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A Sri Lankan commission that's investigated alleged human rights abuses during the final stages of the civil war with Tamil separatists in 2009 has delivered its final report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Human rights groups have criticised the commission for

failing to

meet international standards.

The first trial has begun in Bangladesh of suspects accused of crimes against humanity and collaborating with Pakistani forces during the fight for independence from Pakistan in 1971. More than three million people died in the conflict. The country's Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said it was a historic occasion.

"This nation waited for last about 40 years for seeing this trial. And we lost many professors, teachers, musicians - the bright son[s] of our country at the time of the liberation movement. So it was our moral duty, our constitutional responsibility to try these offenders."

The first to appear was the senior leader of an opposition Islamist party, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who's charged with genocide, rape and religious

persecution

. He denies the charges.

Pope Benedict has ended his visit to Benin with an open-air Mass attended by an enthusiastic crowd of tens of thousands of people in Cotonou. The BBC Vatican correspondent says during his visit, Pope Benedict has addressed a number of complex issues, including dialogue with Muslims, the Aids epidemic and how to square Catholic teaching with traditional African religions.