This week Pope Francis was elected as 266th Roman Catholic pontiff. Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg have unveiled rival plans for a new system of press regulation in England and Wales. The UK government will forge ahead with a high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham after winning four out of five court challenges to its plans for the £33 billion project. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the presidential election’s first round and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans to reinforce U.S. missile defences in response to “irresponsible and reckless provocations” by North Korea, which threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States last week.
1. Pope Francis elected leader of Catholic Church
The Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday chose as their new pope, the first non-European to be elected for almost 1,300 years and the first-ever member of the Jesuit order. Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, begins his role as the new leader of the Catholic Church. He said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented “poverty and peace“.
Archbishop Nichols said Pope Francis was clearly a pontiff with a “depth of experience and different aspects” to him. “He certainly brings some things you can see immediately are great strengths,” said the archbishop.
The cardinals’ choice has run into immediate controversy this week over the new pope’s role in Argentina’s troubled history. In his book, El Silencio, a prominent Argentinian journalist alleged that he connived in the abduction of two Jesuit priests by the military junta in the so-called ‘dirty war’. He denies the accusation. The last holder of the office, Bendict XVI abdicated on 28 February, saying that he was no longer able to cope with the burden. He was the first pontiff to resign voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294. The world’s Catholics will be looking to his successor to provide not only spiritual inspiration but also firm leadership.
2. Rival plans for new system of press regulation
Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg have moved closer together in the decision for a new system of press regulation, but the major question remains as to whether a new self-regulatory body should be backed by law. Mr Clegg’s royal charter, launched with Ed Miliband, insists on it – but it is not in Mr Cameron’s royal charter. MPs will decide which version they prefer on Monday. The vote is expected to be close – and could have a profound impact on the way newspapers conduct themselves in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal and Lord Justice Leveson’s inquiry.
[pagebreak]
3. UK to forge ahead with high-speed rail link
A High Court ruling into government consultations on the planned HS2 rail scheme is a “landmark victory” for the project, the rail minister has said. Under the plans, speeds of up to 250mph on HS2 would reduce a Birmingham to Leeds journey from two hours to 57 minutes, while phase one will cut London-Birmingham travel to 49 minutes, from the current one hour and 24 minutes.
But critics argue that HS2’s predicted economic benefits have been overestimated by the government, and suggest swathes of picturesque countryside will be blighted by the railway. The objections brought to court also included the claim that the government failed to adequately assess alternatives to the scheme.
Construction of the London-West Midlands route is due to start in 2017 with work on the extension to northern England likely to kick off by 2025 to enable the line to be operational by 2033.
4. Raila Odinga files Kenya election appeal
Kenya’s defeated presidential contender Raila Odinga filed a legal challenge to his election in a major test of the country’s democratic system five years after a disputed vote triggered deadly tribal clashes.
The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held 12 days ago were the first since the 2007 poll, which set off ethnic and political violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed. Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga comfortably by 50.7% to 43.28% on 4 March, but avoided a run-off by only 8,100 votes. But Mr Odinga has accused the electoral authorities of manipulating the result. Lawyers for Odinga’s CORD coalition said their petition to the Supreme Court covered allegations of vote manipulation, problems in the registration of voters and the failure of an electronic vote counting mechanism.
The Minister of Lands, James Orengo, a key ally of Mr Odinga, said their party had a constitutional right to file the petition and a “strong case“. “Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business. I think we’re going to win and win in the first round,” he told KTN TV. Kenyatta faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court alleging that he incited the 2007 violence. He denies the charges.
[pagebreak]
5. US to boost nuclear missile defences
The US unveiled plans to boost missile defences on the West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea, after its third nuclear test last month. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the Pentagon would add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska – an effective reversal of an early Obama administration decision – and move ahead with the deployment of a second missile-defense radar in Japan. The Pentagon also left open the possibility of creating a site on the U.S. East Coast where the Pentagon could field more interceptors capable of striking down an incoming missile. The 14 additional interceptor deployments would cost nearly $1 billion and must be approved by Congress.
Representative Mike Rogers, who chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees ballistic missile defence stated that although North Korea is many years away from developing an effective inter-continental ballistic missile with nuclear capability, the mood in Washington is that the US needs to stay ahead of the threat posed by North Korea.
Admiral James Winnefeld, Vice Chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed confidence in the missiles and said “We not only intend to put the mechanics in place to deny any potential North Korean objective to launch a missile to the United States, but also to impose costs on them if they do,” he told reporters. “And we believe that this young lad ought to be deterred by that. And if he’s not, we’ll be ready.”
Image Credits: newswhip.com, guardian.com, globalpost.com
Sources: bbc.co.uk, uk.reuters.com, guardian.co.uk