1. SYRIA: IRAN TO SEND 4,000 TROOPS
Iran will send 4,000 troops to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, reports the Independent on Sunday. Meanwhile, David Cameron has been warned that he faces defeat if he tries to win parliamentary support for Britain to arm Syrian rebels. Former US vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin argues the conflict “should be left for Allah to sort out”.
2. CASH FOR HONOURS ROW HITS CLEGG
Nick Clegg has been plunged into the 'cash for honours' row as two of the Liberal Democrats’ biggest donors are lined up for peerages. Rumi Verjee, the multimillionaire who brought the Domino’s pizza chain to Britain, has donated £770,000 since May 2010. Sudhir Choudhrie, whose family has donated £650,000 to the party since 2004, is also on the party's honours list.
3. BORIS BATTERS CAMERON IN POLL
Boris Johnson enjoys a favourability rating of 44%, compared with David Cameron’s 23%, according to a poll in the Independent on Sunday. The same poll puts the Tories down three points at 26%, Labour unchanged on 35%, Ukip on 19 and the Lib Dems at 10. In a general election, this would give Labour a 100-seat majority.
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4. 'MODERATE' ROUHANI WINS IN IRAN
Hassan Rouhani has swept to a victory in Iran’s presidential election, winning just over 50% of the vote. Rouhani said his win was a "victory of moderation over extremism". Some 72.2% of eligible voters cast ballots in Friday's election. Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran last night to celebrate Rouhani's victory.
5. LABOUR: UNTRAINED TEACHERS FACE SACK
Thousands of untrained teachers who have been allowed to work in academies and free schools will be sacked if Labour wins the next election, unless they gain a formal qualification within two years. Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg will say it is "unacceptable" and “shocking” that Michael Gove has allowed teachers with no training to work in state-funded schools.
6. 99% SHUN EXTRA PATERNITY LEAVE
Fewer than 1% of new fathers take advantage of additional paternity leave because the £136 per week pay is too measly. Men are eligible to take up to 26 weeks leave when a new baby is born but a study by the TUC showed that of the 285,000 men who could have taken full leave, just 1,650 did so in 2011/12. The weekly rate is rarely topped up by employers.
7. FOUR STABBED IN MIDLANDS MOSQUE
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after three men and a police office were stabbed in a Birmingham mosque. Officers were called to the mosque in Ward End last last night after three men were stabbed. An officer was wounded as the suspect was arrested. All four injured are in a stable condition in hospital.
8. TRUE COST OF WIND FARMS REVEALED
Every job in Britain’s wind farm industry is effectively subsidised to the extent of £100,000 per year, says the Sunday Telegraph. Figures show wind turbine owners received £1.2bn in the form of a consumer subsidy, funded by a supplement on electricity bills last year. A wind farm owner admits: “Anybody trying to justify subsidies on the basis of jobs created is talking nonsense.”
9. FRESH CLASHES BREAK OUT IN TURKEY
Demonstrators have clashed with police in Istanbul, after riot squads used tear gas and water cannons to clear Gezi Park. After the protesters fled the park, they erected barricades across nearby streets and lit bonfires. Eye witnesses say it was one of the worst nights of unrest since the park was occupied 18 days ago.
10. KARDASHIAN GIVES BIRTH TO GIRL
Kim Kardashian has given birth to a baby girl, according to reports. The American socialite went into labour five weeks early and gave birth with Kanye West at her side at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. “Kim got sick last night and had the baby early,” a source told UsMagazine.com. “They're all doing great and amazing!"
