoon, late last week – and meet barely a soul to admire the view. The river walk is made for a Liverpudlian passeggiata, for the craic and the lovely thrum of city life. Instead, only the skateboarders were out – Covid-19 with its power to empty our city streets has been a boon for them, if no one else. Continue reading...

Authorities upgraded the fire to ‘watch and act’ level, but say the blaze is under control and no homes are under threatA hazard reduction burn around North Head on Sydney’s northern beaches which jumped containment lines has prompted the evacuation of nearby residents.New South Wales police said in a statement on Saturday that commercial premises and residential properties around North Head had been evacuated. Continue reading...

Casualties reported after Armenia says it was shelled twice, while Azerbaijan says mortars and artillery were used against itArmenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Sunday of violating a new humanitarian ceasefire in fighting over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, hours after it was agreed.The truce reached on Saturday came into force at midnight after a week-old Russian-brokered ceasefire failed to halt what has been the worst fighting in the South Caucasus since the 1990s. Continue reading...

Manchester is in revolt, Wales is restricting movement and Liverpool is furious … Boris Johnson’s ‘one nation’ pledge is failingAfter six days of difficult and largely fruitless discussions with Downing Street, tempers were fraying among Greater Manchester council leaders and MPs on Thursday morning.In a meeting at 9am between the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham, and local government chiefs, the leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Allen Brett told his colleagues he was so fed up with London that he wanted to make his feelings clear to Edward Lister, the prime minister’s close adviser, with whom the group was preparing to open yet another online discussion at 9.30am. Continue reading...

A mass stabbing in Glasgow in June revealed the plight of asylum seekers crammed into hotels during lockdownOn the last Friday of June, at about midday, Badreddin Abadlla Adam left his room at the Park Inn hotel in Glasgow, walked down to reception, and stabbed six people. The 28-year-old, an asylum seeker from Sudan who had been placed in the hotel as part of the UK government’s emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic, stabbed and seriously injured three other residents, two staff members and a policeman who arrived on the scene. Adam was shot dead by armed officers shortly afterwards.The incident, which took place as Scotland was still under stringent lockdown, was initially reported by some media outlets as a potential terrorist attack, although police later dismissed this explanation. It was immediately seized on by rightwing activists, to claim that the country was threatened by an influx of “illegal” immigrants. Continue reading...

New Zealand overwhelmingly embraced Jacinda Ardern’s Labour, leaving Judith Collins’ party in the wildernessJudith Collins had a spring in her step and a high-beam smile when she appeared for reporters the day after a New Zealand election that delivered a landslide victory to her opponent, Jacinda Ardern of Labour – the country’s most popular leader of modern times.“I’m feeling really good,” she said. “Woke up today, the sun was shining.” Continue reading...

Retailers urge customers to avoid the Christmas rush, while investing in hygiene measures to keep them Covid safe

Caliphate, an insider’s story of Isis, caused a sensation. But with its credibility in doubt, questions are raised about the mediaBen Smith of the New York Times is not known for pulling his punches. The former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, who revealed the dossier on suspicions that the Kremlin held kompromat on Donald Trump, is on a new beat – the US media.Smith’s most recent column was a bombshell, his target the practices of his own employer as well as one of its brightest stars, Rukmini Callimachi, an award-winning correspondent who covered the rise and fall of Islamic State. Continue reading...

The home secretary’s rhetoric targeting the legal profession continued despite warnings that it led to violenceHome secretary Priti Patel ignored warnings from at least two senior colleagues to stop targeting immigration lawyers after a knifeman threatened to kill a solicitor last month in an attack linked to her rhetoric, the Observer can reveal.Lord chancellor Robert Buckland and attorney general Suella Braverman intervened after the attack to tell Patel that her targeting of the legal profession was already believed to have inspired an incident that might have left a solicitor dead. Continue reading...

Sixty-four-year-old vows never to give up fighting, even as she describes forced confessions and detention without trialAn elderly woman who disappeared midway through Hong Kong’s democracy protests last year has resurfaced in the financial hub after 14 months away, saying she had been detained on the Chinese mainland.Alexandra Wong said on Saturday she was forced to renounce her activism in writing, record a video statement saying she was not tortured, and sent on a “patriotic tour” of the country’s north. Continue reading...

Exhibition at British Museum features newly finished Sakha sculptureAncient mammoth tusk is a seriously niche material to work in, but there is one place where the skills and carving techniques involved are still passed down the generations.A major new British Museum exhibition, Arctic: Culture and Climate, which starts this week in London, will feature an extraordinary piece of “very rare” sculpture, one that details an arcane ritual and has been completed in collaboration with the Sakha people of north-eastern Russia. Continue reading...

The murder of a Parisian teacher underlines the need to stand up for free speechThe details are still emerging, but the horror is clear – the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, in Paris, apparently in response to his using Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a classroom discussion on free speech.After such attacks there are always claims that “free speech isn’t worth it”. Hardly had news begun filtering out about the 2015 Charlie Hebdo murders than there were suggestions that the cartoonists had brought it on themselves. The same will no doubt happen again. Continue reading...

The big players should look to their own history of occupation before they criticise smaller nations in the south CaucasusI write as an academic and Anglo-Armenian. Your coverage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh gave a graphic account of the horrors on the ground (“Fresh Azerbaijani shelling shatters peace after fragile ceasefire agreed”, World, and “Putin faces grave dangers in Russia’s ‘near abroad”, editorial). This dispute pits territory (legally Azerbaijan’s) against ethnicity (the enclave of 150,000 is 90% Armenian). To spare civilians (and military personnel) from all sides, I would urge the EU and/or UN to immediately deploy peacekeepers along the line of contact (as was done in Kosovo), so that a diplomatic settlement can be worked towards.It seems to me that there is gross hypocrisy among the various stakeholders: Armenia is accused of illegally occupying land while, it says, it is protecting a persecuted minority. This is the same argument successfully deployed by Turkey (illegally occupying north Cyprus for nigh on 50 years) and the same could be argued for Britain occupying the Falklands, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and South Ossetia in Georgia and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Either all of these occupations in defence of (alleged) persecuted minorities are valid and should stand or they are all invalid and all should immediately withdraw from occupied territories. The only reason why Armenia is being steered towards handing back NK/Artsakh is that this is a small (3 million population), relatively poor country with limited political clout.

David Rothkopf has all a good Trump reporter requires. Sixteen days out from the election, his book is a bracing readOne of the most important qualities a good reporter can have is a very low threshold for outrage. Useful, critical coverage of your subject becomes impossible once nonchalance or indifference has inured you to scandal.Related: Wide Awakes: the Lincoln-era youth movement inspiring anti-Trump protests Continue reading...

Rallies expected across country in defiant reaction to beheading of Samuel Paty after showing pupils controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoonsShocked French teachers vowed to continue encouraging their pupils’ “critical spirit” by raising contested subjects after an Islamic terrorist beheaded a secondary school teacher who showed his students caricatures of the Prophet as part of a freedom of speech discussion.Representatives of teaching unions met the education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer and the prime minister Jean Castex on Saturday, hours after the death of 47-year-old history and geography teacher Samuel Paty. Continue reading...

Prime minister says she will be ready to form a government in two to three weeks as New Zealanders enjoy return to normal life

Nine French cities now under month-long curfew; European cases rise 44% in a week; resistance to lockdowns in UK

Jacinda Ardern says case is an example of the system working, as Dr Ashley Bloomfield urges continued vigilance

Melbourne to resume real estate auctions and reopen hairdressers and outdoor sporting facilities as state records two new cases• Follow the live blog

Supporters jubilant after defying poor early polls and gaining first electorate win since 1999The mood at the election headquarters of New Zealand’s Green party was triumphal, almost as though the party had won the election outright. The election result was everything they hoped for and perhaps more than they expected.Just a few weeks ago, polls had the party below the 5% threshold that would trigger proportional representation and deliver it to parliament if none of its candidates won an electorate seat. Continue reading...

Alan Tudge says Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, did not object to interstate travel when New Zealand bubble was arrangedThe acting federal immigration minister, Alan Tudge has blamed the Victorian government for not restricting interstate travel, after a group of international travellers were allowed to fly from their “travel bubble” into locked down Melbourne.A group of 17 New Zealanders flew into Sydney as part of the newly formed international travel arrangements between Aotearoa and participating Australian jurisdictions. Continue reading...

Here are the current coronavirus hotspots in New South Wales and what to do if you’ve visited them

Steven Gallant has sentence reduced as a result of ‘exceptionally brave actions’The Queen has granted a pardon to the murderer who helped disrupt the London Bridge terror attack by confronting Usman Khan with a narwhal tusk while on day release.Steven Gallant, who was praised for risking his life to stop the attack, has been granted the royal prerogative of mercy, an extremely rare case of absolution for a convicted murderer. Continue reading...

From food banks to youth clubs, the C of E hosts 35,000 projects. Now a price has been put on its contributionSixteen years ago, St Stephen’s church in Bradford was on the verge of closure. Its congregation had dwindled to half a dozen, and the building – a “big old barn of a place”, in a predominantly Muslim area – was in poor repair. “People thought it had had its day,” said the Rev Jimmy Hinton.Now, St Stephen’s is a vital hub, providing support and activities in an area of acute deprivation. The nave has been cleared of its pews, and heating has been installed. On a typical day, you might find an exercise class, a support group for asylum seekers and refugees, community meals being cooked and served, singing and stories for infants, mosaic-making, and people hunting for jobs or claiming benefits online. Continue reading...

Chief minister Andrew Barr and the Greens leader Shane Rattenbury to discuss minority governmentThe ACT chief minister Andrew Barr and the Greens leader Shane Rattenbury are set for talks this week on minority government, following Saturday’s election.Labor and the Greens are set to hold talks this week on forming another minority government in the ACT, with the minor party seeking a policy “reset”. Continue reading...

Even a once bullish PM is now not so optimistic but there are promising signs of a vaccine on the horizon

Islamic State West Africa Province fighters fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, sources sayJihadists linked to the Islamic State group have killed 14 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on an army base, military sources have said.Two sources told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity that fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group had attacked the base in Jakana on Friday evening, firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Continue reading...

Changes can arise out of this uneasy pause in the world right now, but whether it is bent towards greater authority or greater equality is up for grabs

The men and women who come from the Pacific to pick fruit and vegetables often do so at a high personal cost. These are some of their storiesWe first started reporting for this story in early 2019. Back then the plan was to meet the people coming to Australia every year, for up to nine months at a time, to pick Australia’s produce. What were they sacrificing to do so, and why?In 18 months the story changed dramatically. When Covid-19 shut Australia’s borders and grounded global flights, the seasonal worker program was thrown into disarray. Long months passed and Australia’s borders stayed closed, an economic nightmare loomed, and the harvest seasons rolled in – with few people around to pick the fruit. Continue reading...

Police use of water cannon fires up more demonstrators on streets of capital and other citiesTens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Bangkok and other Thai cities on Saturday, defying a crackdown against a pro-democracy movement that has challenged both the king and the prime minister.Youth-led rallies have spread across Thailand over recent months, with protesters making public demands for reform of the country’s monarchy, which is protected by a harsh lese-majesty law and which, until recently, was considered untouchable. They have also called for changes to the constitution, and the resignation of the prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who first came to power during the 2014 coup. Continue reading...

Anger continues to grow despite notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad being dispandedMore than 10,000 demonstrators flocked on to the streets of Nigeria’s capital city to join mounting protests against police brutality. Protesters clogged roads, bringing the centre of Lagos, the usually traffic-filled economic hub, to a standstill.Many brandished the green-and-white Nigerian flag as they filled a major stretch of highway in the city of 20 million people. Continue reading...

Show of support near Folkestone turned ugly after up to 50 protesters chanted racist messagesMore than 200 people gathered outside a former military barracks housing asylum seekers near Folkestone, to counter rising far-right activity against migrants.Far-right protesters clashed with the police around midday on Saturday as they encircled the refugee supporters with vans. After the welcome event, around 50 protesters brandishing St George’s and the British flags marched while chanting racist messages. Continue reading...

As if coronavirus were not enough, the ogre of a no deal lurks•You can buy your own copy of this cartoon Continue reading...

Andy Burnham denies meeting has been arranged to end deadlock over financial aid package

DS Nick Bailey says he ‘can no longer do the job’ despite trying hard to ‘make it work’The police officer who almost died after he was exposed to novichok during the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 has announced he is quitting the force.DS Nick Bailey, who came into contact with the nerve agent when he and two colleagues searched the Salisbury home of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, said he was leaving Wiltshire police after 18 years because he “can no longer do the job”. Continue reading...

New Zealanders give Labour more votes than at any other election in past five decades

While New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, waited for election results that would lead to the Labour party securing a historic landslide victory, her partner, Clarke Gayford, delivered home-cooked "fish sliders and venison bites" to journalists outside their home.Gayford served up food during the 2017 election and said he wasn't going to do the same this year, but said it was a good excuse 'to sneak out and go fishing'.

What are the forces at play as the end of the Brexit transition period looms?British fishing communities have felt that they were sacrificed at the time of the British negotiations to join the European Economic Community 50 years ago. Continue reading...

People in England and Wales reported notifications that did not match government guidance for their areas

Jacinda Ardern condemns divisive elections during victory speech, saying polls 'don’t need to tear people apart'. Ger words were interpreted as a veiled allusion to the divisive US election, due to take place in two weeks.The Labour party secured a landslide victory with its best result in five decades after Ardern emphasised kindness and cooperation during her first term, and told voters she needed a second term to deliver on her promises of transformational change