Cardinal Pell, Vatican treasurer, found guilty of molesting two choir boys

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Cardinal George Pell leaves the County Court of Victoria court after prosecutors decided not to proceed with a second trial on alleged historical child sexual offenses in Melbourne on February 26, 2019. (AFP / CON CHRONIS)
Updated 26 February 2019
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Cardinal Pell, Vatican treasurer, found guilty of molesting two choir boys

  • Cardinal George Pell becomes the most senior Catholic clergyman worldwide to be convicted for child sex offense
  • He faces a potential maximum 50-year prison term after a sentencing hearing that begins on Wednesday

MELBOURNE, Australia: The most senior Catholic cleric ever charged with child sex abuse has been convicted of molesting two choirboys moments after celebrating Mass, dealing a new blow to the Catholic hierarchy’s credibility after a year of global revelations of abuse and cover-up.
Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser and the Vatican’s economy minister, bowed his head but then regained his composure as the 12-member jury delivered unanimous verdicts in the Victoria state County Court on Dec. 11 after more than two days of deliberation.
The court had until Tuesday forbidden publication of any details about the trial.
The convictions were confirmed the same week that Francis concluded his extraordinary summit of Catholic leaders summoned to Rome for a tutorial on preventing clergy sexual abuse and protecting children from predator priests.
The jury convicted Pell of abusing two 13-year-old boys whom he had caught swigging sacramental wine in a rear room of Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in late 1996, as hundreds of worshippers were streaming out of Sunday services.
Pell, now 77 but 55 at the time, had just been named the most senior Catholic in Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne.
The jury also found Pell guilty of indecently assaulting one of the boys in a corridor more than a month later.
He faces a potential maximum 50-year prison term after a sentencing hearing that begins on Wednesday. He has foreshadowed an appeal.
Pell had maintained his innocence throughout, describing the accusations as “vile and disgusting conduct” that went against everything he believed in.
His lawyer Robert Richter had told the jury that only a “mad man” would take the risk of abusing boys in such a public place. He said it was “laughable” that Pell would have been able to do what he had been accused of, given the cumbersome robes he was wearing.
Both he and Chief Judge Peter Kidd urged the jury of eight men and four women not to punish Pell for all the failings of the Catholic Church.
“You must not scapegoat Cardinal Pell,” Kidd told the jury.

How Australian abuse victim’s ‘powerful’ testimony sank top Vatican official

Pell, who walked to and from court throughout his monthlong trial with a crutch under his right arm, was released on bail to undergo surgical knee replacements in Sydney on Dec. 14. Prosecutor Mark Gibson did not oppose bail, saying the surgery would be more easily managed outside the prison system.
Kidd warned that the continuing bail was not a sign that the 77-year-old would avoid a prison sentence.
The first four offenses occurred at the first or second Solemn Mass that Archbishop Pell celebrated as leader of the magnificent blue-stone century-old cathedral in the center of Melbourne. Pell was wearing his full robes — though not his staff or pointed bishops’ hat — at the time.
The now 34-year-old survivor told the court that Pell orally raped him, then crouched and molested him further.
The other victim died of a heroin overdose in 2014 without ever complaining of the abuse, and even denying to his suspicious mother that he had been molested while he was part of the choir.
Neither boy can be identified.
More than a month later, the complainant testified that Pell pushed him against a cathedral corridor wall after a mass and squeezed the boy’s genitals painfully before walking away in silence.
“I didn’t tell anyone at the time because I didn’t want to jeopardize anything. I didn’t want to rock the boat with my family, my schooling, my life,” the complainant told the jurors.
The complainant testified that he feared that making such accusations against a powerful church man would cost him his place in the choir and with it his scholarship to prestigious St. Kevin’s College.
Pell pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four counts of willfully committing an indecent act with or in the presence of a child under 16 in late 1996 and early 1997.
Pell did not testify at his trial. But the jury saw a video recording of an interview he gave Australian detectives in Rome in 2016 in which he stridently denied the allegations.
Pell grimaced, appeared incredulous, distressed, waved his arms over his head and muttered to himself as the detectives detailed the accusations that his victim had leveled against him a year earlier.
“The allegations involve vile and disgusting conduct contrary to everything I hold dear and contrary to the explicit teachings of the church which I have spent my life representing,” Pell told police.
Richter, Pell’s lawyer, had told the jury that the media had portrayed Pell as the “Darth Vader” of the church, referring to the “Star Wars” character.
The complainant testified that he and his friend had run from the procession and back into the cathedral through a side door to, as Gibson said, “have some fun.”
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Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to the report.


Student who stabbed Labour MP in east London in 2010 to be freed from prison, says Parole Board

Updated 3 sec ago
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Student who stabbed Labour MP in east London in 2010 to be freed from prison, says Parole Board

  • Roshonara Choudhry was 21 when sentenced to a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Stephen Timms twice in the stomach
  • Choudhry, now 36, participated in programs to understand her extreme beliefs, behavior was ‘exemplary,’ says panel

LONDON: A student who attempted to murder Labour MP Stephen Timms in May 2010 can be released from prison following a Parole Board decision.

Roshonara Choudhry was 21 when she was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Timms twice in the stomach, and was also charged with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon.

Choudhry, a former King’s College London student, was radicalized after watching lectures by an Al-Qaeda cleric, and her attack was believed to have been the first Al-Qaeda-inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil.

Choudhry attacked the East Ham MP, the minister of state for social security and disability in the current UK government, while he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community center in east London. Following her arrest, she told police the stabbing was “punishment” and “to get revenge for the people of Iraq.”

During a Parole Board hearing on May 20, a panel decided to release her from prison. It added that her imprisonment “was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”

Choudhry, now 36, participated in programs while in prison to understand her extreme beliefs, and her behavior was described by the panel as “exemplary.”

It added: “Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself.

“She would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.”

The panel recommended Choudhry’s release on license, with conditions to live at a designated address, follow a curfew, and avoid contact with Timms.


Indonesian president to meet Putin on first Russia visit next week

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during a meeting at the Kremlin.
Updated 5 min 41 sec ago
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Indonesian president to meet Putin on first Russia visit next week

  • Prabowo will meet Putin in St. Petersburg, where he will address an economic forum
  • He referred to Russia as ‘great friend’ when he visited Moscow as defense minister last year

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will meet Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg next week, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, as the leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is set to make his first visit to Russia since taking office.

Prabowo will begin his three-day visit on June 18, during which he will also attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.  

“This visit is to fulfill the invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a bilateral meeting,” Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Jakarta. 

“This visit is also part of the 75-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries … (and) is expected to include discussions on the progress of bilateral cooperation as well as an exchange between the leaders on regional and global issues of common concern.” 

Indonesia is also hoping to sign new agreements with Russia during the upcoming visit, he added without specifying details. 

Prabowo last met Putin in July, during a trip to Russia as Indonesia’s defense minister that took place months before he was inaugurated as the country’s new president. He called Russia a “great friend” at the time and said he wanted to develop nuclear energy cooperation with Moscow. 

The two countries held their first joint naval drills on Java in November. It was followed by talks between Indonesia’s Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, in Jakarta in February, during which they discussed ways to strengthen defense ties. 

Indonesia also became a full member of the BRICS bloc of emerging economies in January, a geopolitical forum that was co-founded by Russia. 

Since taking office, Prabowo has visited over a dozen countries, including China, the US and the UAE. 

The 73-year-old leader has committed to maintaining the country’s long-standing “free and active” foreign policy. Under the non-aligned approach, Jakarta has refused to take sides over Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.


Bangladeshi women break driving taboo on male-dominated roads

Sharmin Akter Pinky, a professional female driver, navigates the roads of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 27, 2025. (AN photo)
Updated 12 June 2025
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Bangladeshi women break driving taboo on male-dominated roads

  • Country’s largest development organization opened all-female driving school in 2012
  • Most of its graduates now employed by NGOs, international organizations

DHAKA: When Sharmin Akter Pinky sat behind the steering wheel for the first time, it was because of her aunt, who encouraged her to venture into a field which, in Bangladesh, had traditionally been dominated by men.

“She used to inspire me to be an independent woman and to do something with my own abilities,” Pinky told Arab News.

Her aunt saw women learning to drive at a school in Dhaka and convinced the rest of the family that it would be the right path for her niece as well.

“She kept insisting that if the other girls could do it, I would also be able to do the same,” Pinky said.

“This is how I stepped into this driving career, with the support of my parents, uncle, and aunt.”

Pinky was 20 at the time. Now, eight years later, she is a professional driver working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

The all-female driving school she enrolled in was opened by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), Bangladesh’s largest development organization, in 2012. Each year, more and more women have been taking the classes — making the wheel their tool for earning a livelihood and building a career.

“There was a time when people had a very negative mindset about girls entering the driving profession, but things have improved a lot since then. I would encourage more women to take it up. Girls should be independent and explore the world around them,” Pinky said.

For her, it also comes with a personal mission to help empower others who may not have had as much support from their families as she did.

In Pinky’s village, it was not widely accepted that women could work.

She said: “In the early days, when I went back to the village during holidays, people would say things like ‘This isn’t a respectable job,’ or ‘You’ll have trouble getting married,’ or ‘You might fall in with the wrong crowd.’

“But my father always stood by me. He told me not to listen to what people around us said. He encouraged me to focus on being a good human being, doing honest work, and helping others improve their lives.

“Later, I brought two other girls from my village, arranged driving training for them, and helped them find jobs. Now, people admit that driving can be a good job for women too. I feel proud I have started something.”

For Sharmina Akter Banu, who now also works at FAO, driving offered a means of survival.

When her father and husband passed away, she was left alone caring for her 18-month-old child, younger siblings, and mother.

“I received an offer from the BRAC Driving School to take driving training. I completed the training over a period of three months. After that, I got a job as a professional driver,” she said.

“At that time all of my siblings were still attending school. With the income from my driving job, I took on the responsibility of supporting my younger siblings. Thanks to that, all of them were able to complete their education.”

Banu’s younger brother is now pursuing his honors degree, and her son is completing high school.

The job has become a source of pride for her. She has a stable profession, is financially independent, has been able to support her family, and feels like an equal member of society.

“I’m surrounded by many male drivers and, among them, I am the only female. It’s a matter of pride for me, because as a woman I’ve been able to work in this challenging profession alongside men,” she said.

“Wherever I notice a female driver, it fills my heart with joy. More and more girls are coming into this profession. And they are doing well.”

Banu and Pinky are among more than 3,500 professional women drivers trained by BRAC. They come from various parts of Bangladesh and different backgrounds.

“We have BRAC’s network in the remotest parts of the country … We receive applications from minorities and underprivileged women,” Abdul Quddus, who is in charge of the organization’s driving schools, told Arab News.

“After receiving training, the female drivers start working at different organizations, especially with international NGOs … To date, all the women who received professional driving training from us are doing well at their workplaces.”

They are contributing not only to the workforce and efforts to change social norms, but also to improving road safety in a country where traffic accidents are common.

“The society has now mostly overcome the stereotype that driving is mostly a male job,” Quddus said.

“Women can play a significant role in ensuring road safety. They don’t get involved in risky driving like men, and they are more respectful of the traffic rules.”


Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades

Updated 12 June 2025
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Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades

  • Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday
  • Plane reportedly crashed on top of the dining area of state-run BJ Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well

NEW DELHI, India: An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India’s federal health minister said that “many people” were killed.
Following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent years:

AUGUST 2020
Twenty-one people died when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.

MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board.

JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.

APRIL 1993
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed during takeoff in the western city of Aurangabad and killed 55 people on board.

AUGUST 1991
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 flight from Kolkata crashed during descent near Imphal, the capital of the hilly north-eastern state of Manipur, killing all 69 occupants onboard.

OCTOBER 1988
More than 130 passengers died when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, crashed as it was coming in to land.

JANUARY 1978
All 213 passengers of an Air India flight were killed when the captain lost control of the plane after take-off and plunged it into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India’s financial hub.
 


NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome

Updated 12 June 2025
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NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome

  • Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032

ROME: NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he was “pretty confident” of getting a deal on boosting defense spending at a summit later this month, as he met European allies in Rome.
He joined foreign ministers and diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and the EU to discuss defense spending and their support for Kyiv, as Russia escalates its bombardments.
The meeting of the so-called “Weimar+” group comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin.
It will be followed by a NATO meeting in The Hague on June 24-25, where the focus will be reaching a deal that satisfies Trump’s demands to spend five percent of GDP on defense.
Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure.
“We are discussing the final decisions we will take in The Hague. I’m pretty confident indeed... that we will get to a joint position, all 32 (members),” he told reporters heading into the talks in Rome.
He praised Trump’s efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine by talking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “he broke the deadlock” — even if the discussions are stalled.
Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hard-line demands — rejected by Kyiv as “ultimatums” — to halt the war.
Rutte noted that Russia had sent a historian to talks in Istanbul, “explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that’s not helpful, but at least, step by step, we try to make progress.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the meeting host whose country spends 1.5 percent of GDP on defense, said he was “very happy” with Rutte’s spending plan.
“For Italy it’s important to spend more but we need more time, 10 years, I think it is more or less possible to achieve this goal,” he said.