We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
RUSSIA HAS SEIZED the diplomatic initiative this evening with a plan for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons to international control, an idea greeted with caution in Washington.
President Barack Obama’s administration did not dismiss the Kremlin’s suggestion, but pressed ahead with moves to win backing for US strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The White House said it would take a “hard look” at the plan but warned it would oppose any move led by Moscow that would “take the pressure off” Russia’s Syrian ally.
Washington’s European allies gave a similarly cautious welcome to the plan, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued his own plea for a mission to secure and dispose of the weapons.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Syrian counterpart and urged Damascus to “place chemical weapons under international control and then to have them destroyed.”
Tony Blinken, deputy US national security advisor, said Washington would consult Russia over the initiative but expressed doubt about the trustworthiness of Syria’s leadership.
“We would welcome a decision and action by Syria to give up its chemical weapons,” he said, but adding that Syria’s “track record to date, doesn’t give you a lot of confidence.”
The day began with confusion, when US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to suggest that Assad could avoid a military strike by agreeing to give up chemical arms.
This led to speculation after that Washington and Lavrov had discussed the plan beforehand, but Kerry’s aides denied this, insisting he had no forewarning of the Russian offer.
Nevertheless, Kerry’s predecessor Hillary Clinton, speaking after meeting Obama at the White House, linked the two statements.
“If the regime immediately surrendered its stockpiles to international control, as was suggested by Secretary Kerry and the Russians, that would be an important step,” she said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry during a joint press conference in London with Foreign Secretary William Hague (David Bebber/The Times/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Speaking in Moscow, Syria’s Foreign Minster Walid al-Muallem welcomed the Russian move, though it was not immediately clear if a still defiant Assad would give his assent.
“I note that Syria welcomes the Russian initiative based on the Syrian leadership’s concern about the lives of our nationals and the security of our country,” Muallem told the Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS.
The rebels battling Assad, who saw hope in the United States’ threat to bomb the regime, denounced the idea as a plot by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to protect Assad.
European reaction
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed concern that the plan might be “a distraction tactic” but broadly welcomed it.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the Kremlin’s proposal as “interesting” but added that she hoped it would be put into place quickly and not simply be used to “buy time.”
And France, the only Western ally to have offered to take part in a US-led strike, said Assad must commit “without delay” to the elimination of his chemical arsenal.
UN zones
UN leader Ban, meanwhile, called for the creation of UN supervised zones in Syria where the country’s chemical weapons can be destroyed.
He told reporters he may propose the zones to the Security Council if UN inspectors confirm banned weapons were used and to overcome the council’s “embarrassing paralysis” over Syria.
For his part, Assad warned in an interview with US television that the United States will “pay the price” if it attacks Syria.
Obama was due to give no less than six US television interviews to defend his strike plan to the American public and lawmakers, before giving a major national address Tuesday.
In the meantime, US cruise missile destroyers are idling in the Eastern Mediterranean, preparing for what American officials described as an extremely limited, precise punitive strike.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Thats nothing. Put a teenager in front of one and you don’t have to talk to them for years!
Parents should be very careful with allowing children access to tablets.
@Jack Cassady: airs actually really important to remember that tablets are vital communication devices for children with proven speech delay or who are non verbal. Please don’t confuse the two. Speech and communication are two different things. There are a huge amount of speech and communication apps that are vital for kids with speech and language issues. These are usually kids with pre existing conditions like Down Syndrome or Autism and are used in conjunction with a speech therapist !!!
@Catherine Sims: jack was being sardonic, the tablets he was referring to were not of the electronic variety. Btw I completely agree with your comment, my son is one of those who develop those apps.
@Catherine Sims: Not with a speech delay. A speech delay is when kids develop sounds at a slower rate than their peers. This may rectify itself, or may require a bit of speech therapy which will focus on oromotor skills e.g. tongue positioning. They are very successfully used as an augmentative or alternative communication device for those with severe language disorders. They are used as a communication device and can be life changing for those who may never develop oral communication to a functional degree. They have never been shown to be beneficial in typical speech or language development. As the study indicates they can actually delay development as some of the most important factors in child language development are interaction and eye gaze
@Anne Marie Devlin: you are talking about typically developing children and I am not. Unmade that clear when I referred to both Down Syndrome and Autism. My degree is in psychology and puts grad early intervention and actually I’m on the autism spectrum myself.
@molly coddled: Thanks Molly I’m not good at recognising sarcasm as I’m on the Autism spectrum. Has your son done any apps with pictures not icons maybe in two steps and no more ? Or a good virtual visual schedule ?? Let me know if you can. I’m always on the look out for communication apps more suited to children with maybe moderate to severe learning disabilities. Most are best suited to mild and moderate .
None too sure about the high percentage, I’ve a 4 yr old with speech delay/disorder & has never held or played with a device. Speech & Language delays & disorders were around long before wifi
@Twittwootou: exactly, my 10 year old had a severe speech and language disorder as did my 38 year old brother.
I’m sure it’s in our genes
@Lily: by the same logic, lung cancer existed before smoking, so……………….?
@Twittwootou: so based on knowing one or two people you think its a none issue?
You understand how research study’s work right? They use much larger groups and they use control groups too.
@Lily: It depends on the type of disorder. It is thought that genes can play a role in some speech or language disorders. Others may be the result of pre-natal trauma or environmental issues. However, the aetiology of most is simply unknown. What we do know definitively is that the typical development of language depends on a blend of cognitive, physiological, motor and social factors and that children whose development in any of these areas is hampered are much more likely to have a delay or disorder. From a social perspective, joint attention and eye contact are crucial. Cognitively what you need to encourage is symbolic play – pretend play such as using a banana as a phone. Spending large amounts of time in front of a screen can mean that infants are not developing in these areas.
@Twittwootou: this only relates to children who have access to a smartphone every day. ..
@Lily: exactly I had a speech delay, a couple of cousin’s had it too along with my 3 kids
@Twittwootou: That’s like saying smoking doesn’t increase ur chances of cancer because some people don’t smoke and they still got cancer. It just increases the likelihood. It doesn’t mean its the only cause.
What a load of rubbish. My daughter has been using a tablet since 18 months and can have a full conversation with you at 2 and a half. She watches a lot of education videos (Steve and Maggie) and her vocabulary is amazing thanks to it. Even if the odd word does sound like your listening to peppa pig, it’s a small price to pay.
@Trevor Beale: imagine what she could have been like if she had spent all that time interacting with you, instead of an electronic gadget.
@Trevor Beale: don’t think it’s something to be proud of really ..
I see you’re all rushing to judge Trevor with no context at all. Child could be on it for 15-30 mins per day which is proven to be beneficial. You’re all presuming the child is on it all day. Maybe have a look up yourselves from the journal and commenting on everything (see I can make presumptions too)
@Anto Curran:
Very true Anto or Trevor could be an experienced conmenter who knows how press peoples buttons.
Some parents might not have their kids playing educational apps. I’d say the ‘button basher’ type games would be a shade worse than sitting them in front of cartoons on the tv. On the other hand, an educational interactive app/game is probably a shade better than an educational tv program.
@Suzie Sunshine: Couldn’t be any prouder of my daughter Suzie.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: She spends plenty of time with her dad Sean. All productive.
@P.J. Nolan: Think you’d want to learn how to spell commenter before you start judging anyone P.J.
@Anto Curran: Anto and WJ, least there’s still some people with sense on this forum.
@Trevor Beale: WA
@Trevor Beale
: Now don’t tell me you hit the wrong button did you ?
Never happens to me.
@P.J. Nolan: lame excuse brains
@Trevor Beale: I have no doubt that you are proud of your daughter ..
I assume someone taped an iPhone to Michael Healy-Rae’s face for his entire childhood.
Keep the tablets out of reach, preferably in the locked medical cabinet!!
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: Then where do I put my children??????
@その男、凶暴につき: Under the stairs like the rest of us
Why not load the smartphone/tablet up with games that teach problem solving skills etc. My eldest was able to pick up coding via Scratch jr and my youngest knew all of her colours/shapes/fruits/vegetables and so on back to front long before she started Montessori.
Using them as a portable telly? No. Using them as a learning tool? Yes.
what to do if your child of 2years old keeps crying and your trying to eat your dinner in peace, or your trying to sleep and they keep crying for a smart phone. my daughter is smart phone mad she can’t live without youtube kids and its true she has a speech problem.
@Nasir Saeed: well that’s your own fault for getting her addicted to it in the first place
What a load of complete and utter garbage. Ive a daugher age 4 who speaks 3 languages fluently (2 by age 2) She watched about 20 minutes a day from age 2. Remember its just a small tv screen with the programs you select (as opposed to tv channels) this is just a technophobe article with nothing to back it up.
Go home iMoan, you’re drunk.
If you must have the tv on, put it on subtitles if a young child is in the room. A babble they don’t understand will make them turn off language development.
Well! No shit, Sherlock!!!
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say