welcome to newsday on the bbc. 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 borisjohnson suspending parliament. we will be back in parliament on tuesday to challenge borisjohnson on what i think is a smash—and—grab raid against 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. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8:00am in singapore, 1:00am in the morning in london and 5:30am 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 forjustice 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 half a million 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 month, i spent three weeks in sorong, which is one of the parts of the region where we are seeing widespread protests.

at the time, the situation was calm of course, but this recent event injayapura has prompted widespread, probably the most widespread, intense demonstrations across the region against endemic racism in west papua. now these sentiments of course have always been simmering, but they really come to the forefront now, in a reaction to the treatment of the young papuan generation, who are seeking to have a future, have an education within the indonesian infrastructure and yet are facing ongoing discrimination, both cultural and ethnic from the majority of the indonesian population. you talked about how the issue of racism has been simmering, but can you explain to us the root of the problem and why this is happening right now? to understand the roots of the protests that we are seeing today, we really have to backtrack to the last 50 years, since the forceful incorporation of west papua into the republic of indonesia. this process was absolutely unfair, in was unequitable, it was not transparent, it was a process

through which individuals were hand—picked and coerced into voting for the region to remain with indonesia and that act of so—called free choice, but for many west papuans, an act of no choice, remains an ongoing grievance for the majority of west papuans. what's your view on the response of the government? it's been disappointing for many west papuan activists and community members that i have been working with and talking to over the last five years. 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 this issue of racism and its long—standing political backdrop. 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 apparently telephone signal lines are being cut, west papuans are continuing to mobilise 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 protests across west papua where people express discontent over their stolen independence back in 1969. so the timing of these protests i think suggests a continuation up

into the build—up towards the first of december and we do see military clampdown 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. 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 determined 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 almost everywhere. clearly more than it is? those remarks got a less friendly welcome from number 10 who said later he misspoke. but to clip 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're going to do is politically try to 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, a no—deal brexit could have "nightmarish" consequences. the australian newspaper, the age, has an editorial that suggests that prime minister boris johnson'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? liverpool's virgil van dijk has been named uefa

men's football player of the year. the dutchman beat barcelona's lionel messi, and cristiano ronaldo ofjuventus, for the prestigious prize, after helping his team win the champions league injune. lucy bronze took uefa's 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. the who wants to track research in the human genetic manipulation. pressure has mounted for greater oversight of the ology after a chinese dangers disclosed last november he had altered the dna of twin girls in southern china. the who says that while gino editing technology held great promise to overcome diseases once thought untreatable, it poses

unique ethical and social regulatory changes. this weekend marks 80 years since the first shots were fired in world war two. on september ist, 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 ii in asia. you know, the ramifications, it depends on your point of view. it was positive for independence movements in indonesia and india and so on. it was positive for mao, the nationalists who he fought against straight after world war ii, had been weakened by world war ii,

so the chinese communists were able to get into power and, obviously, they're still there today and we see the ramifications of that. after world war ii, we had really of course the start of the cold war and the first hotspot in the cold war was korea, which was occupied by soviet troops in the north and the americans in the south, when world war ii ended. and, of course, we've still got that divided korea today. so it's a mixture. indeed, a very complex relationship in the asia pacidfic after world war ii. but the legacy, paul, of pre— and post— world war ii events is still indeed impacting the likes ofjapan and south korea. case in point, this ongoing political strife between the two countries which has been motivated by a compensation claim in world war ii. yes, it is incredible how the events of the last few decades, or of any time since world war ii,

are far less significant in terms of relations betweenjapan and korea, and also, of course, between japan and china, compared to what happen in world war ii. what happened 80 years ago defines how well or poorly the governments get on today. but of course, we're talking about we are now at the 80th anniversary of world war ii starting in europe, but of course it started in asia two years before that. when war started in europe in september 39, china had been trying to fight off japan since 1937, with america and britain and other as bystanders in that war. so china ended up fighting alone forfour years, until december 1941, when, of course, pearl harbour was attacked and so were british colonies like hong kong and malaya. whether you like it or not, relationships between the asia—pacific superpowers are entwined. they need each other to survive in this fast economic, technological era.

yes, of course, we see that most obviously between china and the us today, although remember they were on the same side in world war ii. but sure, it is a far closer world that it was before and, of course, japan u—turned completely from where it was, its military regime of world war ii and earlier to soon become a democracy and a pro—western ally of the us in the rivalries that we see in the world today. you have written all your novels set during world war ii. how much interest is there stil in having novels and stories set during that period? i think there is a lot of interest because it was such a definitive period. i have written novels set in wartime europe, which is very much still defined today in many ways by world war ii, and then also in asia and in fact i called my latest one, the slightest chance,

set in hong kong and china in world war ii. because churchill during the war, a few months before hong kong was attacked by the japanese, churchill said if japan 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 and 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. interesting insights. paulette letters joining interesting insights. paulette lettersjoining us interesting insights. paulette letters joining us earlier from brisbane. i am a rico hizon in london. but he will be back in

singapore! we will look at the impact on the economy. see you on the weekend. hi there. we saw temperatures reach 25 degrees in the south—east of england on thursday. there was plenty of sunshine across the south and east of the country, closer to this area of high pressure. but into friday, again, low pressure dominates the north and the west, where it will reman pretty windy and there will be further outbreaks of rain and, as a result, it will feel a bit cooler than it will across the south and the east. so outbreaks of rain on—and—off for scotland, northern ireland, into north—west england, perhaps the far north—west of wales, where it will be pretty windy —gusts of 30—40mph. but again, across the south—east, close to that area of high pressure, another fine afternoon with sunny spells, probably around 25 degrees or so. mid to high teens further north. now, it stays very wet through friday night across scotland, northern ireland. this weather front is not

going anywhere fast. further south and east, overnight, it should actually be generally dry with clear spells, variable cloud, fairly breezy too, so that will stop temperatures from falling much below 11—14 degrees. so as we had on into saturday, it starts off very wet across northern and western areas, but this whether front will pivot 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. so a lot of rain falling across parts of northern ireland, south—west scotland. by the time saturday's out, we could see some minor flooding in places. but as that weather front clears through, skies will brighten up behind it, with sunshine and showers, but it will be notably cooler here but, again, the last of the warm days across the south—east until that weather front arrives. but that whether front will move through during saturday night, and it will open the floodgates to a much cooler north—westerly, this is polar maritime air — remember sunday is the first day of the meteorological autumn and it will certainly feel

pretty autumnal out there. it will start off chilly. there will be plenty of sunshine around and then lots of showers will spread down from the north—west. some of these could be heavy and thundery and it will feel quite chilly when the showers turn up, with temperatures into the low to mid teens celsius for many. the high tweens, perhaps 20 or 21, across the south—east. as we head on into monday, it looks like high—pressure still wnats to build in from the south—west. it will still have further fronts affecting scotland and northern ireland. perhaps more cloud here with outbreaks of rain. more of a breeze, too. those winds generally lighter further south and east, thanks to that area of high pressure. but the air still on the cool side but perhaps a little below average. again, the low to mid team celsius in the north. high teens further south. and as we head into next week, it looks like high—pressure wants to build in and with those 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 boris johnson 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. stay with bbc world news.