Pope Benedict XVI has named archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia as the successor to cardinal Keith O’Brien in the position of archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

The 62-year-old will take over as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese until a new archbishop is appointed.

Archbishop Tartaglia claimed he takes over the position in a “painful and distressing” time for the region.

“With the grace of God, I will do my very best to oversee and govern the Archdiocese until the appointment of a new Archbishop. I ask for your prayers,” he said.

Cardinal O’Brien announced he would be stepping down from his position on Monday (February 25^th), amid claims that he engaged in inappropriate behaviour with young priests.

He had been scheduled to travel to the Vatican to attend the conclave responsible for choosing the next pope. His absence from the voting means Britain will not be represented in the forthcoming papal election.

O’Brien had tendered his resignation to Pope Benedict some months previously, but was meant to formally retire at a later date before accusations of inappropriate conduct arose.

Three priests and one former clergyman have accused the former cardinal of inappropriate behaviour in a number of incidents that took place over 30 years.

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The identities of two Britons involved in a balloon crash in Luxor, Egypt have been released.

Michael and Yvonne Rennie of Perth in Scotland were named as the two British victims in the accident, which claimed 19 lives in total.

The balloon was soaring at more than 1,000ft when an explosion occurred and it caught fire – plummeting downwards and crashing into farmlands west of Luxor.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed that two British nationals and one UK resident had been killed in the accident, while one Briton survived the crash and remains in a stable condition at a hospital in Cairo.

“We have had consular officials in Luxor since early this morning who have been focussed on providing consular assistance and supporting the Egyptian authorities. Our Ambassador to Egypt has met the injured British National and has offered our assistance,” the FCO said.

Holiday company Thomas Cook revealed that the British citizens involved in the accident were its customers and that support was being provided to their family and friends.

“What happened in Luxor this morning is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of everyone in Thomas Cook are with our guests, their family and friends,” said Peter Fankhauser, chief executive of Thomas Cook UK & Ireland.

The company went on to state that a full investigation into the incident would now take place in conjunction with local officials.

Worried relatives who may have a family member in resort can call Thomas Cook on: 0800 1075638

Image used courtesy of Keith Bell / Shutterstock.com.

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Cardinal Keith O’Brien has resigned his post as the UK’s most senior Roman Catholic clergyman.

His step down was announced earlier this morning (February 25^th) and will take place with immediate effect.

The move comes after accusations of inappropriate behaviour toward fellow clerics were leveled at O’Brien, with the Observer publishing a series of allegations over the issue.

Three priests and a former clergyman voiced a number of complaints against the former Cardinal over several of incidents that took place over three decades.

One complainant required psychological treatment after claiming that O’Brien had entered into an “inappropriate relationship” with him.

The now-former cardinal rejected the allegations and was expected to continue in his role as head of the catholic church in Scotland until his retirement was scheduled in March.

O’Brien had been scheduled to travel to the Vatican this week to take his place in the conclave to choose the next pope, but his resignation will mean Britain forsakes its place in the coming election.

He stands accused of inappropriate contact with the complainants, with the group expressing fears over the possibility of a cover-up.

“The church is beautiful, but it has a dark side and that has to do with accountability. If the system is to be improved, maybe it needs to be dismantled a bit,” said one alleged victim.

O’Brien was ordained in 1965 and was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh in 1985.

His resignation follows that of Pope Benedict XVI, who announced that he would be stepping down as head of the Catholic church last week.

Image used courtesy of the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

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The eurozone’s financial downturn will continue into 2013, the European Commission has warned.

In its latest forecast, the body claimed the economy of the region would contract by 0.3 per cent over the course of the year.

This marks a revision of previous predictions, which suggested the region would see growth of 0.1 per cent during 2013.

Olli Rehn, commission vice-president for economic and monetary affairs warned that the rebalancing of the European economy would continue to restrict growth in the short term.

“We have disappointing hard data from the end of last year, some more encouraging soft data in the recent past, and growing investor confidence in the future. The decisive policy action undertaken recently is paving the way for a return to recovery,” he said.

However, Mr Rehn asserted that the Eurozone must “stay the course of reform” and warned that a loss of momentum could undermine the turnaround in confidence in the area.

Delivering projections for 2014, the Commission claimed the European Union (EU) would see 1.6 per cent growth, while the euro area’s economy would expand by 1.5 per cent.

However, it also warned that the downturn is expected to precipitate an increase in unemployment during 2013, predicting a rise to 11.1 per cent within the EU.

The body went on to note that a combination of cyclical weakness and “protracted adjustment” is holding back domestic consumption, although a gradual increase is expected over the course of this year.

Image used courtesy of Sedmakova / Shutterstock.com.

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David Cameron is set to announce a partnership between India and Britain on the issue of cybercrime today (February 19^th).

In the second day of his trade expedition to India, the prime minister will unveil a raft of measures to bolster cooperation in this area, including police training exchanges and research into digital security.

The partnership would help protect the vast swathes of personal information held in Indian databases and call centres.

Cameron seeks to make the country a “trusted partner” in the digital arena in response to the increasing threat from criminal cybercrime groups and state-sponsored hacking.

He claims Britain has an edge in terms of technological expertise and competitiveness in battling cybercrime and believes it is in the national interest to share this with India.

At a meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, Cameron will announce a joint task force, which will share key information on digital threats.

The prime minister is leading the largest ever trade delegation of its type on a tour of the country this week, with more than 100 British firms taking part in the trip.

India is expected to become the world’s third largest economy by 2050 and the visit’s aim is to strengthen business ties between the two countries.

“As India grows, it needs a partner that can support its ambition – in infrastructure, in energy, in healthcare and more,” Cameron said.

“We have to get out there, make the case for Britain and open doors for British business.”

Image used courtesy of number10.gov.uk

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David Cameron has led the largest ever prime ministerial trade delegation from the UK to India today (February 18^th).

As part of an effort to help promote British business overseas, more than 100 companies are participating in the three-day visit, alongside a number of ministers.

The prime minister vowed to do everything in his power to help Britain succeed in the global marketplace and suggested India needs a partner that can support its ambitions in multiple sectors.

“Britain can do all these things and more. So, we have to get out there, make the case for Britain and open doors for British business,” he said.

The delegation will visit both Delhi and Mumbai and Cameron is set to meet with Indian president Pranab Mukherjee and prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Among those in attendance are representatives of brands including Debenhams, Brylcreem and TRESemme`, whose products are set to go on sale in India in the near future.

A partnership between the Royal Mint and the MMTC-PAMP India was also announced, in addition to a raft of other trade and investment deals, which are expected to create 500 new jobs in Britain.

Trade minister Lord Green hailed India as having the potential to become one of the largest markets in the world.

“Government is clear that we must build deeper ties with India. This means supporting and encouraging a range of companies, both large and small, to do business there in the future,” he said.

Image used courtesy of UKTI.

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The British government has released a factual analysis of the legal implications surrounding the issue of Scottish Independence today (February 11^th).

According to the report, an independent Scotland would be regarded as a “completely separate” state in regard to international law and the UK would be viewed as a ‘continuing state’.

Commenting on the release, Scottish secretary Michael Moore warned of “serious repercussions” for the nation if it were to leave the union.

“This is a debate that cannot be left to lawyers and experts alone, everyone must participate in it. I want you to read this paper – and the papers that will follow. I want you to ask us questions. And I want you to encourage others in your organisations to do the same,” he said.

The release comes shortly after David Cameron launched a defence of the union in parliament yesterday.

He lauded the benefits of remaining as a single nation – pointing to Team GB’s recent success in the Olympic Games as evidence.

“If you told many people watching those Olympics around the world that we were going to erect barriers between our people, they’d probably be baffled. Put simply: Britain works. Britain works well. Why break it?”

The Scottish National Party is set to hold a referendum on the subject of independence in 2014 and the 58-page report released today likened the situation to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, where states outside of Russia were regarded as separate and new under international law.

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The European Union’s (EU’s) budget could see cuts for the first time since its inception.

Proposals were unveiled by EU president Herman Van Rompuy early this morning (February 8^th) that will see a significant reduction in the body’s financial commitments if instituted.

He called for the EU’s budget to be reduced to €908.4 billion (£774 billion) between 2014 and 2020.

The move is likely to be welcomed by UK prime minister David Cameron, who arrived at the budget summit on Thursday proclaiming the need to address the organisation’s spending.

He described the budget as “too high” and claimed no deal could be arranged unless further cuts were put in place.

“Frankly the EU should not be immune from the sorts of pressures that we’ve had to reduce spending,” he said.

Van Rompuy’s proposals mark a significant decrease from the €973 billion budget put forward during a summit on the issue in November last year.

“For the first time in the EU’s history there will be a real budget cut,” Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuanian president and former EU budget commissioner said.

However, the deal is by no means complete and could be vetoed by MEPs under powers granted by the Lisbon Treaty.

The compromise came under fire from Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, who questioned the value of the cuts.

“Shaving a few pence off our daily contribution is inconsequential – the question now is why are we paying anything at all, [sic]” he said via Twitter.

Image used courtesy of Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com.

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David Cameron has described the European Union’s (EU’s) long-term budget as “too high” and called Britain’s place in the federation into question.

Speaking outside of an EU summit today (February 7^th) the prime minister warned that no deal on the issue could be made until further cuts were instituted.

“When we were last here in November, the numbers that were put forward were much too high. They need to come down. And if they don’t come down, there won’t be a deal,” he said.

Talks on the budget last year broke down, despite EU president Herman Van Rompuy reducing it to €973 billion (£839 billion) and the latest meeting has seen Cameron threaten to veto any deal in which spending by Brussels is not significantly cut.

“Frankly the EU should not be immune from the sorts of pressures that we’ve had to reduce spending,” he said.

The prime minister went on to claim that “efficiencies” need to be found by member states, which should spend their money “wisely”.

However, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso warned leaders of the consequences that could face the EU if negotiations were not carried out “in a spirit of responsibility”.

“Further delays will send out a very negative message at this time of fragile economic recovery. The risk is that positions will harden and will be even more Difficult to overcome.”

Image used courtesy of Asianet-Pakistan / Shutterstock.com.

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The Scottish government has released a paper outlining how the transition to independence would take place today (February 5^th).

If the populace of the country were to vote ‘yes’ in the upcoming referendum next year, Scotland’s independence day would be scheduled to take place in March 2016.

Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon urged UK policymakers to abide by the Electoral Commission’s recommendations and partake in discussions about the future of the nation.

“An independent Scotland is not an end in itself, rather it offers us an opportunity to build the kind of country we all want to see,” she said.

Ms Sturgeon went on to state that the referendum would give Scots an “unprecedented opportunity” to put together a “solid” constitutional platform for the country.

“There is no reason that talks on the process required to make Scotland an independent country – if the people of Scotland make that choice – cannot begin now,” she added.

The document outlines plans for a written constitution, which would be drafted by a convention comprised of Scottish people and representatives of institutions in the country.

However, the plan has come under fire from critics, with Alistair Darling, head of the Better Together campaign, calling the scheme’s timescale into question.

“What they are saying is that in less than a year you can break all the ties of the past and you can fix something entirely new,” he told BBC Radio Scotland.

Image used courtesy of Donald Bowers Photography / Shutterstock.com.

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