The international stories making headlines around the world.
Hong Kong tensions ramp up
A Hong Kong police officer has fired a gunshot during protests, the first time a live round has been used since demonstrations broke out in June.
Riot police fire tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters outside a shopping mall which is surrounded by residential buildings in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. Photo: AFP
Images show several other officers also pointed guns at protesters who charged at them with sticks and poles.
In another first, police deployed water cannon against protesters earlier in the day.
The protests began in the city's Tsuen Wan district and then spread to the district of Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong police said 36 people had been arrested as a result of Sunday's protests, the youngest aged just 12.
Demonstrations were sparked by an extradition bill but have since morphed into broader anti-government protests, and developments on Sunday marked a serious escalation in the unrest.
Police told local media that the gunshot was fired as a warning to protesters, and that several officers had been taken to hospital as a result of the clashes.
They clarified in a statement that six officers had drawn their pistols and one had fired the warning shot into the air.
BBC
Brazil responds to global outcry over fires
The Brazilian Air Force has begun dumping water on the burning forest in the Amazon state of Rondonia, responding to a global outcry over the destruction of the world's largest tropical rain forest.
Smoke billows from forest fires in the municipality of Candeias do Jamari, close to Porto Velho in Rondonia. Photo: AFP
President Jair Bolsonaro has ordered military operations in seven states to combat raging fires in the Amazon, responding to requests for assistance from their local government bodies.
A video posted by the Defence Ministry showed a military plane pumping thousands of litres of water out of two giant jets as it passed through clouds of smoke close to the forest canopy.
The response comes as leaders of countries in the Group of Seven nations meeting in France expressed grave concerns over the fires.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the G7 was nearing a deal to provide "technical and financial help" to countries affected by the Amazon fires.
Nearly 80,000 fires have been registered across Brazil through 25 August, the highest since at least 2013, according to space research agency INPE.
Bolsonaro announced the military would be sent in after several days of criticism from the public and world leaders that Brazil's government was not doing anything to fight the fires and accusations the Brazilian president had encouraged ranchers to start blazes.
He also said on Twitter he had accepted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer of a plane and specialized support for the firefighting operations, following a call between the two leaders.
But outside of Rondonia, the government had yet to provide any operational details for other states. The Defense Ministry said in a briefing that 44,000 troops were available in Brazil's northern Amazon region but did not say how many would be used where and what they would do.
Asked for additional details, the Defense Ministry told Reuters in a statement that in all seven states that had asked for help, the military was planning operations to support firefighting initiatives already underway.
Reuters
Trump caught off guard by Iranian foreign minister
Iran's foreign minister has paid a visit to a G7 summit in France, in an unexpected twist to a meeting already troubled by differences between US Donald Trump and Western allies over a raft of issues, including Iran.
A White House official said France's invitation to Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks on the sidelines of the gathering in the southwestern beachside town of Biarritz was "a surprise".
Mr Zarif met his French counterpart to assess what conditions could lead to a de-escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington, a French official said.
Mr Zarif also saw French President Emmanuel Macron during his brief stay, but the White House official said the Iranian minister did not meet any US officials before he flew out of Biarritz airport.
Reuters
Trump regret on trade war "misinterpreted"
Reports that the US president regretted escalating the trade war with China have been misinterpreted, according to the White House.
Photo: AFP
Donald Trump had earlier responded "Sure, why not?" when asked whether he had second thoughts about the move.
The White House said Mr Trump's answer was "misinterpreted ... He regrets not raising the tariffs higher."
Mr Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports at the weekend, hours after China unveiled plans to increase US duties.
The move was the latest salvo in a bitter tit-for-tat war, which has seen the US impose tariffs on more than $US250 billion of Chinese goods.
In reaction, China has put tariffs on almost all US goods imported into the country.
The seeds of the trade war were planted during Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, when he accused Beijing of "raping" US workers.
Mr Trump's admission to having second thoughts over China appeared to be a rare conciliatory statement from a US president who has until now been unwavering over his plans to protect US jobs and redress what he has said are unfair trade deals previously agreed with China.
BBC
Mid-air crash kills at least 7 in Mallorca
A helicopter and an ultralight plane have collided mid-air in Mallorca, killing at least seven people.
The crash took place near Inca, in the north of the popular tourist island off the coast of mainland Spain.
Two of the victims were under 18, the regional government said.
Five of the victims, including the two minors, were on board the helicopter, while the two others were travelling in the ultralight, a type of small aircraft with a maximum of two seats.
Regional President Francina Armengol said emergency teams were working at the scene and one of the regional government's ministers had been dispatched.
BBC
China wants trade war resolution
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said on Monday that China is willing to resolve its trade dispute with the United States through calm negotiations and resolutely opposes the escalation of the conflict, a state-backed newspaper reported.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Photo: AFP
Liu, China's top trade negotiator, was speaking at a tech conference in Chongqing in southwest China, the Chongqing Morning Post reported.
The comments come after US President Donald Trump last week announced an extra 5 percent duty on some $550 billion of Chinese goods, the latest tit-for-tat move announced hours after China unveiled its retaliatory tariffs on $75bn worth of US products.
Reuters
