NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Global warming: Pope Francis has sharply criticized climate change doubters, saying that history will judge those who failed to take the necessary decisions to curb heat-trapping emissions blamed for the warming of the Earth. Francis was asked about climate change and the spate of hurricanes that have pummeled the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, as his plane left Colombia late Sunday and flew over some of the devastated areas. Francis said scientists have clearly charted what needed to be done to reverse course on global warming and said individuals and politicians had a “moral responsibility” to do their part. For those who have denied climate change, or delayed actions to counter it, he responded with an Old Testament saying: “Man is stupid.”
2 Train crash: Swiss authorities are investigating the crash of a locomotive into a string of passenger rail cars during a maneuvering operation that injured 27 people, though none seriously. Police and medical teams rushed to the scene of the accident in the central town of Andermatt involving the locomotive and five cars with about 100 passengers on board. Regional train operator Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn said the train’s locomotive was supposed to move from the back of the train to the front on a parallel track, but instead crashed into the back of the train.
3 Spain rally: Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated Catalonia’s national day in Barcelona on Monday and shouted in unison: “Independencia!” (Independence). The symbolic moment came after organizers counted down from 10 over a public address system to 5:14 p.m., which on a 24-hour clock is 1714 — the year when Catalonia lost its self-rule to Madrid. Many Catalans want a return to self-rule by seceding from the rest of Spain. Local officials have promised a regional referendum on independence on Oct. 1, but the national government is trying to block it.
4 Rape allegations: Italian prosecutors are awaiting DNA results in the probe of two paramilitary police officers alleged to have raped two U.S. students in Florence after driving them home in their patrol car from a nightclub. The lawyer for one suspect says her client went to prosecutors over the weekend to say he did have sex with one of the young women while on duty but contends that the sex was consensual and that the woman wasn’t drunk, which would preclude ability to give consent. Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo said Monday that if the other officer doesn’t come to prosecutors he’ll be summoned. The two are suspended by the Carabinieri police. Authorities said hospital tests indicated the women had been drinking heavily before the police drove them home.
5 Nuclear pact: The head of the U.N. agency monitoring Iran’s compliance with a deal crimping its nuclear program said Monday that Tehran is honoring the agreement — an assessment the White House is questioning as it considers increasing the pressure on the Islamic republic. Yukiya Amano of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the terms Iran accepted “are being implemented.” The U.S. administration has faced two 90-day certification deadlines to state whether Iran is meeting the conditions needed to continue enjoying sanctions relief under the deal and has both times backed away from a showdown. But President Trump more recently has said he does not expect to certify Iran’s compliance again. The next deadline is in mid-October.