Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will attempt to get back on track after defeat by Brighton, but have a tough task at home to Tottenham, who have won two from two so far, on Monday evening.

BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson says it is exactly the sort of game the Portuguese will relish.

“He may be under pressure from some fans to play a bolder, more adventurous style, but that is just not in Jose’s DNA. He is never going to change that,” he said.

“He is fully justified in some ways. In these big games his teams more often than not get a really positive result.”

Lawro is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.

This week’s guests are actors Idris Elba and Aml Ameen, who worked together on Elba’s directorial debut film Yardie.

Arsenal fan Elba says that Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright is his favourite former Gunner.

“He was just a class player, a beautiful guy, a lovely personality – he was one of the first players to make me realise that footballers were human,” the Luther actor told BBC Sport.

Ameen, who watched England’s games in a pub in Santa Monica near where he lives, says that this summer’s World Cup sparked a deeper appreciation of the game in him.

Both Elba and Ameen made predictions but, as the bigger football fan, it is Elba’s guesses that go up against Lawro’s.

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

LAWRO’S PREDICTIONS

All kick-offs 15:00 BST unless stated.

SATURDAY

Wolves v Man City (12:30 BST)

It is an early diagnosis, but so far this season Wolves look really good going forward and less secure at the back.

They created lots of chances in their defeat by Leicester without scoring. They are a footballing team who are a little bit open. They will have to tighten up a bit.

But against Manchester City – who have looked devastating in their first two games – most of the rest of the league is really up against it.

I am going for a comprehensive City win but it is not games like this that are going to decide whether Wolves’ season is a success. These fixtures are part of the learning process.

There is not too much to be concerned about so far.

Lawro’s prediction: 0-3

Idris’ prediction: 1-2

Arsenal v West Ham

I am almost thinking that for this season – as new manager Unai Emery gets his feet under the table and imposes his style – Arsenal should not put pressure on themselves to finish in the top four.

They need to develop and, after more than 20 years with the same manager, it is always going to be difficult.

They are trying to play out a little more from the back and all it needs is for one player not to be comfortable doing so for it to be a problem.

If Emery wants to play that way he will have to suffer one or two defeats along the way, but I think ultimately he will get there, partly because he will get the personnel in who can fit that style.

West Ham seriously worry me. They were hopeless defensively in defeat by both Liverpool and Bournemouth. You can sign as many players as you want, but ultimately if you can’t defend in the Premier League, you are going to be in trouble.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

Idris’ prediction: 6-0 “That’s an easy one.”

Bournemouth v Everton

Bournemouth have always been a footballing team and Everton, under Marco Silva, will play more that way as well.

I reckon that the Cherries, coming off the back of wins over Cardiff and West Ham, can nick this one though.

If they do, and move to three top-flight wins from three, that will be up there with their best ever starts to a season.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-1

Idris’ prediction: 1-0

Huddersfield v Cardiff

Huddersfield did extremely well to stay up last season, but this season will be all about dodging that bullet for a second time.

This has got relegation ramifications written all over it. Two years ago this was a Championships game and both teams are going to be in for a massive struggle to stay out of the second tier.

A draw won’t suit either really because both will want to take points at the expense of a rival, but that is how I see it going.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Idris’ prediction: 1-2

Southampton v Leicester City

After his red card in the win over Wolves there is no Jamie Vardy for Leicester. Is there anyone who Claude Puel can bring in, who gives them the same goals?

With Islam Slimani, Leonardo Ulloa and Ahmed Musa all departing this summer, the Foxes are short in that area.

Up against his old side, I think Puel could come unstuck.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-1

Idris’ prediction: 0-1

Liverpool v Brighton (17:30 BST)

Brighton are going to be all right this season. They have a great ability to put bad displays behind them.

They turned in a bit of non-performance against Watford on the opening day, failing to manage a shot on target. They were able to put that behind them though and tear into Manchester United at the Amex in a superb winning performance.

But Liverpool are flying. Not just in terms of the results that they have got, but also in terms of their pace of play. It is very difficult to cope with.

Lawro’s prediction: 3-0

Idris’ prediction: 3-2

SUNDAY

Watford v Crystal Palace (13:30 BST)

Watford have started very well with wins over Brighton and Burnley and have the makings of a very promising partnership up front.

Andre Gray and, especially, Troy Deeney look sharp in attack and both managed to get on the scoresheet at Turf Moor.

Palace were on the wrong end of 2-0 defeat last time out but I thought they were very competitive against Liverpool.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-0

Idris’ prediction: 2-3

Fulham v Burnley (16:00 BST)

Burnley created lots of chances against Southampton on the opening day and should have won that game.

The Clarets are on a Thursday-Sunday schedule because of their Europa League campaign and have to travel back from Athens at the end of this week after their play-off first leg against Olympiakos.

Fulham are another open, engaging team but, having scored just once in their opening two games, I am not sure they have that cutting edge up front.

They also will have to cope with the physicality that Burnley test you with.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Idris’ prediction: 2-0

Newcastle v Chelsea (16:00 BST)

Newcastle have been unlucky this season. They got nothing from a good performance against Tottenham and should have beaten Cardiff when down to 10 men, with Kenedy missing an injury-time penalty.

Rafael Benitez is very successful at setting his team up to be difficult to beat at home to the Premier League superpowers.

Chelsea look more bright and adventurous than they did under Antonio Conte, but they do have some defensive blips.

Maurizio Sarri has them playing a pressing game and when that breaks down is when the opposition have the space to create chances.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Idris’ prediction: 0-2

MONDAY

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur (20:00 BST)

Tottenham do not have a very good record at Old Trafford – they have lost their past five trips to Old Trafford, scoring just once.

Manchester United will be hurting after being rolled over by Brighton. There seem to be some tensions there and there will be people with points to prove.

Mourinho will be very intent on, once again, stopping Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in the Spurs attack.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-1

Idris’ prediction: 0-2

Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport’s Mike Henson.

How did Lawro do last week?

On the second weekend of the new Premier League season, Lawro got six correct results, none with a perfect score however, from 10 matches, for a total of 60 points.

He edged out singer Tom Grennan, who got four correct results, and no perfect scores, for a total of 40 points.

GUEST LEADERBOARD 2018-19

Editors, USA TODAY
Published 3:33 a.m. ET Aug. 24, 2018

Hawaiian officials face questions as Hurricane Lane approaches

With Hurricane Lane already battering the islands with heavy rains and flooding, Hawaiian officials are facing questions as the full storm begins to heavily impact the island on Friday. The category 3 storm has dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas, closing schools and highways “out of an abundance of caution.” Shelter space set off alarm bells in an area not used to dealing with such huge storms, though officials say it’s expected to be able to house all who need it. Only three hurricanes have made landfall in Hawaii since 1950. Lane’s projected route may keep it just off the islands 

Election board to vote over poll closures in mostly black Georgia county

The election board in a predominately black county in Georgia will hold a vote Friday on whether to close seven of its nine polling sites, a proposal that has galvanized national civil rights and voting rights groups. State and national civil rights groups say they’re concerned about efforts to suppress black voter turnout for the midterms and key gubernatorial races. Randolph County election officials say the proposed closures are because the sites don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams could make history as the first African-American woman governor in the country if she wins in November, and she has focused on a grassroots get-out-the-vote campaign targeting blacks, who traditionally tend to support Democratic candidates. Both Abrams and Republican challenger Brian Kemp have called for officials to drop the plan. 

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 smartphone hits stores

Electronics giant Samsung launches its latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9. The smartphone line which captured consumers’ attention with significantly larger touchscreens compared to standard phones, will introduce several new features to Note9, including longer battery life, a Bluetooth-enabled stylus, and a camera option alerting users when someone in the picture blinks. The smartphone will be available at all four major wireless carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Cigna to vote on $54 billion deal to acquire Express Scripts

Shareholders of health insurer Cigna are scheduled to vote on a $54 billion deal  to acquire pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts during a special meeting Friday. The deal comes during a period of consolidation in the health sector. Last year, CVS Health, which already owns Express Scripts rival Caremark, revealed it was acquiring insurer and Cigna rival Aetna. Some healthcare leaders have blamed pharmacy benefit managers as a driver of steep drug prices, saying the sector’s role in the distribution of medicine and management of drug benefits is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

Fed chair set to speak after Trump’s criticism of rate hikes 

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is set to speak about the economy and interest rate policy at the Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Friday. The speech comes after President Donald Trump broke with tradition and openly criticized Fed officials for raising rates and warned it will hurt the economy. The Fed’s policymaking committee has increased rates twice in 2018 and forecast two more bumps this year and three in 2019. The Fed didn’t comment directly about the president’s remarks, but Powell earlier said: “We have a long tradition here of conducting policy in a particular way, and that way is independent of all political concerns.” 

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For kids of a certain era, Windows 95 was part of our first experience with computers. 

If the relatively ancient operating system still holds a special place in your heart, you’ll be glad to know that it’s available as an app for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Put together by Slack dev Felix Rieseberg, the 129mb file downloadable from GitHub allows you to reminisce on the old days of MS Paint and wasting time on Solitaire. 

The operating system is encased in electron, a framework for building cross-platform apps with HTML and CSS. 

There are, of course, some things that don’t work. Minesweeper doesn’t really let you do the sweeping, and Internet Explorer won’t let you surf the net — as it simply doesn’t connect to the web.

As Rieseberg suggests, if you were hoping to run Doom, you’re probably better off doing it through an actual virtualization app, but it surprisingly does work. He admits it only worked well “by accident and was mostly a joke.” 

The app still seems to work better than the Windows 95 copy installed on an Apple Watch, which takes about an hour to run.

As you’d figure, running Windows 95 these days is mostly just for a laugh.

[h/t The Verge]

Manager Steven Gerrard says he maybe “expects too much, too soon” from his Rangers side as they stand on the brink of the Europa League group stage.

The Ibrox club’s 1-0 win over Russian side FC Ufa in Glasgow puts them in the driving seat to clinch continental competition until at least Christmas.

But despite Gerrard’s team now being undefeated in his opening 10 games in charge, he still wants more.

“I was disappointed in our first-half showing,” he told RangersTV.

“I just felt that we were a gear down today, a little bit flat. But maybe I’m expecting too much, too soon because the players have spoilt me.”

The victory over European debutants Ufa was Rangers’ sixth of the season and fifth in European competition.

It is a trend Gerrard is confident can continue in the second leg next Thursday, but the Rangers manager says his team will still go out to clinch a vital away goal.

“I’ve got belief and confidence in my players that we can go and finish the job off,” he added. “We need a performance full of heroes and warriors next week.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to try and get over the line, whether that’s another clean sheet or having people on the pitch who are capable of getting that away goal.

“I believe if we get another goal it’ll be a big task for them.”

Hailey Baldwin’s beautiful diamond sparkler is making its debut.

The model’s engagement ring from fiancé Justin Bieber is front and center on the cover of Vogue Mexico. In the black and white image, a fresh-faced Baldwin relaxes her head on her arm, leaving her massive rock for all to see. 

Baldwin, rocking her signature blonde locks and a tweed jacket, accessorized her look with a 6 to 10-carat oval-stoned stunner from New York jeweler Solow & Co., according to People. 

“Justin wanted something that would gracefully accentuate Hailey’s beautifully shaped hands. We settled on an oval stone that was just exceptional in its length and grace. Look at her hands — she’s exquisite,” Jack Solow told the publication.

More: Alec Baldwin: ‘No. Just … No’ to daughter Ireland’s sexy Instagram photo

On Instagram, Vogue Mexico captioned the stunning photo: “The intensity of the sun gives way to the echoes of the wind, accompanied by the graceful and fresh image of #HaileyBaldwin, a model that bursts out of the catwalks wearing the autumn trends with her high-profile engagement ring.”

The September issue calls Baldwin’s bling “the ring of 12 million likes,” possibly referring to the number of double-clicks Bieber’s engagement confirmation received on Instagram (the post currently sits at over 13 million likes).

TMZ first reported the news that the singer, 24, and model, 21, got engaged in the Bahamas in July after years of on-again, off-again dating rumors.

The “Love Yourself” singer declared his love for Baldwin and confirmed their relationship status a couple days after he got down on one knee: “Was gonna wait a while to say anything but word travels fast, listen plain and simple Hailey I am soooo in love with everything about you!”

Baldwin gave fans a glimpse of her engagement ring on Instagram earlier this week. She called Beiber her “absolute best friend.”

More: Is Priyanka Chopra showing off a sparkling engagement ring from Nick Jonas?

Related: VMAs: Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson kiss and more hot red carpet couples

 

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As hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar and settled in Bangladesh last year, health organisations were immediately concerned about outbreak of disease taking place in the overcrowded and unsanitary camps.

There are more than one million Rohingya living in 32 camps in Cox’s Bazar district after having fled persecution and a violent militarised crackdown by the Myanmar army.

In addition to contagious and non-communicable viruses, the refugees remain at risk of landslides from heavy rains.

For Peter Salama, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency response chief, the magnitude of the risks posed by these conditions was overwhelming.

“I realised how fragile the environment was from a human and ecological perspective,” said Salama.

“These camps are kind of incubations for disease because of the overcrowding. But with the luck and great efforts, massive outbreaks have been prevented.”

The WHO has partnered with more than 110 organisations on the ground to cater to the health needs of the Rohingya refugees.

Due to their systematic exclusion from government services, the Rohingya received almost no immunisation while living in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. That is why the first thing the WHO did was to launch comprehensive vaccination programmes.

“Within weeks of the population crossing the border, there was an unprecedented cholera vaccination programme that prevented the population from contracting that disease,” said Salama.

Khalid Eltahir, WHO’s Incident Manager in Bangladesh, said that there is a multi-sector action plan in place whenever a disease outbreak is detected.

“We also have disease surveillance in place on a daily and weekly basis,” said Eltahir.

“For vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, and water-borne diseases like cholera, we act immediately.”

Diphtheria contained

Yet there were some scares too, such as the re-emergence in November of diphtheria, a disease that has been largely eliminated in western countries.

Diphtheria – an infectious disease that can be transmitted through direct physical contact or indirect respiratory contact with an infected person’s coughs or sneezes – has a higher mortality rate in young children. Its symptoms include a sore throat, low fever, and swollen glands in the neck.

“There has been almost 8,000 cases,” said Suraj Man Shrestha, the head of WHO’s health operations in Cox’s Bazar.

Shrestha added that while the diphtheria outbreak was contained, “there is still a lot of work to be done”.

“We had a series of immunisation campaign rounds so that the Rohingya would be protected for the rest of their lives, bringing in resources from within WHO as well as partnering with organisations like UNICEF whose mandate is to support vaccines,” he said.

One challenge that these campaigns faced was that some children, who form the majority of the camps’ population, were missed at the time the inoculations were administered. Shrestha said that in these instances, it was important to engage community mobilisers, health volunteers, imams, and the mazis (Rohingya community leaders) to create awareness.

“This would encourage the community on health-seeking behaviour, and questions among themselves like ‘Have you been vaccinated?’ ‘Have you?’ ‘I am protected from this disease’,” he said.

Changing attitudes towards immunisation

Sadia Afrin, a young Bangladeshi woman who works in the camps as a field immunisation monitor, said that at the beginning of last year’s influx, there was a prevailing sense of mistrust from the Rohingya regarding getting vaccinated.

“The general attitude at first was deep-rooted in mistrust,” she said. “They regarded immunisation as necessary only for those who were sick.”

Shakira Khatun, who arrived at the Balukhali camp last August, said that she was, at first, wary of immunisation shots when she took her then two-year-old child to a health centre.

“We didn’t know what the vaccinations were for when we were in Myanmar,” Shakira explained. “No one told us anything about immunisation.”

Shrestha said that there was a common misconception among the Rohingya that vaccinations would make them sterile, but they were open to learning about the importance of receiving shots.

“They did not go into hiding when the campaigns were running,” he said. “They were forthcoming to receive the vaccines.”

Afrin agreed, saying that “it took time to build trust and awareness, but with the help of Rohingya community leaders, attitudes are now generally positive”.

“First, these mobilisation campaigns would hold a meeting with the target community, then the vaccination would be administered.”

Another Rohingya mother, Rahema, credits the community mobilisers for raising awareness through campaigns and consultations even before the camp population started swelling last year.

“That’s how I came to know about the vaccination programme and what it is for,” the pregnant 25-year-old mother-of-three said.

“I’ve been living in Kutupalong camp for eight years, and all of my children were vaccinated.”

Afrin said children under the age of two are now vaccinated against 10 diseases including diptheria, tetanus, Hepatitis B (through the pentavalent vaccine), rubella, pneumococcal diseases (through the PCV) and tuberculosis (through the BCG vaccine).

“Pregnant women are inoculated with Tetanus-Diphtheria, which protects newborns from whooping cough,” she said.

‘Preventing diseases and deaths’

A problem the health sector as a whole faces in the Rohingya camps is the lack of financial resources, with Eltahir pointing out that it is “one of the poorly funded areas”.

“The health sector up until now is supported by 19 percent by the Joint Response Plan that was launched in March,” he said.

Shrestha said that long-term sustainability must be looked into.

“A lot has been done one year on and we still have funds flowing in, but should the donor fatigue set in, then we need to start looking into sustainability because lives matter,” he said.

“This is about preventing diseases and deaths.”

The long-standing health issue, according to Salama, is trauma from being exposed to violence, including gender-based violence and witnessing acts of violence.

“The Rohingya population have been through very traumatic experiences, such as watching loved ones being killed, injured, or maimed and being separated from their family,” he said.

According to Shrestha, the WHO is discussing building the capacity of health workers to identify trauma and provide psycho-social support to those who need it, including substance abusers.

“We have a team of 19-20 experts looking into this,” he said. “MSF [Doctors Without Borders] has brought in 12 experts on mental health and psycho-social support, and that’s a real asset.”

Salama was quick to praise the efforts of Bangladesh, which opened its borders to the Rohingya.

“What we really need is international solidarity, especially considering that the Bangladeshi government has been extremely generous in accepting these refugees and dealing with all of the social crises that have resulted,” Salama said.

“They deserve all of our support and solidarity.”

Follow Linah Alsaafin on Twitter: @LinahAlsaafin

HONOLULU — The message from Hawaiian and FEMA authorities has been consistent: Shelter at home and ride out Hurricane Lane.

But, what about people who can’t?

With Lane already battering the Big Island on Thursday, the warning by Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Tom Travis that the Aloha State does not have enough shelter space set off alarm bells in an area not used to dealing with such huge storms.

More: See Hurricane Lane from space

Related: Hawaii braces for Hurricane Lane impact

Only three hurricanes have made landfall in Hawaii since 1950. Lane’s projected route may keep it just off the islands, but its powerful winds, voluminous amount of rain – up to 30 inches in some areas – and the accompanying high surf and swell are already creating major trouble.

Gov. David Ige also pitched in with a Wednesday tweet that said, “Shelters are intended to be a last resort option for residents and visitors without safer options to use at their own risk.’’

On Thursday afternoon, though, conditions on the ground did not call for concern about running out of space to find safe harbor.

On the Big Island, which saw some 1,700 residents evacuated three months ago because of the Kilauea volcano eruption, there was room at five shelters for about 7,000, and only about 20 had checked in, according to Maurice Messina, deputy director of parks and recreation.

At Honolulu’s Dole Middle School on the island of Oahu, about 10 folks had sought shelter at a hastily assembled evacuation center by mid-afternoon.

Andrew Pereira, communications director for Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, said the city and county expects to be able to house all who need it.

A state report released in February indicated Oahu had 182,797 shelter spaces, or about one for every five persons on an island with a population of just under 1 million. The Big Island, with a population of 198,000 and 36,539 spaces, has a similar ratio.

“I think you’ll find that in any hurricane-ready community, you don’t ever have enough shelter space for the entire population,’’ Pereira said. “The standard operating procedure in most communities that can be impacted by a hurricane is to shelter in place, and that’s what we’re advising our folks to do.’’

That makes even more sense in Oahu because, as Pereira acknowledged, some of the schools that typically double as shelters are not rated beyond tropical-force winds, and even a weakening Lane was producing sustained winds of up to 125 mph.

They still provide more protection than the wooden houses with tin roofs that are common in tropical climates, and certainly much more than what homeless people get out in the elements. Pereira said Honolulu had opened 20 facilities by 10 a.m. local time and was providing free bus service for homeless people to reach them.

Most people are encouraged to bring their own bedding, plus food, water and medicines for 3-5 days.

“Those evacuation centers are intended for short stays,’’ said Brad Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations for the American Red Cross. “Their purpose is to allow people to ride out the storm, and after the storm passes, the folks who can go home do, and the folks who can’t are transitioned into emergency shelters, also run by the counties in Hawaii.’’

The site at the Dole school has room for at least 200, said coordinator Jennifer Dutton, who works for the Red Cross out of Los Angeles. She arrived in Hawaii on Wednesday night to begin preparations.

“I’m not sure when folks will begin to arrive. I think everyone is just waiting to see how bad the storm is,’’ Dutton said. “We’ve got some supplies here, but it’s of course limited because we’re on the island. If we need more, we’ll have them shipped in.’’

Messina said the facility set up at Pahoa Regional Park as a lava-evacuation area after the Kilauea eruption housed 600 evacuees – 55 of whom remain – and had room for 2,000.

If anybody runs out of space for those escaping harm from the storm, Messina said it won’t be the island of Hawaii.

“On the Big Island, we have more beach and park facilities than any other island,’’ he said, “so if you couple that with our all of our schools, we should be OK.’’

But folks who live surrounded by water realize they encounter different dynamics when a hurricane approaches than those in the mainland. That was part of the challenge for FEMA when assisting victims in Puerto Rico last year.

At a news conference Thursday, agency officials said they would apply lessons in Hawaii learned from the 2017 hurricanes – including Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in September.

FEMA Administrator Brock Long said there’s already a plentiful supply of generators at hand to restore power if the grid is affected. And Pereira said the agency has set up barges full of supplies ready to be distributed.

But Pereira also noted that Hawaii imports 98 percent of its goods by sea, so any damage to its ports could present serious problems. And, of course, the locals can’t just drive a few hundred miles away to escape danger.

“We are the most isolated land mass on the planet,’’ Pereira said. “You can’t just drive to a safer area like when hurricanes threaten the East Coast, where you see folks driving north or south or west to get away from the storm. We don’t have that option.’’

Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz in San Francisco

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Twitter mostly sucks, but one of the few accounts which isn’t terrible is @dril.

Even if you don’t spend much of your time on the platform, you’ve likely come across his bizarre, nonsensical jokes that we wish we knew how to come up with.

Seemingly the ramblings of a cranky old man with poor grasp of the keyboard, @dril has been on the internet since 2008, and was also infamously doxxed last year. Now, he has a book.

Titled Dril Official “Mr. Ten Years” Anniversary Collection, the book is suitably an anthology of the mysterious writer’s tweets and sketches.

Yes, you’ll be able to grasp in your hands more than 1,500 “‘Cream of the Crop’ tweets, hand picked by The Boss, sorted categorically and accompanied by over 70 stunning Illustrations.” 

“This book is a Must Have for all admirers of Prestige Content,” reads the description on @dril’s website. For those who aren’t familiar with @dril’s “Prestige Content,” it includes pearlers like these:

Dril adds that for people who don’t want to read book “mostly filled with Shit youve read before,” a second edition will come out in early 2019.

Treasurer Scott Morrison will be Australia’s new prime minister after winning a three-way battle for the leadership of the Liberal party on Friday.

Morrison defeated the key challenger Peter Dutton, a former cabinet minister, by a vote 45-40.

Dutton’s supporters had forced incumbent Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to hold the leadership ballot. Turnbull did not contest it and later confirmed his intention to quit politics.

“I’ll be leaving the parliament … not before too long,” he told reporters.

His resignation causes a by-election that could cost the government its single-seat majority. It could also encourage Morrison to soon call general elections.

Turnbull became the fourth prime minister to be dumped by his or her own party before serving a full three-year term since the revolving door to the prime minister’s office started in 2010.

The trend is universally hated by Australians.

He condemned Dutton supporters for bringing down his leadership in an intense and bruising campaign, which the prime minister described as “an insurgency” that went public on Tuesday.

“Many Australians will be shaking their head in disbelief at what’s been done,” Turnbull said.

Internecine battle

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had been among the favourites and could have become Australia’s second female prime minister. She was rejected on the first round of voting.

Australian media reported she would also likely resign from politics.

Morrison became Australia’s 30th prime minister after the vote ended the internecine battle that has scarred the conservative government ahead of an election due by May 2019.

Peter Hartcher, political editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, said Australians are fed up with the constant political infighting.

“I can’t begin to tell you how distressed most people are at what goes on in their name in the federal government,” Hartcher told Al Jazeera.

“Everybody will still be wondering, ‘what was this really about’? There has been no explanation from either the outgoing or incoming prime minister.” 

Taking names

A beleaguered Turnbull demanded the names of lawmakers in the Liberal party who wanted him to go before he would allow them to choose a new prime minister at a meeting at Parliament House on Friday. The names would prove a majority of his government had abandoned him.

The bare minimum majority of 43 signatures were provided shortly before the meeting started. They included more than one Turnbull supporter who signed to break the impasse.

Dutton’s and Turnbull’s camps waged the most chaotic, frenetic and at times farcical leadership struggle that Australian politics has seen in years, closing down Parliament on Thursday and damaging the Liberal party’s credibility.

Public anger became apparent overnight with windows broken at the Brisbane office of Dutton, Turnbull’s main rival in his government.

Turnbull came to power in a party-room coup in September 2015. A social liberal and multi-millionaire former merchant banker, he has struggled to appeal to conservative voters and only narrowly won a general election in 2016.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies