China's tightly choreographed 70th birthday bash next week risks being upstaged by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which offer a starkly different take on the strength and power of the Communist Party being feted in Beijing.
As President Xi Jinping gets ready to preside over a huge military parade and gala event on Tuesday, the former British colony is in tumult over the erosion of its special freedoms by Beijing.
Hong Kong has been rocked by the worst political unrest since its handover to China in 1997, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse increasingly violent protesters.
The city's summer of discontent - first triggered by an extradition bill to the mainland that has since been shelved - has morphed into a call for free elections and less intervention from Beijing.
With tanks and military aircraft to parade in Beijing on October 1, Hong Kong protest organisers have promised their own major rallies.
"It's safe to say that the Hong Kong protests have ...

Hong Kong crisis threatens to spoil China's 70th party

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Austria holds snap elections on Sunday after a corruption scandal in May prompted the spectacular collapse of the right-wing coalition government.
Nevertheless conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, 33, is expected to come out on top in the poll.
Here are some facts about the landlocked and wealthy Alpine country of 8.8 million people, a member of the European Union since 1995 but outside the NATO military alliance.
Modern Austria was born in 1918 from the ruins of World War I and the Austro-Hungarian empire, reduced to a small rump of what was once a vast empire which stretched from the Dalmatian coast to Russia.
Violence between far-right and left-wing radicals marked the interwar period before the advent of an "Austro-fascist" regime and then the annexation by Adolf Hitler of his native country into the Third Reich in 1938.
The country's tumultuous early decades meant that after WWII, a high premium was placed on reaching political sovereignty.
Just over a fifth of the ...

Austria holds snap elections on Sunday

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Indonesia's remote Maluku islands rose to 30 on Sunday, including several toddlers, the disaster agency said.
On Thursday, terrified residents ran into the streets as buildings fell in around them when the 6.5-magnitude tremor struck, sparking landslides that buried at least one of the victims.
Among the confirmed dead were three young children, with many people killed by falling debris in and around quake-struck Ambon city.  The region's governor has declared a state of emergency until October 9, the agency said.
"As of Sunday morning, 30 people died and 156 were injured," said national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Agus Wibowo.
On Friday, the agency had revised down the official death toll of 23 to 19 after officials realised some of the deceased has been double-counted.
At least 25,000 people had to flee because their houses were damaged by the strong jolt, Wibowo said previously.
Hundreds of houses, offices, schools and .

Indonesia quake death toll rises to 30: govt

While the US banned Huawei for alleged espionage and asked its allies to do the same, Moscow has rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese tech company, letting it develop 5G networks in Russia.
Analysts say the move is as much a show of solidarity with Beijing against the US as it is a drive to bring ultra high-speed internet to Russian tech users.
This month, Huawei opened its first 5G test zone in Moscow in partnership Russian operator MTS, with a view to rolling out the service to the rest of the capital.
Moscow authorities say the network will become part of the city's normal infrastructure within the next few years.
A pioneer in telecoms networks compared to many Western countries, Russia plans to deploy 5G in all of its main cities by 2024.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia in June -- at the height of Washington's conflict with Huawei -- Russia's main operator MTS signed a contract with the Chinese company.
At the inauguration of the 5G zone in Moscow, the CEO of 

Russia rolls out the red carpet for Huawei over 5G

DeAnna Price of the United States won the gold medal in the women's hammer at the World Championships in Doha, completing a superb victory after a career ravaged by injury.
The 26-year-old from Missouri took gold with her third throw of the night, launching a 77.54-metre effort onto the field at the Khalifa Stadium.
Poland's Joanna Fiodorow took silver with a throw of 76.35m while China's Wang Zheng claimed bronze with a best throw of 74.76m.
Price looked close to tears after sealing what is comfortably the biggest win of her career.
The American, who has only one kidney, has fought back from a catalogue of injuries over her career including a dislocated shoulder, fractured shoulder blade, torn stomach muscle and torn knee ligaments.
"I didn't even think I was going to compete this year," Price said after her win.
"I was in a lot of pain. I couldn't even throw over 70 metres."
She attributes her success this year to a decision taken at the end of the 2017 season to shed 45 pounds to ..

Price is right as American claims hammer gold

Real Madrid regained top spot in La Liga after a goalless derby with Atletico that saw them move above surprise package Granada and maintain their small lead over a crowded chasing pack.
Unbeaten Real are a point ahead of promoted Granada and Atletico Madrid after Diego Simeone's side failed to break down their well-drilled local rivals, whose disciplined performance at the Wanda Metropolitano was deserving of at least the point they gained.
"These matches with Atletico are very physical, this is one of the hardest grounds we have to visit during the season," Real captain Sergio Ramos told broadcatser Movistar on Saturday.
"It was difficult to create chances in attack because they leave such little space. The point does little for us though as we wanted the three even more."
Real are a further point ahead of fourth-placed Barcelona, who won a hard-fought clash at Getafe 2-0 thanks to goals from Luis Suarez and Junior, and Real Sociedad, who can themselves go top on Sunday if they beat 

Real hold off Atletico in tight derby to grab top spot in Spain

Gjert Ingebrigtsen admits he is a dictator but one who produces results as three of his sons -- Jakob, Henrik and Filip -- will contest Monday's 5,000 metres final at the World Athletics Championships.
The youngest of the Norwegian family trio, 19-year-old Jakob -- who achieved a remarkable 1500m/5,000m double at the European Championships last year -- earned a reprieve to join them in the final after winning an appeal against disqualification following his heat in Doha on Friday.
Their story is not unique in terms of three brothers succeeding in athletics -- the Borlee siblings (Dylan, Jonathan and Kevin), also coached by their father, won European gold last year in the Belgian 4x400m relay team.
But the Ingebritsens' story stands out given that their father had no athletics background whatsoever.
The 53-year-old Gjert's skills appeared to lie elsewhere as he acts as accountant for his wife Tone's hair salon business and his day job is working for a logistics company.
He revels in ...

Ingebrigtsen siblings' track success driven by father's tough love

Granit Xhaka will lead Arsenal into Monday's Premier League clash at Manchester United as the club's new captain, but the Swiss midfielder has to win over plenty of doubters that he is fit to wear the Gunners' armband.
Xhaka's discipline and defensive awareness have repeatedly been questioned since joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, but both Arsene Wenger and current Arsenal boss Unai Emery have consistently put their faith in the 27-year-old.
That trust is not replicated by the club's fans. On one of the few occasions he was replaced by Emery with the Gunners trailing 2-1 to Aston Villa last weekend, Xhaka was booed as he trudged off the field.
Despite being down to 10 men, Arsenal turned the game around with the energetic duo of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira buzzing around the midfield.
That is a combination many supporters would like to see on a more regular basis, but Xhaka's elevated status in the dressing room means he will remain a fixture for some ...

Time for Arsenal captain Xhaka to repay Emery's faith

Yusuke Suzuki made history for Japan on Sunday delivering the country's first ever world title in the men's 50 kilometres walk as competitors conquered Doha's sweltering heat and humidity.
Suzuki's pillar to post victory -- who timed 4hrs 04min 20 seconds -- was impressive enough but possibly outdone by the achievement of Portugal's silver medallist Joao Vieira who at 43 became the oldest male athlete to medal at the world championships.
"This is very good, I am very happy," sad Vieira through a translator, who added there was no question of retirement and he would go to the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Canada's Evan Dunfee, who began the race aged 28 and turned 29 during it (it began at 23.30 local time on Saturday) took bronze.
The women's race saw a Chinese 1-2 with Liang Rui taking gold in 4hr 23min 26sec and Li Maocuo the silver.
Italy's Eleonora Giorgi took the bronze -- defending champion Ines Henriques failed to finish.
For Suzuki it also represented redemption for the ...

Suzuki delivers historic gold for Japan as walkers conquer the heat

American Cameron Champ, who is playing this week with a heavy heart, fired a bogey-free five-under 67 to seize a three shot lead after the third round of the PGA Tour's Safeway Open.
Champ rolled in five birdies on Saturday as he seeks his second title on the US Tour after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship last year.
He has a 14-under 202 total at the Silverado Country Club course in Napa, California.
"I am executing everything," Champ said. "I am not making the little mistakes I was before.
"I felt like I left something out there last two or three holes."
Champ is three strokes ahead of last week's Sanderson Farms winner Sebastian Munoz (67) and Adam Hadwin (67) and Nick Taylor (70).
Former PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas is a stroke further back following his one-under 71.
Champ's grandfather, Mack, is in hospice battling stomach cancer. The family has been dividing their time between the hospital in Sacramento and the nearby Napa golf course.
"It's been a pretty ...

Champ fires 67, leads Safeway Open by three

China Open organisers faced questions after two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza lost in a match which did not start until nearly 1:00 am and concluded at 2:31 am Sunday.
The Spaniard's conqueror Sofia Kenin said that she felt "mentally drained" following the late-night first-round encounter in Beijing, which the American won 6-0, 2-6, 6-2.
"I obviously started out really well in the first set and I knew that she was going to pick up her game," the 15th seed told the official WTA website.
"I just felt pretty tired, mentally drained, but I'm happy that I somehow found a way to just fight through it.
"The support from the crowd was great, even at 2:30 in the morning, surprisingly," added the Moscow-born Kenin.
Her clash with Muguruza, 25, who won the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon a year later, was delayed after all four previous matches on the main Diamond Court went to three sets.
AFP has approached the China Open for comment about its scheduling.

Garbine Muguruza out of China Open tennis - at 2:31 am

Brazilian superstar Neymar pledged to "give my life to PSG" after his goal kept the French giants top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win at Bordeaux.
Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer, had been strongly linked to a return to Barcelona over a tumultuous summer.
However, in an attempt to win over PSG fans, many of whom have become unconvinced by the player's attachment to the French capital, Neymar has looked a rejuvenated figure, scoring for a third time this season.
"I'm very happy to be able to help PSG, it's better with the fans," he said.
"It's like with your girlfriend, one moment you're bad, but with hugs and a lot of love, it's better.
"I am here to give my life to PSG. They are my team, my goal is to help my club, to continue to score goals."
On Saturday, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar played together for the first time this season and combined for the only goal in Bordeaux.
Mbappe, who had been out injured since August 25, started on the bench but, with PSG struggling for a ...

'I'll give my life to PSG,' says Neymar

Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gathers his Conservative party Sunday for what could be its final conference before an election, with the gathering set to be dominated by Brexit.
Despite a string of parliamentary setbacks and a defeat in the Supreme Court, Johnson insists he will take Britain out of the European Union, with or without a deal, on October 31.
His stance has put him at odds with the House of Commons, which has passed a law blocking a "no deal" exit, and lost him a number of his own MPs.
But it resonates with many pro-Brexit voters and particularly with Conservative party members who elected him in July, and are expected to give him a hero's welcome.
The conference "will be a rally for Boris Johnson and a rally for Brexit", predicted Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
The four-day meeting in Manchester, northwest England, however risks being disrupted by parliamentary business back in London.
MPs were furious at Johnson's ...

UK's Johnson rallies party for Brexit fight

Donald Trump's administration is amping up an investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails, The Washington Post reported Saturday, breathing new life into a pet issue used by the president to rail against his opponent during the 2016 elections.
The question of whether Clinton improperly used a private email account and server while secretary of state led to Trump's repeat assertion that she deserved to be put in prison and frequent chants of "lock her up" at his political rallies.
Following an FBI investigation into the matter, former director James Comey did not recommend charges against Clinton but did describe her conduct as "extremely careless."
In recent weeks, up to 130 officials have been contacted by State Department investigators concerning emails they sent years ago which have been retroactively classified, nearly all of which were sent to or eventually made their way into Clinton's unsecure email account, the Post reported.
The paper, which cited current and former ...

State Department ratchets up Clinton email probe: report

News that US President Donald Trump's special representative on Ukraine had abruptly resigned didn't come from a high-profile newsroom in Washington or New York -- a 20-year-old student journalist on the other side of the country scooped them all.
Andrew Howard, a managing editor of The State Press student paper at Arizona State University, broke the news late Friday that Kurt Volker quit his position at the State Department after Congress ordered him to answer questions in an impeachment investigation of Trump.
"I didn't take a different approach to this story than any other," Howard told The New York Times on Saturday.
"Everyone's looking for an 'aha' moment that I don't think was there." Howard said he was looking for a local angle to a major story, and Volker is director of a national security institute run by the university.
A school official told Howard that the diplomat had resigned from his government post.
"I'm not sure we ever expected to get the scoop that we did," he said. 

Student journalist scoops major media on Trump envoy departure

At least 36 people died and 36 others were injured in east China when a packed coach with a flat tyre collided with a truck, authorities said Sunday.
The bus was carrying 69 people -- its maximum capacity -- when it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the freight truck on an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province on Saturday morning, the Yixing public security bureau said.
A preliminary investigation determined that the accident was caused by a flat tyre on the left front wheel of the bus, the bureau said in a statement.  Nine people were seriously injured, 26 were slightly hurt and one was discharged from hospital.
The Changchun-Shenzhen expressway reopened after eight hours of rescue work.
Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.
According to authorities 58,000 people were killed in accidents across the country in 2015 alone, the last available figures.
Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 percent of ..

At least 36 killed, 36 hurt in China road crash

At least 36 people have died and 36 others were injured in east China after a coach collided with a truck, state media said Sunday.
The bus was carrying 69 people when it hit the truck on an expressway in eastern Jiangsu province on Saturday morning, the official Xinhua news agency said.
The accident was caused by a flat tyre on the bus, according to a preliminary investigation, Xinhua said.
Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.
According to authorities 58,000 people were killed in accidents across the country in 2015 alone.
Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 percent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year.

At least 36 killed in China road crash: state media

A US federal judge has dealt a new blow to President Donald Trump's anti-immigration efforts, blocking a measure meant to relax the criteria for deporting undocumented migrants.
The ruling concerns a policy known as expedited removal under which migrants previously found within 160 kilometers of the border within 14 days of their arrival were deported without appearing before an immigration judge.
In July, the Department of Homeland Security implemented a policy to expand the measure to include immigrants found within two years of arrival and located anywhere in the United States.
The decision issued late Friday evening by US District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson prohibits the DHS from applying the expanded criteria.
The move, she said, would leave those affected by the expansion "irreparably harmed."
"The Trump administration intended to deport as many noncitizens as possible using a process that is profoundly flawed and puts noncitizens, including asylum-seekers, at serious ...

US judge rejects Trump policy of expanded deportation

French police repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons to break up a protest Saturday by nearly a 1,000 yellow vest demonstrators in the southwest city of Toulouse.
There were also clashes in the southern city of Montpellier where around 300 protesters faced off with police.
Police there said four officers were slightly injured and nine demonstrators arrested for offences including throwing projectiles.
A police statement in Toulouse said officers made five arrests after being targeted by missiles thrown by some of the protesters.
A group that observes police conduct at yellow vest protests said officers had attacked five of their number during the demonstration, injuring one of them.
The Observatory of Police Practice (OPP) posted images and video on Twitter to support their account and posted an open letter to the authorities protesting the incident.
The police headquarters in Toulouse was not available to comment on the allegations Saturday evening.
Earlier this month, a member ..

AFP

AFP

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