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Why the Queen made an error of judgement on proroguing Parliament - Joyce McMillan
Once, long ago, a committee I sat on had some dealings with people from Buckingham Palace; not the Royal Family itself, but a small group of senior officials.
I suppose that even 20 years on, it's a beheading offence to give precise details of what they said on the subject of the Queen's role in the planned official opening of the new Scottish Parliament, on 1 July 1999; but I can say that they were an impressive crew, much more politically savvy about the constitutional nuances of devolution than most UK Government representatives at the time, and much more sharply aware - given their vast experience across the Commonwealth - that political self-determination is one thing, and the role of the monarch as head of state is another.
Amid all the sound, fury, and swings of the constitutional wrecking-ball that have accompanied the latest traumatic episode in Britain's Brexit crisis, one question has therefore been nagging at the back of my mind; the question of what exactly happened on the morning of 28 August, when Jacob Rees-Mogg, as Lord President of the Council, presented himself at Balmoral, where the Queen was on her usual late summer holiday, to seek the royal assent to the exceptional five-week prorogation of Parliament proposed by the Prime Minister.
This is, of course, a mere sub-plot in the wider Brexit drama which reached such an appalling crisis in the Commons on Wednesday night, with the Prime Minister dismissing the unanimous decision of 11 Supreme Court judges as "wrong," inciting warlike attitudes by using terms like "surrender" and "betrayal" in relation to Brexit, and dismissing as "humbug" the fears for their own safety of women MP's - friends and allies of the murdered MP Jo Cox - who are now subjected to a daily barrage of Brexit-related hate mail.
Yet it is a sub-plot worthy of a one-act play in its own right; and perhaps not one of those jolly, reassuring ones in which the Queen is portrayed as an infinitely wise and perceptive old lady, who has seen 13 prime ministers come and go, and will doubtless outlast the 14th.
For the truth is that on that day, the Queen and her advisers seem to have made an error of judgment, of the kind they have almost entirely avoided, in her 67-year reign to date; and arguably a much more serious one than the intervention in the Scottish independence referendum suggested by David Cameron in his memoir, which, after all, amounted to no more than the Queen suggesting people "think carefully" before casting their votes, a phrase which only a dyed-in-the-wool Unionist would interpret as meaning that they should necessarily vote for the status quo.
This time, though, warning bells should have sounded in the royal household as soon as they heard that the new Prime Minister was proposing such a long prorogation in the run-up to the Brexit deadline date; and a couple of quick concerned phone calls from palace to Downing Street should have been enough to persuade the PM to shorten his pre-Queen's Speech prorogation to the usual length of a few days or a week.
To the royal household, after all, past custom and practice is 99 per cent of the law.
So what went wrong?
We will probably never know, or not for decades.
It may be that the Queen and her advisers simply felt that they did not want to question a new government trying to implement a referendum result, however narrow.
It may be that Johnson and Rees-Mogg genuinely caught the Queen off guard, at a holiday period when many key people were not available.
Or it may be, as some republican thinkers would suggest, that the whole idea of the Queen as a wise and moderate sovereign, who always hopes to promote the wellbeing of her subjects, is simply another layer of royalist mythology, disguising an edifice of wealth and inherited privilege which, under stress, will unhesitatingly assist a right-wing government in undermining institutions - Scottish, British or European - that might threaten that traditional power structure.
It is 42 years, after all, since punk poet John Lydon of the Sex Pistols first noisily linked the Queen with the idea of a "fascist regime"; and although the history of postwar Europe strongly suggests that there is no inevitable connection between royalty and reactionary politics, it can be argued that the 1970s punk movement at least tried to open up a conversation about monarchy and democracy, one which the UK has since failed to pursue.
Whatever the truth about the Queen's role in the prorogation, though, this much is clear; that as the current Brexit crisis is testing Britain's unwritten constitution to its limits, and provoking a dangerous moment of open constitutional warfare among government, parliament and the courts, it has also succeeded in undermining the monarch's conventional stabilising role in that constitution, associating her with a rash act that has now been declared unlawful, by a government that commands no parliamentary majority.
The global merchants of democratic instability and breakdown - the Putins and Bannons, with their armies of hate-mongering internet bots - must be delighted by the spectacular progress of their project, over just three years, in one of the world's most stable democracies.
And Scotland, which has not been the primary target of this destabilisation, must now soon be given a second chance to consider its position, in relation to a UK so radically changed by Brexit.
In 1977, Lydon and the Sex Pistols famously warned that "there is no future for you, in England's dreaming."
Yet now, England's fierce dream of a glorious past, filtered through layers of 21st-century lies and delusion, is starting to shape all of our futures on these islands; and we will all have to live in that landscape of dream or nightmare, until we find our own ways - with or without the Queen, and inside or outside the UK - of resisting the lies, rejecting the illusion, and coming together to re-engage with reality of our lives, as citizens of the 21st century.
How much is Kelvin Fletcher paid for Strictly, who is his wife and why did he leave Emmerdale?
FORMER Emmerdale cast member Kelvin Fletcher has swapped the Dales for the dancefloor on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing 2019.
But what do we know about him?
How much is Kelvin Flecther being paid for Strictly Come Dancing?
The father-of-one is said to have been paid something in the region of £25,000 and £40,000 to take part in the 17th series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The Sun previously reported that each celebrity is given a standard £25,000 payment for joining.
For those who stay until the end of October the fee rises to £40,000.
However, his earnings could increase significantly if he makes it to the quarter-finals as he will pocket £60,000.
With Kelvin being a strong competitor there is every possibility he could walk away with £100,000 if he wins the entire competition.
Why did Kelvin Fletcher leave Emmerdale?
Kelvin first joined Emmerdale at the tender age of six-years-old in 1996.
He played the part of Andy Sugden for 20 years, before quitting the role in 2016 for good.
During an appearance on This Morning, the actor opened up about his decision to leave the ITV soap.
Speaking to host Emmon Holmes and Ruth Langsford, he explained: "Twenty years is a long time.
It's been an incredible twenty years.
I am so grateful to Emmerdale.
Throughout that period I have always had a real sense of fulfillment and purpose."
He added: "What started out as a hobby at six years old - I was then able to do something like that every day on a professional platform on one of the country's greatest shows.
I have been extremely lucky.
Looking back over 20 years it has been a rollercoaster and for me it's give me passion to leave and continue."
African Cooperation On Peace 'Increasingly Strong', Security Council Told
African countries are building increasingly strong partnerships for advancing peace and security, as well as inclusive sustainable development across the continent, the Security Council heard on Thursday, during a briefing by the UN Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
Ms. Viotti recognized the African Union and Member States' success in achieving important milestones in their pursuit for higher effectiveness, self-reliance and cooperation, and welcomed the work of the African Union Mediation Support Unit and the FemWise Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, which are, she said, "boosting capacity to defuse crises and making such efforts more inclusive."
Progress evident at regional and country level
Ms. Viotti went on to outline some of the progress being made in certain African countries, such as the peace talks, led by the African Union, in the Central African Republic which led a Political Agreement which is being overseen by the UN; the signing of a Constitutional Declaration in Sudan, which has allowed for the establishment of a civilian-led government, following efforts led by Ethiopia and the African Union (AU), with UN support; and free and fair elections in Madagascar, supported by the Southern Africa Development Community, the African Union, and UN.
Cooperation between the UN, African Union and other partners in the area of elections is growing, said Ms. Viotti, citing visits organized by the UN Office for West Africa to several countries, ahead of legislative or presidential elections, over the last two years.
The UN and AU, she continued, are cooperating closely to ensure that the voices of women and youth are integral to peace processes, and both organizations have youth envoys and strategies, acting as advocates and agents of change.
More effective support needed from international community
Despite the many examples of progress, Ms. Viotti declared that the international community needs to do much more to support African efforts.
For example, more predictable, flexible and sustainable financing for African Union-led peace support operations is needed; more political will and resources for peacebuilding and sustaining peace efforts; and active support for the AU Initiative on Silencing the Guns.
"Building partnerships and harnessing their power requires long-term vision and commitment," Ms. Viotti told the Security Council, adding that the Secretary-General is looking forward to "even greater partnership and collaboration, enabling the African Union to achieve its 2063 vision of equitable, people-centred transformation and lasting peace and security."
Belfast High Court dismisses no-deal Brexit case
The Court of Appeal in Belfast has dismissed an application that the UK government's Brexit policy will damage the Northern Ireland peace process.
Three applicants appealed against a Belfast High Court judgment that rejected their challenge against the UK government's handling of the Brexit process.
One of the applicants was high-profile victims' campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997.
It comes after the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully in shutting down parliament for five weeks.
The three-judge Court of Appeal, led by the region's Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, gave their judgment on Friday morning.
The three challenges focused on various aspects of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
One that argued the Government's Brexit policy will damage the Northern Ireland peace process was previously dismissed by the High Court.
During the appeal hearing last week, Mr McCord's barrister Ronan Lavery QC told the court that if a Brexit extension could not be secured by the government in the absence of a deal, then the default position should be halting Brexit - through the revocation of Article 50 - rather than exiting with no deal.
Mr McCord, who was not at court due to ill health, said he would study the Belfast Court of Appeal judgment with his lawyer.
"I, along with many other people, believe that it will affect the peace process," he said.
I hope I am proven wrong.
We did not take this case to alarm people, it is what I believe in.
"It would be nice if in the coming years people can come across and say: "Look Raymond, you were wrong."
It did not affect the peace process.
I don't want it to affect the peace process.
I don't want people to go through what my family and members of other families have went through.
I respect the judgment of the Appeal Court in every way, I believe the judges sitting there are amongst the best judges in the UK.
I have to respect their judgment.
However, it is a fear I have that the peace process will be affected."
No. of women in science field far from satisfactory; need to increase participation: President Kovind
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said the participation of women in the field of science in the country is far from satisfactory and steps need to be taken to ensure greater involvement of girl students in the area.
In his address on the 78th foundation day celebrations of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), he said achievements in the field of science and technology will become more wholesome and desirable if there is a greater participation of girl students and of women in this area.
In this context, he said Project Director of Chandrayaan-2 mission M Vanitha and Mission Director Ritu Karidhal have become household names.
We have to take the necessary steps to ensure greater participation of girl students and of women in science and technology.
"When this happens, our scientific achievements will become even more wholesome and more desirable," the President said.
"None of our successes will have any meaning without equal opportunities for our girl-children," he added.
Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan, Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan and CSIR Director General Shekhar Mande were also present at the event.
Mr Kovind called upon the scientific community to take calculated risk.
There, he said, lies the possibility of developing truly transformative technologies and innovations.
He said the academic, scientific institutions, industry and entrepreneurs must collaborate to ensure that scientific research can move from labs to industry, agricultural fields, incubation centres and start-ups.
Mr Vardhan also presented the President a Fuel Cell Prototype developed by CSIR labs.
This is the first indigenous prototype and the fuel cells use hydrogen to produce electricity.
Joker is chilling, unnerving and absolutely brilliant
Joaquin Phoenix turns in an Oscar worthy performance as a comic-book villain whose power once lay in his ambiguous mythology, but has now been bolstered in Joker by an unflinching deep dive into his origins.
Pulling back the curtain on the Joker was a risk, but it's one that pays off hugely here as Phoenix's portrayal of the character, who has been played many ways by many actors to varying degrees of success, is unique and if anything, more terrifying, as this story is so grounded in a quasi-reality and the most real-worldly Gotham we've seen.
What transpires on screen is chilling, unnerving, completely compelling, anxiety-inducing, sleep-disturbing, and absolutely brilliant.
Joker is a character study that explores how a mentally ill aspiring stand-up comedian, Arthur Fleck, becomes the homicidal clown we're familiar with, and the film deftly walks the tightrope of making him a somewhat sympathetic character without pushing this aspect too far.
The balancing act is truly engaging.
Phoenix gives the performance of the year here, but DeNiro is also at the top of his game once again and his involvement in the project really solidifies the Scorsese-ian undertones that pepper the film.
This is not a comic-book movie and aside from a few hat-tips to Batman lore, it is completely its own beast, and that is precisely why it works so well; there is no format, there is no convention and there are no rules.
You might not put on a happy face for a while after the credits roll, but it is so worth the weird dreams that will likely follow.
Saudi Arabia To Offer Tourist Visas For First Time, Abolish Abaya Rule
Visas in Saudi are currently restricted to expat workers, their dependents and Muslim pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia said Friday it will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the ultra-conservative kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil.
Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.
The announcement comes just two weeks after devastating attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure -- blamed by Washington on Iran -- which roiled global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional conflict.
"Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country," tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb said in a statement.
Visitors will be surprised... by the treasures we have to share -- five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a vibrant local culture and breathtaking natural beauty.
Saudi Arabia will open applications for online tourist visas to citizens of 49 countries on Saturday, Bloomberg News quoted Khateeb as saying.
Khateeb said the kingdom will also ease its strict dress code for foreign women, allowing them to go without the body-shrouding abaya robe that is still mandatory public wear for Saudi women.
Foreign women, however, will be required to wear "modest clothing," he added, without elaborating.
Visas in the desert kingdom, endowed with rich bedouin heritage and archaeological sites, are currently restricted to expat workers, their dependents and Muslim pilgrims travelling to holy sites in Mecca and Medina.
In a rare move, Saudi Arabia last year began issuing temporary visas to visitors to attend sporting and cultural events in a bid to kickstart tourism.
But the austere kingdom, which forbids alcohol and has a strict social code, is seen by many as a hard sell for tourists.
Prince Mohammed is seeking to change that through a sweeping liberalisation drive that has brought new cinemas, mixed-gender concerts and sporting extravaganzas to Saudi Arabia.
International criticism of the kingdom's human rights record, including the gruesome murder last year of critic Jamal Khashoggi and a crackdown on female activists, could further put off foreign visitors, observers say.
Fears of a regional conflict after the September 14 attacks on state oil giant Aramco may also dampen the kingdom's appeal to holidaymakers.
The government, reeling from low oil prices, says it hopes tourism will contribute up to 10 percent of the gross domestic product by 2030, compared to three percent currently.
It says by 2030 it aims to attract up to 100 million annual visits by both domestic and foreign tourists.
But the kingdom currently lacks the infrastructure to accomodate visitors in such high numbers, with officials estimating 500,000 new hotel rooms will be required nationwide over the coming decade.
The sector is expected to create up to one million tourism jobs, the government says, as it battles high youth unemployment.
Saudi Arabia has splurged billions in an attempt to build a tourism industry from scratch.
In 2017, the kingdom announced a multi-billion dollar project to turn 50 islands and other pristine sites on the Red Sea into luxury resorts.
Last year, construction of Qiddiya "entertainment city" was launched near Riyadh, which would include high-end theme parks, motor sport facilities and a safari area.
The country is also developing historic sites such as the centuries-old Mada'in Saleh, home to sandstone tombs of the same civilisation which built the Jordanian city of Petra.
Wells Fargo taps BNY Mellon's Charles Scharf as CEO
Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) named banking veteran Charles Scharf as chief executive officer on Friday, the lender's third CEO since a wide-ranging sales scandal erupted three years ago.
Scharf will take over from interim CEO Allen Parker, who was thrust into the position in March when former CEO Tim Sloan resigned abruptly.
Sloan had said increased pressure from politicians and regulators had become a distraction in running the scandal-plagued bank.
Scharf will take charge at a time when the bank is under a regulatory microscope and is working at rebuilding its tarnished reputation following the scandal.
Internal and regulatory probes since the scandal have uncovered other issues in each of the bank's primary businesses, resulting in billions of dollars in fines, penalties and an unprecedented cap on its balance sheet by the Federal Reserve.
Wells Fargo's board has been shuffled many times since the scandal, with more than half of its independent directors joining the board after 2016.
Most recently, Scharf was heading Bank of New York Mellon (BK.N).
Before joining the custodian bank, he held the top job at Visa Inc (V.N), the world's largest payment network.
Separately, BNY Mellon named finance head Thomas Gibbons as its CEO on an interim basis.
The bank also said Scharf had forfeited all of his equity and incentive awards which were unvested as of Thursday.
KBW analyst Brian Kleinhanzl said he was unsure what to expect from Scharf as Wells Fargo's CEO since his tenure at Bank of New York Mellon lasted only for two years.
"Scharf's first task will be appeasing regulators and making the changes necessary to remove the asset cap currently in place," Kleinhanzl said.
Scharf, 54, started his career in 1987 at Commercial Credit Corp, a consumer finance company run by Jamie Dimon and Sandy Weill - executives who went on to lead two of America's biggest banks.
He was named Dimon's assistant six months into the job at Commercial Credit, according to an alumni magazine for the NYU stern business school.
Scharf will start in his new role next month, Wells Fargo said in a statement.
"He moves from a bank with far less retail business than Wells Fargo, so he will face a steep learning curve," said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
The lender's board had considered keeping Parker as CEO on a permanent basis even after saying they would seek an outsider to fill the role, sources had told Reuters in June.
Wells Fargo said Scharf's base salary at the bank would be $2.5 million - nearly the same as Sloan's base pay in 2018.
Regulatory filings showed that Scharf's total compensation for 2018 at BNY was $9.4 million.
Sloan's total compensation for the year was $18.4 million.
Shares of Wells Fargo were up nearly 3.2% at $50.44 in premarket trading.
Reporting by Munsif Vengattil, Shariq Khan in Bengaluru and Elizabeth Dilts in New York; Writing by Sweta Singh; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Anil D'Silva
Parents Arrested In Suspicious Death Of 4-Year-Old Palmdale Boy Noah Cuatro - CBS Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - The parents of 4-year-old Palmdale boy Noah Cuatro who died in July under suspicious circumstances were arrested Thursday, officials confirmed.
Jose Cuatro and Ursula Juarez were arrested for the murder of their son, Noah, on September 26, 2019, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Dept. announced.
The two were booked at Palmdale Sheriff's Station and a search warrant was served at their residence in an attempt to recover any additional evidence related to Noah's murder.
Noah had been ordered by a court back in May to be removed from his parents' custody over concerns about abuse.
He was never removed from the home and placed in foster care and on the afternoon of July 5, Noah's parents called 911 to report that he was drowning in a pool at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of East Avenue S, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department reports.
Noah was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital.
He died the following morning, on July 6.
Hospital staff found signs of trauma on Noah's body and determined there were issues with his parents' explanation for his cause of death.
Noah's three siblings had since been removed from the home and the sheriff's department launched an investigation.
DCFS had previously investigated several reports of abuse in Noah's home.
Noah's maternal great-grandmother Eva Hernandez told CBSLA that he was in and out of foster care his entire life.
"DCFS has blood on its hands," said Hernandez's attorney Brian Claypool.
Even though we're talking today about the arrest of his parents, we will be back some point in the future to hold that agency accountable for the death of this little boy.
In 2016, according to the Times, Noah was removed from the home and placed in foster care for two years.
He was returned to his parents' custody in November 2018.
Hernandez said she often cared for her great-grandson.
"He begged me, "grandma, let me stay, don't do this to me, don't send me back,"" Hernandez said.
It's hard because I remember every word he used to tell me.
Noah's parents are being held on $1 million bail each and are due in court Monday, Sept.
Rugby World Cup 2019: Warren Gatland announces Wales line-up for Australia showdown
Warren Gatland has named an unchanged team for Wales' Pool D showdown against Australia, with Alun Wyn Jones set to become the country's most-capped player when he leads his side out in Tokyo.
The Wales skipper wins his 130th cap, breaking the previous record held by prop Gethin Jenkins.
Gatland has placed his faith in the starting XV that secured a 43-14 victory over Georgia four days ago, this despite the knocks suffered by centre Hadleigh Parkes and hooker Ken Owens.
There is one switch among the replacements, with Ospreys centre Owen Watkin taking over from Leigh Halfpenny.
Gatland's side features nine survivors from Wales' narrow win against the Wallabies last November.
There are also further opportunities for prop Wyn Jones and flanker Aaron Wainwright after they made their Rugby World Cup debuts in the Georgia game.
And flanker Aaron Shingler will again provide second-row bench cover for starting locks Jake Ball and Alun Wyn Jones.
Sunday's clash at the Tokyo Stadium will likely decide the winner of Pool D, setting up a potential quarter-final against either France or Argentina.
Should Australia claim victory - in what would make for their 14th win from the last 15 meetings between these two sides - Gatland's men could find themselves on a collision course for a last-eight encounter with England.
Buy a classic Guardian photograph: Myanmar by David Levene
In 2016, Guardian photographer David Levene and architecture critic Oliver Wainwright visited Yangon to document its changing face, amid huge political upheaval and a flood of foreign investment.
Its crumbling British colonial architecture, and street life in particular, provided a rich source of stories and images.
Here, a young man sells fruit at a roadside stall beneath a rudimentary striplight (Wainwright is pictured just beyond him, wearing a blue T-shirt).
"There was a specific time at the end of the day, when daylight was failing and the streetlights came on, when everything seemed to glow," says Levene.
World Cup is shop window that will improve team, says Canada captain
Canada rugby captain Tyler Ardron is under no illusions of the monumentality of the task facing his side in their next two World Cup fixtures but said it would put his players in the "shop window" and ultimately help improve the team in the long run.
The North Americans were beaten 48-7 by Italy in their Pool B opener at Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium on Thursday and now face three-times world champions New Zealand on Oct. 2 in Oita before meeting South Africa on Oct. 8 in Kobe.
Ardron, one of the few Canadians playing in a top-tier club competition - for New Zealand club Waikato Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition - recognized his side were unlikely to upset either of the southern hemisphere nations.
"We're at the World Cup to play against the best (and)... for this game (against Italy) we were definitely not the favorites and that showed on the scoreboard," Ardron said.
(Against New Zealand) we have to go out and put out something that we are proud of.
For a lot of guys this is a shop window and hopefully some of them can put on a hell of a performance out there and get a contract.
That would be a win for us.
Wins on the field may be few and far between for tier-two nations at the tournament, such as Uruguay's victory over Fiji in Kamaishi on Wednesday.
The Italians, however, were in no mood to allow a second shock within the space of 24 hours and demonstrated the benefits of having a team comprised of full-time professionals playing regular test matches.
Canada coach Kingsley Jones, however, said Thursday's performance had been a major step up for his side, which has struggled internationally for a number of years and was the last to qualify for the tournament.
The advent of Major League Rugby (MLR) in North America launched two years ago, however, is an important development in bridging the gap between tier-one and tier-two nations and for the development of players in Canada and the United States, he said.
It was a big reality check when I came to Canada just how difficult it was to get the players together.
"They all held down day jobs," said Jones.
But I think the MLR is a lifeline for Canada and the United States.
It's a pathway for players and coaches.
Jones said there were 51 Canadians contracted to MLR clubs last season.
Less than 18 months ago, more than 40 were working other jobs.
"That's a big step in the right direction," he said.
MLR still has a way to go.
It's still in its infancy but it is certainly a pathway into the top levels.
In the long term I'm sure it will get up to speed and be a good competitive competition, so that is critical.
House blocks Trump national emergency over border, setting up veto
President Donald Trump speaks while participating in a tour of border wall prototypes.
The House voted Friday to block the national emergency declaration President Donald Trump is using to fund his proposed border wall.
The Democratic-held chamber passed a resolution to terminate Trump's action by a 236-174 margin, sending it to the president.
Eleven Republicans and one independent supported it.
The Senate already approved the measure in a 54-41 vote, as 11 Republicans joined Democrats in backing it.
Trump will likely veto the resolution, the sixth time he will have blocked congressional legislation as president.
He already vetoed a measure to end the emergency declaration in March.
Neither chamber of Congress appears to have the two-thirds majority needed to override the president's opposition.
Failing to get the funding he desired for borders on the southern border from both the Mexican government and Congress, Trump declared the national emergency in February.
His administration plans to pull $3.6 billion from military construction to fund border projects.
Democrats have accused Trump of both circumventing Congress' power of the purse and raiding key Defense funds for unnecessary barriers.
A handful of Republicans in both the House and Senate also had concerns about the precedent Trump's declaration would set for executive overreach in the future.
Some Senate Republicans facing elections next year have faced sharp political pressure over the national emergency vote.
Babies exposed to air pollution have greater risk of death
Babies living in areas with high levels of air pollution have a greater risk of death than those surrounded by cleaner air, a study has found.
It is not the first study to investigate the link between air pollution and infant mortality , but the study drew particular focus on different pollutants and its analysis at different points in babies' lives.
Dr Sarah Kotecha , a researcher at Cardiff University, said the results were difficult for pregnant women and their families to do much about.
"You live where you live and you can't avoid pollution day in day out," she said, adding that it was down to policymakers to reduce pollution levels and for researchers to unpick how pollutants affect health.
"If you can find out some of the mechanisms you can look at potential interventions," she added.
A growing body of research has revealed links between different components of air pollution and health issues, including lung problems, heart disease, mental health problems, dementia and low birthweight.
The latest study, yet to be peer-reviewed or published, will be presented at the European Respiratory Society international congress in Madrid.
Kotecha said the research was based on data for almost 8 million live births in England and Wales between 2001 and 2012.
The team divided England and Wales into 35,000 areas, each containing approximately 1,500 residents, and looked at the annual death rates for babies up to one-year-old, together with the average annual levels for three pollutants.
These were particulate matter known as PM10, which comes from sources including vehicles and waste incineration, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2), which is released through burning of fossil fuels in power stations and refineries as well as metal extraction.
For each pollutant the team compared the death rate for babies in the worst fifth of polluted areas with those in the best fifth.
Once factors such as maternal age, deprivation level for the area and birthweight were taken into account, the team said that babies aged up to one year had a greater chance of dying living in areas with the worst air pollution compared with areas with the cleanest air.
The results held across all three pollutants, with the odds of death 7% worse for NO2, 4% worse for PM10 and 19% worse for SO2.
Further analysis suggested that of the three pollutants, only SO2 was associated with deaths within a baby's first 28 days.
The study was unable to prove whether high levels of air pollution were to blame for the increased risk of death in those areas.
It also did not take into account levels of indoor air pollution.
Prof Mireille Toledano, an expert in population child health at Imperial College London, said the study confirmed that air pollution is a major public health hazard, adding that current standards are failing to protect people.
She said the latest study had a number of limitations.
It looked at average pollution levels over relatively large areas while in reality levels can vary greatly over a small distance - meaning the babies' true exposure was not captured.
The study also did not take into account fluctuations in air pollution with the weather or over seasons, and did not take into account where the mother spent her pregnancy or factors such as maternal smoking.
Toledano said it was also unclear how factors like birthweight were accounted for.
"It is showing there is some kind of additional risk from air pollution for infant death but the way that it has been set up is quite a crude analysis," said Toledano.
Dr Penny Woods, the chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said action must be taken to tackle the public health crisis of air pollution - including introducing clean air zones in the most polluted cities.
"The evidence linking infant mortality and air pollution is still emerging but Dr Kotecha's study, which suggests babies born in the UK's most polluted areas see a significantly increased risk of death, should be a wake-up call to government," she said.
A second study found that exposure to PM10 from traffic during pregnancy and children's early life was linked to a slightly lower lung function of the children at eight years old - although the effect was no longer seen by the time the children were 15.
Woods said the study mirrored previous findings, adding that children cannot protect their own lungs.
"Both these studies concentrate on the damage done by air pollution to some of the most vulnerable members of our society - the very young," she said.
Muslim Woman Says Company Didn't Hire Her As She Wanted To Pray At Work
Shahin Indorewala is suing the firm, claiming that she was discriminated against.
Shahin Indorewala had a job working with children with autism, but she wanted to gain more experience in marketing.
So she applied to Fast Trak Management, a small company that bills itself as "the number 1 marketing firm in the Northern Virginia Area."
Now, Indorewala is suing the company, claiming that she was discriminated against because of her religion when she asked to use break time to pray.
In a lawsuit filed in US District Court on Tuesday, Indorewala said she was "humiliated" by Fast Trak's CEO mocking her Muslim beliefs.
The CEO, Ramses Gavilondo, disputes her version of events, saying Indorewala decided she did not want the job.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which brought the lawsuit on Indorewala's behalf, held a brief news conference outside Fast Trak's Falls Church office on Wednesday, when CAIR labeled Fast Trak "a company that disregarded federal law and chose not to hire her because of her faith."
In a video of the news conference, Indorewala said that her first interview went well, and that she was asked to return for a second interview.
At that interview, Indorewala said, an assistant manager at Fast Trak told her that the company offers a long lunch break.
Indorewala asked if she could take a shorter lunch break, so she could take two five-minute breaks during the workday to pray.
She promptly ended the interview.
She said, 'That's not going to work.
We have fixed hours here,' " Indorewala said.
According to the lawsuit, the assistant manager then allegedly walked with Indorewala to Gavilondo, and said that the job's hours wouldn't work for Indorewala.
Indorewala said she then explained to Gavilondo that she prays five times a day.
At that point, Indorewala says, Gavilondo pointed to her headscarf and made mocking comments about religion.
"Am I really being made fun of for my religion in public in what's supposed to be a professional workplace? . . .
Clearly I was being discriminated against because of my religion," Indorewala said at the news conference.
That was it.
I just kind of quietly left the office.
I didn't want to create a scene or anything, but I was pretty hurt and pretty embarrassed.
Reached by phone on Thursday, Gavilondo said he didn't reject Indorewala's application; instead, he said, she was the one who decided she did not want the job.
Someone came for an interview.
They didn't want to work here. . . .
"It's like me going to a store to buy Kit-Kats, and then I don't want to eat the Kit-Kats," he said.
He said he recalled that Indorewala brought up her Muslim faith, but he did not specifically recall her request for five-minute prayer breaks during the day.
And he said he had not made fun of her hijab: "I'm not a fashion expert.
People can wear whatever they want."
Scott Morrison will consider Donald Trump's formula, but it's unlikely he'll follow it
And Morrison does not have to say "fake news" to echo the President at times.
He complained about the media on Wednesday for running "completely false" and "completely misleading" accounts of his climate policies.
So when Morrison needs answers on how to win the next election, he will no doubt consider Trump's formula - and whether it works in November 2020.
But political tactics do not transfer so easily across the Pacific.
Those around Morrison are not planning a Trumpification of the Prime Minister for the simple reason that the intensely partisan tactics that work in the United States cannot work in a world where elections are won and lost in the centre.
Compulsory voting stays the hand of anyone who wants to appeal to the edge and forget the middle.
Trump is divisive in Australia and his friendship with Morrison may alienate some Australian voters, which means copying the President is no guarantee of victory.
Some of Morrison's critics on the left see a world they fear, or perhaps secretly the almighty battle they want, when they make the Prime Minister out to be like Trump.
Imagine Morrison if that were so.
He would not only skip the United Nations climate summit.
He would ridicule it as a waste of time.
The fact that Morrison used his speech to the UN to talk about action on climate shows he does not want to lose voters in the middle who expect their political leaders to take it seriously.
And there is a gulf between the two leaders on the right of a superpower to dictate terms in the world.
"The future does not belong to globalists.
The future belongs to patriots," Trump said at the United Nations on Tuesday.
The fact that Morrison used his speech to the UN to talk about action on climate shows he does not want to lose voters in the middle.
What that means may require long study, but it is an immediate contrast with the Australian support for negotiated settlements between countries rather than the will of one group of patriots imposed on others.
"We will be more secure and prosperous in a global order based on agreed rules, not one based on the exercise of power alone," Morrison told Asialink in Sydney in June.
Zimbabwe: Sanctions Slow Down Zim Progress
Zvamaida Murwira in NEW YORK, United States
Illegal and ruinous sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West have markedly slowed down the country's development, President Mnangagwa has said.
He further dismissed the embargo as an attack on the rights of citizens.
The President said this here during his address to the 74th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 74).
He applauded Southern Africa for solidly standing by Zimbabwe in calling for the unconditional removal of the two-decades-old embargo.
While Zimbabwe had registered significant progress in providing safety nets for vulnerable groups of society, the President said, more could have been achieved had it not been for the illegal sanctions.
These achievements are in spite of the continued albatross of the illegal economic sanctions.
"Furthermore, sanctions are slowing down our progress, inhibiting our economic recovery and punishing the poorest and most vulnerable," he said.
The President said Zimbabwe was in a transition and was determined to overcome the reality that it had a collapsed economy and currency due to illegal sanctions.
Namibian President Hage Geingob weighed in, calling for the unequivocal lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe so that Harare could pursue its economic development agenda.
President Mnangagwa urged the United Nations (UN) to assert its authority and honour its principles by reining in countries that imposed the sanctions.
As the United Nations, let us boldly honour the principles of our Charter.
The wrongs of the world must be set right.
Unfair practices must be challenged; injustice, racism and all forms of oppression of man by man must be opposed and rejected.
"My country applauds the South African Development Community, the African Union and all those who stand with us in demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of these illegal sanctions," said President Mnangagwa.
Those that imposed these illegal sanctions must heed this call and lift them now.
Cooperation is a win-win game.
Sanctions are a lose-lose game.
Zimbabwe deserves a restart.
The West, specifically the US and the European Union (EU), imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium in protest over the irreversible land reform programme that sought to correct land ownership imbalances that had been inherited from the racist colonial regime.
Both the US and the EU claim to be champions of democracy and human rights, yet they are stifling economic growth in Zimbabwe through the maintenance of the racist sanctions.
Analysts have suggested that the West was using the sanctions as a ploy to effect regime change through making living standards difficult in Zimbabwe so that citizens turn against their Government.
The 39th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Tanzania noted the adverse impact on Zimbabwe's economy and the region at large, of the prolonged economic sanctions, and expressed solidarity.
SADC called for the immediate lifting of the sanctions to facilitate socio-economic recovery in the country, and declared October 25th as the date on which SADC member States can collectively voice their disapproval of the sanctions through various activities and platforms until the sanctions are lifted.
Japan sees North Korea missile, China space activity as threat
Japan has raised its caution level about North Korea's missile capability, saying in a defense report that the country resumed missile tests while taking no concrete denuclearization steps and had succeeded in making miniaturized warheads.
The annual defense paper, approved Friday by the Cabinet, underscores Japan's fear of being targeted by its neighbor.
Its reaction to the North's recent tests contrasts to the low-key U.S. response.
Since the second U.S.-North Korea summit collapsed this year, North Korea has fired 10 short-range missiles and projectiles deemed new and upgraded.
The defense paper also highlights that China's threat is expanding into space from the regional seas.
Japan is also bolstering its defense role under its alliance with the U.S. and is launching a space unit and measures against cyber and electromagnetic attacks.
Brexit news: Britain on brink of 'watershed moment' as Remainers to accept 'they are wrong'
Caller Bob insisted MPs seeking to oppose Brexit in Parliament will soon realise they are in the "wrong" position.
Members of Parliament have been engaged in a bitter battle with Boris Johnson and his Cabinet in an attempt to make sure Britain does not leave the European Union without an official agreement.
Phoning in Mike Graham's show on talkRADIO, Bob said: "I think it's a watershed moment because the Brexit blockers in Parliament are beginning to show their true colours."
It's not that they want a deal for Brexit, they just don't want Brexit.
They're getting more and more outspoken and frustrated because they are beginning to realise they are fundamentally wrong.
Bob continued: "The reason for that, the fundamental reason for that, is that they are defying the people of this country who are sovereign."
It all goes back to one fundamental thing, this wonderful thing that we have in this country - that is our Constitution.
A lot of people say we don't have a Constitution, well, we do.
Boris Johnson on Thursday refused to apologise for describing attempts to block a no-deal break with the EU as the "surrender act."
But the Prime Minister acknowledged that he would have to be able to "reach out" to opposition MPs if he was to secure their support for any new deal he negotiated with the EU.
Speaking to BBC South, Mr Johnson said: "I need to reach out across the House of Commons."
Mr Barnier told reporters: "We are still ready to work on any new legal and operational proposal from the EU."
Following a fiery debate in the Commons, Speaker of the House John Bercow urged MPs to give up negative conduct.
Mr Bercow said: "I think there's a widespread sense across the House and beyond that yesterday the House did itself no credit."
There was an atmosphere in the chamber worse than any I've known in my 22 years in the House.
On both sides passions were inflamed, angry words uttered, the culture was toxic.
Trump Attacks Whistleblower Sources, Suggests Complaint Is Treason: Reports
President Donald Trump on Thursday attacked anyone involved in the whistleblower complaint regarding his dealings with Ukraine as "almost a spy" and suggested their actions to expose his alleged impropriety were "treason," reported The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
The president made the remark as acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee about the complaint, which prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday to announce the opening of an impeachment inquiry into Trump.
The whistleblower, an unnamed U.S. intelligence officer, alleges several White House officials accused Trump of pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a July phone call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Biden is a front-runner in the Democratic race to challenge Trump's reelection in 2020.
The White House then attempted to cover up the exchange, according to the complaint.
The Los Angeles Times posted audio of Trump's spy remarks he reportedly made in front of a crowd of staff from the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
"Basically, that person never saw the report, never saw the call, and he never saw the call - heard something and decided that he or she or whoever the hell it is - they're almost a spy," Trump said.
"Who's the person who gave the whistleblower the information?
Because that's close to a spy," the president continued.
You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right?
We used to handle it a little differently than we do now.
No one in the U.S. has been convicted of treason ― a crime punishable by death ― in the last 70 years, according to NBC News.
The House Intelligence Committee released the declassified complaint Thursday ahead of Maguire's hearing.
The complainant alleges Trump's call with Zelensky amounted to an "abuse of his office for personal gain" and that White House officials were directed by White House lawyers to store a transcript of the call in an electronic system used to handle classified information.
Maguire, whom Trump appointed to head the U.S. intelligence community last month, testified Thursday that he believed the whistleblower had "acted in good faith" when filing the complaint.
"I have every reason to believe they have done everything by the book and followed the law," he told the committee.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) condemned Trump's attacks on the whistleblower and his or her sources.
"The President's suggestion that those involved in the whistleblower complaint should be dealt with as "we used to do" for "spies and treason" is a reprehensible invitation to violence against witnesses in our investigation," Schiff tweeted.
All Americans must denounce such witness intimidation.
Fife Flyers expect toughest test yet in Belfast Giants double-header
Fife Flyers will face their toughest test of the season to date when they take on Belfast Giants in a Challenge Cup double-header this weekend.
That's according to head coach Todd Dutiaume who wants his team to rise to the challenge against last season's Elite League champions, with a ferry trip to the Northern Irish capital on Saturday followed by the return match at Fife Ice Arena on Sunday.
"From what we've seen on tape, Belfast are an incredibly deep, well-rounded, physical and hard-working side," Dutes said.
I imagine that will be our toughest challenge to date as a group, and we want to respond well to it.
With a win and a defeat each, Flyers and Belfast both have two points after two games in Challenge Cup Group B.
The weekend results could go a long way towards claiming a top three finish, and a quarter-final place.
The Kirkcaldy side will need to find a way past former netminder Shane Owen, who moved to Belfast in the summer after an impressive season between the pipes in Fife.
"We have a tremendous amount of respect not only for Shane but all our former players," Dutiaume said.
He was recruited by an opposition team for a reason, and he seems to have settled in well there.
I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to shake hands with him after the game, but up until that point it has to be business as usual.
Instead of focusing on who we know or don't know, we have to be prepared to go into battle with these guys and grind out two crucial wins in the Challenge Cup.
While the cup takes focus this weekend, Flyers have enjoyed a positive start to their league campaign, sitting top of the standings despite a 4-2 defeat in Guildford on Sunday that saw the team endure a 24-hour round bus trip.
Depsite their early success, Dutiaume believes there is still room for improvement.
"We've had a great start to the season, but we'd still like to be better at retrieving the puck, defensively, in all three areas of the ice," he explained.
That's a work in progress.
For instance, in the Nottingham game, all six players played a significant part in not only retaining possession but also getting it back when there was a turnover.
It's a commitment to stick with the plan, and work hard in all aspects of the game.
If the puck goes in people are fast to blame the goaltender or defencemen, but these are the last lines of defence.
You need all guys on the ice, at all times, buying into playing on both sides of the puck and this is going to be key to our success.
Sitting top of the standings is a good place to be, but if as a group we rest on that then we're all not doing our jobs.
We have to fight for the right to stay up around top of the table, and it takes a commitment every night.
Dutiaume also stressed the importance of keeping five men on the ice after taking nine minor penalties in Guildford on Sunday.
"We ran into early penalty trouble and that's a big momentum swinger," he said.
We need to stay out of the box consistently because when you're on the back foot killing for big portions at the start of a hockey game, regardless if it's evened up later, you can lose that momentum quickly and it's hard to gain it back.
All teams will talk about having a great start and making sure they take early steps to get a psychological and physical advantage.
Dutiaume is also hoping his team can become more potent on the powerplay, adding: "Our powerplay is successful when we stick with it and stay patient, rather than trying to force passes because a team is killing great against us, and we end up getting ourselves isolated.
We have an incredibly offensive bunch so the powerplay is not concerning, we just have to get comfortable with the system and make sure we're not standing around."
Nancy Pelosi is subject of book by daughter Christine Pelosi
An upcoming book on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi comes from someone who knows her well, daughter Christine Pelosi.
"The Nancy Pelosi Way" will be released Nov. 26, Skyhorse Publishing announced Thursday.
Christine Pelosi's book will examine how a mother of five became the first female house speaker and her current leadership of House Democrats during the Trump administration.
According to Skyhorse, Christine Pelosi will weave together "the professional and personal experiences" of her mother.
Christine Pelosi is a Democratic Party strategist and author of "Campaign Boot Camp" and "Campaign Boot Camp 2.0."
Pelosi's sister, Alexandra Pelosi, is a filmmaker and journalist who has made several documentaries about contemporary politics.
Taoiseach opens new Irish Consulate in LA
The Taoiseach has opened a new Consulate General of Ireland in Los Angeles.
Leo Varadkar was accompanied by the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti at the ceremony.
It is the latest in a series of new foreign diplomatic missions that have been opened as part of "Global Ireland," a government initiative that aims to double Ireland's international presence by 2025.
The Taoiseach is in Los Angeles for a two-day trade mission focused on Ireland's growing television and film industries.
He will meet with senior executives from some of the world's leading streaming companies, studios and networks, including Netflix, Hulu, Skydance and Fox Searchlight.
The Government plans to double the size of the audio-visual sector over the next five years by increasing production activity and doubling the numbers of people employed in the sector to 24,000.
French chemical fire extinguished as questions mount
PARIS (AP) - French authorities and Normandy residents are clearing up residue from a huge fire at a chemical plant as a foul stench continues to spread over a swath of territory.
No one was injured in Thursday's fire at a lubricant plant in Rouen, but residents have expressed concern about possible health risks and consequences for the nearby Seine River.
The head of the regional administration said Friday the fire was extinguished Thursday night after nearly 24 hours.
Firefighters are still on the scene.
The administration warned of a new odor released after the fire was put out, saying it could spread to neighboring regions.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said people in fragile health should remain indoors through Friday night.
The plant is among the highest-risk industrial sites in Europe.
Toyota said to be increasing stake in Subaru to more than 20%
Toyota Motor plans to raise its stake in Subaru to more than 20% from around 17% now, a deal that would also see the smaller firm invest in Japan's top automaker, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
The deal is due to be approved at a Toyota board meeting on Friday, the people said, declining to be identified because the information has not been made public.
The investment would come a month after Toyota and another smaller Japanese automaker, Suzuki Motor, said they would take small equity stakes in each other.
Such tie-ups highlight how automakers are scrambling to chase scale, manage costs and boost development.
Traditional carmakers, especially smaller ones like Subaru and Suzuki, are struggling to meet the fast pace of change in an industry being transformed by the rise of electric vehicles, ride-hailing and autonomous driving.
Toyota's investment is likely to cost more than 70 billion yen ($650 million) based on Subaru's stock market value, said the Nikkei business daily, which first reported the news.
Subaru is likely to reciprocate with a stake in Toyota that would roughly equal the value of Toyota's additional investment, one of the people told Reuters.
Representatives for both Toyota and Subaru said the news was not something that had been announced by their companies.
Subaru is particularly strong in sport-utility vehicles (SUV) and all-wheel-drive technology.
The two automakers in June said they planned to jointly develop an electric sport-utility vehicle on a platform produced together, to split costs.
Carmakers around the world have been joining forces to slash development and manufacturing costs of new technology.
Ford Motor and Volkswagen have said they will spend billions of dollars to jointly develop electric and self-driving vehicles.
Toyota seems to be particularly keen to build scale now by investing in smaller, domestic automakers, rather than forging cross-border tie-ups like some of its rivals.
It has been looking to expand scale in next-generation technology and said this year it would offer free access to patents for electric vehicle motors and power control units.
Shares of Toyota were down 0.9% while shares of Subaru fell 1.5% on Friday morning.
Jurgen Klopp provides update on Sadio Mane injury ahead of Liverpool's trip to Sheffield United
Sadio Mane is available for Liverpool's clash with Sheffield United on Saturday.
The Senegal international suffered a knock and a dead leg in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Chelsea last Sunday and missed the 2-0 victory over MK Dons in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
But Mane trained with his Liverpool teammates on Thursday and Klopp has no concerns over the forward ahead of his side's trip to Bramall Lane in Saturday's early kick-off.
"Both trained yesterday, Sadio and Div [Divock Origi], completely normal, no issues," said the Liverpool manager.
Klopp also confirmed that Xherdan Shaqiri remains sidelined while James Milner is expected to overcome a back injury he suffered in the win over MK Dons.
"Shaq is not ready yet, he's doing rehab stuff," said Klopp.
Milli got a knock in his back against MK Dons early in the game, he looked a bit awkward after the game but he should be good.
Liverpool's Allison set to resume first-team training
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is expected to make his long-awaited return to first-team training this weekend.
The Brazil international has been sidelined with a calf injury since the opening match of the season on 9 August.
It will come too late for him to be considered for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Sheffield United but he is set to rejoin the group 24 hours later as preparations start for the Champions League tie at home to Red Bull Salzburg.
"Alisson looks like he is close, but the final word is with the medical department," said manager Jurgen Klopp.
He's not in contention for tomorrow.
Maybe he can train with the team from Sunday on.
I'm not a doctor, I take their information.
Alisson's injury was serious but in the last two weeks he progressed really, really well.
Credit to the medical department.
They have waited long enough to start him training.
There was more good news on the injury front, with Sadio Mane fully recovered from a dead leg sustained in last weekend's win at Chelsea and fellow forward Divock Origi back after missing three matches with an ankle problem.
"Sadio Mane and Divock Origi both trained yesterday and have no issues," added Klopp.
However, Xherdan Shaqiri, who injured a calf in training on Monday, is not ready to return.
How dare you?
Thunberg's U.N. speech inspires Dutch climate protesters
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Thousands of Dutch children skipped school to join a global climate strike on Friday, blocking traffic and asking their leaders "how dare you?" in a reference to Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg's speech at the United Nations.
A participant holds a drawing depicting Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg during a protest march to call for action against climate change, in The Hague, Netherlands September 27, 2019.
Turnout at the march in The Hague exceeded expectations with organizers estimating the crowd at about 35,000.
Police were forced to reroute the march to a location with more space.
Thunberg, 16, gave an impassioned address at the United Nations in New York this week, after millions of people worldwide joined a climate strike protest last Friday in the run-up to a U.N. climate summit.
"This strike is going to have a lot of effect when people keep showing up, not just today but also in the future and we see different kinds of people from all walks of life," said protester Reinder Rustema.
Banging drums and holding pictures of Thunberg, protesters walked through the city center with placards reading: "For the Greta good," "Don't be a fossil fool," and "You will die of old age, we will die of climate change."
"I understand their concerns, I believe they are being heard," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists at a weekly press briefing within earshot of the protests.
We have presented very ambitious plans to deal with these problems.
But we have to do it in a smart way, which also creates jobs.
Thunberg's brief address electrified the start of the summit aimed at mobilizing government and business to break international paralysis over carbon emissions, which hit record highs last year despite decades of warnings from scientists.
How dare you?" she said, her voice quavering with emotion.
The Netherlands, with 17 million inhabitants, generated less than 7 percent of all energy from sustainable sources in 2017, compared to 15 percent in Germany and over half of all energy in Sweden.
The government has pledged to halve CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, but by 2017 had only achieved a 13 percent cut.
Thunberg was taking part in a protest in Canada on Friday where U.N. aviation leaders were gathering in Montreal to discuss plane emissions targets.
North Korea slams US "inaction" on lifting sanctions after nuclear talks
North Korea accused the United States of doing nothing to implement issues agreed on at summits between US President Donald Trump and the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, but said it is placing hope in the US president's "wise option and bold decision."
A statement from Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye Gwan circulated by North Korea's UN mission came days after Mr Trump said, without elaborating, that another summit meeting with Kim "could happen soon."
"It draws my keen interest that it is highly topical these days in the US to hold another DPRK-US summit," the adviser said, using the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
But he was critical of US inaction since the summits.
While past summits were "historic occasions" for the two leaders "to express their political will to put an end to the hostile relations between the two countries and have peace and stability settled on the Korean peninsula," Kim Kye Gwan said "no practical follow-up was made to implement the issues agreed upon at the summit talks."
The Foreign Ministry adviser said North Korea "has made sincere efforts to build trust" and implement the joint Washington-Pyongyang statement issued after the first summit between Kim and Mr Trump in Singapore last year.
He pointed to North Korea's repatriation of American detainees "who committed hostile acts" against the country and the return of remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
"However, the US has done nothing for implementing the joint statement," the North Korean official said.
On the contrary, he cited the resumption of US-South Korean military drills "which the US president personally pledged to suspend," and the ratcheting up of US sanctions against the North.
Kim Kye Gwan said it is "hard reality" that politicians in Washington are obsessed with "nuclear disarmament first" by North Korea before sanctions can be lifted and the country "can get access to a bright future."
The adviser said this makes him doubt whether "a new breakthrough" could take place in US-North Korean relations through another summit.
But he left a door open.
"I came to know that President Trump is different from his predecessors in political sense and decision while watching his approach to the DPRK, so I would like to place my hope on president Trump's wise option and bold decision," he said.
In his mid-70s, Kim Kye Gwan is a veteran diplomat who led the North Korean delegation at much of the now-dormant six-nation nuclear disarmament talks held in Beijing in 2003-2008.
In his speech to the global gathering on Tuesday, Mr Trump briefly mentioned North Korea, saying the United States has pursued "bold diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula."
"I have told Kim Jong-un what I truly believe: that, like Iran, his country is full of tremendous untapped potential, but that to realise that promise, North Korea must denuclearise," the US president said.
North Korea entered talks with the United States last year, saying it was willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees and sanctions relief.
The North wants a step-by-step disarmament process, in which each of its denuclearisation step is matched by a corresponding US reward.
The United States says sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until the country takes significant steps toward denuclearisation.
During the Singapore summit, Kim Jong-un promised to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula without providing any timetable or road map for disarmament steps.
In Singapore, Kim and Trump also agreed to establish new bilateral relations and build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
They met again in Vietnam in February for a second summit.
But that meeting abruptly fell apart after Mr Trump rejected Kim's request for extensive relief of sanctions in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearisation step.
The two leaders held a brief, impromptu meeting at the Korean border in late June, and agreed to restart talks.
Indian Military Training Team Chopper Crashes In Bhutan, 2 Dead
An Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) helicopter crashed in eastern Bhutan on Friday, killing two people, including a Bhutanese pilot.
The chopper that took off from Khirmu in Arunachal Pradesh lost contact near Yonphula, the Army said, adding that the wreckage has been located.
In an unfortunate incident, an Indian Army helicopter has crashed at 1 pm near Yonphula in Bhutan.
The helicopter went out of radio and visual contact soon after 1 pm.
"The helicopter was on way from Khirmu (Arunanchal) to Yonphula on duty," the Army said in a statement.
Ground search and rescue was launched immediately from Yonphula.
The wreckage has been located.
"IAF and Army helicopters were also launched from Misamari, Guwahati and Hashimara," it added.
The single engine Cheetah helicopter was piloted by an Indian and a Bhutanese Army pilots, the army said, adding there were no survivors.
Boris Johnson attacks Scottish government for 'grave inadequacies'
The Prime Minister has attacked the SNP, saying he plans to introduce measures to "compensate for the grave inadequacies" of the Scottish government.
Speaking ahead of the Conservative party conference, Boris Johnson said he would accelerate measures to create "a much stronger Scottish economy" whether there is a deal or no-deal Brexit.
He also reiterated his strong opposition to a second Scottish independence referendum.
In an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Johnson said: "They have the highest taxes anywhere in the UK.
They are not doing a good job on health, they are not doing a good job on education."
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has supported the possibility of a second independence referendum.
'I hope the money that we are now investing is properly spent on those services.
And I hope that Scottish Conservatives get the credit they deserve for the hundreds of millions of extra funding that we're putting into Scottish agriculture which was secured, not by Nicola Sturgeon, but by Scottish Conservatives.'
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already said she wants to have another referendum on leaving the UK in the second half of 2020, but Mr Johnson has previously stated his opposition to a second vote on the issue.
He told BBC Scotland on Thursday: "We had an independence referendum in 2014 and we made an explicit promise to the people of Scotland that this was going to be a once-in-a-generation event.
The people of Scotland voted very, very substantially to stay part of the UK, which was the right decision as this is the most successful union anywhere in the world.
They were promised this was a once-in-a-generation thing and I think we should stick with that."
Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described Mr Johnson as "untrustworthy, craven, not a shred of concern for the consequences of his words or actions."
She tweeted: "The Westminster opposition should unite around a plan to trigger the no confidence process to bring Johnson's government down, ensure the Benn Act is honoured and enable a General Election as quickly as possible.
Doing nothing should not be an option."
The Scottish Government has been asked for comment on the interview with Mr Johnson.
Mugabe Burial Set for Zvimba As Govt Gives in to Family Demands
The Zimbabwean government has given the family of the late former president Robert Mugabe a go ahead to bury him in Zvimba communal lands, Mashonaland West, instead of a so-called mausoleum being constructed at the National Heroes Acre.
In an interview, Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, said the family has a right to designate the burial place of the former Zimbabwean leader, who died of cancer on September 6th in Singapore.
The family of the late former President R. G. Mugabe has expressed its desire to proceed with his burial in Zvimba.
In line with government policy to respect the wishes of families of deceased heroes, government is cooperating with the Mugabe family in their new position.
Government will render all the necessary support to give the late former president a fitting burial as led by the family.
Reacting to the latest development on Mugabe's burial, Maureen Kademaunga of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Nelson Chamisa, told VOA Zimbabwe Service that the late former president's burial saga will cost the nation huge sums of money as a mausoleum being built in Harare has been abandoned without proper consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The Mugabe family had said they don't want anything to do with the heroes acre.
This is something they were saying from the day he was declared dead.
So, they just went ahead and did that thing.
So they flushed money down the drain ... Our members of parliament are going to be demanding accountability.
We want to know how much money had gone into that project and how they are going to replace that money.
The late president will be laid to rest Saturday, according to family members.
Antonio Caruso to fight Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu in Jakarta
Antonio Caruso can see a lot of resemblances between AFL and fighting one-on-one inside a cage.
On face value the sports are polar opposites, but the training and mental dedication needed to succeed run on tight parallel.
And a new life in Florida, sparring with the world's fighters in preparation for his ONE Championship MMA debut, has surprising throwbacks to his amateur football days at Salisbury West.
"Imagine you're playing in the AFL but you're training with an amateur club, then you go out on a Saturday and play with the AFL boys," he said.
Of course you can kick and catch the same, but the temper, the pace, it's not the same.
Some days I'll walk away, some rounds I've lost badly, but previous to that, back home, I was never getting challenged.
The reflection was born on the back of a hard training session run by former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at Hard Knocks MMA gym - Carusos's home away form home.
The undefeated 28-year-old said the grinding work has him primed to take out Mongolian Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu in Jakarta on October 25.
"You can be on the mat at any one time with three or four champions, mixing it up with them," he said.
That's the biggest change here, there's no easy rounds, there's no easy work.
I can't run before a sparring session and then go spar, these guys will run rings around me.
But I feed off of it.
Tsogookhuu (5W-1L) made his pro debut in 2016 and won the MGL-1 lightweight championship title in October, before making the move to Asia's biggest MMA promotion.
But under the guidance of head coach Henri Hooft, Caruso feels like a new man.
Henri's so advanced as a coach and he's seen it all, fighters from the best days to their worst days.
"You can't buy that type of experience," he said.
(Tsogookhuu) has grown up different to me, but it terms of skills and ability, he's tough and has what it takes, but it won't be enough.
He's going to be strong, but that doesn't hold you too long in this game.
In the card's main event, ONE welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam will defend his title against Kiamrian Abbasov.
Energy suppliers accused of 'greenwashing' tariffs to attract environmentally friendly customers
One supplier states "electricity supplied to your home is 100 per cent green," which Which? says is "impossible" to guarantee.
The consumer champion is calling on the government department Ofgem to offer greater clarity on how renewable energy is defined as the current system allows suppliers to rely exclusively on REGOs, "greenwash" their tariffs, and do "very little" to support new renewable electricity generation.
Editor-in-chief, said: 'As consumers grow ever-more environmentally-conscious, it's concerning that some suppliers appear to be "greenwashing" their energy tariffs, which could risk misleading customers.'
We believe there needs to be greater clarity on how renewable electricity is defined and marketed.
People can only make informed decisions about where to buy their energy from if firms are more upfront and transparent about their green credentials.
For the investigation, Which? analysed 355 tariffs offering renewable electricity tariffs in June 2019 and found 20 suppliers selling 100 per cent renewable electricity tariffs without contracts to buy any renewable electricity.
World Athletics Championships: MP Jabir Qualifies For 400m Hurdle Semifinals, Long Jumper M Sreeshankar Disappoints
Long jumper M Sreeshankar failed to reach the final after a disappointing performance while 400m hurdler MP Jabir made it to the semifinals on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships in Doha on Friday.
Another 400m hurdler Dharun Ayyasamy, the national record holder, tumbled after the last hurdle in his heat to fail to qualify for the semifinals.
The 20-year-old Sreeshankar could only produce a best jump of 7.62m from his three attempts in the qualification B to finish 22nd overall.
His effort was well below his season's best of 8.00m, which he had produced only last month in Patiala.
Later in the day, Jabir finished third in the heat number one and 11th overall in men's 400m hurdle with a time of 49.62 seconds to qualify for the semifinals to be held on Saturday.
He has a season's and personal best of 49.13.
Ayyasamy could only clock 50.55 as he lost precious time after hitting the final hurdle.
He finished sixth in heat number five and 27th overall to miss out of the semifinals.
Ayyasamy, who had recovered from an injury recently, has a personal and season's best of 48.80.
The first four in each of the five heats and the next four fastest qualify for the 400m hurdles semifinals.
The first Indian to take the field on Friday was Sreeshankar, who has a personal best and national record of 8.20m.
He began with a 7.52m before clearing 7.62m.
He then fouled his third and final jump to end his campaign in disappointment.
The automatic mark for the finals was set at 8.15m but only one jumper could touch it.
The 11 other best performers went through to the finals with the least distance making the cut was 7.89m.
Sreeshankar's 7.62m effort here was his second worst this season.
He had 7.53m in the qualifying round of the National Inter-State Championships in Lucknow last month.
This season, he has been consistent around 7.80m with three jumps in the 7.90s, besides the 8.00m in Patiala on August 16.
Sreeshankar was, however, placed second last in terms of the season's best among the 27 jumpers who took part in the qualification round.
Karen Pence Was Reportedly 'Livid' With Trump's 'Access Hollywood' Tape
Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, was reportedly "livid" about that infamous "Access Hollywood" tape that surfaced a month before the 2016 presidential election.
Reporter Tom LoBianco, who covered Pence for The Associated Press and Indianapolis Star, reveals in his new book "Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House" that Karen Pence was very unhappy with the recording.
The notorious tape featured Donald Trump in 2005 bragging about grabbing women "by the pussy" without their consent.
"Karen ... "was livid" at Trump's prurient comments in the "Access Hollywood" tape," The New York Times wrote in a Friday morning article covering LoBianco's book.
But her husband concluded it was too late to drop off the ticket.
On election night, LoBianco reports in his book, Karen Pence refused to kiss her husband.
"You got what you wanted, Mike," she told him.
"Leave me alone," The New York Times reported.
NYT correspondent Peter Baker muses that Karen Pence wields a lot of influence over her husband, who refuses to meet alone with women unless his wife is present.
Mike Pence, an Evangelical Christian, infamously said in 2002 that he "never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won't attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side."
Critics slammed Mike Pence for the comment when it resurfaced in 2017, saying it suggested he doesn't see women as professional equals and that women who work for him aren't given the same opportunities as men.
The man in the "white guy blinking" meme is now using his fame to raise money for a Multiple Sclerosis charity.
Drew Scanlon, 33, went viral when he became the face of the go-to GIF for users puzzled by some of the idiotic comments being spouted online.
Now he has cycled 120 miles from San Francisco to Wine Country for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society with a team of 10 bikers.
He also directed his large following towards his fundraising page to amass more than $37,000.
Mr Scanlon made use of his Twitter fame to raise money for the charity bike ride, saying: "Hi Internet!
If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society.
It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease!
Over on his fundraising page, he laid out the reasons for choosing to support the MS charity.
He said: "I'm not usually one to toot my own meme horn but in this case I'll make an exception.
You see, two close friends of mine and members of their families suffer from MS, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system that interrupts communication between the brain and the body.
Millions of people suffer from MS and there is no known cure.
This is where you come in."
Meghan to 'fulfil her heart's desires' and refuses let own needs 'fade away' amid her royal duties
Meghan Markle is determined to 'fulfil her heart's desires' and not let her own needs 'fade away' now she's a member of the Royal Family - and wants to be a role model for young boys as well as girls.
The Duchess of Sussex, 38, reportedly made the remarks during an event for inspiring female entrepreneurs at Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town earlier this week during her tour of South Africa with husband Prince Harry.
Woodstock Exchange, the UK-SA Tech Hub, focuses on skills development and access to markets by assisting entrepreneurs, particularly women, to acquire skills, resources and support.
The Ladies Who Launch meeting saw the former actress, 38, meet with several women who have set up their own businesses in industries such as technology, conservation and fashion and praise them for 'empowering the next generation' of creative minds.
During a conversation with the female tech founders Meghan, who has campaigned vigorously for the empowerment of young women and girls, said she hopes to do the same for young men.
Mother-of-two Naadiya Moosajee, a South African engineer, social entrepreneur and co-founder of Women in Engineering, revealed: 'We acknowledged the importance of not just education for girls but being role models for boys - that we are women who are influential and who boys can look up to as well,' People reports.
We both have sons, and we were bearing in mind that we are not just role models for girls but boys - and not just our sons, but generally in public too.
She added that having Meghan present 'didn't feel hierarchical', as it was 'women gathered together and a talk about the struggles we have, as well as the things we need to do to move forward and grow and change our societies'.
Matsi Modise, founder of skills training company Simodisa, said Meghan is determined to continue to champion the issues close to her heart despite being a member of the Fold.
'She talked about being a mother and having duties as a duchess and fulfilling what her heart desires - and that it can't just fade away now that you're a duchess,' Modise recalled.
That you have to be true to who you are.
She said the duchess pushed them to plough ahead with their new ideas and spoke about how they have to keep pushing and going forward, knowing they are doing it for others who will follow.
'She wasn't referring to being a royal, but life in general when you have challenges,' Modise added, admitting she felt a bit 'awestruck' by Meghan.
'She radiates grace and she is taking this task that she has with such grace,' Modise said.
A lot of us have done amazing things as founders, but meeting a royal is quite daunting.
She made it easy.
She is an easy-going royal.
Meghan also revealed she's enjoying the pressures of being a working mother, admitting she finds juggling being a royal and looking after baby Archie 'a lot' but 'all so exciting'.
Speaking to mother-of-two Lara Rosmarin, CEO of Cape Innovation and Technology, Meghan said: 'We're only five months in right now.
'There are days when it's a lot to juggle but then you meet someone and you have an impact on them and you say "ah-ha," and it's so rewarding.'
Angola: Minister Stresses Need to Revamp Iron Palace
Luanda - Angola's minister of Culture Maria da Piedade de Jesus has spoke of the need to boost and revive the Iron Palace in Luanda, turning the site into a Cultural Center.
This was during an audience granted to the French ambassador to Angola, Sylvain Itté, on Friday in Luanda aimed at strengthening cultural cooperation between the countries.
Maria de Jesus said that the objective is to make better use of infrastructure and making it available to the public.
The one floor and three-exhibition rooms infrastructure maintains the originality of the material used, ensuring better quality of the structure.
The Iron Palace is a historic building believed to be the work of Gustave Eiffel.
Maria da Piedade de Jesus stated that the intention is to transform the Iron Palace into a space for cultural interaction, as well as serving as a workshop for the discovery of new values of Angolan culture.
Immanuel Christian School: Sixth-grade boys accused of pinning down black girl and cutting off her dreadlocks in Virginia
A black middle school student from Virginia is accusing three white boys of pinning her down and cutting off her dreadlocks.
The incident took place at Immanuel Christian School - where Vice President Mike Pence's wife, Karen Pence, is a teacher.
Amari Allen, a 12-year-old student at the private K-12 Christian school, said the boys called her dreadlocks "ugly" and "nappy" before cutting them off on the playground during recess.
"They kept laughing and calling me names," Amari told CBS affiliate WUSA-TV, tearing up.
They called me 'ugly,' said, 'I shouldn't have been born.'
They called me 'an attention-seeker.'
According to WUSA, one of the boys allegedly covered Amari's mouth while another held her hands behind her back and a third took a pair of scissors to her dreadlocks.
Amari didn't tell her family about the incident until after her grandmother noticed the length of her hair had changed.
"They ran off laughing, and I was just sitting there," Amari said.
The alleged incident occurred on Monday, but the shy preteen said she didn't tell her family about it until Wednesday, after her grandmother noticed her hair looked different.
She feared retaliation if she confessed the truth, she said.
"It's very painful," said Cynthia Allen, Amari's grandmother.
I want to see them dismissed from the school.
I want to see something done.
Allen's family pays nearly $12,000 per year for Amari to attend the school, which made headlines earlier this year after Karen Pence took an art teaching job at the famously anti-LGBTQ institution.
"We take seriously the emotional and physical well-being of all our students, and have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of bullying or abuse," Immanuel Christian School said in a statement.
We are deeply disturbed by the allegations being made, and are in communication with the family of the alleged victim to gather information and provide whatever support we can.
We have also reached out to law enforcement to ask them to conduct a thorough investigation, and further inquiries should be directed to the Fairfax County Police.
While the school has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, Amari said the boys had previously tormented her.
She said that the boys have taken her lunch and called her names in the past.
Amari's family met with school officials Thursday, and the investigation is ongoing.
PM Modi Tweets Tribute To Jacques Chirac, Calls Him True Global Statesman, Friend Of India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of former French president Jacques Chirac, saying India mourns the loss of a true global statesman and friend.
Jacques Chirac, who supported India after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998, died on Thursday at age 86.
He served as the president of France from 1995 to 2007.
My deepest condolences on passing away of Jacques Chirac.
India mourns the loss of a true global statesman.
A friend of India, he played a decisive role in establishing and building India-France Strategic Partnership," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
India and France have a strategic partnership, initiated in January 1998 during Jacques Chirac's first visit to India.
He again visited the country as president in 2006.
Jacques Chirac was known to have been suffering from ill health for a long time.
Mickey Arthur Says Remarks About Wasim Akram, Misbah-Ul-Haq Were "Dignified"
The committee decided against renewing Arthur's contract, which paved the way for Misbah to be named the country's chief selector and new head coach.
Arthur said he had supported the participation of both Wasim and Misbah on the committee but was disappointed with the decision after placing his trust in them.
"I guess the only disappointment I have out of the whole lot is that there were some people I really trusted who ultimately didn't follow through," said Arthur during the interview.
"And it just happened to be that Misbah was on the committee that didn't renew our contracts and becomes this heir-apparent," he added.
Arthur refused to speak ill of Misbah in the interview.
Misbah will do a good job, Misbah is a good guy and Pakistan cricket made their decision.
I was disappointed because I loved every second of that job.
The comments caused a stir in Pakistani media, where cricket gossip is widely reported.
Speaking to AFP by phone from Perth, said he had the right to speak his mind after faithfully serving the team for three years.
"I was dignified in my comments because I love Pakistan, the players I worked with, spent time with for three years and respect Misbah and Wasim," Arthur told AFP.
I felt disappointed because I had some unfinished business to do with the Pakistan team and would have loved to continue.
But now we have moved on and I wish Pakistan team the best of luck under Misbah.
Wasim and Misbah both defended their actions following the World Cup.
"I have played for Pakistan and I serve Pakistan cricket in some capacity or the other, so when I was asked to join the committee to decide about the head coach I gave my honest opinion," Wasim told AFP in Karachi.
Misbah added that Arthur was entitled to his opinion.
"I think what he has said is his opinion," said Misbah.
Whatever he has thought he has said.
I always say that everyone has his opinion.
As a member of the cricket committee we gave our honest opinion.
I had good relations with Mickey," he added.
"Good relations are always there and will remain there," the current Pakistan head coach added.
Passenger caught urinating on Sydney train
Disgusting video footage has emerged of a passenger urinating on a Sydney train as horrified school students watch just metres away.
A video of the incident, which occurred at around 8.30am this morning on a train travelling between Werrington and Kingswood, was posted to Facebook by Sydney woman Jordy Lee.
"Share this pig around," she wrote.
Doing this in front of kids on their way to school this morning.
The footage shows a male passenger, believed to be in his late teens, leaning against a pole near the carriage doors and urinating onto the ground.
The footage was filmed by two students as a way of exposing the man's vile behaviour, according to the Penrith Press.
The kids' mum then posted it to Facebook, telling the publication she was left in disgust by the whole incident.
"I am in total shock that this happened in peak hour on a Friday morning in front of children just going to school," she said.
It's an absolutely disgusting thing to do; my dog wouldn't even do that.
Her children told her the man was laying on the seats asleep when they got on, then during the trip he got up and started urinating on the ground.
When he was done he reportedly sat back on a seat and fell asleep again.
Facebook users flocked to the post to call out the passenger for his disgusting behaviour.
"What an animal!" one person said.
That is properly disgusting.
Mate take a leak before you leave the house," another wrote.
A Sydney Trains spokesperson told news.com.au that passengers should report this type of behaviour immediately.
"Sydney Trains encourages customers to remain courteous to others while travelling on our network," they said.
Incidents such as this are rare, however we encourage customers who witness behaviour like this to report it to Train Guards or station staff immediately.
The spokesperson said Transport Officers travel across the network and have the power to issue penalty notices and cautions for ticketing as well as "minor behavioural offences."
They added: "We also work closely with the NSW Police Transport Command, which is responsible for crime prevention across the rail network."
Only police have the powers, training and resources to effectively respond to crime.
Offensive behaviour can be subject to a fine between $400 and $1100.
Carty is most consistent Irish out-half in 2019
Stephen Ferris says Jack Carty's selection against Japan is a reward for his consistency of performance over the past year with both Connacht and Ireland.
The 27-year old Carty only made his international debut in late February, as a late replacement in Ireland's rather unconvincing victory over Italy in the Six Nations.
He has appeared eight times since then, impressing on each occasion, including a delightful performance on being introduced in the second half of Ireland's demolition of Scotland on Sunday.
Carty has been handed his second international start against Japan on Saturday, the first coming in the World Cup warm-up win over Wales in Cardiff late last month.
A few years back, there was a host of out-half candidates vying for the tag of understudy to Johnny Sexton, and the Athlone-born out-half has emerged from the pack to challenge Joey Carbery for the role.
Speaking on the RTÉ Rugby Podcast, Ferris argues that Carty has been the most "consistent" out-half in the Irish system across 2019 - including Johnny Sexton.
I thought he was absolutely superb (against Scotland).
He recognised the Scottish defence and what he was up against.
He played heads up rugby at times.
His kicking game was pretty solid, he looked half decent in defence when he was called upon.
I would say Carty has been probably the most consistent out-half within the Irish system for the last year or so.
He's been superb.
Week in, week out, he's never really let his side down.
The likes of Sexton...
Johnny has had a couple of bad games over the last year or so.
He's been out injured.
He's been a little bit more inconsistent.
Whereas Carty has been really, really steady.
Against a Japanese team that are going to come out firing, they're going to bring huge support, maybe it is that steady hand that you need.
Maybe it is that game management.
I feel that he won't let Joe down.
I'm really excited to see him go out there, starting a game and seeing how he manages the whole situation.
It is such a big game.
Japan are our biggest threat I feel in the rest of the group.
But in saying that, I can't see a Japan team beating us the way the confidence and momentum is with the Irish team at the minute.
One hundred dolphins die on African beach
More than 100 dolphins have mysteriously died on a beach in the Cape Verde islands off West Africa.
Local media report that around 200 melon-headed dolphins were found on a beach on Boa Vista island on Tuesday.
Officials, residents and tourists managed to drag some of them back out to sea, but many returned.
Bulldozers buried 136 dead dolphins.
BIOS Cape Verde, a volunteer environmental association in the former Portuguese colony, said on its Facebook page on Friday it took samples from 50 dolphins and four others were placed in deep freeze by the local council.
The group said veterinarians from the University of Las Palmas in Spain's Canary Islands are due in the coming days to perform tests.
Paralympian to be first blind Dancing on Ice contestant
Scottish Paralympian Libby Clegg has been announced as a contestant on the next series of Dancing On Ice.
The sprinter, who won a gold medal for Scotland at Glasgow 2014 and two for the UK at Rio 2016, will be the show's first registered blind competitor.
The 29-year-old athlete, who gave birth to her son Edward five-months ago, has a deteriorating eye condition called Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy, which gives her only slight peripheral vision in her left eye.
She said appearing on the hit show was an opportunity that she couldn't pass up: "After Rio I achieved my ultimate goal and then I thought 'what else can I do?'
This opportunity came about and I couldn't pass it up.
I love challenging myself and experiencing new things."
The Paralympic champion will be joined by a host of celebrities including veteran comedian and TV host Michael Barrymore, Love Island star Maura Higgins and former Republic of Ireland international footballer Kevin Kilbane.
Clegg won't be the only Scot taking part this year with Glasgow-born actor John Barrowman joining the judging panel.
Each week twelve celebrities will skate live with their professional partners in a bid to impress both the panel and the viewers, who will ultimately decide who wins the show.
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby will return to present the show which returns to STV in 2020.
Matt de Grood shouldn't be punished because of schizophrenia stigma
In 2016, Matthew de Grood, the man who killed five people at a house party in Calgary, was found to be not criminally responsible for his actions.
Now, in 2019, there is a hearing to determine whether or not he should be allowed more freedoms, such as unsupervised outings.
The decision won't come for a few more weeks, so in the meantime we're left to wonder whether or not this is a good idea.
There are two sides to this: one citing his violent behaviour in the past, calling to prevent it from happening again, and the other side which believes in the power of change and rehabilitation.
First, let's examine the more pessimistic side.
De Grood did stab and kill five people during a psychotic break.
It was a violent and unpredictable attack.
He suffers from schizophrenia, which is why he was found not criminally responsible, but has since been seeing a psychiatrist and taking his medication.
His psychiatrist, Dr. Santoch Rai, has said in front of the review board that "if Matthew de Grood were to commit another offence, it would be severe."
Despite his perceived improvement, there is still risk of re-offense.
But is this reason enough to remain afraid?
Is it enough to keep de Grood locked up?
As long as de Grood continues to take his medication, there isn't a huge risk of reoffense, so why are people so concerned?
I believe the stigma surrounding people with mental illness, particularly those with schizophrenia, largely influences this fear.
Certain mental illnesses have become less stigmatized, such as mood and anxiety disorders.
But others, including schizophrenia, remain highly stigmatized.
This is in large part due to numerous portrayals of schizophrenics as dangerous people with voices in their heads telling them to kill people.
That was the case in this situation, but these instances are rare, and that's perhaps why we remember them so well when they occur.
In fact, the majority of schizophrenic individuals are nonviolent, and are more likely to be the victims rather than the perpetrators of crime or violence.
In light of this, it seems unreasonable to insist that de Grood be denied certain freedoms when the fear of re-offense is based more on a prejudiced attitude towards people with schizophrenia than actual likelihood.
I don't believe de Grood should ever be unsupervised permanently.
A parole-like system where he has to check in to make sure he's still taking his medication could work well.
Arguing that he or other mentally ill people remain institutionalized unless absolutely necessary is a form of segregation.
It perpetuates the idea that mentally ill people, those with schizophrenia in particular, cannot ever mesh with society; thus continuing the stigma and perpetuating the idea that they are dangerous criminals.
He was found not criminally responsible by a court of law, so why should he be treated like a prisoner instead of someone who was ill and is now better?
Alva Academy serving up World's Biggest Coffee Morning
Clackmannanshire: Alva Academy has raised more than £300,000 for Macmillan.
Macmillan Cancer Support's top fundraising school in the UK is celebrating the charity's 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning'.
Pupils and staff at Alva Academy will welcome the Clackmannanshire community to the school for a day for fun, games, tea, coffee and cake.
Dozens of fundraising coffee mornings are taking place across Scotland on Friday.
Alva - located at the foot of the Ochil Hills within Scotland's smallest council area - has raised more than £300,000 for Macmillan since 2004.
Over the years staff and pupils have organised events such as bake sales, bingo teas, sponsored silences and ceilidhs to raise money.
Last year, more than 1000 miles were walked, 1000 miles cycled and 101,450ft climbed - earning the school the prestigious Douglas Macmillan Award.
This year, pupils have already taken part in the likes of skiathons, swimathons, hill walks, dog walks and bungee jumps.
Their epic fundraising will come to a close following the coffee morning.
Teacher David Clifford, who previously accepted a UK Government Point of Light award at 10 Downing Street on behalf of the school, said: "Everything has gone swimmingly this year."
We have had a record number of sponsored events including a mass skiathon, swimathon, Ben Nevis walk, bungee jumps, dog walk, days of dance, football and a readathon.
We have taken musicians to four different care homes to entertain and held a bingo tea.
We have had our annual ceilidh - raising over £1000, bake sales, duck races and much, much more.
Top team: The epic fundraising is led by the charity committee comprising of David Clifford, Kirsty Clifford and Shiona Finn.
Mr Clifford - who has written a song to soundtrack a Macmillan video which will follow the school's thank you assembly - said there is never any pressure to beat a previous total.
Instead, the school believes the most valuable thing the youths can give is their time.
He stated: "Yes, it will be nice to raise a huge sum of money - but the money is simply a wonderful by-product of what we do and why."
Just seeing our pupils embracing our values of respect, determination and service is enough for us.
'Keep doctors working until they're 70': Struggling Italian hospitals tell government
Regional health authorities are calling on Italy's government to allow them to recruit retired doctors and keep those older than 65 working until they're 70, as a means of tackling their serious shortages of medical practitioners.
Short-staffed hospitals across Italy are pushing for the retirement age of the country's physicians to be extended to the age of 70 in their regions.
The proposal is part of a 16-point document to be presented to Italy's Ministry of Health in the coming days which aims for there to be a "regulatory amendment on age limits for the retirement of medical personnel."
Currently doctors in Italy can retire once they've turned 65 or having worked for 40 years.
Struggling regional governments are calling for those "who reach 40 years of service at 66-67 years and would like to continue working" to do so.
Italy's ageing medical workforce is somewhat of a sleeping giant.
By 2025, 38,000 doctors will have retired (45,000 if you include general practitioners), causing a shortage that will be further aggravated by the fact that Italian universities are not able to train enough graduates to supply hospitals with specialists.
The regional health councils' proposal therefore also includes a measure proposing young medical graduates who haven't chosen a specialization yet to be recruited more easily as GPs.
Closely tied to this is the idea of regions offering specialist training scholarships which include a fixed contract at the end to young doctors, as well as forging a closer working relationship between local health authorities and universities, all as a means of speeding up the recruitment process in Italy's struggling health sector.
Regions such as Veneto have in fact already tried to take matters into their own hands by headhunting retired physicians.
Molise in the south has called on army doctors to help out and Tuscany has started recruiting younger doctors.
Pompeo accuses Syria of using chemical weapons in May attack
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, said the United States has concluded the Syrian government used chemical weapons in an attack earlier this year.
Pompeo said U.S. officials had determined Syrian President Bashar Assad's government had used chlorine in the attack on opposition forces in Idlib province on May 19.
"The Assad regime is responsible for innumerable atrocities some of which rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity," Pompeo told a news conference.
U.S. officials in May said they'd received reports consistent with a chemical attack in northwest Syria but did not offer a definitive conclusion at the time.
In April 2018, the U.S., Britain and France launched airstrikes in Syria in retaliation for what they described as a suspected chemical attack that killed more than 40 people earlier that month.
"This is different in some sense because it was chlorine... but know that President Trump has been pretty vigorous in protecting the world from the use of chemical weapons," Pompeo said.
He added that the U.S. would provide an additional $4.5 million to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to fund investigations into other instances of suspected Syrian chemical-weapons use.
Pompeo also called on the Assad government to release thousands of unjustly detained prisoners, including American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing and presumed held by the government for seven years.
He is just one of a number of American citizens held in Syria and we call upon the Syrian regime to release them all.
Uber overhauls app in quest to build 'operating system for everyday life'
Uber has announced a slew of updates to its app - including consolidating its food delivery and ride-hailing services, and a new feature highlighting local public transportation options - in a bid to create "an operating system for everyday life."
Uber announced the more than 25 changes to its platform at a launch event in San Francisco on Thursday.
Among the tech company's most significant moves will be merging its ride-hailing app and food-delivery app Uber Eats, and offering users alternative travel information including bikes, scooters, public transportation, and even helicopters in some locations.
"We recognize that becoming an integral part of people's lives comes with real responsibility," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.
That's why we are working to make sure every customer is treated like a VIP, every driver and courier feels like a valued partner, and every city feels like we're a good citizen.
When riders search for a destination, they will see travel options listed in order of price, including public transit as well as electric bikes and scooters.
This means cheaper options such as subway and bus schedules may appear at the top of the list, and riders can request notifications when trains or buses they track are delayed.
The new transit feature is live in Denver and London and will soon be operational in San Francisco, Mexico City, and Paris.
It might seem unexpected for Uber to be guiding users away from taking a car, but the company has long harbored ambitions to become an all-encompassing transit platform.
"To some extent, we're competing against ourselves," Khosrowshahi told the Verge of adding public transit options.
But we have the philosophy that if there's a better product out there for the user, and we think an integrated movement solution is better for the user, we should be the ones competing against ourselves versus others doing it.
Uber Eats will also open more "digital-only restaurants" - businesses with no brick-and-mortar outlet where customers can only order food from on the app.
One digital restaurant comes through a partnership with the celebrity chef Rachael Ray and will be available in 10 cities for 10 weeks exclusively on Uber Eats.
Uber's big changes come as the company struggles to turn a profit months after it went public in May.
In August, Uber cut 400 jobs as it attempted to rein in excessive spending and losses.
In August the company reported its largest-ever quarterly loss: $5bn in three months.
Meanwhile, new regulatory hurdles threaten to raise the company's operating costs by changing how drivers are paid.
In the two-hour event, Uber did not mention Assembly Bill 5, a new law passed in September that will upend the way gig economy workers in California, including drivers, are remunerated, as well as the benefits they are entitled to.
Uber, its competitor Lyft, and other gig economy startups have announced a plan to fight the bill with a 2020 ballot measure.
In addition to platform integrations and Uber Eats changes, Uber made a number of safety updates to the app.
Riders will now use a four-digit PIN to verify they are entering the correct car.
Uber said it is developing an "ultrasound wave" technology so in the future the app can automatically verify riders are in the right car without a PIN number.
In the app, riders will now have a "Report Safety Incident" option and the ability to text 911 in case of emergency.
The company updated its "real-time ID check" feature introduced in 2016, requiring drivers to take selfies to verify identities.
The changes come after Uber was sued for $10m in April by a woman who was sexually assaulted by her driver.
A number of women announced last week they were bringing lawsuits against Lyft over drivers sexually assaulting them.
The victim in the case against Uber alleges that the company failed to "warn her of the risk its services posed to women."
A CNN report last year found at least 103 Uber drivers in the US had been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers over a period of four years.
Uber also announced an expansion of its Uber Rewards program, which allows customers to redeem points when taking an Uber ride, ordering Uber Eats, or spending with partner restaurants.
Boris Johnson's tax cuts will cost £26billion a year
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) challenged Boris Johnson's flagship policy
Warned giveaway "risks putting the public finances on an unsustainable path"
Treasury spokesman said: "Any decisions would be for the Chancellor to take"
The Prime Minister's proposed tax cuts will cost up to £26billion a year and mainly benefit wealthier households, the UK's leading economic think-tank warns today.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) challenged Boris Johnson's flagship policy to lift the thresholds for both higher rate income tax and National Insurance.
It warned the giveaway "risks putting the public finances on an unsustainable path," given the risk of leaving the EU without a deal.
Echoing criticism made by opposition parties, the think-tank also concluded most of the tax cuts would go to those on higher incomes.
The intervention will heap pressure on Mr Johnson to water down the tax-cutting commitment he made during the Tory leadership campaign, which he is gambling on to be a big vote winner when a general election is called.
Mr Johnson pledged to raise the threshold for paying higher rate income tax in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from £50,000 to £80,000.
He said he wanted to help the "huge numbers" of middle income households which have been dragged into paying the 40 per cent higher rate of tax.
The number of people paying higher rate tax has more than doubled from 1.6million in 1990 to 3.8million.
In its report, the IFS said the PM's proposed tax cut would cost the Treasury up to £9billion a year if introduced immediately and would take 2.5million people out of paying 40 per cent higher rate tax.
It described it as a "substantial and expensive tax cut from which only those on high incomes would gain."
Mr Johnson has also outlined plans to raise the point at which National Insurance kicks in, currently set at £8,632.
The IFS calculated that every £1,000 rise in the threshold would cost £4billion if they were increased in tandem.
Increasing all the thresholds to £12,500 in line with the personal allowance for income tax would cost £17billion a year, it warned.
The report said only 3 per cent of gains would go to the poorest 20 per cent of households as so many do not earn enough to pay national insurance, or are unemployed.
The IFS stressed the annual bill for Mr Johnson's tax cuts could range between £10billion and £20billion, if the tax cuts are phased in more gradually.
Antonio Brown says he's not quite ready for retirement
Antonio Brown has indicated he's not retiring from the NFL, only a few days after announcing he was done with the league in a rant.
The four-time All-Pro wide receiver wrote on Twitter on Thursday: "I'm still the best why stop now."
He followed with the suggestion that the game needs him.
Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct by two women.
He was released by the New England Patriots last week after playing only one game.
He's been dumped by three teams in the last six months.
Brown, who lost Nike as a sponsor last week, says he'll practice at high schools one day a week, starting in Miami.
The 31-year-old Brown also engaged in a Twitter spat with Los Angeles Rams safety Eric Weddle, who faced him often with the Baltimore Ravens.
Pet owners who fail to walk their dogs face $2,700 fine
Owners can face heavy on-the-spot fines if they fail to provide basics like shelter, food and water.
People who confine dogs for 24 hours must also allow them to move freely for the next two hours or face prosecution.
The territory is the first jurisdiction in Australia to recognize animal sentience.
"Modern animal welfare is about considering how an animal is coping both mentally and physically with the conditions in which it lives," ACT City Service Minister Chris Steel, who secured the bill, said in a media release.
Nestle tightens controls on coffee beans after weedkiller scare
The world's largest coffee company said in a statement Friday that it had found glyphosate residues close to the maximum allowed in some deliveries of green coffee beans.
Glyphosate is the key ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller, Roundup.
In the United States, juries have awarded huge monetary damages to people who say their cancer was caused by exposure to glyphosate.
Bayer, which owns Monsanto, says the herbicide is safe when used properly, as does the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), one of the world's largest traders, said glyphosate was one of a number of substances it monitored on the coffee it buys.
Nestle buys some of its coffee beans from NKG.
It was too early to say what consequences Nestle's tighter controls would have on NKG, a spokesperson said.
Nestle's (NSRGF) decision to increase the frequency of checks was unlikely to disrupt global coffee supply chains, a spokesperson said.
"This is not a new process, we are just reinforcing controls," the spokesperson told CNN Business.
Tests were done before the coffee was shipped from the countries of origin.
Nestle would start with suppliers in Indonesia and Brazil, since these countries are among the world's biggest coffee producers.
"Our agronomists will continue to work with coffee farmers to help them improve their weed management practices, including the appropriate use of herbicides and adoption of other weeding methods," the Swiss company said.
Brands such as Nescafe and Nespresso make up a sizable chunk of Nestle's powdered and liquid beverages business, which generated sales of 21.6 billion Swiss francs ($21.7 billion) in 2018.
Nestle last year agreed a deal to sell Starbucks' packaged coffees and teas around the world.
Does glyphosate cause cancer?
Glyphosate is used on more than 100 food crops, according to the EPA.
Scientists at an environmental advocacy group with links to the organic food industry say several popular breakfast cereals contain doses of the chemical that are higher than they consider safe for children.
Still, the EPA says glyphosate is not a carcinogen and that it poses no public health risks.
Ecological risks include damage to pollinators and the problem of weed resistance, the EPA said in a statement in April.
But that has not stopped thousands of people from filing lawsuits against Monsanto alleging that exposure to Roundup caused them or their loved ones to develop cancer.
Earlier this year, a jury ordered Bayer to pay a California couple $2 billion in damages after they claimed that Roundup, used on their property for more than three decades, had given them both Non-Hodgkin lymphoma within four years of one other.
Bayer is contesting the verdict.
A 2015 study by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer found that glyphosate was "probably carcinogenic to humans," based on "limited" evidence of cancer in humans and "sufficient" evidence of cancer in experimental animals.
However, a joint panel of the WHO and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization later concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through diet.
Somalia: At UN, Somalia's President Spotlights Country's Progress, but Cautions Eradicating Terrorism 'Will Not Be Easy'
Somalia is "the perfect example of the success of the multilateral system," President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed told the UN General Assembly on Thursday, while acknowledging that the Horn of Africa country still needed international and regional support and cooperation, particularly to deal with threats from Al-Shabab.
Somalia's progress towards reconstruction was moving ahead, but Mr. Mohamad said "one cannot remain deaf and blind" to pockets of global discontent and the effects of poverty, inequality and unfair globalization.
He noted that Somalia played a leading role in the socio-economic development of the Horn of Africa and expressed confidence that cooperation among countries in the region would only strengthen political stability and social and cultural connectivity.
He went on to express his country's pride after the success of the regional elections in some of the Federated States ahead of the 2021 presidential and legislative elections.
And while he called Somalia "historic" example of reform, resilience and commitment to progress and reconstruction, he cautioned that despite tangible progress, the country still faced many challenges, first and foremost those related to security, on which "everything depends."
"With the help of our international partners, we are striving to rid ourselves of the last pockets of violent extremism and terrorism," he said, stressing that the task would not be easy, especially given the "violence, cowardice and opportunistic guerilla tactics of Al Shabab."
But Mr. Mohamed said he is confident that with the help of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other partners, his country will regain stability, which was in the interest of the region and the world.
Turning to one of the key issues before Member States, climate change, he said Somalia which had the longest coastline on the African continent, was already experiencing the effects of rising waters and temperatures.
Somalia was also impacted by land degradation, long-term drought and deforestation.
Mr. Mohamed reiterated his commitment to the Paris Agreement, but also to Security Council resolution 751 (1992), which called on all States to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct and indirect import and export of Somali coal.
"It may not save the environment, but it will definitely deprive terrorists of a source of funding," he said.
J. Lo, Shakira to perform at Super Bowl halftime show
NEW YORK (AP) - Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are going to bring the heat to the 2020 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.
NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the superstar performers, who have released music in Spanish and English since the 1990s, will perform on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Lopez and Shakira both posted a photo of them standing side by side on social media to announce the news.
"Going to see the world on fire," Lopez wrote.
"It doesn't get any bigger than this!
So excited about getting on that #SuperBowlLIV #PepsiHalftime stage!" Shakira wrote.
Both Lopez and Shakira have had major success the pop and Latin charts over the years with multiple hit songs and albums.
Lopez released her multi-hit debut in 1999 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with songs like "If You Had My Love," "All I Have" and the remixes of "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny."
Lopez recently wrapped up a tour to celebrate her 50th birthday, and her latest movie, "Hustlers," has been a box-office hit and has even earned her Oscar buzz.
Shakira released her first album in 1991 and crossed over with 2001's "Laundry Service," which featured the hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes."
The singer topped the Hot 100 chart with the Wyclef Jean-assisted anthem "Hips Don't Lie."
Shakira has won 11 Latin Grammys and three Grammys.
"These two remarkable artists are setting a new precedent for what this show can become, and we're confident that this will be an incredible performance for the ages," Todd Kaplan, Pepsi's vice president of marketing, said in a statement.
Jay-Z's Roc Nation company is co-producing the halftime show.
The big game and halftime show will air live on Fox and broadcast in 180 countries.
Tyrone's Gavin Devlin picks up 24-week suspension
Tyrone selector Gavin Devlin has been hit with a 24-week suspension following his conduct as a supporter at an underage game.
Croke Park's Central Hearings Committee (CHC) upheld the suspension proposed by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) following incidents during an Under-15 inter-county game between Tyrone and Down on 27 July.
He was accused of 'disruptive conduct not causing the premature termination of a game', by a supporter.
Devlin, who works alongside Tyrone boss Mickey Harte, didn't accept the punishment proposed by the CCCC and chose to request a hearing in front of the CHC, who found the alleged infraction proven.
Devlin now has the option to go to the GAA's Central Appeals Committee in an attempt to have his punishment overturned.
Assuming that the suspension starts from the issuing of the CHC's findings on Thursday, Devlin will be ruled out of all involvement with the Tyrone squad until early March, well into the 2020 Allianz League campaign.
Former Tipperary hurler Eoin Brislane has been suspended for a total of 16 weeks arising from an incident in Tipp's Under-15 Arrabawn Hurling Tournament match with Wexford on 31 August.
The CCCC had proposed two separate bans on the grounds that Brislane had used abusive language towards a referee and for "any type of assault of a referee" under Rule 7.2 (c) of the official guide.
The CHC upheld the first of those, imposing a four-week ban, though found the second alleged infraction unproven.
They found, however, that "the evidence presented did disclose a lesser infraction."
That infraction was "minor physical interference with a referee" and imposed a 12-week suspension.
Like Devlin, Brislane can ask for his case to go before the CAC.
Harker says Fed should 'hold firm' on interest rates
Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker thinks interest rates should hold steady as events unfold in what he called a strong economy that also has "clear downside risks."
"My own view is that we should hold firm, letting things settle and watching how events play out," he said in prepared remarks Friday to the Shadow Open Market Committee of economists who monitor Fed activity.
Harker, a nonvoting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, spoke nine days after his fellow central bankers voted to cut the Fed's benchmark interest rate by a quarter, the second reduction this year.
He said he views the economy as strong with inflation on its way to the Fed's 2% goal.
Yet he also noted potential problems with "trade and international developments and the uncertainty they breed."
Along with his views on rates, Harker also weighed in on last week's tumult in the overnight lending, or repo, market that saw short-term rates spike to 10% and the fed funds rate climb 5 basis points above its target range.
While the events shook markets, "they neither reflect - nor direct - the stance of monetary policy.
Nor do they have implications for the wider economy," he said.
However, he added that the Fed should continue to look at its approach to where it is holding its balance sheet and said "organic" expansion should be considered.
Gamers get chance to compete at Euros
UEFA has opened registration for esports competitors to represent their national teams at the inaugural eEURO 2020, with the qualifying phase kicking off in November 2019.
Players from all 55 of UEFA's national associations will look to qualify for the final tournament in London from 9-10 July, a couple of days before the final of the main European Championship at Wembley Stadium on 12 July.
Gamers will compete in Konami's eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 (PES 20) on the Playstation 4 video game console.
Between November 2019 and January 2020, each national association will nominate their team, with participants being chosen through either a domestic online or physical tournament - unless a national eFootball team already exists.
A draw will take place in January 2020.
It will divide the participating nations into 10 groups for the online qualifying phase, to be contested between March and May 2020.
The winner of each group and the best six runners-up will qualify for the final tournament in London.
"eFootball is played by tens of millions of people across the continent and we are delighted to give competitors from our national associations the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage," said UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein.
We have seen a massive growth in the popularity of eFootball over the past few years and the eEURO 2020 will give us the opportunity to connect with new and existing fans of national-team football.
A total of $100,000 in cash prizes will be split between the quarter-finalists, including $40,000 for the winners.
The champions will also receive tickets to watch the final of EURO 2020.
Lil Wayne ordered to pay over $150K in phony concert case
Lil Wayne is up for about $150,000 in charges for allegedly creating fraudulent companies to book fake concerts and it turns out he didn't even bother to respond to the lawsuit.
According to TMZ, a judge has ordered the rapper to cough up $150K for breach of contract and fraud to investor Ramin Natan but it's a default judgment with the judge having ruled for Natan because Wayne didn't show.
The suit was apparently filed by Natan against Lil Wayne and hip-hop group Migos back in January, in which the investor claimed they were "Ponzi scheme artists" who created shell companies to get money for shows they never actually planned to perform.
The legal docs reportedly show Natan claimed he loaned $500,000 to a guy named Eric Stenger to promote Weezy shows.
Natan claimed Stenger collaborated with Wayne from the beginning and lied about being a concert promoter.
He said Wayne received the $500,000 investment from him but then never performed and also never gave back the cash.
According to the legal docs, Lil Wayne was served with the lawsuit but he failed to respond, so the judge issued a default judgment against Weezy.
Typically, the courts will give a defendant one last chance to respond.
This is the latest in a string of legal troubles for the 36-year-old.
Earlier this year he threatened his former record company Moments in Time with legal action because they wouldn't return an old lyric notebook of his, instead they were trying to auction it for £189,600.
He also filed a £15.2 million lawsuit against former attorney Ronald Sweeney for allegedly tricking him out of the same amount while he represented the musician for 13 years.
The issues have ranged from policy disputes to legal challenges around immigration, automobile efficiency and housing.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler's letter to Governor Gavin Newsom said the governor and the mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles "do not appear to be acting with urgency" to mitigate the public health risks from "untreated human waste entering nearby waters."
Wheeler said the state was "failing to meet its obligation required under delegated federal programs" and that he wanted the state to detail how it will respond.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed accused Trump of "taking swipes" at her city for "no reason other than politics.
"There are no needles washing out to the Bay or Ocean from our sewer system, and there is no relationship between homelessness and water quality in San Francisco," she said in a statement.
"I would love to have a President that wants to work with us on solutions to the challenges we face, whether that be with our infrastructure, our need for more housing, or helping people exit homelessness."Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project and a former top enforcement official at EPA, said the agency's current focus on homeless encampments is misdirected when it "has done so little to enforce illegal discharges from much larger sources across the US."
EIP has found that sources like factory farms and coal ash dumps near power plants are major sources of water pollution and have not faced EPA enforcement.
Earlier this week, Newsom said at a United Nations Climate Summit that he was "humiliated" by Trump's environmental record.
The administration has rolled back numerous environmental protections, from the Endangered Species Act to Obama-era climate rules, that Trump has called obstacles to economic development.
During a fundraising trip last week in California, Trump had threatened to have the federal government step in to "clean up" the homeless problem there and said floated the idea of the EPA going after San Francisco for allowing drainage from homeless encampments into the Pacific ocean.
Last week, Trump revoked California's decades-old authority to set its own emissions standards for automobiles, prompting a lawsuit days later by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has sued the administration over 60 times on various issues.
Zimbabwe: 'Poisoned' Doctor Leaves Country for Treatment
A doctor in Zimbabwe who was abducted and allegedly tortured for leading a doctors strike left the country late Thursday for what his medical team calls "urgent" treatment in South Africa.
Dr. Peter Magombeyi, acting president of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, had been receiving care in Harare for a week since his release from captivity.
Friends and colleagues suspect he was poisoned during his five-day abduction and now has liver damage.
His father, Kingstone Magombeyi, had been staying with him at the hospital since his release last Thursday.
"I am very happy for that step taken by the medical practitioners, am very happy on that one, because there are some areas whereby l feel he needs further medication," Kingstone Magombeyi said.
Peter Magombeyi's departure for South Africa only came after the head of the High Court, George Chiweshe, chastised police who had defied a court order and blocked the doctor from leaving.
Monica Mutsvangwa, Zimbabwe's Information Minister, maintains police interfered with Magombeyi's departure for safety and health reasons.
"The police are keen to apprehend the alleged abductors so as to bring them to justice and protect the public," Mutsvangwa said.
They therefore need the court's assistance in delaying Dr. Magombeyi's departure to South Africa, before him giving the vital leads they need to advance their investigations.
It is the duty of the police to protect the safety of all its citizens.
While Magombeyi has left Zimbabwe for medical treatment, his association says doctors are not calling off their three-week strike.
His colleagues say the outspoken doctor was abducted for calling the strike on Sept. 3 to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to raise doctors' salaries, currently equal to less than $200 per month.