Paris TV News

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio made history today by being the first non-European Pope in 1000 years. An enthusiastic crowd in St. Peter’s Square greeted him after white smoke rose from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel that indicates the College of Cardinals have elected the world’s new Pope to replace the resigned Pope Benedict XVI.

The Cardinal, who the world will now call Pope Francis, is the first Jesuit Pope and the first Pope to come from Latin America. The crowds shouted “Viva iL Papa” upon the recognition of the new pope.

Many analysts expected to have Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola to be the next Pope, given his close connection to the Vatican and his duties to its activities.

Pope Francis spent most of his entire holy career in his home in Buenos Aires. He preferred to live simply and tried to avoid the extravagant life of some Archbishops and Cardinals. He lived in an apartment and headed to the Archbishop’s palace for work through the bus, not the private chauffeur provided to most holy leaders. He is described as a man of humble origins and rare humility.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was named after St. Francis of Assisi, who had lived a spiritual life and rid himself of his material possessions. For his faith, he made a Church to which Jesus appeared to him three times, saying to him to “Fix my Church” each time. During St. Assisi’s era, the Church climate was corrupt and politics got in the way of true faith, and this is where he stepped in.

Source: News.com

Recently, disgraced former Lloyds TSB boss Eric Daniels lashed out on consumers and claims management companies for attempting to increase the banks’ PPI compensation package through bogus PPI complaints. Daniels said that half of Lloyds’ PPI complaints were illegitimate, stressing out that most consumers “knew what the product was” and that “PPI was good value for money”.

However, the Financial Ombudsman Service called on the public to treat Daniel’s statements with ‘Cynicism’. The FOS disproves Eric Daniels’ statements as they uphold 3 out of 4 PPI claims rejected by the bank.

Lloyds has over 6,000 representatives handling mis sold PPI complaints and personnel often report confusion about claimants’ PPI claim letters and the lack of evidences the reasons why the claims are often rejected. Consumer groups and claims management companies advice claimants to find a good PPI template letter in news and media websites and even claims management company websites.

Today, Lloyd’s total PPI compensation provision goes up to £6.3 billion, recently earmarking a £1 billion addition to the PPI package. Lloyd’ compensation total puts it on top of all UK banks’ total for PPI compensation. The bank faces other charges for their other scandals. It recently set aside a £90 million compensation package for mis selling interest rate swap products.

The French troops advancing to Mali’s Timbuktu had captured a string of other towns from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an al-Qaeda linked group that captured the town April last year. French Air Strikes attacked the home of the Al-Qaeda town overnight and have seized the city of Gao in their ongoing campaign against the Mali terrorists.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that the troops continued to advance to Timbuktu and Gao is the biggest of six towns seized by the French troops since January 11. On  Sunday, along with the capture of Gao, the French troops also destroyed the home of Ansar Dine Chief Iyad Ag Ghaly during the air raids in the Islamist bases of Kidal.

The capture of Mali’s towns by the rebels were a result of a previous coup attempt in April last year in Bamako. Tuareg rebels who wanted to have an independent homeland seized the towns, Kidal first then Gao and Timbuktu. The Islamists joined their cause, and imposed a harsh version of Sharia law comparable to the Taliban’s laws, including banning smoking and music, and having women wear veils.

Citizens of Mali were confident in the French and Mali troop efforts to free the remaining towns. In anguish, they recalled the rebels looting and destroying the mausoleums of saints and amputated people who committed petty crimes such as stealing.

Source: Pakistan Today

Interior minister Manuel Valls, the “number one cop” of France, denies ordering the local police to clear the homeless and tramps of the district near the Right Bank Place de la Bastille so that his wife can shop in peace. Tramps and homeless people have frequented the Rue De la Roquette area near the Bastille opera for years. The place is a magnet for tourists and young people who dine at its cheap restaurants and bars.

Police surrounded the area, cleared the tramps and homeless from the district, and the police placed them in the precinct. One tramp said that they were promised to stay in the precinct for only 4pm and 8pm. When asked by locals and other citizens, the police responded that it was by the orders of the Interior Minister.

However, Valls says that the police responded to the requests of high politicians and other local citizens who have petitioned to have the area cleared of the tramps three months past. The overdue promise was taken action only at a time that he and his wife were shopping. However, critics do not believe the Interior Minister’s statement.

Critics say that it is not the first case of politicians using the police to please one’s wife. Charles de Gaulle had the Plae de la Madelaine cleared of prostitutes for his wife, who would be shopping in the food stores of Fauchon or Hediart.

Source: Telegraph