After a scathing report that revealed the abuse of over 330,000 children over 70 years, the church said it will sell its real estate assets or take loans to compensate the victims.

Religious parties argue the gender change law is promoting homosexuality, dubbing it "un-Islamic." A bill in the Muslim-majority country's Senate seeks to make the sex change procedure more difficult for citizens.

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international team mate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term. He was also fined 75,000 euros ($84,170). Benzema's lawyer said the player would appeal against the verdict.

In a big day for LGBT residents of Botswana, an attempt to overturn the decriminalisation of homosexuality has failed in court. Also, South Africa's government says it is being punished as it tries to get countries to walk back some of their Covid-19 travel restrictions. And the China-Africa summit kicks off in Dakar, where participants are discussing trade, conflict and the coronavirus pandemic.

Ghislaine Maxwell, the UK socialite accused of grooming young girls for Jeffrey Epstein, has appeared in a New York court. Prosecutors say she gained the girls' trust by taking them to movies and sending them gifts.

Some 30 countries around the world have already legalised gay marriage, but just a handful of them are in Latin America. They include Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and now Chile can be added to that list. People there celebrated this week as the Chilean Congress voted to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption. The decision now needs to be signed by the president, who backs the law.

Kardashian's estranged husband, Kanye West, recently sat down for an interview with Jason Lee for Hollywood Unlocked, and another clip from the chat was released on Tuesday. During the conversation, the rapper claimed he stopped a second sex tape between Kardashian and her ex Ray J from leaking by collecting a laptop from the singer after the reality star's debut on Saturday Night Live in October.

European Union leaders are meeting with their counterparts from the African Union in Brussels this Thursday. Several major economic issues will be discussed, including the €150 billion investment plan promised by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Ahead of that gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron promised a deal on reallocating of up to $100 billion of International Monetary Fund finance to African countries. Also today, we bring you the latest on the fuel shortage crisis in Nigeria.

Switzerland's second-largest bank stands accused of handling funds for dictators, drug traffickers and torturers after a whistleblower leak led to a year-long investigation by a consortium of journalists. And the United States and Britain have raised the stakes for potential sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine. Finally, Italy's famed glassblowers are cracking under red-hot energy prices.

With the city of Kharkiv devastated and Kyiv braced for attack by an approaching Russian convoy, we are asking whether the US has made the right calls on Ukraine. The message of Biden's State of the Union address was one of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. But seen from Kyiv, will this feel like enough?

There is currently more trade with western and eastern countries than there is within the continent. Printing banknotes in Africa would boost profits on the continent and, at least theoretically, African countries could choose those with printing capabilities since there's likely some idle capacity.

He's been dubbed the "greatest marathoner of the modern era." In an exclusive DW interview, Kipchoge invites us to his farm in Kenya, where he speaks about mental health and how he stays positive even in trying times.