which is something that is not meant to happen in this country. hello, and welcome to newsday. i'm mariko oi in singapore. the headlines: more than three weeks after a clampdown in indian—administerd kashmir, a bbc investigation uncovers allegations of brutal beatings and torture by soldiers. the british parliament prepares for a brexit showdown. mps say they'll make their move next week to stop boris johnson suspending parliament. we will be back in parliament on tuesday to challenge boris johnson against what i think is a smashing break in our democracy. i'm rico hizon in london.

also in the programme: government buildings are set on fire in papua, indonesia, as protests continue over claims of racial discrimination. and this weekend marks 80 years since the start of world war two. we'll be looking at how the conflict shaped the world we live in now. voiceover: live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7:00am in singapore, midnight in london and 4:30am in indian—administered kashmir, where a bbc investigation has uncovered allegations of brutal beatings and torture by soldiers. it's been 25 days since the indian government withdrew the region's semi—autonomous status which led to a clampdown on dissent and thousands of arrests.

kashmir is claimed by both pakistan and india, with the nuclear armed neighbours controlling different sections of the state. stripping indian—administered kashmir of significant autonomy is being seen by some as a drive by the hindu nationalist government for more control over india's only muslim majority state. despite a near communications blackout, sameer hashmi has been inside kashmir, from where he sent this report, some of which you may find distressing. behind these razor wires lies an uneasy calm. restrictions everywhere we go. but for many kashmiris, the crackdown has come at a cost. we have come to investigate disturbing allegations. soldiers came here, we are told, looking for violent protesters. 13 men were allegedly pulled from their beds, tortured and beaten. these brothers, like all the people we spoke to, were too scared to reveal their identities.

we saw their injuries. still in shock, this man shows pictures of his bruises. he believes he was targeted because he is a muslim.

we put these claims to the army, who responded with a written statement: kashmir has been mired in conflict for decades. it's one of the most militarised zones in the world. there is huge sympathy here for the militant groups, who are seen by many as fighting forfreedom from indian rule. animosity between indian security

forces and locals runs deep. often, it is civilians who get caught in the battle. it is notjust one village where allegations of torture have emerged. we have been told that several people across this region have faced similar experiences. we have come to a militant stronghold. locals led us to this house, where they say soldiers tortured a young man. his brother is a militant. across the rest of india there will be little sympathy for the families of militants. they see them as pakistani—sponsored terrorists. many have celebrated prime minister modi's bold move to revoke kashmir‘s special status.

authorities say they are gradually lifting some of the restrictions, but internet and mobile phones remain shut down. thousands are in detention. kashmir has been virtually cut off from the rest of the world and anger here is growing. samir hashmi, bbc news, indian—administered kashmir. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. in britain, efforts to thwart the government's plan to suspend parliament ahead of the date when the uk is due to leave the eu in october have multiplied. there have been street protests all over the country, the opposition says it will act in parliament next week, and three separate legal challenges have been launched. more on this, injust a few minutes‘ time. also making news today: brazil has banned the practice of setting fires to clear land for agriculture for 60 days following the massive increase in the number of fires in the amazon rainforest.

president bolsonaro has faced criticism both at home and internationally for failing to protect the rainforest. the former fbi director, james comey, will not be prosecuted for leaking a memo about president trump to the media. a department ofjustice report criticised mr comey, saying he had failed to "live up" to his duty to safeguard sensitive information. but it concluded that he did not break the law. colombia's president has vowed to hunt down farc rebel commanders who have called on followers to take up arms after three years of peace. president duque offered a large reward for the capture of each of the rebels who appeared in a video with former farc commander ivan marquez. president trump says the us will have a permanent military presence in afghanistan, even if a peace deal with the taliban is reached. he made the comments as us and taliban representatives are finalising a peace agreement in qatar. mr trump said more than 8,000 us

soldiers would remain posted there. a genetic analysis of almost 500,000 people has concluded there is no single "gay gene". the study, published in science, found some genetic variants associated with same—sex relationships. but genetic factors accounted for, at most, 25% of same—sex behaviour. hurricane dorian is expected to grow into an "extremely dangerous" storm, according to the us national hurricane centre. it's expected to make landfall between florida and southern georgia on sunday. a state of emergency has been declared and residents have been advised to stockpile at least seven days‘ worth of food. the chinese smartphone manufacturer huawei has said its next smartphone will not come with apps made by google, including google maps and youtube. google has said it cannot license its apps to huawei because of a us government ban

on sales to the chinese company. pro—independence protests in indonesia's papua and west papua provinces ended in violence for a second week. the rallies were triggered by videos, showing security forces calling papuan students "monkeys" and "dogs". protesters and police dispute the number of victims. police say gunfire killed one soldier and two activists on wednesday. the protestors say another four more people also died. sophie chao has been researching rights in papua for five years and has just returned from there. i was visiting west papua province just last night, i spent three weeks in one of the major parts where we are seeing widespread protests. at the time, the situation was, of course, but it has prompted

widespread, intense demonstrations across the region against endemic racism in west papua. the sentiments of course have always been simmering, but they really come to the forefront now, a reaction to the treatment of the young papuan generation, seeking to have a future in the infrastructure and facing ongoing cultural and ethnic discrimination from the majority population. you talk about how the issue of racism has been ongoing, but can you explain the root of the problem and why this is happening right now? to understand the roots of the protest that we are seeing today, we really have to backtrack today, we really have to backtrack to the last 50 years, the incorporation of west papua into the republic of indonesia. this process was absently unfair, and equitable, not transparent, it was through which individuals were hand—picked and coerced into voting for the region to remain with indonesia and that active so—called free choice, but for many west puppy ones, no

choice —— west papuans remains a source of grievance. what's your view on the response of the government? it's been disappointing for many west papuan activist. the recent clampdown on the internet and more recently of some telephone lines as well in the region simply shows the lack of good faith and unwillingness on the part of government to engage in open, transparent dialogue with west papuans about racism and its long—standing political backdrop was that these actions are only going to, i believe, encourage more protests across west papua pending an open, transparent conversation. it's been two weeks, but do you expect this to continue much longer then? i think that the protests are

showing no signs of abating. even though internet communications and only telephone signal lines have been cut, west papuans are continuing to organise on the ground across rural and urban areas. so i believe these protests will continue. we also abating the first of december where every year there are of december where every year there a re protests of december where every year there are protests across west papua where people express discontent over their stolen independence back in 1969. so the timing of these protests i think shows a continuation up into the buildup towards the first december when we do see military clampdown and violence every year. now whether oi’ and violence every year. now whether or not that will happen, i think it is in large part, depending on the reaction of the indonesian government. there have been many more troops deployed to already highly militarised parts of indonesia and so whether or not the protests continue will depend on the kind of reaction from the military in the next couple of days and weeks. that was sophie chow in sydney

speaking to mariko —— sophie chao. a day after prime minister borisjohnson declared he'll suspend parliament for nearly five weeks, just as britain is to leave the eu at the end of october. lawmakers who want to stop a no—deal brexit are going into overdrive. next week will be crucial, as they've got little time to maneouvre. around the country there's anger and division. laura kuennesberg reports. do you care about the people? boo! tempers hot, nerves frayed... over and over... a member of the government and tory mp in cheltenham defending himself to protesters, but not entirely the government's approach. i have made my position clear, i have spoken to the chief whip about itand... sssh. silence! time is short, but within days a swathes of mps will try to remove the possibility that boris johnson could take us out of the eu without a deal. with even senior tories on onside, they will try to change the law. it may well be that next week is the only opportunity.

i'm afraid it does look as if our options have now narrowed and if parliament is going to assert some control and say, well, ok if we leave with no deal, but that has to have the consent of parliament, then that would suggest that we need to move sooner rather than later. is this the moment when polite resistance could become more aggressive action? well, i hope it will continue to be polite, but i also think it's going to be robust. those who fear the possible turmoil over leaving without a deal seem more determine now. the prime minister has caused outrage. protesters notjust in westminster and the west country today, but in norwich tonight. borisjohnson has cut the number of days the commons will have to scrutinise exactly what is going on. frustration at that in leeds and other cities too. the official line, it's totally routine for parliament to have a breather, to be prorogued for that amount of time. there is going to be lots of time to debate before

the 31st of october. parliament will be sitting then and will be able to have whatever motions it wants. i think the outrage is phony. but one peer in the government quit in protest and may be the defence secretary gave the game away. ben wallace certainly learned at least that even at a summit in finland there are microphones everywhere. clearly more than it is? those remarks got a less friendly welcome from number 10 who said later he misspoke. but to click borisjohnson‘s wings, to outlaw no deal, tories, lib dems, the snp all need to work

together withjeremy corbyn to get the numbers for a majority next week. what we are going to politically stop him on tuesday with a parliamentary process in order to legislate to prevent a no—deal brexit and also to try and prevent him shutting down parliament during this utterly crucial period. the implications for this country are very, very serious. so just weeks into office, the new prime minister is up against protests around the country and many mps in parliament determined to try to defeat him next week. when they come to vote the numbers might be achingly tight. but when it comes to brexit, as ever, the difference of opinion is vast indeed. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: eight decades on, how the battles of the second world war shaped the asia pacific region.

he's the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared, "i have a dream." as darkness falls, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky. an orange glowing disc that's brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet mars. horn toots there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it will take months and billions of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 years. so it was with great satisfaction that clockmakerjohn vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. big ben bongs

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi, in singapore. i'm rico hizon, in london. our top stories: more than three weeks after a clampdown in indian—administered kashmir, a bbc investigation uncovers allegations of brutal beatings and torture by soldiers. the british parliament prepares for a brexit showdown next week, to stop borisjohnson suspending parliament. let's take a look at how some of the world's media are covering the brexit situation in the uk. the washington post looks at how the possibility of a no—deal brexit has european businesses fearing market chaos. it reports that, with many parts of europe already heading towards a possible recession, no deal brexit could have "nightmarish" consequences.

australian paper, the age, has an editorial that suggests that prime minister borisjohnson‘s move to suspend parliament could set a dangerous precedent. it compares mrjohnson‘s move to times when australian leaders used loopholes to bypass parliament, which left a legacy of public distrust in politics. the lead in canada's national post says mrjohnson‘s latest move has shown him as a ruthless tactician, taking a calculated risk to gain the upper hand over his political opponents, as the deadline to leave the eu approaches. now what stories are sparking discussions online? not politics but football! the liverpool football player, virgil van dijk, has been named uefa men's player of the year. the dutchman edged out barcelona's lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo ofjuventus,

for the prestigious prize. for her part, lucy bronze took uefa women's player of the year. she is the first english winner of the honour, voted for by top coaches in the women's game and journalists. congratulations to the winners. this weekend marks 80 years since the first shots were fired in world war ii. on september 1st, 1939 a nazi german battleship opened fire on a polish fort in the baltic sea. six years and more than 50 million deaths later, the world was changed forever. in asia, new regimes in china, korea and taiwan emerged from the shadow of the japanese occupation as old empires crumbled and new powers jostled to establish a new world order. i spoke to paul letters, journalist and historical novelist about the impact of world war two in asia. the ramifications, it depends on

your point of view, it was positive for independence movements in indonesia, india and so on. it was positive for male, the nationalist who he fought against after world war ii and had been weakened by. —— mao. we see the ramifications of that. we had the start of the cold warand that. we had the start of the cold war and the first hotspot was career which was occupied by soviet truth in the north and americans in the south. we still have that divided career. “— south. we still have that divided career. —— soviet troops. south. we still have that divided career. -- soviet troops. the legacy of pre— and post world war ii events still impacting the likes of japan and south korea. case in point, the

ongoing political strife between the two countries motivated by a compensation claim in world war ii. yes, it is incredible how the event of the last few decades, or of any time since world war ii, a far less significant in terms of relations between japan and significant in terms of relations betweenjapan and korea and also betweenjapan and korea and also between japan and betweenjapan and korea and also betweenjapan and china compared to what happen in world war ii, what happened 80 years ago defines how well or poorly that governments get on today. because we are now at the 80th anniversary of world war ii starting in europe but of course it started in asia two years earlier, china had been trying to fight off japan since 1937, with america and britain as bystanders in that war. china ended up fighting alone for four years until pearl harbour was

attacked. whether you like it or not, relationships between the asia—pacific superpowers are intertwined. they need each other to survive in this fast economic and technological era. of course and we see that most obviously between china and the us although they were on the same side in world war ii. it isafar on the same side in world war ii. it is a far closer world that it was before and, of course, japan has you turned completely —— u—turn that becoming a western ally of the us. you have written all your novels set during world war ii. how much interest is there having novels set during that period? there is a lot

of interest because it was such a definitive period. i have written novels in wartime europe, and also in asia and my latest one is called the slightest chance, looking at hong kong and china. churchill, a few months before hong kong was attacked by the japanese, churchill said ifjapan attacked by the japanese, churchill said if japan does attacked by the japanese, churchill said ifjapan does attack hong kong, there is not the slightest chance of defending it and that was typical of european attitudes to the colonies in asia. they were not the priorities. once war started in europe, it was a fight for survival in europe and asia was less of a priority so i play around with churchill's quote an strategy in my novel because there were people in asia saying there is a chance, we can do this and this is worth fighting for. the impact of world

war ii in modern—day asia. you have been watching newsday. i'm rico hizon, in london. and i'm mariko oi, in singapore. rico will be back here on tuesday stop wait for me! we are waiting for you! stay with us. coming up: hong kong business is everyone's business. as protests are set to enter the 13th weekend, we will see what the impact is on companies and the economy. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. a man has been fined for dangerous driving in the uk, after moving a car on top of another car. glyn richards was fined, and given three penalty points on his licence, after being caught driving his volkswagen with a skoda on top. well, double—decker, why not! well, double-decker, why not! would you ride on the top car? no way, you

might slip down and all be gone. thanks for watching. we saw temperatures reach 25 degrees in the south—east of england on thursday. plenty of sunshine across closer this area of high pressure. on friday, low pressure dominates the north and west, pretty windy and further outbreaks of rain as a result it will feel cooler than in the south and east. outbreaks of rain scotland, northern ireland, perhaps at the far north—west of wales where it will be windy. in the south—east, and other fine wales where it will be windy. in the south—east, and otherfine afternoon with sunny spells, 25 degrees. mid to high teens further north. went through friday night across scotland, northern ireland. the

weather fund not going anywhere fast. —— front. generally dry with clear spells and variable cloud. as we had on into saturday, it starts off very wet across northern and western areas but this whether front pivots round, moves across the rest of england and wales through saturday into saturday night but it will be a dying feature as it reaches eastern areas. a lot of rain falling across northern ireland, scotland. minorflooding falling across northern ireland, scotland. minor flooding possible stop as the weather front clears, skies writing behind it. it will be notably cooler here but again, the last of the bomb days across the south—east until the weather front rise. but that whether front will move through saturday night and it will open the floodgates to a much cooler north—westerly, this is polar maritime and remember sunday is the first day of the meteorological

autumn and it will feel autumnal out there. showers spreading from the north—west. some could be heavy and thundery and feel quite chilly when the showers turn up with temperatures into the low to mid teens. the high tweens, perhaps 20-21 teens. the high tweens, perhaps 20—21 across the south—east. into monday, it looks like high—pressure bills and from the south—west but further front is affecting scotland and northern ireland and perhaps more cloud here with outbreaks of rain. wins generally lighter further south and east thanks to the area of high pressure but the air still on the cool side but perhaps below average. again the low to mid team celsius. high teens further south. into next week, high—pressure wants to build then and temperatures returning closer to the seasonal norm.

i'm rico hizon with bbc news. our top story: more than three weeks after a clampdown in indian—administered kashmir, a bbc investigation has uncovered allegations of brutal beatings and torture by soldiers. the bbc has been told that soldiers pulled people from their beds, hitting them with rods and administering electric shocks. the indian government denies any mistreatment of civilians. british lawmakers are preparing for a showdown on a no—deal brexit. they‘ re planning to try next week to stop the prime minister borisjohnson suspending parliament for several weeks. and this story is popular on bbc.com. the liverpool defender virgil van dijk has been named uefa men's player of the year. the dutchman edged out barcelona's lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo ofjuventus. the women's award went to lucy bronze. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news.