Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Russia uses UN veto to protect Assad • Trump: Nato no longer obsolete • Young offered 'sex-for-rent' deals

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By Justin Parkinson

Russia protects Assad at UN as US warns of 'isolation'

There was anger at the United Nations Security Council, as Russia vetoed a draft resolution condemning last week's alleged chemical attack in Syria. It's the eighth time it has protected its ally President Bashar al-Assad in this way. The US warned Russia it was "isolating" itself, but President Vladimir Putin has once again rejected accusations that the Assad government was behind the release of nerve agents.

US President Donald Trump was asked by BBC North America editor Jon Sopel whether he thought it possible that the Syrian government had launched an attack without Moscow knowing. "I think it's certainly possible. I think it's probably unlikely," he replied.

Other top stories

Donald Trump's comments on Nato have in the past been mixed, leading many in Europe to wonder about his commitment to the military alliance's future. But, following a decline in relations with Russia, the US president's view appears to have changed. "I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete," he said. He added that the threat of terrorism also showed Nato's importance. But the president told the Wall Street Journal he still thought some member countries weren't paying their fair share.

It's a debate that's gone on for decades: do grammar schools encourage social mobility or do they help more privileged children get further ahead? With the government recently saying it wants more grammars to open, it's commissioned research that suggests those from more affluent backgrounds take up a majority of places in selective schools. But Education Secretary Justine Greening is promising action to ensure children from "ordinary working families" aren't left behind.

"He would do what he wanted to do, forcefully, and I just sort of went along with it," remembers one female student who says she and her landlord made a "sex-for-rent" deal. She's one of many vulnerable young people being targeted with online adverts containing this offer, an investigation by BBC South East finds. The agreements reached between landlords and tenants are actually legal, but Labour MP Peter Kyle wants the law changed to ban them.

Farewell to pay growth

Many will argue that an economy that works for everyone would not be expected to be one where people are worse off at the end of the year than they were at the beginning.

Read full analysis >

Kamal Ahmed

Economics editor

What the papers say

The Sun and the Mirror lead with stories of Premier League clubs increasing security following the explosions which hit German club Borussia Dortmund's team bus earlier this week. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph quotes former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey saying that the UK has let down Christian refugees from Syria, claiming "politically correct" officials are "institutionally biased" against them. And the Financial Times reports that UK firms could lose out on European space contracts as a result of Brexit.

Daily digest

Cyclone warning - New Zealand braced for "worst storm in generations"

'Lonely children' - Families too busy to talk and eat together, says Childline's Esther Rantzen

House prices - Surveyors gloomy as property market stagnates

Aga can't - Owners warned that hackers could use app to shut down ovens

Snap (almost) - Dinosaurs' early relatives had some features a bit like crocodiles', scientists say

If you watch one thing today

The airport lounge that's just for pets

If you listen to one thing today

Ewe turn: Do sheep in mazes tend to go left?

If you read one thing today

Two jobs good: The vicar/auctioneer

Thursday lookahead

09:00 The European Court of Human Rights delivers its verdict on the case brought against Russia by former hostages and relatives of victims of the 2004 Beslan massacre. A siege by Chechen separatists at a school in the town in North Ossetia resulted in the deaths of 331 people, including 186 children. Applicants say the Russian government should have done more to prevent it.

09:30 The Home Office releases its statistics on taser use for 2016.

11:00 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attend the Royal Maundy Thursday service at Leicester Cathedral. Her Majesty will distribute ceremonial Maundy money to senior citizens in recognition of service to the church and the community.

On this day

1964 Sidney Poitier becomes the first black winner of the best actor Oscar, taking the award for his role in Lilies of the Field.

1992 Labour leader Neil Kinnock resigns, having lost the general election to John Major's Conservatives three days earlier. It is Mr Kinnock's second defeat, having been beaten by Margaret Thatcher in 1987.

1997 Tiger Woods, 21, becomes the youngest player to win a major golf championship, taking the Masters by a record 12 strokes.

Best of the rest

Can we bring back the passenger pigeon?
(New York Review of Books)

What happens when poverty and disability collide?
(Marie Claire)

Why rural American hospitals are dying
(Washington Post)

Elephants' body awareness adds to evidence of intelligence
(Cambridge University)

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