Massacre in Syria, discrimination in drugs prosecutions, and disgraced Chinese politician stands trial – our pick of the morning’s headlines
by Prospect Team / August 22, 2013 / Leave a comment
President Bashar al-Assad has been accused by the Syrian opposition of using lethal gas on a huge scale
The Syrian opposition has claimed that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are responsible for a gas attack which yesterday claimed between 500 and 1,300 lives in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus. If the allegations are correct, this was the most lethal use of chemical weapons since the 1980s, says Reuters. The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting in New York, with U.N. chief Ban Ki Moon renewing calls for an inspection to clarify the incident. President Assad’s offensive continues today.
Report suggests black people in possession of drugs more likely to be charged
The Guardian today reports on a study conducted in London which found that skin colour not only determines the likelihood of being searched for drugs, but also of being charged if found in possession. The charity Release and the London School of Economics used Home Office Data and freedom of information requests to show that 78 per cent of black people found in possession of cocaine were charged, as opposed to 44 per cent of white people. The figures for cannabis reflect a similar ratio of almost two-to-one.
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