Generate an appropriate single-sentence summary for the given text such that it includes the main topic of the text.

[EX Q]: Almost 100 separate demonstrations were staged in towns and cities on Saturday, over charges introduced last month. The controversial austerity measure is a key part of the government's plan to pay back the international financial bailout the state had to seek in 2010. It was one of the largest ever mass protests over Irish government policy. 'Had enough' Irish police said they were not able to provide official estimates of the numbers attending rallies and marches across the state. However, Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, reported that more than 120,000 people attended demonstrations throughout the day. About 20 protests were staged in Dublin, culminating in a crowd of about 10,000 who gathered outside the General Post Office (GPO) building in the city centre. RTÉ estimated that another 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Cork city, while in excess of 8,000 people marched in both Letterkenny and Drogheda. Demonstrations in Limerick, Waterford, and Dundalk were estimated to have attracted about 5,000 people each. 'Already free' Thousands of people also took part in smaller protests in Sligo, Navan, Wicklow, Galway, Kilkenny, Wexford, Ashbourne, and Longford, as well as other towns and villages. Some of the hundreds of people attending a protest in Ringsend, Dublin, told the BBC they do not believe they should pay charges for something that is already free and paid for out of general taxation. Other protesters said they were opposed to the bonus culture in Irish Water - the company established last month to provide the service. In Dublin, Martin Kennedy said he was taking part in the protests because he wanted to send a message to the government. "Primarily, people are here today about water charges, but really it's about austerity. "We've simply had enough," he said. Worried Anita Stanley, who attended a demonstration in the capital with her mother, also expressed her frustration at the government's policy. "I'm a young widow, like my mum Ann, and we're here just to say we've had enough," she said. "We can't afford to give any more." Éamonn Campbell, renowned as a guitarist with Irish folk music group The Dubliners, was also among the protesters. "It is not just about water charges, it is about all these taxes that have been forced by the greedy, both in Ireland and Europe, and paid for on the backs of the needy," he said. 'Serious mistakes' Campaigners who organised some of the demonstrations disagreed with the state broadcaster's estimates and claimed the total number of people who protested was actually closer to 133,000. Despite the absence of official figures, the Fine Gael/Labour coalition government is clearly worried about the scale of opposition. A junior minister at the Irish Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, Ged Nash, told RTÉ radio that "some serious mistakes" had been made in the establishment of Irish Water. "I think if we were starting again we would have a much longer timeframe to establish what is a very important public utility," Mr Nash said. The minister added that the government would respond the public concern over water charges. "We acknowledge people's anxieties right across the country about issues regarding affordability for water charges and we're prepared to address those," Mr Nash added. Meanwhile, Irish Deputy Prime Minister (Tánaiste), Joan Burton, said the charges will be modest and capped. Households are due to receive their first water bills in January 2015. It is the second time in weeks that members of the public have staged mass protests over the controversial government policy. Last month, tens of thousands of people marched through Dublin to show their opposition.
[EX A]: Tens of thousands of people have taken part in nationwide protests against the introduction of water charges in the Republic of Ireland.

[EX Q]: President Donald Trump tweeted Mr Coats would step down in mid-August and that he would nominate the Texan congressman John Ratcliffe to replace him. He said Mr Ratcliffe would lead and "inspire greatness for the country" he loved. Mr Coats and Mr Trump have often been at odds over Russia and North Korea. As director of national intelligence, it was Mr Coats' role to oversee all 17 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA. But throughout his tenure, Mr Coats' assessments were routinely contradicted by the president, who has been critical of intelligence agencies. In January the president called his intelligence chiefs passive and naive in their assessment of the threat posed by Iran. Mr Coats is the latest in a string of Trump administration officials to leave the White House, former Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson among them. Why has Mr Coats left his post? In his resignation letter to the president, Mr Coats said America's intelligence community had become "stronger than ever" during his two-and-half-year tenure. "As a result, I now believe it is time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life," he wrote. Mr Coats said in February the president had asked him to stay in the post, yet their differences on foreign policy appeared irreconcilable at times. In particular, they clashed on Russian interference in US elections, the Iran nuclear deal and Mr Trump's attempts at rapprochement with North Korea. Citing a former senior intelligence official, the Washington Post reported that Mr Coats came to see his departure as inevitable given his troubled relationship with Mr Trump. Mr Coats, the former official told the newspaper, felt marginalised by the president on issues of national security. Last year, the intelligence chief admitted that Mr Trump did not brief him about his behind-closed-doors meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. "If he had asked me how that ought to be conducted, I would have suggested a different way," Mr Coats said of their summit. He had laughed in surprise when he heard about a proposed visit of President Putin to the White House, telling crowds at a public event: "That's going to be special." Mr Coats' views also diverged from the president's on North Korea. In January, Mr Coats told Congress North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons, contradicting a statement by Mr Trump that Pyongyang no longer posed a threat. Who is Dan Coats? A former diplomat, Mr Coats has served as director of national intelligence since March 2017, when he succeeded James Clapper. Born in Jackson, Michigan, Mr Coats graduated from two universities with degrees in political science and law in the 1960s. He served two terms as a Republican senator for Indiana, from 1989 to 1999 and again from 2011 to 2017. Mr Coats also served as the US ambassador to Germany from 2001 to 2005 in between his terms in the Senate. Who is his replacement? A prominent supporter of the president and his policies, Mr Ratcliffe has served as the congressman for Texas' 4th District since 2015. Mr Trump said Mr Ratcliffe was a "highly respected congressman" who "will lead and inspire greatness for the country he loves". Providing his nomination is approved, Mr Ratcliffe's views are expected to chime with Mr Trump's more often in his new role. Last Wednesday, Mr Ratcliffe defended the president during the testimony of former special counsel Robert Mueller, who led a two-year investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Mr Mueller said he had not exonerated Mr Trump of obstruction of justice, which formed part of his inquiry. Mr Ratcliffe said the special counsel did not have the authority "to determine Trump's innocence or to exonerate him". Criticising Mr Ratcliffe's appointment, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said "it's clear that Rep Ratcliffe was selected because he exhibited blind loyalty to President Trump with his demagogic questioning of ... Mueller".
[EX A]: The US director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, has become the latest high-profile figure to leave the Trump administration.

[EX Q]: The force said its officers were spat at on average nine times every week and the mesh hoods will be used to prevent the spread of disease. Officers will be trained to use them in custody suites and police transit vehicles if a suspect is trying to spit or bite, but not on the streets. South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said they were not expected to be used often. The transparent mesh fabric hoods are used to prevent those arrested from spitting or biting officers and have already been adopted by at least 17 of the UK's 49 police forces. The measure was approved by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), subject to various safeguarding measures including logging and training. The force is the last in Yorkshire to introduce them. Campaign group Liberty have called the guards "primitive, cruel and degrading" and claim people have died because of their use. Dr Billings said: "On the whole, officers in custody suites feel the use of them may be very low in South Yorkshire. "They don't particularly want to but clearly there may be situations where they feel it is necessary". Paula Romero, who designed the spit hoods being used by the force, insists the guards are safe. "They're held away from the face so people don't feel claustrophobic and there's no chance of asphyxiation," she said. "They don't inhibit vision and officers can see the face to monitor health issues or changes in behaviour, and if people do spit, it doesn't go back in their face. "A lot of things about being arrested are degrading, and if spitting wasn't dangerous there wouldn't have been a need for this product to be developed." Zhaka Payne, from the South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: "Spitting is terrible and often contains blood. Something must be done to protect officers."
[EX A]:
South Yorkshire Police will introduce controversial spit guards from January.

