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Cameron Urges Party To Fight On For Britain

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 16 Maret 2013 | 18.25

David Cameron has faced down critics within his own party and urged the Tories to focus on the fight against Labour.

The Prime Minister warned backbenchers and activists there are just 1,000 days to go before the next general election, implying there is no time for internal wrangling.

He insisted "I'm up for it" as he sought to draw a line under leadership rumours and remind the Tories of their achievements in Government and future plans.

Mr Cameron has faced growing grumbling from his own benches in the wake of the disastrous Eastleigh by-election last month, which saw UKIP beat the Tories into third place.

And with the Budget looming next week, there have also been rising calls for a change of approach on the economy amid fears about a triple-dip recession.

Home Secretary Theresa May has been at the centre of talk about a future leadership challenge amid Tory fears of electoral oblivion in 2015.

But Mr Cameron, at the party's spring conference, tried to brush off the current problems as mid-term blues and urged Tories to cut through the "background noise".

"Let the message go out from this hall and this party: We are here to fight. We are here to win, and we have never been more up for the task of turning our country around," he declared.

He sought to paint the Tories as the party of aspiration, with support for families and first-time buyers, a better adoption system, more rigorous schools, more apprenticeships and tighter welfare spending.

"The global race is not just about GDP," he said. "It's about saying to the mum who's worried about her children's future, we are building a country where there is a future, so your kids won't have to get on a plane to get on in life, they can make it right here in Britain.

Mr Cameron - who has come under fire from backbenchers over his "posh, male and white" inner circle - acknowledged the "leg-ups" he enjoyed in life.

Home Secretary Theresa May Home Secretary Theresa May will also give a speech later today

"I know the leg-ups I got in life. A loving family, wonderful parents, a great school and university," he said.

"We want people to climb up through their own efforts, yes, but in order to climb up they need the ladder to be there in the first place, the family that nurtures them, the school that inspires them, the opportunities there for them.

"Great Conservatives down the generations have put those ladders in place. When Churchill invented the labour exchanges that helped people into work.

"When Macmillan built new homes. When Thatcher fired up enterprise so people could start their own businesses. That's what we're doing in the Conservative Party right now."

The Prime Minister announced a £150m cash boost for sport in school to help bolster coaching for pupils in England

Under the plans, a primary school with 250 pupils would receive £9,250 per year - this is around two days a week of a primary teacher or a coach's time.

Mrs May's speech later is expected to focus on home affairs, in contrast to a wide-ranging address last weekend which was widely interpreted as laying the ground for a future leadership bid. 

London Mayor Boris Johnson on Friday told Conservative Cabinet ministers accused of positioning themselves for the post-Cameron leadership to "put a sock in it and back the Prime Minister".

Mr Johnson, regarded as front-runner in the succession race if he can find a seat in Parliament, said speculation over a challenge to Mr Cameron's leadership was "complete nonsense".


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victoria Cross Award For L/Cpl James Ashworth

A soldier killed protecting his comrades in Afghanistan is to be awarded the Victoria Cross - the UK's top bravery medal.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth's courage was hailed as "beyond words" by friends who served with him until his death last June.

The 23-year-old died in a grenade attack during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district.

He was on foot patrol and battling his way through compounds against enemy fighters when he was fatally wounded.

Victoria Cross The cross was first bestowed during the Crimean War

It is expected that the rare VC award to the soldier from Kettering, Northamptonshire, will be officially announced later this month.

The VC has been awarded 10 times to British soldiers since World War Two and only once for bravery in Afghanistan.

At the time of L/Cpl Ashworth's death, his family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our son, brother, uncle and boyfriend. He meant the world to everyone and has left an irreplaceable hole in our hearts."

His father Duane was also a Grenadier Guard, while his younger brother Coran is also a soldier.

He also left behind his mother Kerryann, sisters Lauren and Paige, brother Karl and four-year-old niece Darcy, as well as his girlfriend, Emily.

His company commander, Captain Mike Dobbin, praised the soldier's actions.

He said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was killed while fighting his way through compounds, leading his fire team from the front, whilst trying to protect his men and he showed extraordinary courage to close on a determined enemy.

"His professionalism under pressure and ability to remain calm in what was a chaotic situation is testament to his character."

Lance Corporal Ashworth's body being repatriated Lance Corporal Ashworth's body being repatriated

Guardsman Jordan Loftus also paid tribute to his friend's bravery.

He said: "Selfless, brave, courageous ... words like these don't come close to what Ash demonstrated that day. He will be missed by all as a commander, but most of all a good mate."

L/Cpl Ashworth's Commanding Officer in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was an outstanding soldier whose loss has moved us all. A real self-starter, he excelled in everything that he undertook.

"Fit, strong and brilliant at his job, he set the bar very high. Indeed, such was his calmness under pressure, his charisma, and his selflessness that he made an exemplary junior leader."

The previous recipient of the VC in Afghanistan was 29-year-old Corporal Bryan Budd of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, who died when he single-handedly stormed a Taliban position in Sangin in 2006.

The last living recipient was L/Cpl Johnson Beharry of 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment, who twice saved the lives of colleagues under enemy fire in Iraq in 2004.

The medal is the British military's highest bravery award and was first bestowed on troops during the Crimean War in 1854-55.

Johnson Beharry VC carries the Olympic torch on National Armed Forces Day at the National War Memoria Johnson Beharry is the last living recipient of a medal

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

India: Tourist Gang-Raped And Husband Beaten

A Swiss tourist has been gang-raped in India and she and her husband were also reportedly beaten before being robbed.

The pair were on a cycling trip in the impoverished Madhya Pradesh state, when they were attacked by seven to eight men.

The perpetrators tied up the man and raped the woman in his presence, local police official S M Afzal said.

He added they stole 10,000 rupees (£122) and a mobile phone from the woman.

The attack comes just a few days after the man accused of leading the fatal gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus was found hanged in his prison cell.

Police say Ram Singh took his own life in the high-security Tihar jail where he had been on suicide watch in an isolated cell.

The case made headlines around the world and raised the issue of sexual violence against women in India.

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

The latest attack happened at a village near Datia where the 39-year-old woman and her husband were camping.

They had stopped there while on their way from Orchha to Agra.

Local police superintendent C S Solanki told the Press Trust of India the couple were beaten and had their belongings stolen, and that the woman was gang-raped.

Mr Solanki said police were questioning 13 men in connection with the attack.

According to the woman's husband, a group of seven men with lathis (wooden sticks) in their hands overpowered him.

He said four of them gang-raped his wife and then beat him up.

The woman was taken to a hospital in Gwalior where a medical examination confirmed that she was gang-raped.

The couple will be asked to try to identify the accused, NDTV reported.

The chairman of India's national commission for women, Mamata Sharma, slammed the provincial government of Madhya Pradesh over its failure to curb violence against women.

She said: "The government should pay attention towards what is happening with the foreigners.

"I have said this for the past few days that the crime against women in Madhya Pradesh is increasing and the government should take stringent action to put an end to such incidents.

"Many incidents of violence against women have come into the limelight in Madhya Pradesh but the government is completely insensitive towards them.

"The accused should be punished and we should see what kind of image of India we are presenting to the outside world. The government should take strict action."


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Boosting Defence After North Korea Threats

The US is beefing up its missile defence systems with new interceptors after recent threats of a nuclear attack by North Korea.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the addition of 14 interceptors in Alaska to the US-based missile defence system, a nearly 50% increase in defence capability.

The new interceptors, added to the 30 already installed in California and Alaska, will improve the US' ability to shoot down missiles in flight before they reach the US.

Mr Hagel said the US is also working with Japan to deploy new radar systems from Japan that could better track and provide warning of any missile launched by the Communist regime.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits troops Kim Jong-Un greets troops on a visit to a military installment

The Pentagon is also studying the feasibility of alternative missile defence system sites in other parts of the US, he said.

US officials do not believe North Korea is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, but the recent threat has added to tensions between the two countries.

The defence system has existed since 2004, when the George W Bush administration built it in response to threats from North Korea.

KCNA handout picture shows North Korean soldiers attending military training North Korean soldiers undergo military training

In the past year under the regime of leader Kim Jong-Un, North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and successfully launched a satellite into orbit - the same technology needed to launch a long-range missile.

Mr Hagel told reporters the  decision was intended to help the US "stay ahead of the threat" posed by North Korea's missile technology advances.

"The United States has missile defence systems in place to protect us from limited ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) attacks, but North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and is engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations," he said.

North Korea's ire has also been directed at neighbour South Korea, recently threatening to reduce the country's capital Seoul to "a sea of fire".


11.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Philpott Fire Trial: 'No Heroic Rescue Plan'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A father accused of killing his six children in a house fire has told a court there was no plan to rescue the youngsters and be a "hero".

Mick Philpott was being cross-examined by the prosecution during his manslaughter trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

He was asked why, when he realised there was a fire in the house, he did not use a fire extinguisher, which was in the kitchen, or water from the kitchen to try to put it out.

Richard Latham QC said: "Your plan was to go out, rescue your children, and be the hero wasn't it?"

Philpott replied: "No, I don't see myself as a hero."

Mr Latham continued: "You went straight past the source of water, and straight past the fire extinguisher."

Philpott said: "The 999 call was my priority."

The prosecution asked why, when Philpott woke up naked to discover the fire, he bothered to put on his boxer shorts and socks and not just slip on his jogging bottoms. It was "the natural thing to do", Philpott said.

Mr Latham suggested that a ladder close to a back window was "all part of the plan".

He asked: "You thought it was going to be unlocked didn't you? You were going to be able to get your children out and be the hero and victim at the same time."

Philpott replied: "Definitely not."

The six children from the Philpott family who died in the fire Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

Mr Latham suggested the plan was "to light that fire, make a 999 call, rescue them with the ladder from out the back window wasn't it?"

Philpott told the court: "Ladies and gentlemen, I did not light that fire, I did not endanger my children and nor did my wife."

He was asked why, on the 999 call, he said "God help me" and not "God help the children". Mr Latham said it was because "you knew you were responsible for this nightmare".

Philpott replied: "I am in a distressed state, my heart is broken. What I say is not meant to come out like that."

He later told the court he no longer blamed his former mistress Lisa Wilkes for the fire. But he said he was suspicious of others, and also claimed it could have been a random attack.

Philpott said petrol found on his clothes came from a strimmer and can he gave to a neighbour in the days before the fire. However, the prosecution said the brand on his clothing was different from that in the strimmer and can.

Philpott also said he had no idea how traces of petrol got into the u-bend of his kitchen sink.

The 56-year-old and his wife Mairead both deny starting the fire that killed their six children at their home on Victory Road, Allenton, Derby, in May last year.

Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jessie, six and Jayden, five, all died in the blaze. Their brother Duwayne, 13, died three days later in hospital.

A third defendant, Paul Mosley, also denies six counts of manslaughter.

The trial continues.


11.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron To Address Tory Spring Conference

David Cameron will promise to foster "aspiration" and give school sport a £150m cash boost when he addresses the Conservative party's spring conference after a bruising few weeks.

Following the disastrous Eastleigh by-election which saw the Tories beaten into third by UKIP, and just days before a Budget, the Prime Minister's speech is being viewed as a key test of his leadership.

Mr Cameron will tell activists his approach chimes with the Tory values of highly-popular figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill as he attempts to reassure restive Tory activists.

"The global race is not just about GDP," he will say.

"It's about saying to the mum who's worried about her children's future, we are building a country where there is a future, so your kids won't have to get on a plane to get on in life, they can make it right here in Britain.

"It's what this party's always been about - aspiration."

In a swipe at Labour opposition to tough benefit cuts being rolled out as part of the deficit reduction, he will paint them as "patronising people, patting them on the head and putting a benefit cheque in their hands".

Instead the Government was "giving people the tools to succeed."

Mr Cameron - who has come under fire from backbenchers over his "posh, male and white" inner circle - will acknowledge the "leg-ups" he enjoyed in life.

"I know the leg-ups I got in life. A loving family, wonderful parents, a great school and university.

"We want people to climb up through their own efforts, yes, but in order to climb up they need the ladder to be there in the first place, the family that nurtures them, the school that inspires them, the opportunities there for them.

Home Secretary Theresa May Home Secretary Theresa May will also give a speech later today

"Great Conservatives down the generations have put those ladders in place. When Churchill invented the labour exchanges that helped people into work.

"When Macmillan built new homes. When Thatcher fired up enterprise so people could start their own businesses. That's what we're doing in the Conservative Party right now."

Mr Cameron will say the £150m a year cash injection for school sport will help bolster coaching for pupils in England.

A primary school with 250 pupils would receive £9,250 per year - this is around two days a week of a primary teacher or a coach's time, he will say.

Ofsted will be tasked with ensuring the funding brings the maximum benefit for all pupils, with schools held to account for how they spend the money.

At the conference later today, Home Secretary Theresa May - who last week fuelled leadership ambition speculation with a speech which ranged far beyond her policy brief - will also give a speech.

She is reported to have been the target of Education Secretary Michael Gove's private warning to Tory Cabinet ministers earlier this week not to undermine David Cameron's position as PM.

But her speech is expected to be restricted to home affairs issues.

London Mayor Boris Johnson on Friday told Conservative Cabinet ministers accused of positioning themselves for the post-Cameron leadership to "put a sock in it and back the Prime Minister".

Mr Johnson, regarded as front-runner in the succession race if he can find a seat in Parliament, said speculation over a challenge to Mr Cameron's leadership was "complete nonsense".


11.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope's Childhood Love 'Made Him Become Priest'

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 15 Maret 2013 | 18.25

A former child sweetheart of Pope Francis has claimed that he went on to become a catholic priest after she turned down his marriage proposal.

Amalia Damonte, 76, grew up in the same Flores neighbourhood of Buenos Aires as Jorge Bergoglio and said that when the Pontiff was 12, he wrote a letter declaring his love.

Speaking to Argentinian TV, she said: "He said that if I didn't say yes, he would have to become a priest. Luckily for him, I said no.

"He had a crush on me ... We used to play on the streets here. It was a quiet neighbourhood then. He was very nice."

"We were 12, 13 years old, no more than that," she said. "He was wonderful. He was a proper guy."

She said when she found out her former admirer had been made the first non-European pope for 1,300 years, she was shocked.

The pensioner said: "I froze in front of the television. I couldn't believe that Jorge was the Pope!"

Unlike in the Anglican church, Catholic priests have to agree to a life of chastity and are not supposed to marry.

She said it was the letter he sent to her in 1948 or 1949 that led to them splitting up.

Newly elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Pope Francis grew up in Argentina

"There was only one letter and it cost me a smack in the face from my father," she said.

"It said we were going to get married and I am going to buy you a white house. So the two of us could live together."

Mrs Damonte still lives in the house four doors away from where Pope Francis grew up with his mother and Italian immigrant railway worker father.

She said she shared the hopes of the world's £1.2bn Catholics that he will bring people together.

"He is a good man, the son of a working class family. I hope he can achieve all the good that he holds in his heart," she said.

In an interview in 2010, Pope Francis admitted he once had a girlfriend with whom he enjoyed dancing the tango.

He said: "She was one of a group of friends with whom I used to go dancing. Then I discovered my religious vocation."

Jorge Bergoglio originally studied chemistry at technical school and university before deciding, at the age of 21, to become a priest.

Although he entered the Society of Jesus in 1958 and studied to become a Jesuit priest, he was not ordained until 1969, having spent some time as a teacher.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kevin McGeever Held By Police Over 'Kidnap'

An Irish property developer who claimed he was kidnapped for eight months is being held on suspicion of wasting police time.

Kevin McGeever was emaciated and disorientated when found wandering barefoot on the side of the road near the Cavan-Leitrim border on January 29 this year.

The 68-year-old former tycoon was arrested at his Craughwell home in Co Galway on Thursday and held under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act 1994, which contains provisions for wasting police time and making false allegations.

Mr McGeever, who is originally from Swinford, Co Mayo, had a long beard, hair and nails and was treated for malnutrition when he was found by a motorist in a dishevelled state.

He had lost about five stone and claimed he was abducted at gunpoint from his gated mansion on May 17 last year. His attackers also reportedly wrote insults on his face.

He had been reported missing by his partner last June.

Before the economic downturn, Mr McGeever sold luxury homes to expats in Dubai.

He made a fortune building houses, first in his native county and then further afield, before making big investments abroad. He fronted a company called KMM Commercial Properties.

A police spokesman confirmed a 68-year-old man had been arrested in relation to the ongoing investigation into the abduction.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

HS2 High-Speed Rail Scheme's 'Unlawful' Ruling

The Government's HS2 high-speed rail project could be delayed after a High Court judge ruled the consultation process for compensating those affected was "unlawful".

It was the only successful case among five in which the judge had been asked to send the multi-billion pound project back for reconsideration.

But despite the decision, Transport Minister Simon Burns insisted the scheme would not be held up.

"This has been a convincing victory for the Government," he said.

"It's a green light to go ahead. It will not hold up us going ahead with the project, which is in the national interest."

The first phase of HS2 would see a high-speed railway line running through Tory heartlands from London to Birmingham.

Controversy has surrounded the scheme, with major opposition from residents' groups and local councils bitterly opposing it.

Supporters point to the benefits of a reduction in journey times between the UK's two biggest cities.

More follows...


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope Francis Slips Out Of Vatican For Prayers

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 14 Maret 2013 | 18.25

Pope Francis started his new life as leader of the Roman Catholic Church by praying at one of Rome's oldest basilicas, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The 76-year-old, who has become the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to be named Francis, opened his pontificate quietly leaving the Vatican with a visit to Santa Maria Maggiore for private prayers via a side entrance.

"He spoke to us cordially like a Father," said Father Ludovico Melo, a priest who joined in the prayers. "We were given 10 minutes' notice that the Pope was coming."

Shortly after his election, Pope Francis had told a 100,000-strong crowd packed in a rain-soaked St Peter's Square that he intended to pray to the Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome".

Faithful gather as they wait for the newly elected pope, to appear on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Huge crowds welcomed the announcement of Pope Francis

Later, he will attend a mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel - where they elected him leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics - to officially close the conclave.

A trip to see his predecessor Benedict XVI at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo on Friday is significant.

Benedict's resignation has raised concerns about potential power conflicts emerging from the peculiar situation of having a reigning pope and a retired one alive at the same time.

Francis, who faces many challenges to put the Church in order, has already spoken by phone with Benedict, who has been living at the papal summer residence, south of Rome, since the end of his papacy.

Prior to that, his second day in the job will begin with an audience with the College of Cardinals in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, where Benedict said his farewell to them last month.

Newly elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican The new pope is revealed on Wednesday night

The somewhat mild and shy new pope, who has a busy few days ahead of him, is expected to speak to the media for the first time on Saturday.

Francis will recite the Angelus at noon on Sunday from a window of the papal apartments, with tens of thousands of followers expected to gather in St Peter's Square below.

World leaders will descend on Rome on Tuesday for his inauguration mass - preparations for which are already under way.

Many were quick to congratulate Francis - the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years.

And the reactions to his election continued on Thursday with Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, Al Azhar, calling for "better relations" with the Vatican under Pope Francis - as did China.

Beijing has long had strained ties with the Vatican in a dispute about authority over China's Catholics.

Undated handout photo of Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio becomes the first Jesuit pope

The Syrian National Council called on Francis to "make a special gesture for Syria" where more than 70,000 people have been killed in two years of conflict.

Known for his humility and simplicity, his decision to slip out the Vatican earlier was seen as another example of his modesty.

Francis shunned the papal limousine last night for a shuttle bus with other cardinals to go back to a residence inside the Vatican for a meal.

That showed his humble side, according to prominent US cardinal Timothy Dolan, who also revealed that the new pontiff told the cardinals he would be visiting Benedict.

Speaking at the North American College, the US seminary in Rome said Francis was expected to arrive in the limousine.

"And as the last bus pulls up, guess who gets off? It's Pope Francis. I guess he told the driver, 'that's ok, I'll just go with the boys'."

During the dinner, Cardinal Dolan said the new pope also showed his humorous side.

As Francis toasted the cardinals, he said to them: "May God forgive you." It brought the house down, said Cardinal Dolan.

Known until Wednesday as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentine Pope Francis became a cardinal in 2001.

He has spent nearly his entire career in Argentina, and becomes the first ever pope from Latin America.

His election has pleased Latin Americans, who number 40% of the world's Catholics but have long been underrepresented in the church leadership.

Francis is certain to bring the church closer to the poverty-wracked region, while also introducing the world to a very different type of pope, whose first words to the faithful were a simple, "Brothers and sisters, good evening".


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope Francis: Profile Of New Catholic Leader

Francis is the first ever pope from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina's conservative Roman 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 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.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis, John Paul II The Archbishop of Buenos Aires kissing the hand of late Pope John Paul II

"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," the then-Cardinal Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.

His 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.

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

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.

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

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 criticised 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 realise 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.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labour Peer Lord Ahmed Suspended By Party

Labour peer Lord Ahmed has been suspended by the party as it launched an investigation into claims he blamed a Jewish conspiracy for his jail term.

The Muslim peer was jailed for 12 weeks for dangerous driving in 2009 after sending and receiving text messages minutes before he was involved in a fatal crash.

He has now allegedly blamed the sentence on pressure placed on the courts by Jews "who own newspapers and TV channels".

The Muslim peer is said to have told an Urdu-language broadcast in Pakistan that the judge who jailed him was appointed to the High Court after helping a "Jewish colleague" of Tony Blair during an important case.

During the interview, Lord Ahmed apparently argued that he should have been sentenced by a magistrate.

"My case became more critical because I went to Gaza to support Palestinians. My Jewish friends who own newspapers and TV channels opposed this," he is alleged to have said.

The peer allegedly suggested High Court judge Mr Justice Wilkie was sent to pass his sentence because other judges refused.

Labour suspended him after the remarks were published in The Times and has launched an investigation.

A party spokesman said: "The Labour Party deplores and does not tolerate any form of anti-Semitism."

Born in Kashmir but raised in Rotherham, Lord Ahmed joined the Labour Party at 18 and was made a life peer in 1998.

However, his political career has been dogged by a series of controversies.

In 2007 he hit the headlines when he criticised the awarding of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie.

And in 2008, he had to publicly deny rumours he planned to defect to the Conservative Party, alleging the speculation was being spread by a Labour minister who was a "sad loser".

He was also suspended by the party for three months last year for allegedly offering a £10m bounty for the capture of US president Barack Obama - which he denied.

After he was jailed in 2009, the peer served only 16 days of his prison sentence before he was freed by the Court of Appeal.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope Election: Black Smoke Signals No New Pope

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 13 Maret 2013 | 18.25

Black smoke from the first two votes of the conclave entering its second day has signalled the cardinals tasked with electing a new pope are still not agreed on Benedict's successor.

They reconvened for the papal conclave behind closed doors after the first round of voting last night proved inconclusive.

They attended mass in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican's Apostolic Palacve and returned to the Renaissance splendour of the Sistine Chapel to hold two morning ballots.

Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel meaning that cardinals failed to elect a new pope Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel

All eyes remain on the chimney atop the Vatican's Sistine Chapel as the process of finding a successor to Benedict XVI, who brought a troubled eight-year papacy to an abrupt end by resigning last month, will continue until his replacement is chosen..

They are expected to hold a further two ballots later on the first full day of voting.

The 115 voting eligible church leaders first filed into the chapel chamber, renowned for its ceiling fresco painted by Renaissance master Michelangelo, on Tuesday morning to begin their deliberations.

Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave in order to elect a successor to Pope Benedict at the Vatican. The cardinals are scheduled to hold four votes each day

Hours later after sunset, black smoke billowed from the chimney above the Vatican, indicating that no-one had gained the two-thirds majority needed to become the 266th pope.

Only the emergence of white smoke - produced by mixing the smoke from burning ballots with special flares - will signal that a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics has been chosen.

The tens of thousands that braved the rain and gathered in St Peter's Square to bear witness to the centuries-old tradition cheered in excitement or booed in mock disappointment.

Papal Conclave TV Promo For Sky News

Among the cardinals gathered in Rome, Italy's Angelo Scola, Brazil's Odilo Scherer and Canada's Marc Ouellet - all conservatives like Benedict - are the three favourites.

Modern-day conclaves normally last no more than a few days.

However, there is no clear frontrunner, meaning the election could go on for much longer than the two days and four rounds of voting that it took to elect Joseph Ratzinger in 2005, following the death of John Paul II.

People crowd Saint Peter's Square to await the sight of smoke from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, at the Vatican. People packed St Peter's Square on Tuesday night awaiting the site of smoke

Some analysts have suggested that Benedict's dramatic departure - the first papal resignation in over 700 years - could push the cardinals to take an equally unusual decision and elect an outsider.

Hopes are high in the Philippines for the popular Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, and on the African continent for South Africa's Wilfrid Napier, the archbishop of Durban, but in practice their chances are very slim.

Two-thirds of the cardinals are from Europe and North America and the view among many experts is that only someone with experience of the inner workings of the Vatican administration can drive reform and repair the scandal-ridden reputation of the Catholic Church.


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Oklahoma Mum 'Tried To Sell Kids On Facebook'

A young mum has been accused of trying to sell her children on Facebook to bail her boyfriend out of jail.

Police in Sallisaw, Oklahoma said Misty VanHorn contacted a potential buyer via the social networking site.

They said the 22-year-old mother was looking to get $1,000 (£670) for her two-year-old, or $4,000 (£2,680) for the toddler and her 10-month-old baby.

"Just come to Sallisaw, it's only 30 minutes away and I'll give you all of her stuff and let y'all have her forever for $1,000," she allegedly wrote via Facebook.

The unidentified female buyer from Fort Smith, just over the state border in neighbouring Arkansas, notified the authorities last week.

Police moved in to arrest her soon after.

Neighbours said VanHorn had been going door to door trying to raise the $1,000 bond money to free her partner for days.

She is now being held in the Sequoyah County Jail on $40,000 (£26,800) bail.

The state has taken custody of the children.


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Marijuana Bong: Toddler Made To Smoke By Mum

A mother who got her 22-month-old son to smoke her marijuana bong has been arrested, after mobile phone video emerged of the incident.

Rachelle Braaten was detained by police in Centralia in Washington state last Friday.

Rachelle Braaten Pic: KOMO-TV Rachelle Braaten appears in court. Pic: KOMO-TV

She is now facing multiple charges, including delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.

KOMO-TV said the 24-year-old reportedly told police: "I guess it was a joke and stupid mistake that wasn't really funny."

In the video the child can be seen briefly sucking on the bong.

He coughs and people can be heard laughing.

Braaten said her son did not act sick afterwards.

He has since been placed in protective care, along with his five-year-old brother.

Police also found 40 marijuana plants when they arrested Braaten.

She remains in jail on $5,000 (£3,350) bail.

Washington is one of very few states which allows the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.


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Hells Angels: Oz Police Swoop On Biker Gangs

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 12 Maret 2013 | 18.25

Hundreds of heavily-armed Australian police have taken part in raids on biker gangs in and around Sydney.

Several high-ranking members of the gangs were arrested and explosives, guns, drugs and cash were seized.

Some 350 police took part in dawn raids at 30 addresses across Sydney and elsewhere in New South Wales state targeting the Hells Angels, Rebels and Comancheros, as well as Asian and Balkan crime organisations, police said.

They confirmed "a senior member of the Hells Angels" was among 19 people arrested during the raids, in which ammunition, a stun gun and a bullet-proof vest were also recovered.

A Hells Angel member attending a funeral Australia's biker gang culture has been on the rise

"A total of 19 people have been arrested during today's operation, the result of ongoing investigations," New South Wales police said, adding that four people had so far been charged.

"Search warrants are ongoing and further charges are anticipated."

Police said the raids were part of a two-year investigation into the supply of firearms, explosives and drugs to organised crime groups after intercepting more than 500,000 telephone calls.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Plotecki, commander of the organised crime squad, said a number of international links were identified.

"There are senior members from the Rebels, Comancheros, Hells Angels; we also have Balkan organised crime and Asian organised crime involved in this inquiry," he told reporters.

The Asian and Balkan groups were allegedly involved in supplying drugs and guns to rival biker gangs, he said.

Police said the arrests would have a significant impact.

"A number of significant illegal supply chains have now been severed, which will reduce the availability of guns and drugs to those organised criminal groups," Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said earlier this month the government was setting up an anti-gang taskforce to combat "the gangs and guns on our streets".

The move follows am increase  in shootings in public places in New South Wales in recent years.


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Snow And Ice Cause Chaos On Rail And Roads

Police are still assisting hundreds of motorists stuck in their cars across the country after heavy snowfall - with more on its way.

Ice warnings are in place for much of the country, and drivers in snow-hit areas have been urged to postpone journeys if possible.

The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings for parts of the South East and Scotland.

Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing in many areas for the next few days, with the minimum as low as -7C.

Up to 10cm (4in) of snow is forecast to settle in the worst-affected areas, including Kent, Sussex and southern Hampshire, and over higher ground in areas like the Pennines, while large areas could see around up to 4cm (1.6in) accumulate.

The M20 southbound gridlocked because of snow. The M20 southbound remains gridlocked due to the severe weather

Some of the roads where driving conditions are at their worst include the M20 in Kent and the A2.

The Highways Agency has warned motorists heading north from the Dover Ports to take the M20 London bound and avoid the A2, while those driving in and around West Sussex have been advised to avoid the A23 and M23.

Rail services also face disruption. Southern has warned of short-notice cancellations and delays of up to an hour on all services.

There have been delays to Southeastern services between Paddock Wood and Strood in Kent because of a signalling problem, while some Gatwick Express services have been cancelled.

On First Capital Connect, journeys between Bedford and Brighton are also subject to short-notice cancellations, with delays of up to 45 minutes.

Toyah Willcox and Cheryl Baker Popstars Toyah Willcox and Cheryl Baker were among those trapped

Intense showers and possible snowfall are due across Suffolk, Essex and the London area, with gusty winds of up to 55mph.

Eastern and central parts of Scotland have also been hit by poor weather conditions, and a dusting of snow is expected in all other areas of the country.

Ice and snow has made roads across much of the South East impassable, with Dover and Folkestone among the worst affected.

The Channel Tunnel has reopened after technical issues, with delays back to Junction 10 (Ashford) on the M20.

Eurostar has suspended its services until further notice because of bad weather in France and Belgium.

A message on its website said: "Our advice to passengers is not to travel today and not to come to our stations. Exchanges and refunds will be available to affected passengers."

Spring Weather - March 11 Poor road conditions have hampered much of the UK

At the Port of Dover in Kent, cross-Channel ferry operations are operating "as far as possible", but passengers have been advised to allow extra time for their journeys amid possible road blockages on the A2 and A20.

Jersey Airport is closed all day due to snow, while travellers heading for Gatwick have been warned to allow extra time to reach the West Sussex airport due to snow on the roads in the area.

Speed restrictions are in place on the M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire due to strong winds.

Police in Sussex have attended more than 300 crashes in the past 24 hours across the county, where some motorists were trapped in their cars in the snow for up to 10 hours in blizzard-like conditions.

The British Red Cross sent emergency teams out to help those stranded in the freezing conditions overnight on the A23 with tailbacks stretching 30 miles.

A spokesman for the police force said it was stretched to "capacity" recovering abandoned vehicles and helping those stranded.

Snowfall in Crawley. Residents in Crawley wake up to the snow

Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, from the force's roads policing unit, said: "Today is going to be about helping recover vehicles as many people fell asleep in their cars or abandoned them, so even when the roads did become clearer they were still blocked.

"Although the conditions have improved slightly, we are asking people to not make any journeys unless they are essential."

Cheryl Baker, the 1980s pop star with the Eurovision-winning group Bucks Fizz, was among those stuck on the A23 as she tried to make her way to Brighton to her children.

At 10.30am she tweeted: "WE'RE HOME!! Only taken 15 1/2 hours!!"

South East Coast Ambulance Service has asked the public to only dial 999 in a genuine emergency with its staff having to be picked up in 4x4s where possible because they are struggling to get into work.

The continuing disruption follows a night of chaos on the roads during which snow ploughs and gritters struggled to get through to clear the roads after a number of vehicles jackknifed causing gridlock.

Temperatures plummeted to as low as -3C (27F), forcing many people to abandon their vehicles for service stations.

Abandoned cars had to be moved to allow the gritters, snow ploughs and emergency teams to pass.

Traffic on the A23 Snow ploughs and gritters were stuck in the traffic. (Pic: Jonathan Lava)

The worst affected areas were the A23 between Crawley and Brighton and the M23 around Handcross Hill.

Toyah Willcox, another 1980s pop star, who was among those stranded on the A23 around 15 miles from Brighton, tweeted: "Still on A23, not moved yet northbound is moving freely. 6 hours! Come on snow isn't that bad."

A number of motorists questioned why gritters had failed to keep the roads clear despite clear forecasts of heavy snow.

The Highways Agency said extra gritters had been out on the roads since 6am on Monday preparing for the freezing weather.

A spokesman said: "We've been working hard with our contractors and partners, including local authorities and the police, to keep the roads across the south east open.

"Our roads have been treated throughout the day; however some lorries have jackknifed causing closures at several locations and as a result our salt spreaders and recovery vehicles have become stuck in the traffic."

Forecasters believe Monday was the coldest March day in 27 years, since March 1, 1986. Saughall, in south Lanarkshire, reached -12C (10F).

Ladbrokes said they have been forced to slash the odds of snow reappearing across Easter weekend, March 29 to April 1.


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Cardinals Prepare To Choose A New Pope

By Nick Pisa, Vatican City

Cardinals are gathering for a ceremony steeped in tradition 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 after 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 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. If they do they will be 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. They will remain there until a pope has been chosen.

Today began 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".

Papal Conclave TV Promo For Sky News

It was led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals Angelo Sodano, who also gave 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.

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 leader.

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 elector cardinals go to the Sistine Chapel in 2005 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.

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 there is 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 result 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 really strong candidate has emerged with Vatican watchers saying this may lead to a longer conclave than usual.


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Weather: Heavy Snow To Cause Travel Problems

Written By Unknown on Senin, 11 Maret 2013 | 18.25

Heavy snowfall across parts of Britain is likely to cause travel disruption, as the possibility of a white Easter looms.

The southern counties of England are expected to take the brunt of heavy, repeated snow showers moving in from the South West.

That will be followed by a second band of wintry weather which will hit eastern and central parts of Scotland and England.

A dusting of snow is expected in all other areas, bringing with it a risk of travel problems for the morning and evening rush hours.

Up to 10cm (4in) will settle in the worst-affected areas, including Kent, Sussex and southern Hampshire, as well as over higher ground in areas like the Pennines, while large areas could see around up to 4cm (1.6in) accumulate.

The snow is expected to fall on Monday and Tuesday, and temperatures will remain below freezing in many areas for the next few days, with minimum temperatures as low as -7C.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning of snow in the South West and yellow warnings across east Scotland and England and in the southern regions, urging the public to be prepared for disruption.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "As well as the snow picture it's going to be a bitterly cold day thanks to those brisk northeasterly winds that will be gusting up to 60mph (96kph) added to the wind chill."

Ladbrokes said they have been forced to slash the odds of snow reappearing across Easter weekend, March 29 to April 1.

On Sunday evening it was even money for snow to fall in any major city, and there is a 4/1 chance it is the coldest Easter on record, the bookmaker said.

Spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said: "The odds of snow falling over Easter are dropping as quick as the temperatures.

"Only a week ago the UK was basking in the sunshine but there's no chance that this month will be the warmest March on record now."

The bookmaker said snow could also play havoc with Cheltenham Festival next week.

Motoring services firm RAC said it expects potential breakdowns to increase by 20% over the next few days and has an increased number of patrols planned.


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India Bus Gang Rape Suspect Found Hanged

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

Police say Ram Singh took his own life in the high-security Tihar jail where he had been on suicide watch in an isolated cell.

But the 33-year-old suspect's family say he was killed and an investigation into the death is under way.

Singh's father, Mangelal Singh, said his son had been raped in prison by other inmates and had been repeatedly threatened by inmates and guards.

He said his son gave no hint of any despair that could drive him to take his own life when he visited him in jail four days ago.

India rape protests Days of protests followed the attack

And he insisted his son also had a badly injured hand and would have been unable to hang himself.

"Somebody has killed him," he said.

Mangelal Singh said he feared for the safety of another son who is also on trial over the rape.

Vimla Mehra, the director general of the jail, refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding the death.

"The inquiry is being conducted and it would be premature to make any statement about the details of the incident," he said.

The death has angered the victim's family, who said the authorities had been negligent and they had been denied justice.

Her father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "We don't understand how could the police fail to protect Ram Singh?

Protests in New Delhi over rape laws Rallies grew violent and water cannon were turned on protesters

"They knew he was the prime accused in my daughter's case.

"How could they let him choose the way he wanted to die? The police have failed and I wonder what will happen to the case now."

Singh was accused of leading a gang of five others who subjected the 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 death 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.

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

Lawyers for the men have previously accused police of beating confessions out of their clients.

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 he 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.

A sixth suspect aged 17 is being tried in a juveniles' court, where he faces a maximum three years imprisonment.

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".

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.


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Queen Cancels Westminster Abbey Visit

The Queen will no longer attend today's Commonwealth service as she recovers from gastroenteritis, Buckingham Palace says.

The Duke of Edinburgh will attend the observance as planned.

The palace said that the Queen will still attend the Commonwealth reception at Marlborough House on Monday to sign a new Commonwealth Charter.

The Queen hopes to undertake some of her official engagements planned for the rest of the week.

More follows...


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'Mummy Tax': Cameron Under Fire Over Cuts

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 10 Maret 2013 | 18.25

By Tadhg Enright, Business Correspondent

David Cameron will have a Mother's Day card delivered to his door by campaigners for new mums whose benefits are about to be capped.

Labour has accused the Government of imposing a "mummy tax" and said the welfare reforms are part of a series of austerity measures which unfairly target mothers.

Shadow minister for women Yvette Cooper MP told Sky News: "It's like David Cameron and George Osborne have a blindspot about women because they're paying three times more than men in tax and benefit and pay and pension changes.

"That is so unfair when women earn less and own less than men.

"It shows that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor just don't get it and it's outrageous that new mums are hurt hardest."

The criticism came as the Archbishop of Canterbury was among 43 bishops who have written an open letter condemning the Government's plans to change the benefits system, saying it will have a "deeply disproportionate" effect on children.

The Most Rev Justin Welby has warned that "children and families will pay the price" if plans to change the system go ahead in their current form.

Yvette Cooper Yvette Cooper says the changes are unfair

Around 340,000 women claim either statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance every year.

Until now their benefits have gone up in line with inflation, which currently stands at 2.7%, according to the Consumer Price Index.

But from next month new mothers' benefits will go up by just 1% every year as part of a three-year cap on welfare increases.

So by 2015 critics have calculated the benefits will be effectively cut by £180 because they will not increase by as much as the cost of living will.

Conservative MP Amber Rudd said: "The fact is there are so many good things we are doing to try to help mothers.

"What mothers really want is welfare that works, improved education and jobs.

"That's what they talk to me about on the doorstep and I feel this Government is doing a lot on that front.

"And it's rank hypocrisy of Labour to accuse us on this front when they have made no suggestions about how to reduce the deficit."

And Schools Minister, Liberal Democrat David Laws MP, also defended the welfare reforms and said the Coalition had tried to help those on lower incomes.

He told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan: "We've had a public sector pay freeze. We've also had a 1% cap in the future on public sector pay. So we've have had to take difficult decisions not just for some of those on lower incomes but for everybody in society.

"And actually we've tried to help some of those on lower incomes by raising the tax free personal allowance and also exempting some of the lowest paid public sector workers from the effects of the pay freeze."

Single mum-to-be Helen Mockridge has one clear suggestion for a better way to reduce the deficit.

"Taxing really rich people, obviously, that's where the money should come from," she said.

"For me it's a real no-brainer and it makes me really angry that certain parts of society are very, very wealthy and the gap between rich and poor is getting bigger.

"That's where the money should be coming from, not from single mothers or the disabled or any other vulnerable group."


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Paul Gascoigne Returns Home After US Rehab

Former England football star Paul Gascoigne has told how he thought he was about to die as doctors tied him to a bed to help him beat his alcohol addiction.

The player, who has fought a lengthy battle against alcoholism, said his body went into seizure during a detoxification treatment at an American clinic.

He said doctors said it was the "worst detox" they had ever seen.

"Three doctors didn't think I would make it. It has got to inspire me to never let this happen again.

"I've come through that - death. I was dead," Gascoigne told The Sun newspaper.

He added: "I thought I was on my way out. I looked like a corpse. I was a total wreck."

Paul Gascoigne of England cries Gascoigne: once one of England's most naturally gifted players

The 45-year-old said he was in a coma for three days and was admitted to intensive care.

Gascoigne has returned to Britain after more than a month at the rehabilitation clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.

His treatment was organised by former England cricketer Ronnie Irani and radio presenter Chris Evans, a long-term friend.

The move came following a charity appearance in Northampton during which the star appeared unwell and shaking, before breaking down and sobbing on stage in front of a room full of fans.

The world of football has shown its concern at the latest troubled period in the life of Gascoigne, one of England's most naturally gifted players ever.

Gascoigne was sectioned five years ago under the Mental Health Act.


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Sex Trafficking Victims 'Failed' By Authorities

Full Interview With Sophie Hayes

Updated: 1:53am UK, Sunday 10 March 2013

Sophie Hayes speaks to Sky's Richard Suchet about her life as a sexual and domestic slave at the hands of the man she thought was her boyfriend.

SOPHIE: "I'd known my trafficker for five years before I was actually trafficked, from the UK to Italy. We'd become friends. Very good friends. Then I went on holiday ... and ... just that it would be a holiday ... until three days in, he told me that he hadn't waited five years for me to just leave and that actually I was there to work for him as a prostitute, and if I didn't there would be severe consequences."

SUCHET: "So you did?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah I did. The first night I thought 'this isn't real, this can't happen' and really believed that maybe the next day I could say 'actually, I just want to go home now' until ... I saw that he just wasn't the person that I thought he was. Everything that he was, everything that I knew had completely changed.

"He'd become aggressive, violent. Threats against me, threats against my family. My younger brother was only thirteen at the time and he was the one that had all of the death threats ... and ... the night that he told me, he strangled me, pinned me up against the wall, and told me that if I didn't do as I was told, I would be punished."

SUCHET: "Mentally, how do you cope with that? What goes through your head the first day, the second day, the third day? Where does your mind take you?"

SOPHIE: "Total disbelief. So ... going from a world where I had a good job, a relatively happy life, to another world with someone who had pretended to be something that he wasn't ... it just didn't feel like that was possible or that that could really happen. There's no way I could have done what he expected me to do.

"But as the days went on, I knew that actually there was no way out because he told me that he had friends in the police, that if I tried to run then someone would be there to catch me and ... the more .... the more time past ... I knew. I knew I would never escape him, I couldn't run anywhere ... until a few weeks later I just ... I just switched off.

"There was nothing left anymore. I wasn't me anymore and ... the best thing to do was ... just ... pretend it wasn't happening, that it was happening to someone else and ... just accept it."

SUCHET: "So you just switch off inside, do you?"

SOPHIE: "Completely. To begin with, I tried to hold on. I would look in the mirror and just ... want to scream. And I'd see bruises which I'd never had before.

"Until one night everything changed, with one of the men that came. After that night, I just let go. To the point that I stopped caring. Because nothing I could do or say, no matter how many tears, how many screams, nothing would change the situation ... because I was too afraid to run.

"Many people have asked me: 'Why? Why would you not run away? Why would you not ask for help?' ... but he was the person who kept me from asking anybody to help me, knowing that my family were at risk - my younger brother could be taken.

"He'd already taken me to a lake to show me that if I did something wrong, that's where he would take me. He would put a knife to my neck, a gun in my mouth, a gun inside of me. I knew there was no boundary for him. All I was to him was money. Other than that he didn't care."

SUCHET: "Was it always sexual? Or were there other things you had to do, like chores round the house, or looking after him in some other way? Or was it purely a sexual thing?"

SOPHIE: "It's always more than just sexual when someone holds you in that way. I was only allowed to speak when he said that was ok. When I cleaned, it had to be cleaned in a certain way. If I didn't do it properly, he would ... hurt me again. 

"If I cooked in the wrong way, there would be consequences. For example, I tried to make pasta one night and he told me there was too much sauce. So he smashed the plate ahead of me, and cleaned the floor up with my hair and then told me he was going to shave my hair off in punishment because I couldn't clean properly, I couldn't cook properly and what kind of a person was I that couldn't even do the most basic things?"

SUCHET: "I don't think people can really imagine how you end up in a situation like that. I mean, people might think you would see it coming?"

SOPHIE: "The general perception is that this happens to girls from a different country, from poor backgrounds, and that they perhaps should see it coming, when actually it's the opposite.

"The traffickers are professional businessmen. They have been doing this for years. How to groom a girl. How to make somebody feel completely isolated so that you don't see it coming. And then you're at the point that you're so frightened of them that you can't think about anything anymore, you can't do anything anymore and ... there's no other choice. No way of escape. They have you as a total prisoner."

SUCHET: "So how did you get out?"

SOPHIE: "During the time, I'd lost quite a lot of weight, so I'd gone down to about six stone. I was only allowed to eat once a day. I'd had pneumonia twice, a broken shoulder blade, and at the point I came out I'd been really ill.

"I couldn't have sex anymore. Because some nights I would have sex with up to 35 different men and it was just so painful. So I managed to go to a hospital. The hospital kept me there for a week. But they told me I had no passport, no ID, and that I would have to pay 10,000 euros.

"I managed to steal a moment to call my mum and they drove over to come and collect me, and drove me back from Italy, back to the UK."

SUCHET: "So, effectively, you became useless to him? That's how you managed to get out of his sight?"

SOPHIE: "I was still with a client when I managed to go to the hospital. I didn't tell him where I'd gone. He told me after three days of being in hospital that he was taking me out because he'd actually met some Russians, and he was going to take some girls. And ... I don't know whether or not I would have been sold to the Russians.

"And when I did come back to the UK, he took my credit card off me, and booked me a ticket to go back to Italy, and that I had to go back to work. He was never willing to just let me go. He would have just carried on. To him, he said I was a gold mine, and that because I was British I was actually the perfect person because I could stay freely in [Italy], and people paid more for me, so I was the perfect person for him."

SUCHET: "What was the reaction from the authorities when you got back to the UK?"

SOPHIE: "I had quite a challenging time with the authorities when I came back because at that time no one really knew - or understood - actually what is human trafficking and, because they'd never dealt with cases of somebody being British being taken out of the country and then back in, there wasn't really anywhere for me to go, or any real understanding.

"One policeman actually told me: "Well, you won't do that again," which ... just .... again made me lose all faith ... and ... I had no one. I was on my own. I had my mum, and my mum helped me through it. And I just .... had to pick myself up and carry on and try to live a normal life again."

SUCHET: "How did you finally extricate yourself from him?"

SOPHIE: "It turns out he was wanted in this country for an attempted shooting, years back. The police had him under surveillance and had an arrest warrant out for him. In 2008, when he returned to the UK, they performed a stop and search on him - but made it look completely random.

"They obviously knew he'd have fake documents and that they could arrest him on those grounds. And they knew that his fingerprint would then link him to other crimes. They sent me abroad for a week while all that happened so it would look as if I had nothing to do with his arrest. Anyway, he went to prison and was eventually deported back to Albania."

SUCHET: "You seem to me like the most stoic and normal person, if I may say. No one would ever be able to tell what you've been through. But is there a part of you that feels a little bit damaged? Do you ever get over something like that?"

SOPHIE: "This is something that I will never get over. But can I manage it? Yes, it has become more manageable. Although many people still don't know who I really am.

"I still have a lot of physical problems. After he broke my shoulder blade, I still have therapy and I need a lot of treatment on my back. And also ... mentally I have to stay really strong ... because ... something like that can't happen for no reason.

"And this is why I feel I have to try and help other women and other girls who are in the same situation, or could be at risk of that situation. I tell myself a lot that I can't let my past steal my future. And no matter what happened, I am still alive. And regardless of how painful it is, how many memories I have, how many times I cry ... actually it's the future, and the hope, and the hope I bring to others, that keeps me strong."

SUCHET: "Do you still cry about it?"

SOPHIE: "Yeah, if I see things or hear things and generally when I can see another women being abused or beaten - that brings it all back to me. Every day I can still picture how much he hurt me and how much he frightened me. What he made me do, hurts me. What he did to me and what he said to me is the memory that stays with me and the echoes that I can still hear."

SUCHET: "Do you trust men? Do you have problems trusting men anymore?"

SOPHIE: "I ... I would like to believe that I can still have trust in people because I can't allow one person to take over how I feel and how I behave in the future, and dictate how I have relationships. So I really try and make sure it doesn't, again, take over me, and absorb, and change my perception on men."

SUCHET: Where is the man who trafficked you? And do you now feel safe?

SOPHIE: "I don't know where he is. We've tried to locate him and police have markers on him so to speak. Potentially he's in prison (abroad). But no, I will never feel 100% free and safe. He will always be on my shoulder.

"So on a mental level, there's always a part of me that won't be free, that can't escape. But setting up the Sophie Hayes foundation has made me feel like he can't dictate my future. I can take a grip of my future, and, in that sense, I'm now free."

'Sophie Hayes' is not her real name. There are only a handful of people who know both her real name and her dreadful story and she says it's important that she remains anonymous: "Who is Sophie? Almost nobody knows. She could be anybody.


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