Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 22 Feb 2018

1. Trump: arm teachers to end school shootings

Donald Trump has said that arming teachers might be a way to end school shootings in the US. The president made the suggestion during a meeting with the survivors of the attack in Florida last week that left 17 people dead. Trump also backed calls for better background checks on people buying guns.

2. Meta-study finds antidepressants do work

A study that analysed data from 522 research projects on antidepressants has concluded that the drugs do work. The meta-analysis found that 21 common medicines were more effective at reducing symptoms of acute depression than placebo pills – but it also ranked the drugs by effectiveness, concluding that some tend to work better than others.

3. Stormzy beats Sheeran to top Brit Awards

Grime star Stormzy last night won two of the most important Brit Awards, including beating Ed Sheeran to take the Best British Male Solo Artist gong. The Londoner also took Best British Album for Gang Signs & Prayer. Dua Lipa won the Best British Female Solo Artist title and the Breakthrough Act award, while Gorillaz were named Best British Group.

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4. Universities facing month of industrial action

UK universities are braced for a month of strikes by academics who object to changes to their pension schemes that will leave the typical lecturer almost £10,000 poorer after retirement. Over the next four weeks, staff at 64 universities including Oxford and Cambridge will walk out for a total of 14 days, refusing to reschedule affected classes.

5. Poor families face years of wage stagnation, says think tank

Poorer families in the UK face three years of stagnating incomes, which will create the first sustained rise in inequality in Britain since the late 1980s, The Resolution Foundation has warned. The think tank says cuts to benefits are damaging the prospects of eight million low- and middle-income households, according to The Guardian.

6. Immigrants handcuffed as coach burns

Eight would-be immigrants to the UK whose coach caught fire as it took them to a deportation flight say they were handcuffed by contractors working for the Home Office before being led to safety. The alleged cuffing would be a breach of Home Office rules, which say handcuffs should be applied only if it is safe to do so.

7. MP attacked and robbed by hoodie gang

Adrian Bailey, Labour MP for West Bromwich West, was robbed in London on his way home from Parliament on Tuesday night, it has emerged. The 72-year-old was attacked by a gang of up to six people wearing hoodies and was left with bruises. The gang took his wallet and phone. Police are investigating.

8. Lebanon asks for help with Syrian refugees

The mayor of a small town in Lebanon that is hosting 25,000 refugees from the Syrian civil war has told Sky News that his region desperately needs help and feels ignored by the international community. The interview was conducted just as the UK is expected to pass the halfway point of taking in 20,000 refugees, as agreed by David Cameron.

9. Jennifer Lawrence rebuffs dress criticism

Actor Jennifer Lawrence has fiercely rejected criticism on social media of publicity photo in which she wore a revealing dress while her male co-stars were well-covered against the London winter. The 27-year-old says that the decision not to wear a coat was hers alone and that she wanted to show off the Versace gown.

10. Briefing: the global power players behind Syria’s ‘civil’ war

Dangerous international power plays are altering the nature of Syria’s conflict, exacerbating domestic struggles and inflaming a war that will soon enter its eighth year, commentators are warning.

Despite the civil war winding down, Syria “remains linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more conflict”, says the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen.

Russia, Iran, Turkey, the US and British special forces are all involved, and proxy wars have broken out between Israel and Iran, Turkey and the Kurds, and the US and Russia.

The international power players behind Syria’s ‘civil’ war