A World

Pope Francis has demanded world leaders scrap nuclear weapons, insisting the arms race decreases security, wastes resources and threatens humanity with catastrophic destruction.

He was speaking in Nagasaki at ground zero of the second of the two 1945 US atomic bombings on Japan.

After laying a wreath of flowers and praying in the rain at the foot of

Voting is under way in Hong Kong elections that have become a barometer of public support for anti-government protests now in their sixth month.

More than 17.4% of registered voters cast ballots in the first three hours of polling compared to 6.8% for the same election four years ago.

The public are choosing representatives for 452 seats in the