Monday news roundup

 

William Hague met with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss Syria

Hague and Kerry to discuss Syria Foreign secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State John Kerry met this morning to discuss the possibility of the US delaying an attack on Syria until after a UN security council deliberation, the Guardian reports. Hague says UK and US policy is "aligned" despite the UK ruling out any involvement in military intervention. He added that the UK government remained "highly active" in its diplomatic and humanitarian support.

Ed Miliband: Labour would tackle zero-hour contracts Miliband will pledge to get tough on zero-hour contract in his Trade Union Congress speech on Tuesday, says The Independent. Under Labour's proposals, the contracts, which are believed to affect 5.5 million workers in the UK, will be outlawed. “We must stop flexibility being used as the excuse for exploitation,” Milliband is set to tell the TUC.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has a baby girl named Ju-ae says his 'friend for life' Dennis Rodman North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's wife, Ri Sol, has given birth to a baby girl, according to retired NBA star Dennis Rodman who met with Kim last week, The Daily Mail reports. Kim presided over a massive military parade took place in Pyongyang today to mark the 65th anniversary of its founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

American news network CBS interviews Assad On Sunday Charlie Rose interviewed the Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad, in Damascus, the Huffington Post reports. In a preview, Al-Assad claimed there is no evidence that he is responsible for the deadly gas attacks the US claims left 1,429 people dead, including 426 children. The interview will air in its entirety on American news network CBS's the Charlie Rose Show on Monday night.

Ex-BBC chief Mark Thompson to be quizzed on pay-offs Former BBC director general Mark Thompson will be questioned by the Public Accounts Committee on Monday, after accusing the trust that oversees the cooperation of "fundamentally misleading" parliament over pay-offs, says a report on the BBC News website. The BBC trust denies that MPs were misled. The BBC has been accused of paying £25m to 150 outgoing senior executives, £2m more than was set out in their contracts. The questions over the pay-offs come after it emerged that ministers are prepared to consider scrapping the Trust as part of a review of BBC management.

David Cameron leaves red box on train - to nip to buffet car The Daily Mirror gleefully reports that David Cameron left his ministerial box of confidential documents unattended on a train. A fellow passenger took a photo of the worn red box with the keys still in the lock. No 10 has denied reports that the Prime Minister breached security regulations, insisting that a guard was “there at all times” during Cameron’s visit to the buffet car.