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William Hague confirms equipment and vehicles – but no weapons – to be sent to National Coalition forces fighting AssadBritain is to step up assistance to Syria's opposition, the foreign secretary William Hague has said, providing armoured vehicles, body armour and other non-lethal equipment to the "moderate, democractic forces" battling President Bashar al-Assad.In a statement to the House of  Commons, Hague said that international efforts to end the bloody two-year conflict in Syria had been an "abject failure". He said the EU had to "move further" if there was no political solution on the ground.But he ruled out providing arms to the rebels – a key demand of the Syrian opposition – at least for now. He also said that there was no prospect of western military intervention in Syria.Hague's comments came as the number of refugees fleeing the fighting passed 1 million. The UN High commissioner for refugees, António Guterres, said the numbers had risen sharply since the beginning of the year as violence gripped the country."Syria is spiralling towards full-scale disaster," Guterres said, warning that the ability of neighbouring countries to absorb the new arrivals was "dangerously stretched". Half of the refugees were children, he said, many traumatised.Britain will now provide non-lethal military equipment to the opposition Syrian National  Coalition. This will include electricity repair, water purification equipment and testing equipment for chemical weapons. The assistance is designed to protect civilians and was a "necessary, proportionate and lawful response to the situation of extreme humanitarian suffering," Hague said.The EU arms embargo to Syria remains in force. But Hague said the European Union would re-examine it  in May, and hinted that he would push for it to be lifted if the bloodshed continued. "We must be prepared to do more in a siutation of  such slaughter and suffering. A more static policy  would not measure up to the gravity of the situation," Hague told MPs.Last week, the National Coalition's London representative said he expected some European countries to break with Washington and to start supplying arms to the Syrian rebels in the next few months.There has already been a noticeable relaxation in recent days of strict restrictions the US and Turkey had imposed on arms flows over the Turkish border. Video footage on Wednesday showed rebels shooting down a helicopter near Aleppo with a shoulder-launched missile.The rebels complain they lack ammunition and cannot protect themselves from attacks by regime fighter jets and tanks. Since the conflict started, Russia and Iran have supplied Damascus with large amounts of military equipment including attack panic attack treatment anti-aircraft defences. Saudia Arabia and Qatar have sent some supplies to the rebels, funnelling most to radical Sunni groups.Hague said there was little possibility of a political solution in Syria. He said that the international community had made "countless" unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with Asssad, who enjoyed strong support from Moscow.He rejected a suggestion by one MP that Britain should express its displeasure with the Kremlin by boycotting the 2018 World Cup, to be hosted in Russia.SyriaMiddle East and North AfricaForeign policyWilliam HagueLuke Hardingguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds One of my earliest breakfast memories is of a soft-boiled egg, served in a special dish that seemed as common in family kitchens as cereal bowls are today. Mom carefully cracked and peeled back the top of the shell. My brother and I eagerly grabbed spoons to scoop out the warm, sustaining contents. I  can still taste the slightly runny yolk and hear the sound of the spoon scraping the shell's bottom.Steve Case, co-founder of America Online and now chief executive of the investment firm Revolution, talks about risk-taking — or lack thereof — in the business world. Dave Joerger was introduced as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday after a season in which they won a franchise-best 56 games but split with coach Lionel Hollins. Security warnings displayed by Web browsers are far more effective at  deterring risky Internet behavior than was previously believed, according to a new study. CAIRO -- Egypt's stock market plummeted almost 9 percent in its first day of trading Wednesday in nearly two months, with foreign investors leading a sell-off that offered a window into concerns about the country's stability after mass protests toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Jonathan Kelner, the  Kokusai Denshin Denwa Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics, and Nergis Mavalvala, the Curtis (1963) and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics, were  honored in late February with School of Science teaching awards.The annual awards are given for faculty members’ work as undergraduate instructors: Kelner teaches 18.440, Probability and Random Variables; Mavalvala teaches 8.13, Experimental Physics. Kelner’s research focuses on the application of techniques from pure mathematics to the solution of fundamental problems in algorithms and complexity theory. He received a BA from Harvard and a PhD from MIT in 2006. In 2011, Kelner also received the Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award.Mavalvala's research focuses on interferometric gravitational waves and quantum  tinnitus the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. She received a BA from Wellesley College, and a PhD from MIT in 1997. Mavalvala was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2010. MOSCOW - Two separate legal proceedings this week are freighted with significance for Russia, helping determine whether the country will move closer to the West or remain an arm's-length acquaintance, widely regarded with suspicion. A day after the Fed chairman seemed to convince investors that the stimulus wasn’t ending soon, the Dow and the S.& P. 500 closed at nominal highs. Don't count out the captain. Josh Fox’s “Gasland†movies grew out of a company’s effort to pay him for exploration rights to his land, which lies above the Marcellus Shale formation. As soon as someone at SxSW found out I was from D.C.,, the  first question they invariably asked was, “Do you watch ‘House of Cards?’†LAS VEGAS -- President Obama on Friday urged Congress to pass new tax credits for clean energy companies, arguing that such industries will help the country emerge stronger from the devastating recession of the past two years. Kevin Garnett made his way off the court toward Boston's locker room looking straight down the entire way, not lifting his head or even a hand to the fans crowding him and reaching for a high-five or to congratulate him. Applications are due Friday for those interested in becoming one of the Washington Nationals' racing presidents: Abe, George, Tom or Teddy, right. The mascots are starting their sixth year of entertaining home crowds with a race on the field during the fourth inning. Increasingly, it is adults' constant, obsessive use of these technologies that's coming under fire. Kevin Maher, who was removed from his State Department post for alleged comments he made about Okinawans, is now working 24 hours a day to coordinate U.S. assistance to Japan. A study of Swedish registries suggests that people with mental illness are at greater risk of being murdered, especially those with substance use disorders. LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from a British jail cell Thursday after the High Court upheld a decision granting him bail. Assange retreated to a friend's country estate, where he planned to help mount his legal defense against extradition to Sweden to face sex-crime... PITTSBURGH -- Former Steelers safety and cornerback Carnell Lake has been hired as Pittsburgh's new defensive backs coach, the team announced on Monday. Business is reporting gains, but consumers are showing caution in the latest economic reports. Kelly Williams coffee shop millionaire to bring an amusing touch to her recommendations on how to be an adult. As George Osborne adds further misery to the already devastating cuts to public spending as part of the Coalition's austerity programme (Town halls in firing line, 26 June), it's vital the voice of those who have no access to the media should be heard. Many of those most affected will be provided with services carried out by, or commissioned for, local government. Such services have already had drastic cuts in funding. Areas of greatest deprivation have been hit  hardest. The first thing the coalition did was to withdraw the specific funding to meet targeted needs, such as the early intervention grant which offered youngsters the start all politicians claim they support, and a range of other vital services. In disadvantaged areas – mainly outside the south-east of England – such funding amounted to up to 30% of the council's total budget. Those councils then found themselves subject to the English-wide reductions in local government funding. These maintain the pretence that local authorities have all been treated fairly and there has not been a disproportionate reduction in those areas most in need.A further 10% in local government funding from central government, coupled with the fact that money made available to freeze the council tax will no longer fill the gap, and it doesn't take a genius to see why authorities like Surrey, Dorset and the outer London borough of Richmond have seen cuts of around just 1%, while in the West Midlands and the north of England we are already talking about meltdown in basic provision. From early years to support and care of the elderly and frail, this coalition is responsible for making those least able to carry the load bear the biggest burden for the government's failure to regenerate the economy and restore growth.Percentages must not hide the reality of the impact on the lives of so many people and it is vital that the opposition, ensuring prudence and economic responsibility, must not abandon those for whom publicly funded and locally provided support is the difference between dignity and squalor.David Blunkett MPLab, Sheffield BrightsideLocal governmentCSR 2013Tax and spendingGeorge OsborneEarly years educationOlder peopleguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News  and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this  content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds A Christian community in the Pakistani city of Lahore came under attack by an  angry Muslim mob over the weekend, following an alleged blasphemy |
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