Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope Benedict XVI, admitted hitting students while he was director of the most prominent Catholic boys' choir in Germany. The allegations of abuse of children in Germany have raised questions about Pope Benedict, who spent his early career as a professor of theology and bishop of Munich before becoming a top Vatican official in 1982.
Ratzinger denied knowing boys were sexually abused. He said the choirmaster was "a king without a kingdom" in the school hierarchy and that the tone was set by the "very violent" headmaster who served from 1953 to 1992. One former student, Franz Wittenbrink, now a composer, has described the headmaster as a sexual sadist.
Airstrikes in southern Yemen killed about 30 suspected al-Qaida members on Sunday, local tribal sources said,...
Iran has condemned a US decision to seize a Manhattan skyscraper belonging to a non-profit organisation...
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged equal opportunities and rights for men and women, and condemned...
