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Vatican Court Convicts Former Pope Adviser Of Financial Crimes

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A Vatican court has jailed former Pope Francis’s adviser, Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, to five and a half years in prison for financial irregularities.

Becciu, 75, was the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to face such charges, and he was even considered a papal contender himself.

The trial focused on a London real estate transaction that resulted in massive losses for the Catholic Church.

He vehemently refuted the claims, which included embezzlement and misuse of office.

Cardinal Becciu’s lawyer stated that his client was innocent and that he would file an appeal.

He was on trial alongside nine other people. All were judged guilty on certain counts and not guilty on others.

vatican

Vatican Court Convicts Former Pope Adviser Of Financial Crimes

The trial, which uncovered infighting and intrigue at the highest levels of the Vatican, had been ongoing for two and a half years.

Cardinal Becciu was found guilty of embezzlement after three judges deliberated for more than five hours, according to Court President Giuseppe Pignatone.

Others, including financiers, attorneys, and ex-Vatican personnel, were charged with a variety of offenses, including fraud, money laundering, and abuse of office. They all denied doing anything wrong.

“We reaffirm Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s innocence and will appeal,” Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, said following the ruling. “We respect the ruling, but we will definitely appeal.”

The first case in which a Cardinal was tried in a Vatican court was fraught with intrigue and skulduggery. It involves claims of financial misconduct at the Vatican’s highest levels, cloak-and-dagger activities typical of the Holy See’s hidden society.

vatican

Vatican Court Convicts Former Pope Adviser Of Financial Crimes

It was centered on a structure, not in the Vatican or even Rome but a thousand kilometers distant in London – 60 Sloane Avenue in affluent Chelsea, a former Harrod’s warehouse.

The Vatican spent more than €200 million ($220 million; £170 million) 2014 to acquire a 45% interest in the structure, which was to be turned into luxury flats.

By 2018, the Vatican’s Secretariat of State had chosen to buy the property outright, investing an additional 150 million euros. Cardinal Becciu, the Vatican’s Substitute for General Affairs at the time – effectively the Pope’s chief of staff – is said to have signed off on the entire agreement.

Raffaele Mincione, an Italian financier with a base in London who oversaw the acquisition, placed the funds in a trust that included a portion for charitable purposes.

When the Secretariat eventually sought financial assistance from the Vatican’s bank, it prompted suspicion – and a Vatican police raid, which resulted in the charges against Becciu, Mincione, and eight others.

However, the probe into Becciu’s affairs was not restricted to the London property transaction.

vatican

Vatican Court Convicts Former Pope Adviser Of Financial Crimes

The cardinal was also accused of directing large quantities of money to his native diocese of Sardinia, some of which allegedly went to his family. It was also claimed that he paid about €600,000 to another of the accused, Cecilia Marogna, to assist in the release of a nun kidnapped in Mali.

Prosecutors claimed she instead spent the majority of the money on luxury items and vacations. Marogna, who had volunteered her services to them as an intelligence expert, paid multiple visits to Becciu’s home. Both denied any sexual interaction.

Becciu became the first cardinal ever tried for financial crimes due to the charges against him. It also prompted Pope Francis to deprive him of some rights, notably the opportunity to vote in a future conclave to choose Francis’ successor.

Following the Pope’s removal from office in 2020, he held a press conference to declare his innocence.

“Until 6:02 p.m. on Thursday I felt like a friend of the Pope, a faithful executor of his will,” the cardinal stated. “Then the Pope says he no longer has faith in me.”

The entire controversy became a test case for Pope Francis’ goal of cleaning up the Vatican’s finances, which had long been beset by scandal, bedeviling Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI’s reign.

The lawsuit’s outcome could have far-reaching consequences for Francis’ record as a reformer.

SOURCE – BBC

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The Canada Gun Ban Trudeau Adds 325 New Firearms

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The Canada Gun Ban Adds 325 New Firearms
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canada gun ban takes effect immediately

The Canada gun ban by Trudeau and his Liberals has added three-hundred and twenty-four firearm makes and models and variants to the banned weapons list, on Thursday.

“It is no longer legal to use, sell, or import these firearms in Canada,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc informed reporters.

According to RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bryan Larkin, the models evaluated and included on the list are assault-style guns as defined by the government in 2020. In the past, the Liberals prohibited 1,500 models using that criterion.

Current owners will have until October 30 of next year to comply with the ban during an amnesty period. The government’s intended buy-back program will include the new models.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR)’s Tracey Wilson blasted the Trudeau administration, claiming that the Liberals have not learnt anything from their eight-year effort to seize firearms from their rightful owners.

“They know they are out of time and Canadians are out of money, so this is just typical Liberal Party divide-and-conquer politics,” she added. They are aware that in less than ten months, the Conservatives will repeal everything.

They haven’t responded to law enforcement’s pleas, taken action against violent offenders who commit the same crimes repeatedly, or used an Order in Council to address the daily violence that afflicts Canada. Nothing.

Wilson also took issue with the government’s summary implementation of gun control laws through orders-in-council rather than through legislation.

Nicolas Johnson, a policy analyst and editor of thegunblog.ca, stated that he is not aware of any gun owner who expresses any desire or motivation to surrender their lawfully acquired firearms.

He told the Toronto Sun, “The Liberals have no idea how to carry out their confiscation fantasy, no money to pay for it, and no way to enforce it.” “With this most recent measure, the Liberals are coming across as more extreme, desperate, and weak.”

Even Liberal MPs opposed the Trudeau Liberals’ earlier attempts to impose universal gun control laws because they were so unpopular.

The Liberals subtly introduced two amendments to their gun control bill C-21 in 2022, which would have prohibited the lawful guns used by sport shooters and hunters on a daily basis.

Following strong resistance from hunters, sports shooters, and First Nations, the Liberals retracted those proposals. The opposition Conservatives called this a “humiliating climb-down” for the prime minister.

As of this writing, there is no list of the Canada gun ban for these 325 prohibited firearms.

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Man Leaps onto Polar Bear to Defend His Wife in Northern Canada

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Polar bear, Canada
The unnamed man suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover

Police say a man in Canada’s far north is recovering from injuries sustained when he jumped atop a polar bear to protect his wife from mauling.

The incident occurred at Fort Severn First Nations, a small community of approximately 400 people in far northern Ontario.

The nameless man was seriously injured but is likely to recover, according to a First Nations police officer.

On Tuesday, about 05:00 local time (11:00 GMT), the couple exited their house to find their dogs, when a bear on the driveway sprang at the man’s wife. He instantly jumped onto a polar bear to defend his wife from getting mauled.

“The woman slipped to the ground as her husband leapt onto the animal to prevent its attack,” police said in a statement. “The bear then attacked the man, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs.”

A neighbour arrived with a rifle and shot the bear multiple times. It retreated into the neighbouring woods, where it perished from its injuries.

He was later was transferred to a community nursing station and treated for his injuries.

Police stated they “continued to patrol the area to ensure there were no other bears roaming the community.”

According to Alysa McCall, a scientist with Polar Bear International, polar bears rarely attack humans.

When an attack occurs, the bear is frequently hungry, young, and ill, she explained. Normally, bears avoid human towns and prefer to hunt ice seals at sea.

“If you’re attacked by a polar bear, definitely do not play dead — that is a myth, “you fight as long as you can.”

According to Wikipedia, Fort Severn First Nation is a Western Swampy Cree First Nation band government located on the Severn River near Hudson Bay. It is the most northern community in Ontario, Canada. In 2001, the population was 401, consisting of 90 families in an area of 40 square kilometres.

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Macron of France Will Complete His Tenure And Choose a New Prime Minister Shortly.

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Macron
AFP

(VOR News) – The current French President, Emmanuel Macron, reportedly promised on Thursday to stay in office until the end of his term, which runs until 2027.

Moreover, he said he would appoint a new Prime Minister within a few days after Michel Barnier left, which explained his dismissal from the Prime Ministerial post.

Macron emerged the day following the unheard-of National Assembly vote of no confidence. The vote of no confidence left France without a functioning government. Instead of owning the flaws in his own government, he blamed his opponent on the extreme right for the downfall of Barnier’s rule.

They arrived at a decision. He described using the phrase “not to do but to undo”. “They preferred anarchy.”

According to the US President, the far-right and far-left have teamed to produce what he calls “an anti-Republican front.”

Furthermore, Macron’s carelessness will not be blamed on him.

Although he did not say anything about the name of the next prime minister in his statement, he said that he would choose a new prime minister during the next days.

The Elysee presidential palace’s communiqué said that President Macron “acknowledged” the resignation Barnier had turned in earlier that day. According to the statement, until a new government is chosen, Barnier and other ministers will keep responsibility for current affairs. The sentence included this phrase.

Following just three months in office, Barnier was obliged to resign as prime minister, hence shortening his tenure in modern France. Support for the no-confidence resolution—which the National Assembly finally approved—was shown in 331 votes overall.

In a parliament without a majority, Macron must choose a successor able of running a minority government. This is a difficult project. President of the National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet, a Macron party member, advised him to act quickly.

Braun-Pivet made a statement on Thursday that France Inter radio carried. “I advise that he promptly pick a new prime minister,” she said. Regarding political issues, uncertainty had no place. Essential is a leader who can successfully interact with all the stakeholders and help to approve a new budget item.

Still, the approach could be difficult. French media claims that a shortlist of moderate candidates with ability to appeal to both political extremes has been produced. Still, Macron’s government has not confirmed any of the recommended public post choices.

Concerns have been voiced regarding possible delays this time resulting from Macron’s extended two-month term to name a replacement to Barnier following the June legislative elections’s loss by his party.

Following the no-confidence vote, Macron has been called on to resign.

Leading far-left France Unbowed party member Manuel Bompard said on BFM TV Wednesday night, “I contend that stability necessitates the resignation of the President of the Republic.” Bompard was addressing the matter involving the Republic’s President. Bompard was considering the matter at that moment.

The head of the National Rally, the party with the most Assembly seats, Marine Le Pen said that “the pressure on the President of the Republic will intensify” but did not demand Macron’s resignation. This happens even though she refrained from advocating Macron’s leaving.

On the other hand, Macron has rejected these demands and declared that under his government there would not be any further legislative elections. The French constitution states that should their administration be ousted by the National Assembly or should the National Assembly decide to dissolve the government, a president is not obliged to retire.

“I will execute that mandate; I was elected to serve until 2027,” he said to reporters earlier this week. “I will totally meet that mandate.” “I will fulfil that mandate.”

The constitution says that fresh legislative elections cannot take place before July. For those assigned policy formulation, this might cause an impasse.

Political unrest has heightened worries about France’s economy, especially with relation to the national debt, which, should significant action not be taken, may equal seven percent of GDP.

The collapse of Barnier’s government could cause a rise in French interest rates, therefore aggravating the debt load of the country. This is grounded in analysts’ evaluations.

SOURCE: VA

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