News Headlines - 30 August 2013

▽BBC News - Syria crisis: Cameron loses Commons vote on Syria action

MPs have rejected possible UK military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to deter the use of chemical weapons. David Cameron said he would respect the defeat of a government motion by 285-272, ruling out joining US-led strikes.

▽US set for Syria strikes after Kerry says evidence of chemical attack is 'clear' | The Guardian

John Kerry advanced what he called a "clear and compelling" case that Syria was responsible for a chemical attack that killed nearly 1,500 people, in a statement on Friday that made clear the US was on the verge of military strikes against the Assad regime.

▽AFP: US not alone on Syria, France our 'oldest ally': Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry insisted Friday the United States is not alone in its quest to punish Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime, citing the support of France, America's "oldest ally." On Thursday, key US ally Britain dropped out of the coalition planning military strikes in response to Assad's use of chemical weapons following a parliamentary vote.

▽UK mortgage approvals at highest level since financial crisis - FT.com

Strong housing data helped stoke speculation on Friday that government schemes to spur activity in the mortgage market would lead to a fresh house-price bubble. Figures on mortgage approvals from the Bank of England and house price numbers from Nationwide, the UK’s biggest building society, fed into fears that policies such as the Help to Buy scheme, unveiled by chancellor George Osborne in March, are inflating such a bubble.

▽World’s Fastest Train Resumes Trials as Japan Plans Maglev Line - Bloomberg

Japan resumed trial runs for the world’s fastest magnetic-levitation train that will complement the Shinkansen bullet-train network when ready in 2027. Central Japan Railway Co. plans to begin work on the 5.1 trillion yen ($52 billion) maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya as early as April. Trials resumed today after the company spent five years building a 24-kilometer extension of a test track. The trains can run at speeds of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) per hour.