World News from the BBC
An official enquiry in Belgium has concluded that child abuse by Roman Catholic priests took place in nearly every diocese over several decades. The commission, which heard evidence from hundreds of victims, said it was shocked by the testimonies. However, the Church is cleared of a
systematic
cover-up. Jonty Bloom reports.
This commission's findings make grim reading. Hundreds of victims
came forward
to give details of horrific abuse by priests, Catholic school teachers and youth workers that sometimes went on for decades. The levels of abuse were at their worst in the 1960s. Two thirds of the victims were underage boys; one victim was only two when first attacked; over 100 girls were also raped and abused, and that abuse often continued into adulthood. As a result, the commission says, 13 people have committed suicide and another six have tried to kill themselves.
China has
postpone
d a planned session of diplomatic talks with Japan in protest at Tokyo's failure to free a Chinese trawler captain detained near disputed islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday. The Chinese foreign ministry expressed strong
discontent
at what it called Japan's ridiculous and illegal actions which, it said, violated international common sense.
Officials in California say they have completely contained a fire which was caused by a gas explosion near San Francisco's International Airport. At least four people were killed and dozens were injured after a gas pipeline exploded in a residential area in the town of San Bruno.