A little girl was banned from a nursery school because her deformed skull could frighten other children.
Sofya Zakharova, 2, was born with a deformed skull and her parents were told she should get surgery before applying for a place in a nursery.
Operations for Sofya have been delayed and experts have warned that unless she mixes with other children her development will be affected.
The child’s parents Svetlana and Rasul, who live in the village of Alatany in Bashkortostan, a federal region of Russia, have revealed how their daughter was discriminated against because of her peculiar features.
Asides her deformed skull, Sofya’s fingers and toes are also fused together. It is not currently known what condition the little girl has.
Narrating how Sofya was discriminated against by schools, the mother said she was told: “First, you need to arrange an operation so she can go to nursery school like an ordinary child.”
Sofya’s grandfather Sergei Mikhailov said: “They have such a catastrophe here. They said they would do the operation, but then were silent about this.”
The family said that they do not get any disability benefits for Sofya.
Educational psychologist Ekaterina Belan said: “The sooner she gets the experience of interactions, the easier it will be for her to cope with the conditions in which she lives and grows. The more interactions she gets, the easier it will be for her to accept herself for who she is.”
Prosecutors have now become involved and are looking into why doctors have not yet operated on Sofya and the nursery for refusing to accept her.
Colombian singer Shakira is one of the world’s best-selling Latin American music stars, and has one three Grammy Awards. She rocketed to international fame in 2006 with her single Hips Don’t Lie.
Lopez, an actress and singer, is known for hits such as “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and stars in the movie Hustlers, which is tipped for an Oscar.
She said that in a statement that she “couldn’t wait to show what us girls can do on the world’s biggest stage”.
Shakira, meanwhile, called the opportunity “a true American dream”.
The concert comes as the NFL seeks to rebuild its image after a public backlash over the treatment of Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
Mr Kaepernick started kneeling during pre-game renditions of the US national anthem, as a sign of protest against racial injustice.
Colin Kaepernick (centre) hasn’t played in the NFL since 2017
The protest developed into a movement as many other players followed suit.
It caught the attention of US President Trump, who suggested kneeling players should be fired, and last year the NFL said it would fine the teams of any players who knelt. Mr Kaepernick opted out of his contract in March 2017 and has not played since.
Following the controversy, several big-name artists – including Rihanna, P!nk and Cardi B – reportedly turned down offers to perform at last year’s half-time show.
The concert was eventually headlined by pop band Maroon 5 and rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi.
Maroon 5 performed at last year’s Superbowl half-time show with Travis Scott and Big Boi
To counter criticism, Maroon 5 teamed up with the NFL and their record label Interscope to donate $500,000 (£382,000) to educational charity Big Brother Big Sister.
Their gesture echoed that of Travis Scott, who agreed to perform on condition that the NFL contributed towards a $500,000 joint donation to the social justice organisation Dream Corps.
The most-watched Super Bowl show of all time was Katy Perry’s shark-infested spectacular in 2015, which drew 120.7 million viewers.
Johnson “deplores threats” against MPs but doesn’t apologise for his use of language
Boris Johnson has insisted he “deplores any threats to anybody, particularly female MPs”, after he described one MP’s safety concerns as “humbug”.
The PM also said that “tempers need to come down” in Parliament.
It follows a stormy debate as MPs returned to Parliament after a Supreme Court decision that the suspension of Parliament was unlawful.
Mr Johnson defended his description of a law seeking to block a no-deal Brexit as “the surrender bill”.
The law, known as the Benn bill, forces the government to ask for an extension to the Brexit deadline.
During a number of interviews with BBC political editors, the PM argued it would “take away the power of the government… to decide how long it would remain in the EU”.
Speaking to the BBC political editor for the North West of England, Nina Warhurst, the prime minister said: “I totally deplore any threats to anybody, particularly female MPs, and a lot of work is being done to stop that and give people the security that they need.
“But I do think in the House of Commons it is important I should be able to talk about the surrender bill, the surrender act, in the way that I did.”
He argued the law would “take away the power of this government, and the power of this country to decide how long it would remain in the EU and give that power to the EU and that’s really quite an extraordinary thing”.
What is the Benn bill?
When Mr Johnson talks about the “surrender bill”, he is referring to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act, also known as the Benn bill.
The act – which became law earlier this month – stipulates the prime minister will have until 19 October to either pass a deal in Parliament or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit.
Once this deadline has passed, he will have to request an extension to the UK’s departure date to 31 January 2020 from the EU.
If the EU responds by proposing a different date, the PM will have two days to accept that proposal. But during this two-day period, MPs – not the government – will have the opportunity to reject the EU’s date.
MPs on Thursday debated an urgent question over “the use of language” during Wednesday’s ill-tempered debate.
Speaker John Bercow began the day’s proceedings, by asking MPs from all sides of the house to temper their language and to “treat each other as opponents, not enemies”.
“Treat each other as opponents, not as enemies”
In the heated debate that followed, several MPs said the prime minister should apologise for saying the best way to honour Jo Cox, the MP murdered during the EU referendum campaign, was to “get Brexit done”.
Labour MP Jess Phillips said saying sorry would be the “bravest” thing for Mr Johnson to do.
“I want to ask the prime minister to apologise” – Labour MP Jess Phillips
Shadow cabinet office minister Cat Smith compared the language being used to that of drill artists, a type of rap which has been linked to gangs and violence.
“How are we as politicians in any position to accuse drill artists of glorifying violence when politicians themselves are not held responsible for the violent language they use and the impact it has on the culture and climate of debate?” she asked.
MPs also detailed some of the threats they had faced, with Tory MP Caroline Noakes describing how someone called her a “traitor who deserved to be shot” on a walkabout in her constituency.
Meanwhile, the longest-serving male and female MPs in the Commons – Ken Clarke and Harriet Harman – have asked for a Speaker’s Conference, or meetings chaired by the Speaker, to discuss threats to MPs.
Cummings: ‘Not surprising’ voters are angry
MPs returned to Parliament on Wednesday, following the Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful.
Labour MP Paula Sherriff said she had received death threats which often quoted the prime minister’s words, including “surrender act”, and called on him to moderate his language.
In response, Mr Johnson said: “I have to say, Mr Speaker, I’ve never heard such humbug in all my life.”
The prime minister also later said: “Believe me: the best way to ensure that every parliamentarian is properly safe and to dial down the current anxiety in this country is to get Brexit done.”
Labour MP Karl Turner confronts PM’s adviser Dominic Cummings
Speaking at a book launch on Thursday evening, the prime minister’s adviser Dominic Cummings said it was “not surprising” that some voters were angry.
“The MPs said we will have a referendum, we will respect the result and then they spent three years swerving all over the shop,” he said.
“In the end the situation can only be resolved by Parliament honouring its promise to respect the result.”
Mr Cummings – who was the campaign director at Vote Leave – also attempted to paint a picture of calm at No 10, saying: “This is a walk in the park compared to the referendum.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Johnson, the prime minister’s sister, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One that her brother was using the Commons as a “bully pulpit”.
Ms Johnson, who stood for pro-European party Change UK – which has since altered its name to The Independent Group for Change – in June’s European elections, added: “It’s not the brother I see at home. It’s a different person.”
Elsewhere, former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major has criticised Mr Johnson and warned that a “general election would solve nothing” in the Brexit crisis.
Mr Johnson has been calling for an early general election, but under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act he needs the support of two-thirds of MPs. He has twice failed to achieve this.
Speaking to the Centre for European Reform, Sir John said an election “would merely fuel the current feeling of disillusionment and disunity”.
He also said he feared the government would seek to bypass the Benn Act, by suspending it until after 31 October when the UK is set to leave the EU.
He said he thinks they will do this by trying to pass an Order of Council, which can be approved by Privy Councillors – government ministers – without involving the Queen.
“I should warn the prime minister that – if this route is taken – it will be in flagrant defiance of Parliament and utterly disrespectful to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Intel chief questioned on accusations whistleblower is a “political hack”
Senior White House officials tried to “lock down” all details of a phone call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, according to a whistleblower complaint against the US president.
In the call, Mr Trump pushed Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his leading domestic political rival, Joe Biden.
The newly released complaint says the call transcript was not stored in the usual computer system.
Instead it was stored in a separate system used for classified information.
Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat, announced on Tuesday that the party was pushing ahead with a formal impeachment inquiry against the Republican president.
She accused Mr Trump of seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Mr Biden – who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election – and of using military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining tool.
Mr Trump acknowledged that he personally blocked nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine days before he spoke to Mr Zelensky, but denied that it was to pressure the Ukrainian leader into investigating Mr Biden.
The release of the whistleblower complaint came as US lawmakers on the House of Representatives intelligence committee began to question President Trump’s top intelligence official on the issue. Acting National Intelligence Director Joseph Maguire had initially refused to share the complaint with Congress.
But under questioning by the House committee on Thursday, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in “good faith” and “did the right thing”.
President Trump has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a “hoax” and “another witch-hunt”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday after the release of the whistleblower’s report and the congressional hearing, he said the impeachment process “shouldn’t be allowed”.
“What… Democrats are doing to this country is a disgrace and it shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “There should be a way of stopping it, maybe legally through the courts.”
Recordings of Mr Trump’s comments to staff at the US mission in New York on Wednesday have emerged in which Mr Trump says that whoever gave the whistleblower information is “almost a spy”.
In an apparent reference to the execution of spies by the US in the past, he adds: “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now…”
What does the complaint say?
The whistleblower’s complaint accuses Mr Trump of “using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the US 2020 election”.
The now unclassified document characterises the president’s conduct as a “serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law”.
The alleged violation concerns President Trump asking his Ukrainian counterpart on 25 July to investigate unfounded allegations against Mr Biden.
The whistleblower says in the complaint that they had learned from several sources that senior White House officials had intervened to “lock down” all records of the call, particularly an official word-for-word transcript.
“This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call,” the whistleblower wrote in the complaint.
The whistleblower says details of the call were stored in a “stand-alone computer system reserved for codeword-level intelligence information, such as covert action”.
The whistleblower adds that officials said it was “‘not the first time’ under this administration that a presidential transcript was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting politically sensitive – rather than national security sensitive – information”.
The complaint makes clear that the whistleblower was “not a direct witness” to most of the events described, but found their colleagues’ accounts to be credible “because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another”.
What’s happened in Congress?
The House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat, opened the hearing by accusing President Trump of a “classic organised crime shakedown”.
But the leading Republican on the committee, Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter, said: “I want to congratulate the Democrats on their latest informational warfare operation against the president and their extraordinary ability to once again enlist the mainstream media in their campaign.”
Mr Schiff asked Mr Maguire why he had sought advice from the White House before deciding to release the whistleblower’s report.
“It just seemed prudent to check,” Mr Maguire responded, saying he had sought the advice of White House counsel to determine if the report included information protected by presidential executive privilege.
He added: “I believe everything in this matter is totally unprecedented.”
During further questioning by Mr Schiff, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in “good faith”.
He continued: “I think the whistleblower did the right thing. I think he followed the law every step of the way.”
Analysis
Maguire in the middle of competing narratives
Donald Trump’s presidency has been punctuated by high-profile congressional hearings – Joseph Maguire’s is just the latest.
As is tradition, both sides tried to draw the witness into giving them ammunition in the ongoing political battles.
Democrats wanted him to vouch for the whistleblower’s credibility, to detail what they see as a White House cover-up and condemn an administration’s Ukraine policy being largely run by a private citizen – Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Republicans’ ongoing goal was to paint the whole thing as the latest example of “presidential harassment”.
The politicians wanted conclusions, but Maguire mostly spoke of process. “I have to work with the situation as it is,” he said at one point. And it’s one heck of a situation he’s stepped into.
What is the claim about Joe Biden?
During the call, Mr Trump discussed with newly elected Mr Zelensky the 2016 removal of a Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin.
He then went on to discuss Mr Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the unsubstantiated allegation that Mr Biden – then the US vice-president – stopped the prosecution of his son by lobbying Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.
Mr Shokin’s office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.
During the call, Mr Trump also asked Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter.
There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.
Mr Biden, along with other Western officials, had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.
When Mr Shokin was replaced, his successor continued to investigate Burisma for 10 months before the inquiry ended.
The Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had not spoken to the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, and Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.
How the controversy unfolded
On or before 18 July – President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July – President Trump speaks to Ukraine’s leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September – Congress learns of a whistleblower’s complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September – Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and Department of State
23 September – Mr Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about “corruption”
24 September – Mr Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more.
For the first time, the hallmark Uber ride-hailing map with cars crawling around the screen will no longer be in the spotlight. Instead, the app will soon open to a landing page with choices for your preferred Uber features. Starting in October, you can choose between catching a ride or ordering food through the Uber Eats delivery service.
At an all-out Uber event in the style of an Apple iPhone announcement in San Francisco on Thursday, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he sees Uber as “the operating system for your everyday life.” That means the Uber app is open not just when you need a ride, but when you need to plan dinner, bike to a meeting, or even take the bus somewhere.
He called the mapless homepage “our vision for the next generation of the Uber app,” and acknowledged it’s “a big change,” but worth it for the “one-click gateway to everything Uber can offer for you.”
This week, some users will start to see a modified home screen that still includes a map, but now includes a bottom tab to toggle between “Rides” and “Eats.”
A new mapless look.
Another version keeps the map in sight.
So instead of immediately jumping into riding options like UberX, Uber Pool, or renting Jump e-bikes or Lime e-scooters, the focus has shifted to food orders. The app change seems like preparation for more expensive and less frequently hailed rides amid complicated driver pay issues, like those stemming from California’s AB 5 law about independent contractors and sinking stock prices.
Nundu Janakiram, director of rider product, said in a phone call ahead of the event that Uber is more than a transportation app at this point. With Uber Eats nipping at the ride-sharing side of the app, the ride-hail company is simplifying the app “to reduce the friction and make it easier to access the platform.” This is catering to users who get in an Uber and order a meal to be delivered at their destination. Or just use Uber Eats and skip the “Uber” part.
At the event Thursday, Uber announced 1 billion Uber Eats deliveries worldwide. To keep the orders coming, a new Uber Pass subscription will offer savings for all of Uber’s products including free delivery on Uber Eats. Or a new Eats Pass is just solely focused on food delivery discounts for frequent users. Uber still has a Ride Pass for a ride-only monthly subscription.
Other updates outside of Uber’s main ride-sharing focus were announced, like new safety features, especially timely with a recent Washington Post report about mishandled safety procedures. Soon riders can text 911 through the app instead of calling via the 911 button. For verified ride pick-ups eventually all riders will receive a PIN to match with the driver and if you opt in you can automatically verify the PIN through ultrasound waves between the driver and passenger phone once you’re within close range.
For Uber-owned Jump pedal-assist bicycles, a new design for 2020 includes swappable batteries that riders can take out and trade for a fully charged battery at charging kiosks. The current Jump e-bikes have swappable batteries, but only for Jump employees to access.
More transit options for public transportation systems are listed in the app now, with San Francisco, Mexico City, and Paris live as of Thursday. So instead of hailing an Uber car, you can look up in the app how to catch a bus to your destination. It helps that if the next bus is 40 minutes away you’re already in the Uber app.
All this comes the same week as the Lyft app added tabs for different transit options on its home screen. But instead of moving away from the iconic map, Lyft added all its transit options onto the screen to show buses, scooters, bikes, and regular Lyft cars available nearby.
Japan Airlines has introduced a feature on its seat booking system that shows where young children are seated.
A “child” icon appears when a passenger is travelling with children aged under two years.
One traveller said the feature let him know where babies “plan to scream… during a 13-hour trip”.
But some Twitter commentators urged him to be tolerant, while others said the problem could easily be solved with noise-cancelling headphones.
Japan Airlines’ website says the icon “lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there”. However, the airline warned the tool was not foolproof, as the icon might not appear if a ticket was booked through a third party or if there was a last-minute change of aircraft.
Even so, venture capitalist Rahat Ahmed sent a tweet on Tuesday thanking Japan Airlines for “warning” him about where children were sitting.
“This really ought to be mandatory across the board, ” he said, adding that Qatar Airways should “take note”.
“I had three screaming babies next to me on my [New York to Doha] flight two weeks ago,” he added.
His tweet attracted a number of responses, with some offering support for the “awesome” website booking feature.
However, other Twitter users urged people to be tolerant.
“They are babies, as we all once were. We need to learn tolerance or will soon start needing a map of seat locations for mouth breathers, droolers, farters, drunks, and perhaps a lot more things in life,” said Twitter user G Sundar.
Andrew Lim said: “I used to feel and say exactly what you have just said – but after having my own son, I am very sympathetic to parents travelling with kids.
“If you’re not happy with a screaming child in the cabin, then I am more than happy [for] you to try and reason with them.”
Thank you, @JAL_Official_jp for warnings me about where babies plan to scream and yell during a 13 hour trip. This really ought to be mandatory across the board.
Deirdra Hardimon said: “Babies are not capable developmentally to ‘plan’ crying or screaming.”
Other Twitter users said noise-cancelling headphones were the answer.
Jene Johnson said: “Wow… get some noise cancelling headphones and go about your day.”
“I don’t understand people that complain about babies crying on planes. I put on my headphones and I hear nothing.”
According to the website flyingwithababy.com, one of the most family-friendly airlines is Etihad, which has extras such as free pushchairs to use at hubs.
Emirates and Gulf Air also score highly according to the website.
A little girl was banned from a nursery school because her deformed skull could frighten other children.
Sofya Zakharova, 2, was born with a deformed skull and her parents were told she should get surgery before applying for a place in a nursery.
Operations for Sofya have been delayed and experts have warned that unless she mixes with other children her development will be affected.
The child’s parents Svetlana and Rasul, who live in the village of Alatany in Bashkortostan, a federal region of Russia, have revealed how their daughter was discriminated against because of her peculiar features.
Asides her deformed skull, Sofya’s fingers and toes are also fused together. It is not currently known what condition the little girl has.
Narrating how Sofya was discriminated against by schools, the mother said she was told: “First, you need to arrange an operation so she can go to nursery school like an ordinary child.”
Sofya’s grandfather Sergei Mikhailov said: “They have such a catastrophe here. They said they would do the operation, but then were silent about this.”
The family said that they do not get any disability benefits for Sofya.
Educational psychologist Ekaterina Belan said: “The sooner she gets the experience of interactions, the easier it will be for her to cope with the conditions in which she lives and grows. The more interactions she gets, the easier it will be for her to accept herself for who she is.”
Prosecutors have now become involved and are looking into why doctors have not yet operated on Sofya and the nursery for refusing to accept her.
Ghanaian defender, Baba Rahman is likely to go under the knife after suffering a knee injury in only his second appearance at loan club Mallorca.
Parent club Chelsea are reportedly said to be examining the extent of the Baba’s injury and ‘evaluating’ what would be the best course of action for him.
Spanish newspaper Cope reports that officials of Mallorca are tight-lipped over the issue as things are not looking good for the 25-year-old who in September joined the newly promoted La Liga side.
According to the newspaper, ‘it seems like a cruciate injury’ and therefore, the likeliest course of action would be for him to undergo surgery to repair the ligament.
He suffered the injury in Sunday’s La Liga outing, a 4-2 defeat at Getafe and was replaced by compatriot Lumor Agbenyenu in the 19th minute.
It will be recalled that Baba missed 15 months of his career after undergoing surgery for a damaged anterior cruciate ligament in his knee at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The defender joined Schalke on a season-long loan in 2016/17, but a serious knee injury sustained while playing for Ghana at the AFCON brought his campaign to an early conclusion.
Part of the Ghana squad for the tournament in Gabon, the 22-year-old left-back was stretchered from the field in his country’s opening game against Uganda.
In January 2018, Rahman joined Schalke 04 on loan for a second time agreeing an 18-month stay until summer 2019.
In January 2019, he returned early to Chelsea and was immediately loaned to Stade de Reims until the end of the season.
Johnson “deplores threats” against MPs but doesn’t apologise for his use of language
Boris Johnson has insisted he “deplores any threats to anybody, particularly female MPs”, after he described one MP’s safety concerns as “humbug”.
The PM also said that “tempers need to come down” in Parliament.
It follows a stormy debate as MPs returned to Parliament after a Supreme Court decision that the suspension of Parliament was unlawful.
Mr Johnson defended his description of a law seeking to block a no-deal Brexit as “the surrender bill”.
The law, known as the Benn bill, forces the government to ask for an extension to the Brexit deadline.
During a number of interviews with BBC political editors, the PM argued it would “take away the power of the government… to decide how long it would remain in the EU”.
Speaking to the BBC political editor for the North West of England, Nina Warhurst, the prime minister said: “I totally deplore any threats to anybody, particularly female MPs, and a lot of work is being done to stop that and give people the security that they need.
“But I do think in the House of Commons it is important I should be able to talk about the surrender bill, the surrender act, in the way that I did.”
He argued the law would “take away the power of this government, and the power of this country to decide how long it would remain in the EU and give that power to the EU and that’s really quite an extraordinary thing”.
What is the Benn bill?
When Mr Johnson talks about the “surrender bill”, he is referring to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act, also known as the Benn bill.
The act – which became law earlier this month – stipulates the prime minister will have until 19 October to either pass a deal in Parliament or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit.
Once this deadline has passed, he will have to request an extension to the UK’s departure date to 31 January 2020 from the EU.
If the EU responds by proposing a different date, the PM will have two days to accept that proposal. But during this two-day period, MPs – not the government – will have the opportunity to reject the EU’s date.
MPs on Thursday debated an urgent question over “the use of language” during Wednesday’s ill-tempered debate.
Speaker John Bercow began the day’s proceedings, by asking MPs from all sides of the house to temper their language and to “treat each other as opponents, not enemies”.
“Treat each other as opponents, not as enemies”
In the heated debate that followed, several MPs said the prime minister should apologise for saying the best way to honour Jo Cox, the MP murdered during the EU referendum campaign, was to “get Brexit done”.
Labour MP Jess Phillips said saying sorry would be the “bravest” thing for Mr Johnson to do.
“I want to ask the prime minister to apologise” – Labour MP Jess Phillips
Shadow cabinet office minister Cat Smith compared the language being used to that of drill artists, a type of rap which has been linked to gangs and violence.
“How are we as politicians in any position to accuse drill artists of glorifying violence when politicians themselves are not held responsible for the violent language they use and the impact it has on the culture and climate of debate?” she asked.
MPs also detailed some of the threats they had faced, with Tory MP Caroline Noakes describing how someone called her a “traitor who deserved to be shot” on a walkabout in her constituency.
Meanwhile, the longest-serving male and female MPs in the Commons – Ken Clarke and Harriet Harman – have asked for a Speaker’s Conference, or meetings chaired by the Speaker, to discuss threats to MPs.
Cummings: ‘Not surprising’ voters are angry
MPs returned to Parliament on Wednesday, following the Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful.
Labour MP Paula Sherriff said she had received death threats which often quoted the prime minister’s words, including “surrender act”, and called on him to moderate his language.
In response, Mr Johnson said: “I have to say, Mr Speaker, I’ve never heard such humbug in all my life.”
The prime minister also later said: “Believe me: the best way to ensure that every parliamentarian is properly safe and to dial down the current anxiety in this country is to get Brexit done.”
Labour MP Karl Turner confronts PM’s adviser Dominic Cummings
Speaking at a book launch on Thursday evening, the prime minister’s adviser Dominic Cummings said it was “not surprising” that some voters were angry.
“The MPs said we will have a referendum, we will respect the result and then they spent three years swerving all over the shop,” he said.
“In the end the situation can only be resolved by Parliament honouring its promise to respect the result.”
Mr Cummings – who was the campaign director at Vote Leave – also attempted to paint a picture of calm at No 10, saying: “This is a walk in the park compared to the referendum.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Johnson, the prime minister’s sister, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One that her brother was using the Commons as a “bully pulpit”.
Ms Johnson, who stood for pro-European party Change UK – which has since altered its name to The Independent Group for Change – in June’s European elections, added: “It’s not the brother I see at home. It’s a different person.”
Elsewhere, former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major has criticised Mr Johnson and warned that a “general election would solve nothing” in the Brexit crisis.
Mr Johnson has been calling for an early general election, but under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act he needs the support of two-thirds of MPs. He has twice failed to achieve this.
Speaking to the Centre for European Reform, Sir John said an election “would merely fuel the current feeling of disillusionment and disunity”.
He also said he feared the government would seek to bypass the Benn Act, by suspending it until after 31 October when the UK is set to leave the EU.
He said he thinks they will do this by trying to pass an Order of Council, which can be approved by Privy Councillors – government ministers – without involving the Queen.
“I should warn the prime minister that – if this route is taken – it will be in flagrant defiance of Parliament and utterly disrespectful to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Intel chief questioned on accusations whistleblower is a “political hack”
Senior White House officials tried to “lock down” all details of a phone call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, according to a whistleblower complaint against the US president.
In the call, Mr Trump pushed Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his leading domestic political rival, Joe Biden.
The newly released complaint says the call transcript was not stored in the usual computer system.
Instead it was stored in a separate system used for classified information.
Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat, announced on Tuesday that the party was pushing ahead with a formal impeachment inquiry against the Republican president.
She accused Mr Trump of seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Mr Biden – who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election – and of using military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining tool.
Mr Trump acknowledged that he personally blocked nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine days before he spoke to Mr Zelensky, but denied that it was to pressure the Ukrainian leader into investigating Mr Biden.
The release of the whistleblower complaint came as US lawmakers on the House of Representatives intelligence committee began to question President Trump’s top intelligence official on the issue. Acting National Intelligence Director Joseph Maguire had initially refused to share the complaint with Congress.
But under questioning by the House committee on Thursday, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in “good faith” and “did the right thing”.
President Trump has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a “hoax” and “another witch-hunt”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday after the release of the whistleblower’s report and the congressional hearing, he said the impeachment process “shouldn’t be allowed”.
“What… Democrats are doing to this country is a disgrace and it shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “There should be a way of stopping it, maybe legally through the courts.”
Recordings of Mr Trump’s comments to staff at the US mission in New York on Wednesday have emerged in which Mr Trump says that whoever gave the whistleblower information is “almost a spy”.
In an apparent reference to the execution of spies by the US in the past, he adds: “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now…”
What does the complaint say?
The whistleblower’s complaint accuses Mr Trump of “using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the US 2020 election”.
The now unclassified document characterises the president’s conduct as a “serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law”.
The alleged violation concerns President Trump asking his Ukrainian counterpart on 25 July to investigate unfounded allegations against Mr Biden.
The whistleblower says in the complaint that they had learned from several sources that senior White House officials had intervened to “lock down” all records of the call, particularly an official word-for-word transcript.
“This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call,” the whistleblower wrote in the complaint.
The whistleblower says details of the call were stored in a “stand-alone computer system reserved for codeword-level intelligence information, such as covert action”.
The whistleblower adds that officials said it was “‘not the first time’ under this administration that a presidential transcript was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting politically sensitive – rather than national security sensitive – information”.
The complaint makes clear that the whistleblower was “not a direct witness” to most of the events described, but found their colleagues’ accounts to be credible “because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another”.
What’s happened in Congress?
The House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat, opened the hearing by accusing President Trump of a “classic organised crime shakedown”.
But the leading Republican on the committee, Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter, said: “I want to congratulate the Democrats on their latest informational warfare operation against the president and their extraordinary ability to once again enlist the mainstream media in their campaign.”
Mr Schiff asked Mr Maguire why he had sought advice from the White House before deciding to release the whistleblower’s report.
“It just seemed prudent to check,” Mr Maguire responded, saying he had sought the advice of White House counsel to determine if the report included information protected by presidential executive privilege.
He added: “I believe everything in this matter is totally unprecedented.”
During further questioning by Mr Schiff, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in “good faith”.
He continued: “I think the whistleblower did the right thing. I think he followed the law every step of the way.”
Analysis
Maguire in the middle of competing narratives
Donald Trump’s presidency has been punctuated by high-profile congressional hearings – Joseph Maguire’s is just the latest.
As is tradition, both sides tried to draw the witness into giving them ammunition in the ongoing political battles.
Democrats wanted him to vouch for the whistleblower’s credibility, to detail what they see as a White House cover-up and condemn an administration’s Ukraine policy being largely run by a private citizen – Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Republicans’ ongoing goal was to paint the whole thing as the latest example of “presidential harassment”.
The politicians wanted conclusions, but Maguire mostly spoke of process. “I have to work with the situation as it is,” he said at one point. And it’s one heck of a situation he’s stepped into.
What is the claim about Joe Biden?
During the call, Mr Trump discussed with newly elected Mr Zelensky the 2016 removal of a Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin.
He then went on to discuss Mr Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the unsubstantiated allegation that Mr Biden – then the US vice-president – stopped the prosecution of his son by lobbying Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.
Mr Shokin’s office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.
During the call, Mr Trump also asked Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter.
There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.
Mr Biden, along with other Western officials, had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.
When Mr Shokin was replaced, his successor continued to investigate Burisma for 10 months before the inquiry ended.
The Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had not spoken to the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, and Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.
How the controversy unfolded
On or before 18 July – President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July – President Trump speaks to Ukraine’s leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September – Congress learns of a whistleblower’s complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September – Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and Department of State
23 September – Mr Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about “corruption”
24 September – Mr Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more.
For the first time, the hallmark Uber ride-hailing map with cars crawling around the screen will no longer be in the spotlight. Instead, the app will soon open to a landing page with choices for your preferred Uber features. Starting in October, you can choose between catching a ride or ordering food through the Uber Eats delivery service.
At an all-out Uber event in the style of an Apple iPhone announcement in San Francisco on Thursday, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he sees Uber as “the operating system for your everyday life.” That means the Uber app is open not just when you need a ride, but when you need to plan dinner, bike to a meeting, or even take the bus somewhere.
He called the mapless homepage “our vision for the next generation of the Uber app,” and acknowledged it’s “a big change,” but worth it for the “one-click gateway to everything Uber can offer for you.”
This week, some users will start to see a modified home screen that still includes a map, but now includes a bottom tab to toggle between “Rides” and “Eats.”
A new mapless look.
Another version keeps the map in sight.
So instead of immediately jumping into riding options like UberX, Uber Pool, or renting Jump e-bikes or Lime e-scooters, the focus has shifted to food orders. The app change seems like preparation for more expensive and less frequently hailed rides amid complicated driver pay issues, like those stemming from California’s AB 5 law about independent contractors and sinking stock prices.
Nundu Janakiram, director of rider product, said in a phone call ahead of the event that Uber is more than a transportation app at this point. With Uber Eats nipping at the ride-sharing side of the app, the ride-hail company is simplifying the app “to reduce the friction and make it easier to access the platform.” This is catering to users who get in an Uber and order a meal to be delivered at their destination. Or just use Uber Eats and skip the “Uber” part.
At the event Thursday, Uber announced 1 billion Uber Eats deliveries worldwide. To keep the orders coming, a new Uber Pass subscription will offer savings for all of Uber’s products including free delivery on Uber Eats. Or a new Eats Pass is just solely focused on food delivery discounts for frequent users. Uber still has a Ride Pass for a ride-only monthly subscription.
Other updates outside of Uber’s main ride-sharing focus were announced, like new safety features, especially timely with a recent Washington Post report about mishandled safety procedures. Soon riders can text 911 through the app instead of calling via the 911 button. For verified ride pick-ups eventually all riders will receive a PIN to match with the driver and if you opt in you can automatically verify the PIN through ultrasound waves between the driver and passenger phone once you’re within close range.
For Uber-owned Jump pedal-assist bicycles, a new design for 2020 includes swappable batteries that riders can take out and trade for a fully charged battery at charging kiosks. The current Jump e-bikes have swappable batteries, but only for Jump employees to access.
More transit options for public transportation systems are listed in the app now, with San Francisco, Mexico City, and Paris live as of Thursday. So instead of hailing an Uber car, you can look up in the app how to catch a bus to your destination. It helps that if the next bus is 40 minutes away you’re already in the Uber app.
All this comes the same week as the Lyft app added tabs for different transit options on its home screen. But instead of moving away from the iconic map, Lyft added all its transit options onto the screen to show buses, scooters, bikes, and regular Lyft cars available nearby.
Ghanaian defender, Baba Rahman is likely to go under the knife after suffering a knee injury in only his second appearance at loan club Mallorca.
Parent club Chelsea are reportedly said to be examining the extent of the Baba’s injury and ‘evaluating’ what would be the best course of action for him.
Spanish newspaper Cope reports that officials of Mallorca are tight-lipped over the issue as things are not looking good for the 25-year-old who in September joined the newly promoted La Liga side.
According to the newspaper, ‘it seems like a cruciate injury’ and therefore, the likeliest course of action would be for him to undergo surgery to repair the ligament.
He suffered the injury in Sunday’s La Liga outing, a 4-2 defeat at Getafe and was replaced by compatriot Lumor Agbenyenu in the 19th minute.
It will be recalled that Baba missed 15 months of his career after undergoing surgery for a damaged anterior cruciate ligament in his knee at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The defender joined Schalke on a season-long loan in 2016/17, but a serious knee injury sustained while playing for Ghana at the AFCON brought his campaign to an early conclusion.
Part of the Ghana squad for the tournament in Gabon, the 22-year-old left-back was stretchered from the field in his country’s opening game against Uganda.
In January 2018, Rahman joined Schalke 04 on loan for a second time agreeing an 18-month stay until summer 2019.
In January 2019, he returned early to Chelsea and was immediately loaned to Stade de Reims until the end of the season.
Former Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel wanted Everton playmaker, Alex Iwobi dropped from the starting line-up during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and clashed wit Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr during the tournament, it has been revealed.
News outlets were a wash with reports that Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi had fallen out with Gernot Rohr before the tournament began, leading many to believe the Super Eagles won’t go far in the African tournament, but Rohr has now shed light on what really went wrong.
According to top BBC World Football reporter and NFF member, Osasu Obayiuwana, who had an exclusive chat with Gernot Rohr, Mikel had issues with Alex Iwobi taking his role wondering why he didn’t start games for Super Eagles despite his good form for Middlesbrough in the just concluded Championship season, and nearly caused issues at camp.
”After Mikel John Obi’s top-grade performance with Middlesborough in the championship, it was thought that he would exhibit the same form during the AFCON 2019 But despite engaging a personal trainer after the season, Mikel’s physical conditioning dropped…’ Rohr told Obayiuwana.
This was quite evident in Asaba, during the one-week I spent with the Super Eagles, before they left for Egypt. But he was always going to be a part of the squad because Gernot sees him as integral to it, even when he’s not 100% fit.
The drop in Mikel John Obi’s physical conditioning – as seen from the group AFCON 2019 games he played – forced Rohr and the staff to take the decision that he wouldn’t have more than a bit-part role during the tournament.
And Mikel John Obi didn’t help himself when he complained about Alex Iwobi in Egypt. He felt the Everton player was cramping his playing space and style, and wanted him dropped. That was something Rohr was never going to accept, which made his selection duties much easier.
With this in mind, Mikel John Obi was slightly unsettled and when the issues of unpaid players bonuses came up, its easy to know where his mind was – even if justifiably so. The management of his mood was a tournament issue for the technical staff.
”He served the Super Eagles very well, for many years. It was very important that he finished his career with Nigeria in a good way. I have nothing for respect for him and how we worked together.”
But despite all of this Gernot Rohr still had words of praise for Mikel, saying it’s normal for issues to come up between players and coaches.
”Yes, there were some difficult moments with Mikel during the tournament.’ Rohr said to Obiayuwana.
”But it’s normal for players and coaches to have these things. That’s why I’m the manager. I have to manage.”
Mikel, Nigeria’s most decorated footballer of all time, announced his retirement from international football following Nigeria’s third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations this summer.
To make sure you’re stocked up on the hottest gadgets of the year, we curated a list of all of the must-haves that will make your life easier one way or another. We looked to Walmart because the retailer carries many brands we love at affordable price points. From sleep lamps to automatic mops, we have no doubt you’ll want to snag more than a few of these genius picks. Keep reading to shop them all an find the ones your life is missing.
To make sure you’re stocked up on the hottest gadgets of the year, we curated a list of all of the must-haves that will make your life easier one way or another. We looked to Walmart because the retailer carries many brands we love at affordable price points. From sleep lamps to automatic mops, we have no doubt you’ll want to snag more than a few of these genius picks. Keep reading to shop them all an find the ones your life is missing.
