Pope Francis: Profile Of New Catholic Leader

He's the first ever pope from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina's conservative Catholic church.

Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis is respected as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.

In the past, the 76-year-old Pontiff has accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and of forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

He often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital.

He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.

Bergoglio's legacy as a cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship.

The new pope on the streets of Buenos Aires earlier this month

He also worked to recover the church's traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner could not stop her from imposing socially liberal measures, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives.

He came close to becoming pope in 2005, reportedly gaining the second-highest total in several rounds of voting before bowing out in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998.

He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.

Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio's authorised biographer, said the new pope felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendour.

"It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," Mr Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor.

Bergoglio has stood out for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, he never lived in the ornate church mansion where Pope John Paul II stayed when visiting the country.

For years, he took public transportation around the city.

Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Mr Rubin.

Bergoglio talks with a man as he rides the subway in Buenos Aires

That attitude was burnished as human rights activists tried to force him to answer uncomfortable questions about what church officials knew and did about the dictatorship's abuses after the 1976 coup.

Many Argentines remain angry over the church's acknowledged failure to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society.

It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10% regularly attend mass.

Under Bergoglio's leadership, Argentina's bishops issued a collective apology in October 2012 for the church's failures to protect its flock. But the statement blamed the era's violence in roughly equal measure on both the junta and its enemies.

"Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn't forget that side," Mr Rubin said.

The bishops also said "we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities."

But that statement came far too late for some activists, who accused Bergoglio of being more concerned about the church's image than about aiding the many human rights investigations of the Kirchners' era.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Pope: Cardinal Bergoglio Elected

Profile: The Chemist Who Became A Pope

Updated: 12:54am UK, Thursday 14 March 2013

He's the first ever pope from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina's conservative Catholic church.

Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis is respected as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.

In the past, the 76-year-old Pontiff has accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and of forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

He often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital.

He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.

Bergoglio's legacy as a cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship.

He also worked to recover the church's traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner could not stop her from imposing socially liberal measures, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives.

He came close to becoming pope in 2005, reportedly gaining the second-highest total in several rounds of voting before bowing out in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998.

He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.

Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio's authorised biographer, said the new pope felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendour.

"It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," Mr Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor.

Bergoglio has stood out for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, he never lived in the ornate church mansion where Pope John Paul II stayed when visiting the country.

For years, he took public transportation around the city.

Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Mr Rubin.

That attitude was burnished as human rights activists tried to force him to answer uncomfortable questions about what church officials knew and did about the dictatorship's abuses after the 1976 coup.

Many Argentines remain angry over the church's acknowledged failure to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society.

It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10% regularly attend mass.

Under Bergoglio's leadership, Argentina's bishops issued a collective apology in October 2012 for the church's failures to protect its flock. But the statement blamed the era's violence in roughly equal measure on both the junta and its enemies.

"Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn't forget that side," Mr Rubin said.

The bishops also said "we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities."

But that statement came far too late for some activists, who accused Bergoglio of being more concerned about the church's image than about aiding the many human rights investigations of the Kirchners' era.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Danny Nightingale: SAS Sniper Awaits Ruling

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

An SAS sniper jailed for having an illegal weapon and ammunition he claimed to have "forgotten about" is due to learn whether his conviction will be quashed.

Sergeant Danny Nightingale, who has spent 11 years in the Special Forces and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was sentenced to 18 months in military custody after pleading guilty to illegally keeping a pistol.

He had been given the weapon as a present by Iraqi forces he had been training, but had no recollection of owning it after suffering a brain injury.

His sentence was cut to 12 months and suspended by the appeal court last November after a campaign by his wife Sally which gathered huge public support for a man described by the appeal court judge as an "exemplary soldier".

Sergeant Nightingale pleaded guilty to the original offence in a military hearing because he says the judge there told him he would get a lesser punishment.

He and his legal team wrongly believed this meant he would receive a non-custodial sentence.

Since his release the highly trained elite soldier has been at home in Cheshire, unable to re-join his regiment whilst awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

Sergeant Nightingale and his wife, Sally, upon his release

"It's very frustrating wanting to do something (but having) no routine," he said.

"And yes, being paid to do not what I'm supposed to do.

"You're trained up to do stuff, and you want to do stuff. You can't stand the futility of not doing it. To be told 'that's it, go and do nothing, you can't do anything'. That's hard."

The situation has meant he has spent a lot of time with his two young daughters, Mara, five, and Alys, two.

"I've probably had more time with my family in the last 18 months than regiment (SAS) guys will have in seven years," he said.

Nightingale is desperate to get back to work and said: "I still love it. It was the proudest day of my life when I passed (the notoriously tough SAS selection course)."

Mrs Nightingale is more circumspect about the possibility of her husband rejoining the SAS as a frontline soldier after his brain injury, which she believes still affects him.

For the time being though, her main concern is winning the court appeal.

"I feel quite nervous, our life is in their hands," she said - while adding that the lawyers are "quite confident" about their chances of success.

Mrs Nightingale feels her husband has been made a scapegoat by the Army and wants to know why, but acknowledges she will probably never get the answers to the questions she wants.

If he does win his appeal and returns to work then it will be more upheaval for his young girls according to Sally

"At some point in the near future he will be going back to work," she said.

"So they've got to get used to that again because they have had dad to take them to school, to pick them up from school, do clubs with them, take them swimming," she said.

"You know, he does all those extra bits while I'm working and doing other things. So they've had a really good time with dad."

All that will stop if the appeal is successful.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Minimum Alcohol Pricing: Anger Over 'U-Turn'

Conservative MPs have spoken out as speculation grows that David Cameron's plans for minimum pricing of alcohol are being scrapped.

The Prime Minister has backed the controversial policy, which medical groups argued would save lives.

A base price of 45p per unit was suggested in a consultation document issued last year, with the Government yet to release its conclusions.

But a number of Cabinet ministers including Theresa May, Andrew Lansley and Michael Gove have signalled their doubt over the scheme.

And more MPs have been reacting to increasing numbers of reports that the coalition Government will not try to implement the plan.

Posting on Twitter this evening, Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston - a former GP - wrote: "Very concerned about suggestion that minimum pricing to be dropped from alcohol strategy."

Fellow Conservative Tracey Crouch said: "I really hope rumours of u-turn on minimum unit pricing for alcohol are not true. We must tackle problem of easily accessible cheap alcohol."

Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said consumers would welcome the move.

"Minimum unit pricing would penalise responsible drinkers and treat everyone who is looking for value in their shopping as a binge-drinker," he said.

"Evidence has also shown it will do little to tackle problem drinking," he said.

Labour's shadow home office minister Diana Johnson said: "This is weak leadership and weak government. The Home Secretary and the Prime Minister said this measure would cut crime and prevent alcohol abuse. What's changed?"

Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "MUP (minimum unit pricing) is a targeted measure designed to protect the young and the vulnerable heavy drinker.

"All the evidence shows it will save lives and reduce crime and we mustn't allow the interests of big business to derail this important policy."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Savile Report: Police Failed Abuse Victims

Police forces across Britain have been criticised for ignoring Jimmy Savile's abuse victims, as it emerged the disgraced presenter's offences dated as far back as 1955.

The earliest record uncovered by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) naming Savile in connection with a sexual abuse investigation is dated 1964, but officers failed to act on the intelligence received.

A damning report by the Met Police and NSPCC said Savile's offending spanned from 1955 to 2009, meaning his reign of abuse could have been cut short by 45 years.

And policing inspectors warned there was a "distinct possibility" that officers could fail to prevent another Savile-like scandal from happening.

Just five allegations and two pieces of intelligence were recorded against Savile during his lifetime,  HMIC found.

This is in stark contrast to the 450 claims made against the former Top Of The Pops presenter after Operation Yewtree was launched by Metropolitan Police in October.

Alan Collins, a solicitor from law firm Pannone who is representing more than 40 of Savile's victims, said many opportunities to investigate Savile were lost.

"Consequently, Savile was able to carry on regardless, duping the country in the process, and the price was paid by his many victims," he said.

"There is a definite risk that unless policies and attitudes change, Savile will happen again," he said.

As well as the 1964 Scotland Yard ledger, a record of an anonymous letter was found that was received by Met Police in 1998, alleging that Savile was a paedophile.

Savile's offending is believed to have spanned from 1955 to 2009

In addition, five victims made complaints against the presenter: one to the Met in 2003, three to Surrey in 2007 and one to Sussex in 2008.

HMIC expressed concern that other police forces did not deal with complaints properly with eight victims claiming that they tried, unsuccessfully, to report crimes.

This includes four who approached the Met and one each who went to police in Cheshire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and the then Royal Ulster Constabulary.

One man who came forward in 1963 in Cheshire to make an allegation of rape against Savile was told to "forget about it" and "move on", HMIC said.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Drusilla Sharpling said: "The findings in this report are of deep concern, and clearly there were mistakes in how the police handled the allegations made against Savile during his lifetime."

The letter received by Scotland Yard in 1998 claiming the DJ was a paedophile was classed as "sensitive", meaning other investigators could not find it.

"The 1998 MPS anonymous letter was marked as 'sensitive' because of Savile's celebrity status and because there were allegations of blackmail and paedophilia," the inspectors said.

"This categorisation meant that the intelligence was not readily available to be searched by later investigating officers."

Scotland Yard sent the letter to West Yorkshire Police, the area where Savile lived, but other investigators could not access the information until 2011.

Considering whether such abuse on a similar scale could happen again, Ms Sharpling said it is neither "enough nor correct to say this couldn't happen now".

The HMIC report warns that "the inconsistencies in approach that the forces have taken mean that there is a distinct possibility that such failures could be repeated".

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "The public rightly want answers to how victims' voices were ignored for so long. This report brings into sharp focus police failings that allowed Savile to act with impunity over five decades.

A Met Police spokesman said: "All of this needs to be seen in the context of how much we have achieved through our approach to the public response to Operation Yewtree. We have seen a step-change in the reporting of abuse, with a significant rise in the numbers of people coming forward."

The HMIC report recommended that recently formed professional body the College of Policing should issue guidelines to all police forces about how to deal with investigations of child abuse following the death of the alleged perpetrator.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cardinals Prepare To Choose A New Pope

By Nick Pisa, Vatican City

Cardinals will gather today for a ceremony steeped in tradition as they vote to elect a new Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

The so-called Princes of the Church will assemble in the Vatican's beautifully ornate Sistine Chapel to decide on a new Pontiff.

It follows ex Pope Benedict XVI stepping down last month following eight years in office.

In all 115 cardinal electors, those below the age of 80, are involved in the process.

The first the world will know a new Pope has been chosen is when white smoke appears from a chimney on the chapel's roof.

But before that process begins, there were several key events that were due to take place.

The first took place on Monday when 90 people ranging from cleaning staff, drivers, priests and Swiss Guards swore an oath of secrecy.

They will be on hand as the cardinals gather and are not allowed to breathe a word of what they say or hear - and if they do they are excommunicated from the Roman Catholic faith.

Whilst the conclave is taking place the cardinals will be staying in a special residence inside the Vatican called the Domus Marthae and they will remain there until a Pope has been chosen and all staff there are sworn to secrecy.

This morning the day will begin with a Latin Mass in St Peter's for the cardinals and public and which is traditionally held before a conclave starts and is known as "pro eligendo Romano Pontifice".

It will be led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals Angelo Sodano who will also give a sermon in Italian which is expected to outline the spiritual significance of the task that faces them to elect the 266th Pope.

After lunch they will then leave in a solemn procession from the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel.

As they go they will be accompanied by Latin prayers and songs, as they ask the Holy Spirit for help in choosing the right man for the job.

Once inside the Sistine Chapel they will swear an oath, with their hand on a Gospel.

Next, all those cardinals who are not electors and other accompanying priests will be ordered to leave by the Master of Ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini.

He will say in Latin "extra omnes", which means "everybody out" and then the last pictures the world will see are the doors of the Sistine Chapel closing as the cardinals begin their deliberations.

The word conclave comes from the Latin "con clavum" or "with key" as cardinals in the past were kept locked in a room until they came up with a new Pope.

As part of the selection process a jamming device has been installed in the chapel as the cardinals are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world.

It is feared that any contact could influence their vote and if they do break the vow of secrecy they also face excommunication.

The secret ballot will involve the cardinals writing the name of their preferred candidate on a slip of paper - trying to disguise their handwriting if possible - which they will then place on a tray with the ballot then sliding into an urn.

The cardinals, as they did in this picture from 2005, will wear red

Once all the votes are counted by the scrutineers they are pierced with a needle through the Latin word 'Eligendo' (I elect) and a thread is fed through them - the key figure to look for is 77 votes, two thirds of the 115 elector cardinals plus one.

If no clear winner emerges then the voting papers are put into a 74 year old stove which has been specially installed in the Sistine Chapel and burnt - chemicals are added to produce white smoke, to show a winner has emerged and black if still no decision.

There will be one vote on Tuesday with smoke expected around 7pm (GMT) although Vatican officials have already said they do not expect a verdict straight away.

After final prayers and vespers the cardinals will then leave the Sistine Chapel and head back to their sealed overnight accommodation for dinner.

There will be two rounds of voting on Wednesday morning and two in the afternoon with smoke expected at around 11am and 6pm - with the eyes of the world watching the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.

Spotlights will be trained on the chimney in case darkness has fallen and to ensure everyone knows a new Pope has been elected the bells of St Peter's will also ring out and his first appearance will be on the balcony where he will give a blessing.

Favourites so far include Italian cardinal Angelo Sodano and Brazilian Odilo Pedro Scherer but no real strong candidate has emerged with Vatican watchers saying this may lead to a longer conclave than usual.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigeria: British Hostage 'Likely' Killed Named

British worker Brendan Vaughan is likely to be among seven hostages killed by a Nigerian Islamist group, Foreign Secretary William Hague has confirmed.

Mr Hague described the deaths as an "unforgiveable act of pure cold-blooded murder", for which there was "no excuse or justification".

"Brendan Vaughan, who was taken hostage on the 16th of February in Nigeria and has been held hostage since then, is likely to have been killed by his captors along with six other foreign nationals who were taken hostage at the same time," he said.

"The responsibility for this tragic outcome rests solely with the terrorists who took these people hostage and now ... are likely to have been murdered by them in cold blood."

Earlier, Italy's foreign ministry released a statement which said the seven hostages, including Mr Vaughan, had been killed.

The kidnapping occurred in the town of Jama'are in Bauchi state

The ministry said: "Our checks conducted in coordination with the other countries concerned lead us to believe that the news of the killing of the hostages seized last month is true."

Greek authorities have also announced that their own investigation led them to believe the Greek hostage was dead.

"The information we have shows that the Greek citizen is dead," the foreign ministry said.

"The ministry has informed his family," the statement added.

Mr Hague said he was "determined" to work with Nigerian authorities to find out who was responsible for the hostages' deaths.

"I am grateful to the Nigerian Government for their unstinting help and cooperation. We are utterly determined to work with them to hold the perpetrators of this heinous act to account, and to combat the terrorism which so blights the lives of people in Northern Nigeria and in the wider region," he added.

On Saturday, a Nigerian Islamist group said it had killed the seven hostages abducted from the compound of Setraco, a Lebanese construction company, in the town of Jama'are in Bauchi state on February 7.

The al Qaeda-linked Ansaru group, believed to be an offshoot of the larger Boko Haram, is said to be behind the abductions.

The seven foreigners were kidnapped from the Setraco compound in February

It claimed that the hostages had been killed in retaliation for a rescue attempt by the British and Nigerian governments.

British planes flew to Abuja in Nigeria to ferry troops and equipment to Bamako in Mali - which may be why there were claims the British military was involved in a rescue attempt.

The Ministry of Defence said: "There are a number of deployments as parts of various engagements in Africa which will include the movement of assets."

The Greek foreign ministry also denied there had been a rescue attempt.

"Based on the information we have, there was no rescue operation," it said.

Italy too rejected the claim, saying: "It's an atrocious act of terrorism, against which the Italian government expresses its firmest condemnation, and which has no explanation, if not that of barbarous and blind violence."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

India Bus Gang Rape Leader In Jail Suicide

The man accused of leading the gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus has hanged himself in his prison cell.

Ram Singh used his shirt to kill himself in the high security Tihar jail where he had been on suicide watch in an isolated cell, according to Sky sources.

Singh, 35, was accused of leading a gang of five others who subjected a 23-year-old physiotherapy student to a two-and-a-half hour sex attack in which she was gang raped.

Her internal injuries were so horrific she died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore despite surgery to try to save her.

Singh's suicide comes in the middle of his trial. He and four others are accused of luring the woman and a male friend, who were on their way home from a trip to the cinema, on to the bus where they beat him before repeatedly raping her.

Days of protests followed the horrific attack

A senior police officer on the case, said: "The case will continue. There is no reason for the case to suffer."

Singh was the regular driver of the white private bus, usually used to carry school children, which is alleged to have been used in the December 16 attack.

Police say Singh, whose brother is also one of the accused, had been out with friends and drinking heavily when they decided to take the bus out for a night-time joyride.

The men are facing charges of murder, rape, and kidnapping, and if found guilty are expected to be given the death penalty.

The attack caused worldwide revulsion and outrage in India. Days of protests followed in a country where a woman is raped every 20 minutes.

The woman's friend, who is still suffering from the injuries he sustained in the attack, has already given evidence at the trial. His account was said to be a crucial part of the case.

He had previously spoken of the attack in an interview in which he  told how he begged the rapists to stop "the cruelty that should never be seen."

Rallies grew violent and water cannon were turned on protesters

The 28-year-old told how they were lured on to the bus after failing to get a rickshaw home and how stepping on to the vehicle had been "the biggest mistake I made".

He said:  "The driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body.

"I cannot tell you what I feel when I think of it. I shiver in pain."

He said he had tried to fight them off but they hit him with an iron bar until he was unconscious and fractured his leg.

When they had finished with their victim the threw her naked from the bus with her companion.

Protesters have called for all rape suspects to be hanged and want a better deal for women so the streets are safer and men who rape women are put on trial.

National crime records show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded in India last year were against women and rape cases more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishop Warns Benefit Cuts Will Hit Children

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the Government that "children and families will pay the price" for cuts to the benefits system.

In his first significant criticism of Government policy, The Most Rev Justin Welby has said that the measures will have a "deeply disproportionate" effect on children.

The Most Rev Welby is among 43 bishops who have written an open letter to the Government condemning its plans.

The comments made in the letter indicate that the archbishop, who will be formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on March 21, will be willing to enter political debate.

His predecessor, Dr Rowan Williams, was strongly criticised for expressing his views about Government policy.

The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill will cap benefit rises at 1% a year until 2016.

The archbishop said the legislation would remove the protection given to families against the rising cost of living and could push 200,000 children into poverty.

He said: "As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need. When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish.

"It is essential that we have a welfare system that responds to need and recognises the rising costs of food, fuel and housing.

Iain Duncan Smith is driving through the benefit reforms

"The current benefits system does that, by ensuring that the support struggling families receive rises with inflation.

"These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price for high inflation, rather than the Government."

He added: "Politicians have a clear choice. By protecting children from the effects of this Bill, they can help fulfil their commitment to end child poverty."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is attempting to steer the reforms through.

The Government says the changes are needed to help get spending back under control and create a fairer deal for taxpayers.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "In difficult economic times we've protected the incomes of pensioners and disabled people, and most working age benefits will continue to increase 1%.

"This was a tough decision but it's one that will help keep the welfare bill sustainable in the longer term.

"By raising the personal allowance threshold, we've lifted two million people out of tax altogether, clearly benefiting people on a low income."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

May: 'We Must Stop Human Rights Interference'

Theresa May has pledged that a Conservative government would scrap the Human Rights Act which she claims has stopped Britain from deporting the radical preacher Abu Qatada.

The Home Secretary also went so far as to indicate the Conservatives could go further by pulling out of its European obligations on Human Rights altogether, an association dating back more than 60 years.

Ms May, who is being touted as a possible future Conservative leader, told Tory activists that the party must "consider very carefully our relationship" with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

She said that Britain must stop human rights laws interfering with its ability to protect the nation.

She pointed to the case of Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden's right hand man in Europe, who was on Saturday returned to custody following his arrest for allegedly breaching his bail conditions.

Ms May said that the Strasbourg-based court had constantly moved the goalposts on Britain's request for his deportation to Jordan.

"We need to stop human rights legislation interfering with our ability to fight crime and control immigration," she told the Victory 2015 conference.

"That's why, as our last manifesto promised, the next Conservative government will scrap the Human Rights Act, and it's why we should also consider very carefully our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights and the convention it enforces.

Qatada arrives at his London home after his release from prison in November

"When Strasbourg constantly moves the goalposts and prevents the deportation of dangerous men like Abu Qatada, we have to ask ourselves to what end are we signatories to the convention?"

She added: "So by 2015 we'll need a plan for dealing with the European Court of Human Rights. And yes, I want to be clear that all options - including leaving the convention altogether - should be on the table."

The Government is to make a bid at the Court of Appeal on Monday to overturn a judge's decision to allow Qatada, who has been convicted of terrorism charges in Jordan, to remain in Britain.

Ms May made her comments to Tory grassroots as part of a wide-ranging speech in which she also said that she expects the Conservative's public sector reform agenda to "become even more radical" and could include allowing companies to make a profit delivering frontline services.

The country's most senior judge, Lord Neuberger, last week pointed out that if Britain was to scrap the Human Rights Act and end its association with the European Convention on Human Rights, it would also have to withdraw from the United Nations.

He pointed out that it is under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights that terrorists could not be deported to countries where they might be subjected to poor treatment.

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: "She says she wants freedom yet she wants to abolish the Human Rights Act which protects freedom of speech, freedom from torture and freedom of religion.

"And she wants to pull out of the European Convention which is protecting basic freedoms in emerging democracies across Europe and has nothing to do with her failure in deporting fewer foreign criminals."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More