Top Vatican priest accused of sexually harassing nun, steps down
AFP, Vatican
A senior Vatican priest accused of making advances towards a nun during confession has resigned, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
Austrian Father Hermann Geissler resigned as one of three top officials at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which ensures Roman Catholic moral doctrine.
“Geissler decided to take this step to limit the damage already done to the congregation and to his community,” a Vatican statement said, adding that he “reserves the right for possible civil legal action.”
King of Spain visits Iraq, first in 40 years
AFP, Baghdad
Spain’s King Felipe VI arrived in Iraq on Wednesday in the first visit there by a Spanish monarch in four decades, a diplomat told AFP.
The king, whose country is part of an international coalition battling the Islamic State group, visited Spanish special forces and was set to hold talks later in the day with President Barham Saleh. Iraq in 2017 declared victory over IS following a bruising months-long campaign backed by the coalition, which continues to carry out operations against the jihadists.
Brazil dam collapse toll rises to 84
AFP, Brumadinho
The death toll from the collapse of a Brazilian dam rose to 84 on Tuesday as mining giant Vale announced that moves to dismantle similar structures would hit production.
Brazilian authorities are stepping up their probe of Vale, with five engineers involved in the operating licenses and the last inspection of the dam arrested on prosecutors’ orders in the state of Minas Gerais, where the disaster occurred Friday at one of the firm’s mines.
Palestinian woman shot dead
AFP, Jerusalem
A Palestinian woman tried to stab Israeli guards at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israeli police said, with Palestinian officials reporting she was shot dead.
“At the security checkpoint at Zaim a female suspect attempted to stab security guards that were on patrol in the area,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement. The Palestinian health ministry said a woman was killed by Israeli fire east of Jerusalem, adding her identity was not yet known.
S Korea governor jailed for rigging
AFP, Seoul
A provincial governor and close ally of South Korean President Moon Jae-in was convicted and jailed for two years Wednesday for his part in an online opinion-rigging scandal ahead of the 2017 presidential election.
Kim Kyoung-soo was found guilty of colluding with a blogger to artificially generate more than 88 million likes and dislikes on comments on 76,000 news stories.
