This week all-night negotiations came to an end as austerity-minded EU leaders led by Britain and Germany reached an agreement on budget proposals for the rest of the decade that will lead to the first cut in EU spending in its 56-year history and MPs have approved same-sex marriage in England and Wales in a key Commons vote. Six rape victims were among 14 people victimised by hooded gunmen in a Mexican resort putting violence back in the spotlight. India hanged a Kashmiri militant on Saturday for an attack on the country’s parliament in 2001, sparking clashes in Kashmir between hundreds of protesters and police and a blizzard has hit north-east US and Atlantic Canada killing at least four people and prompting five governors to declare states of emergency on Friday.
European Union leaders agrees historic budget deal
David Cameron has claimed to have won a historic victory in cutting the European Union budget. After two days of talks, EU leaders agreed on a 908bn euros (£768bn) budget limit for 2014 to 2020 – about 3% lower than the current seven-year period. This is the first reduced budget in the union’s history, after Germany’s Angela Merkel backed Mr Cameron’s drive to squeeze European spending.
Following a nonstop 25-and-a-half hour negotiation in Brussels, the prime minister said he could “look taxpayers in the eye” and argue he had helped deliver a good deal. Labour welcomed the news but critics warned the European Parliament could still block the package.
Friday’s agreement – which required the backing of all 27 members – comes after EU leaders failed to agree a deal in November amid deep divisions over proposed austerity measures. The deal means that Britain will pay around £500 million a year less to the EU than it would have done under a budget proposed last year.
MPs vote in favour of same-sex marriage
This week MPs voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, a majority of 225. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, where a religious institution had formally consented, in England and Wales. It would also allow couples who had previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage.
MPs were given a free vote on the bill, meaning they were not ordered to vote a particular way by party whips.Prime Minister David Cameron has described the move as “an important step forward” that strengthens society.
However voting lists show that 136 Conservative MPs opposed the bill. MPs raised concerns that, by changing marriage from being solely between a man and a woman, fundamental parts of marriage, such as the ability to divorce on the grounds of adultery or failure to consummate the marriage, would not apply to same-sex marriages.
This is because current legal definitions of adultery and consummation are based on sexual contact between a man and a woman.
“There is absolutely no doubt that once marriage is re-defined in this very fundamental way, a whole number of new legal questions will arise, and no one can be quite sure what the outcome will be,” warned Sir Tony Baldry, a Conservative MP and the Church of England’s representative in the Commons.
“The government believes that this is a risk worth taking; the Church of England believes that it is not.” The legislation will now receive more detailed parliamentary scrutiny.
Beach resort attack in Mexico
Mexican authorities say they are determined to capture those responsible for the rape of six Spanish women near the holiday resort of Acapulco. Masked gunmen burst into a rented beach house on Monday, tied up and held at gunpoint six Spanish men as they attacked the women for several hours. A seventh woman escaped after telling the attackers she was a Mexican.
Acapulco is one of Mexico’s most famous beach resorts, but it has recently suffered from drug-related violence. The high-profile incident this week was a sharp reminder of significant security problems in a state that has seen violence surge even as homicide numbers in other hotspots across the country have started to dip. Last year Guerrero state, where Acapulco sits, had more reported gun murders than any other state in Mexico, more than 1,600, according to a federal government tally released last month.
“The attack will not go unpunished, as we are committed to catching those responsible,” said a statement from the government of Guerrero state. The rapes are being seen as a blow to Mexico’s attempts to boost its reputation as a tourist destination.
India executes Kashmiri militant for 2001 parliament attack
A Kashmiri militant sentenced to death over a 2001 plot to attack India’s parliament has been hanged after his final clemency plea was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee. Officials said Mohammed Afzal Guru, who had been on death row since 2002, was executed at Tihar jail near Delhi. Hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in towns and cities across Indian-administered Kashmir to try to contain any unrest sparked by the execution.
The December 2001 attack was one of the most controversial incidents in recent Indian history, correspondents say. Five militants stormed India’s parliament in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, armed with grenades, guns and explosives, but security forces killed them before they could enter the main chamber. Ten other people, most of them security officers, were killed in the clash. India blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, which it said was backed by Pakistan. Pakistan denied any involvement and condemned the attack but tension rose sharply and brought the nuclear-armed rivals dangerously close to their fourth war. Nearly a million soldiers were mobilised on both sides of the border and fears of war only dissipated months later, in June 2002.
Guru, an Indian national, was convicted for helping organise arms for the attackers and a place for them to stay. He had denied any involvement in the conspiracy
Executions are very rare in India – Afzal Guru’s was only the second since 2004, after Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving attacker from the 2008 Mumbai attack was executed in November.
“This is only about the law taking its course,” Home Secretary RK Singh said.
Blizzard prompts five governors to declare states of emergency
Thick snow has engulfed the north-eastern US and eastern Canada as a major storm cuts power to thousands of homes. The storm has prompted the governors of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Maine to declare states of emergency, with millions of residents being warned to stay indoors. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has temporarily banned all non-essential traffic on the state’s roads. Meteorologists say the storm could be New England’s worst for decades.
More than 160,000 lost power in Massachusetts, almost 200,000 in Rhode Island and 34,000 in Connecticut, according to local utilities. The storm is being blamed for at least four deaths in New York and Canada.
Sources: bbc.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, uk.reuters.com
Picture Credits: foxnews.com, telegraph.co.uk, cp24.com