Backlash against Johnson's prorogation

British prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament for 5 weeks has sparked what the BBC calls a furious backlash. Johnson said the suspension was to allow the government to address domestic policies. But opponents, and even some of Johnson’s own Tory MPs, were not buying it, and a cross party alliance is “gearing up for a historic parliamentary clash next week”, says The Guardian. Sections of the public were also outraged and thousands of protesters staged demonstrations in Westminster and across the country demanding “stop the coup”, The Independent reports. In a forthright op-ed, The Financial Times called the suspension of parliament “an affront to democracy”. But The Express said that Jacob Ress-Mogg, one of the champions of a no deal Brexit, “brilliantly destroyed” opposition arguments that the move had caused a constitutional crisis.  Bloomberg, in a live-feed of news on the suspension, cited an EU official who reckoned the move could pressure MPs to approve a new deal that might not “include as many radical changes” as Johnson wants.

Scottish Tory leader resigns

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who has clashed with Johnson repeatedly, was reported to be resigning, but The Scotsman says she had planned the announcement on Thursday before the suspension decision. The Telegraph (paywall) reckons Davidson’s resignation will “send shock waves” through the Conservative Party.

Italy has a new government

The BBC reports that the Democratic Party and Five Star Movement have agreed to form a new coalition government in Italy. The agreement will see the independent Giuseppe Conte remain prime minister. The move leaves League leader Mattteo Salvini out in the cold, for now. But in what The Atlantic calls “classic Salvini rhetoric” he reacted by saying Conte was a prime minister “brought to you by Paris, Berlin, and Brussels.”

Bond yields fall is worrying experts

Bond yields around the world are close to all-time lows and a continued fall, coupled with an extended trade war, a hard Brexit and a worsening of the Hong Kong crisis, could lead to a “disaster scenario” for the global economy, one strategist told CNBC. BNN Bloomberg says the 30-year yield Treasury has experienced the steepest monthly decline since 2011, while “German and Italian benchmarks also sank to levels never seen before”. In an analysis of markets and currencies, Reuters says that investors may find equities more attractive, but stock markets still struggled to rally.

Thunberg lands in New York

Environmental activist Great Thunberg has arrived in New York after the sail boat in which she was travelling docked at Coney Island. Students from the Fridays For Future movement she founded cheered as she stepped ashore, Forbes reports. Cited by Euronews, which has footage of her landing, Thunberg said: “It is insane that a 16-year-old should have to cross the Atlantic ocean to make a stand.”

US 2020: Gillibrand drops out

There are now 20 Democrats left in the field to win their party’s nomination for the US presidential election next year after Kirsten Gillibrand announced she has ended her candidacy, the BBC reports.

Babies in Spain develop “werewolf syndrome”

A drug mix up in Spain has left at least 17 children, including some babies, with hair growing all over their body, The Guardian reports. The so-called “werewolf syndrome” resulted when minoxidil, a medication used for the treatment of hair loss, was somehow given to the children as part of a treatment for gastric reflux.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts