Syria under pressure to let humanitarian chief into country

SYRIA faced concerted international calls to allow United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos access to the country as rebels retreated from a key stronghold.

Russia and China backed a UN statement criticising the regime’s refusal to allow her to inspect the bloody aftermath of 11 months of violent repression.

But the two countries, which vetoed an Arab-backed peace plan last month, continued to resist pressure to join global condemnation of human rights violations.

EU nations sign up to fiscal deal

TWENTY-FIVE EU countries will sign up today for a new “fiscal compact” for tougher Brussels scrutiny of their economic plans.

The deal, the culmination of months of effort to demonstrate stringer financial discipline and calm market fears about the euro, was forged after David Cameron dramatically vetoed plans for a 27-nation treaty change to beef up eurozone discipline.

The resulting accord sees him sitting – contentedly – on the sidelines, with only his Czech counterpart for company as the pact becomes a fact at an EU summit in Brussels.

Millions ‘struggling with maths’

MILLIONS of people are struggling to understand their payslips or calculate money in shops, campaigners said today, as they warned the UK’s attitude to maths must change.

Being bad at maths should no longer be seen as a “badge of honour” or down to genetics, according to National Numeracy, a new organisation which aims to challenge the nation’s entrenched negative view of the subject.

Chris Humphries, chair of the group, said that poor numeracy skills can “blight” an individual’s life, leaving them at a higher risk of being excluded from school, or out of work as an adult.