Nic Maddinson on Saturday pulled out of Australia A's clash against Pakistan in Perth on mental health grounds, all-but ruling him out of contention for a berth in the Test squad.
The middle-order batsman's decision comes barely a week after Glenn Maxwell withdrew from Australia's Twenty20 team to deal with similar issues.
Cameron Bancroft will replace Maddinson for the three-day match against Pakistan at Perth Stadium from Monday.
"Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him," said Australia A coach Graeme Hick.
"It is braver to speak up than to suffer in silence and I applaud Nic for having the courage to put his health first."
His withdrawal almost certainly rules him out of the opening Test against Pakistan in Brisbane later this month, with the Australia A game widely seen as a final chance to impress selectors.
It opens the door to Travis Head or rising star Will Pucovski, who has also struggled with mental health issues in the past, to stake their ...

Maddinson out of Pakistan clash over mental health issues

PTI Automatic

Basque outfit Real Sociedad went top of Spain's La Liga thanks to a 1-1 draw at home against  bottom side Leganes.
In a season which has seen several sides go top, including Granada, Real Sociedad have 23 points from 13 games with Barcelona and Real Madrid just a point behind with two games in hand and both playing on Saturday.
Leganes striker Mikel Merino got the away side off the mark in the 63rd minute before before Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri equalised with a header on 78.
"I see long faces both inside the dressing room and out of it, but we have to be happy," said Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil.
His opposite number Javier Aguirre overseeing his first point in his first match in charge was also positive.
"We're still bottom and that's how it goes sometimes but we have got a point at a difficult ground against a strong side who are top of the league and I'm really happy for the boys," said Aguirre.
Leganes have just six points and will be locked in a long struggle to climb out .

Real Sociedad latest leader of topsy-turvy La Liga

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri on Friday said that a test of hiding "likes" at the image and photo sharing social network will spread to the US.
"Heads up! We've been testing making likes private on Instagram in a number of countries this year," Mosseri said in a tweet.
"We're expanding those tests to include a small portion of people in the US next week." Facebook in September confirmed it is dabbling with no longer making a public display of how many "likes" are racked up by posts.
Such a change could ease pressure to win approval with images, videos or comments and, instead, get people to simply focus on what is in the posts.
Facebook-owned Instagram earlier this year announced it was testing hiding like counts and video view tallies in more than a half-dozen countries, with account holders still able to see the numbers but masking amounts from others.
Twitter has also experimented with hiding numbers of times tweets were "liked" or "retweeted," according to product lead Kayvon ...

Instagram test of hiding 'likes' spreading to US

The US Women's national team won a key court ruling in its equal pay lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation when a California court granted class certification to players.
The US District Court decision by judge Gary Klausner on Friday allows the group to sue together rather than each player having to file her own lawsuit and any victory for one would be granted to all.
The ruling said it was proper to consider the suit a class action since all sought the same relief and raised the same issues regarding inferior pay and other compensation compared to their less successful male counterparts.
The US women won their second consecutive Women's World Cup title earlier this year in France. The American men failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Russia.
The ruling also dismissed USSF arguments that players were not injured because some made more money than male counterparts, the court finding it was the rate of compensation rather than total compensation that mattered.
"The failure 

US Women's World Cup champs certified as class in lawsuit

Facebook apologised on Friday after black employees anonymously shared feelings of workplace bias in an online post.
The post shared at Medium by a "FB Blind" profile laid out perceived slights by managers, white colleagues, and the human resources department.
"No one at Facebook, or anywhere, should have to put up with this behavior," corporate communications vice president Bertie Thomson said in response to an AFP query.
"We are sorry. It goes against everything that we stand for as a company. We're listening and working hard to do better." Incidents described in the Medium post included being targeted for negative performance reviews or snide comments.
"On the inside, we are sad. Angry. Oppressed. Depressed," the post read.  "And treated every day through the micro and macro aggressions as if we do not belong here." The anonymous post maintained that the atmosphere at Facebook has worsened in the past year when it came to non-white workers being recognized, empowered and treated ...

Facebook apologizes after black workers complain of bias

New York business tycoon Michael Bloomberg paved the way for a shot at the US presidency, registering as a candidate in the Alabama Democratic primary race before Friday's filing deadline.
Although the billionaire has not publicly announced his run, his inclusion among a crowded field keeps his options open for mounting a concerted bid to topple fellow New Yorker Donald Trump.
His name was posted among 17 candidates on the Alabama Democratic Party's website only hours before registration closed.

Bloomberg files papers paving way for US presidential bid

An ex-metalworker who became one of Brazil's most popular presidents, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva walked free from jail on Friday after spending a year and a half behind bars for corruption.
The 74-year-old leftist icon has been embroiled in a massive corruption scandal which has engulfed some of Brazil's most influential politicians and business leaders.
Lula is among nearly 5,000 inmates who could be released from prison after the Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling that required the mandatory imprisonment of convicted criminals who have lost their first appeal.
Known for his charisma and common touch, Lula left office on January 1, 2011 as a blue-collar hero who presided over a watershed boom and helped lift tens of millions of people from poverty.
His hopes of running for a third term in the 2018 election were dashed after he was jailed for corruption and money laundering.
He has been serving a sentence of nearly nine years at the federal police headquarters in ...

Lula: Brazil's embattled working-class hero

At least one person has died and 100 homes have been destroyed as an unprecedented number of bushfires tore through eastern Australia Saturday.
Firefighters in the state of New South Wales said they had found the remains of one person in a car, as they battled dozens of out-of-control blazes.
"At this stage, it appears at least 100 homes have been destroyed in yesterday's bush fires," the fire service said in an update early Saturday.
Two other people are said to be unaccounted for and more than 30 people have been injured, most of them firefighters.
Some 100 blazes pockmarked the New South Wales and Queensland countryside -- around eight of them remained highly dangerous.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the large number of fires was "incredibly concerning." He urged residents to "stay safe" and "listen to emergency services".
"I'm getting regular updates & we stand ready to offer any assistance needed," he tweeted.
Firefighters had warned they were in "uncharted territory" as ...

One dead, at least 100 homes lost in Australia bushfires

Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva walked free from jail Friday after a court ruling paved the way for the release of thousands of convicts.
The Supreme Court voted 6-5 in favor of scrapping mandatory imprisonment for convicted criminals after they lose their first appeal.
Instead, they remain free until they have exhausted the legal process.
Here is a list of key dates in the life of one of the world's most popular politicians.
- October 27, 1945: Lula is born to a poor farming family in Brazil's northeast. His family moves when he is seven to the state of Sao Paulo to escape hunger.
- 1975: He becomes president of the metal workers' union, having worked in that sector since the age of 14.
- 1978-80: At the height of the military dictatorship, Lula leads major strikes in the industrial suburbs and is jailed for a month for his role.
- 1980: Lula co-founds the leftist Workers Party (PT) and goes on to take part in the creation, in 1983, of the Unified Workers Central ...

From palace to prison: Brazil's ex-president Lula in dates

A French former model and actress on Friday accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, whose new film on the persecution of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus premieres next week, of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager.
It is the latest accusation against the 86-year-old Polish-born director who fled to France in 1978 from the US after admitting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien newspaper that the alleged rape occurred in 1975 when she was 18 at Polanski's chalet in Gstaad.
"I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional, and hardly knew him," Monnier, a former model who worked in New York, said.
She said the alleged rape was "extremely violent", adding: "He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things."
Monnier said she recounted what had happened to her that very night to two women who were also staying in Polanski's chalet: her best friend and another woman who 

French ex-model accuses Polanski of raping her as a teen

Credit ratings agency Moody's on Friday downgraded the outlook for Britain's debt, citing increasing difficulty dealing with policy challenges the country faces amid the Brexit debate.
The agency cut the outlook to negative from stable but kept the debt grade at Aa2.
Pointing to "paralysis that has characterized the Brexit-era policymaking process," Moody's said London has "struggled to cope with the magnitude of policy challenges that they currently face."
In addition, Britain's "economic and fiscal strength are likely to be weaker going forward and more susceptible to shocks than previously assumed," Moody's said in a statement.

Moody's downgrades Britain debt outlook to negative

Anti-government protesters from across Baghdad flooded Iraq's capital on Friday despite fresh bloodshed, as leaders appeared to have closed rank around embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.
Recent deaths in Baghdad and Iraq's south have pushed the toll since demonstrations erupted on October 1 close to 300, according to a tally compiled by AFP.
Officials have stopped providing updated figures.
"Abdel Mahdi's position means more to him than the blood of Iraqis," charged a tribal dignitary protesting in the capital on Friday.
As evening fell, clashes between security forces and protesters resumed in Baghdad after six people died there the previous day, as demonstrators -- who upped their efforts in the last week of October after a lull -- continued to come out in force.
Armed units fired canisters that emanated bright purple tear gas at clusters of young protesters along Rasheed Street, one of the city's oldest and most celebrated avenues.
The steady pops of stun grenades echoed ...

Iraq protesters, politicians dig in for third week

A Frenchwoman on Friday accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, whose new film on the persecution of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus premieres next week, of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager.
It is the latest accusation against the Polish-born director who fled to France in 1978 from the US after admitting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.
The 86-year-old has been a fugitive ever since from the US justice system, despite repeated attempts to have him extradited.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien newspaper that the alleged rape occurred in 1975 when she was 18 at Polanski's chalet in Gstaad.
"I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional, and hardly knew him," Monnier, a former model who worked in New York, said.
She said the alleged rape was "extremely violent", adding: "He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things."
Monnier, who acted in a few films in the 1980s, said she had finally .

Frenchwoman accuses Polanski of raping her as a teen

At least 100 homes have been lost and dozens of people have been injured as an unprecedented number of bushfires tore through eastern Australia Saturday.
Firefighters had warned they were in "uncharted territory" as they struggled to contain dozens of blazes from suburban Brisbane to the far outskirts of Sydney.
"At this stage, it appears at least 100 homes have been destroyed in yesterday's bush fires," New South Wales fire service said in an update early Saturday.
"Three people are unaccounted for. More than 30 people have been injured."
Around 100 blazes pockmarked the New South Wales and Queensland countryside -- around eight of them remained dangerous and dozens more have yet to be contained.
About 1,200 firefighters and 70 aircraft were deployed across a roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) stretch of the seaboard.
"We have never seen this many fires concurrently at emergency warning level," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said Friday.
"We are in .

At least 100 homes lost in Australia bushfires

President Donald Trump said Friday he has not agreed to roll back tariffs on Chinese imports, dampening recent optimism for a major de-escalation in the US-China trade war.
Amid a steady stream of conflicting reports, Trump's remarks appeared to push back against Beijing's claims that the two sides had agreed to remove tariffs in stages as part of a partial deal announced last month.
Hopes for progress in defusing trade tensions have driven global stocks higher this month, since an agreement would remove a major source of uncertainty in the world economy that is undercutting growth.
But Trump again portrayed the dispute as a boon for the United States despite the tariffs paid by American companies and consumers.
"They would like to have a rollback. I haven't agreed to anything," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"China would like to get somewhat of a rollback, not a complete rollback, because they know I won't do it."
Beijing, however, said this week the two sides had already ..

No agreement on China tariff rollback: Trump

The United States wants the United Nations to take up the Dalai Lama's succession in an intensifying bid to stop China from trying to handpick his successor, an envoy said after meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Sam Brownback, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said he spoke at length about the succession issue with the 84-year-old Dalai Lama last week in the monk's home-in-exile of Dharamsala, India.
Brownback said he told the Dalai Lama that the United States would seek to build global support for the principle that the choice of the next spiritual chief "belongs to the Tibetan Buddhists and not the Chinese government."
"I would hope that the UN would take the issue up," Brownback told AFP after returning to Washington.
He acknowledged that China, with its veto power on the Security Council, would work strenuously to block any action, but he hoped countries could at least raise their voices at the United Nations.
"I think it's really important to ...

US wants UN to take up Dalai Lama succession: envoy

The United States on Friday demanded that the Syrian government and its Russian allies stop air strikes in northwestern Syria, saying they had a pattern of attacking civilians.
An AFP correspondent on Wednesday saw a rescue worker carry the limp body of a tiny girl, her throat covered in blood, in the village of Al-Sahaara in the jihadist-run enclave of Idlib.
The US State Department said that attacks in the northwestern area over the previous two days had struck a school and a maternity hospital, killing 12 people.
"The latest reported incidents reflect a well-documented pattern of attacks against civilians and infrastructure by Russian and Syrian forces," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
"We urge Russia and the Assad regime to resolve this conflict through the UN-facilitated political process and to stop waging war in civilian areas," she said in a statement.
President Bashar al-Assad in April launched a devastating offensive in Idlib, a region home to three million 

US demands Russia, Syria stop air strikes killing civilians

Kurdish protesters hurled rocks Friday at Turkish military vehicles in northeastern Syria during a patrol in which one civilian died when he was run over by a personnel carrier.
A small group of people pelted the convoy with rocks and shoes as it drove by near the town of Maabda, close to the Turkish border, AFP correspondents reported.
A young man was run over by one of the large armoured vehicles and rushed to hospital in the town of Derik.
"He died there of internal bleeding," the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Kurdish villagers have given a similarly tough reception to joint Russian-Turkish patrols in other locations.
Turkish forces and their proxies -- former Syrian rebels hired as a ground force by Ankara -- launched a deadly offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria on October 9.
The push was aimed at seizing a roughly 30-kilometre (20-mile) deep strip of land along the 440-kilometre border between the two countries.
Turkey's defence ministry said ...

AFP

AFP

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