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  • German Catholic priests ‘abused thousands of children’

    A door to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican stands open in the dawn light Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A study commissioned by the Catholic Church in Germany says clerics abused thousands of children over a 70-year period

    More than 3,600 children in Germany were assaulted by Roman Catholic priests between 1946 and 2014, a leaked report has revealed.

    The study was commissioned by the Church itself, and was due to be published on 25 September.

    According to the report, some 1,670 clergymen in Germany committed some form of sex attack on 3,677 minors, German outlet Spiegel Online reported.

    A Church spokesman said it was “dismayed and ashamed” by the findings.

    Sex abuse and the Catholic Church explained

    Only 38% of the alleged perpetrators were prosecuted, with most facing only minor disciplinary procedures, German media said. About one in six cases involved rape.

    Most of the victims were boys, and more than half were aged 13 or younger.

    Predatory clerics were often moved to new communities, where no warning was issued about their actions.

    The study was compiled by three German universities, using 38,000 documents from 27 German dioceses. Its authors said the true extent of the abuse may be even greater, as some records were “destroyed or manipulated”.

    How has the Catholic Church reacted?

    “We know the extent of the sexual abuse that has been demonstrated by the study. We are dismayed and ashamed by it,” said Bishop Stephan Ackermann, a spokesman for the German Bishops’ Conference which commissioned the report.

    He said the aim of the study was to shed light on “this dark side of our Church, for the sake of those affected, but also for us ourselves to see the errors and to do everything to prevent them from being repeated”.

    “I stress that the study is a measure that we owe not only to the Church but first and foremost, to those affected,” the bishop added.

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    Media captionPope Francis and Irish PM Leo Varadkar spoke out on the abuse last month

    Bishop Ackermann said the report had been leaked to the press before the Church itself had seen it. He said the Church had planned to provide counselling helplines for people affected by its contents.

    What is the Church doing about abuse claims?

    The Vatican did not immediately respond to Spiegel’s account of the report. But elsewhere on Wednesday, Pope Francis summoned Catholic bishops to the Vatican for a discussion on how to protect children in February next year.

    The damning German study is the latest in a series of blows to the Roman Catholic Church.

    Claims of clerical sex abuse have been levelled around the world, and with them allegations that Church leaders hushed up or ignored the wrongdoing.

    Pope faces twin battle in Church split over sexual abuse Pope keeps silent on abuse claim letter

    Pope Francis was caught up in the scandal last month, after a former Vatican diplomat accused him of ignoring allegations against a US cardinal for five years.

    The Pope’s supporters vehemently question the credibility of this accusation, which the pontiff has refused to respond to.

    In August, the Pope condemned the “atrocities” of child sex abuse in a letter to the world’s 1.2bn Roman Catholics.

    It came after a grand jury report detailed seven decades of abuse in the US state of Pennsylvania. The investigation found more than 1,000 children had been abused by 300 priests there. It found evidence of systematic cover-ups by the Church.

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    Media caption”It’s your word against God’s”: The office of the attorney general in Pennsylvania released video testimony from three victims

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  • Trump signs order to punish foreign meddlers in US votes

    Dan Coats speaking at White House Image copyright Getty Images Image caption US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats says officials are “taking nothing for granted” regarding election meddling.

    US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order authorising sanctions against any countries or individuals found interfering in US elections.

    The order instructs the intelligence community to monitor and report on attempts to disrupt election infrastructure as well as propaganda.

    The directive itself is not a sanction, but imposes bans or restrictions on suspected culprits.

    Mr Trump has been criticised for his response to alleged Russian meddling.

    There is some frustration among lawmakers that Mr Trump’s executive order could undercut congressional efforts to deter any election meddling in the US by foreign powers, according to CBS News.

    At a press briefing following the executive order, National Security Adviser John Bolton said the move was “intended to be a very broad effort to prevent foreign manipulation” of US politics, US media reported.

    National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said the directive was in response to alleged Kremlin interference in the 2016 presidential election.

    It is understood that Russia is not mentioned by name in the text, but US officials named that country along with China, North Korea and Iran as most likely to try to sway US elections.

    “We’re taking nothing for granted here,” Mr Coats said.

    Fraught subject for White House

    Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

    With under two months until the first national US elections since 2016, the Trump administration is outlining how it would respond to the kind of election meddling senior intelligence officials say could be coming.

    The threatened sanctions are notable because they aim not just at foreign companies and individuals seeking to disrupt US electoral infrastructure – electoral databases, vote tabulation processes and the like – but also of propaganda campaigns and leaks of sensitive political information.

    The US intelligence community has concluded that in 2016 Russian operatives were unable to accomplish the former, but resoundingly successful in the latter.

    That this announcement came first as a leak to US news outlets and then as an announcement from National Security Advisor John Bolton underlines how fraught a subject it is for this particular White House.

    Donald Trump has repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the 2016 Russian cyber-warfare efforts, asserting that the allegations are largely a result of Democrats seeking to shift responsibility for his victory away from their own failings.

    Now the intelligence community that the president has frequently belittled will have the power to respond to new assaults on the American democratic process. The question is whether the tools at its disposal will be an adequate deterrent.

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    Media captionThe ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye

    US intelligence agencies concluded in 2016 that Russia was behind an effort to tip the scale of the US election against Hillary Clinton, with a state-authorised campaign of cyber-attacks and fake news stories planted on social media.

    Russia has denied these accusations.

    The president has drawn criticism for his response to Russian interference in the 2016 elections, particularly after he seemed to side with President Vladimir Putin during their Helsinki summit in July.

    Amid serious backlash from both sides of the aisle, the Republican president later explained that he “misspoke” and said he had “great confidence” in US intelligence.

    In June, the US slapped sanctions on several Russian companies and individuals for allegedly aiding Russia’s intelligence agency in cyber-attacks against the US.

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  • Jeremy Corbyn aide investigated over Commons pass claim

    Parliament Image copyright PA

    Claims that a Jeremy Corbyn aide has been working in the Labour leader’s Commons office without security clearance are being investigated by the parliamentary authorities.

    Iram Awan, the Labour leader’s private secretary, was reported by the Huffington Post to be routinely working in Parliament on a visitor pass.

    The Commons authorities say this is against the rules.

    Labour said it did not comment on “staffing matters”.

    The Huffington Post claims Ms Awan has for nine months been escorted to Mr Corbyn’s Commons office by other members of his team, who do have security clearance.

    This means she will have passed through airport-style X-ray machines and security checks, like other visitors to the parliamentary estate.

    A Labour source said: “We have not been told that any members of staff have been refused a pass or any reasons for why any pass may not have been granted.”

    A Commons spokesman said: “Visitor passes are for visitors only. They cannot be used to carry out work on the parliamentary estate.”

    The spokesman said they could not comment on individual cases but added an “investigation into an alleged breach of the Parliamentary rules has been launched”.

    The investigation is reported to have been launched after Conservative MP Leo Docherty wrote to the serjeant at arms, Kamal El-Hajji, who is in charge of security at the House of Commons, to request one.

  • Oil prices rise to hit four-year high of $70 a barrel

    Petrol pump Image copyright Getty Images

    The price of oil has hit $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2014.

    Brent crude climbed after members of Opec, the cartel of 14 oil-producing nations that accounts for 40% of the world’s output, said it would continue to limit supplies.

    The RAC, the motoring group, has warned that rising oil prices could lead to higher forecourt costs for motorists.

    However, the AA said that drivers would benefit if supermarkets resumed their petrol price war.

    Suhail al-Mazrouei, the UAE oil minister and Opec president, said it was committed to limiting output until the end of the year.

    The US Energy Information Administration on said crude inventories fell by almost five million barrels to 419.5 million barrels in the week to 5 January. US production also fell by 290,000 barrels per day to 9.5 million.

    US oil also rose 1.5% to $64.51 a barrel.

    The RAC said that rising oil prices were likely to have “a knock-on effect in the forecourt due to the increase causing the wholesale price of fuel to rise”.

    The price of unleaded petrol has already risen by nearly 5p since November to 121.27p per litre, while diesel prices have jumped 3p to 123.97p over the same period.

    It said that cost of filling an average 55-litre family car was now £66.69 for petrol and £68.18 for diesel.

    An RAC spokesman said: “If oil stays at this level, pump price hikes will be almost inevitable.

    “With households across the country still feeling the cost of Christmas this is not the start to 2018 anyone would have wanted. It could also negatively affect business and further fuel inflation.”

    But the AA said: “Oil at $70 a barrel has yet to threaten a pump price surge on UK forecourts.”

    An AA spokesman said petrol prices had risen in recent weeks after supermarkets put their fuel price war on hold.

    According to data from the AA, supermarkets lowered petrol prices several times last year to a low of 111.8p a litre in July.

    While the AA conceded that wholesale prices have risen, it added: “The current higher prices are more a reflection of reduced fuel price competition at supermarkets.”

    By December, petrol was an average of 117.6p a litre at supermarkets and 121.9p ea litre at other outlets.

  • Sri Lanka to ban Hindu animal sacrifice

    Tamil Hindu women light small lamps while offering prayers at a temple in Matale, Sri Lanka. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some Hindus sacrifice animals as an act of religious devotion – though the majority do not

    Sri Lanka’s government has agreed to ban the ritual sacrifice of animals and birds at Hindu temples on the island.

    A government spokesman told the BBC the move was proposed by the Hindu Religious Affairs ministry, and said most moderate Hindu groups support it.

    Some Hindus sacrifice goats, buffalo calves and chickens at temples as an offering to their deities.

    But the practice has attracted years of protests in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, where critics call it inhumane.

    Animals sacrificed at Hindu and Muslim religious festivals are often left to bleed to death, which angers animal rights activists and some Buddhist groups.

    Image copyright Alamy Image caption Hindus make up around 12% of Sri Lanka’s population

    Sri Lanka has experienced deadly religious violence in recent years, including anti-Muslim riots that killed three people in March. Nearly 450 Muslim-owned homes and shops were damaged.

  • MEPs vote to ban ‘killer robots’ on battlefield

    Killer robot image Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Killer robots are not science fiction, one MEP says – although they probably won’t look like this

    The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for an international ban on so-called killer robots.

    It aims to pre-empt the development and use of autonomous weapon systems that can kill without human intervention.

    Last month, talks at the UN failed to reach consensus on the issue, with some countries saying the benefits of autonomous weapons should be explored.

    And some MEPs were concerned legislation could limit scientific progress of artificial intelligence.

    While others said it could become a security issue if some countries allowed such weapons while others did not.

    “I know this might look like a debate about some distant future or about science fiction. It’s not,” said Federica Mogherini, the EU chief of foreign and security policy during the debate at the European Parliament.

    ‘Arms race’

    “Autonomous weapons systems must be banned internationally,” said Bodil Valero, security policy spokeswoman for the EU Parliament’s Greens/EFA Group.

    “The power to decide over life and death should never be taken out of human hands and given to machines.”

    The resolution comes ahead of negotiations scheduled at the United Nations in November, where it is hoped an agreement on an international ban can be reached.

    In August, experts from a range of countries met at the UN headquarters in Geneva to discuss ways to define and deal with computer-controlled weapons.

    “From artificially intelligent drones to automated guns that can choose their own targets, technological advances in weaponry are far outpacing international law,” Rasha Abdul Rahim, a researcher on artificial intelligence, at Amnesty International, said at the time.

    “It’s not too late to change course. A ban on fully autonomous weapons systems could prevent some truly dystopian scenarios, like a new high-tech arms race between world superpowers which would cause autonomous weapons to proliferate widely,” he added.

    But some countries – including Israel, Russia, South Korea and the US – opposed new measures at the August meeting, saying that they wanted to explore potential “advantages” from autonomous weapons systems.

  • Apple unveils next-generation Watch

    Apple Watch Image copyright Apple

    Apple has revealed a new version of its smartwatch featuring a display that extends further towards its edges.

    The firm said the Watch Series 4’s usable screen is now more than 30% larger despite the device itself having similar dimensions to its predecessor.

    The device has also gained the ability to detect if its wearer has fallen.

    The firm is also expected to unveil new handsets based on the design of the iPhone X later at its California press event.

    Apple overtook Xiaomi and Fitbit to become the world’s bestselling wearable tech company in the second half of 2017 thanks to strong demand for the last generation of its smartwatch. It has held on to the top spot ever since, according to IDC.

    Image copyright Apple Image caption The bigger screen allows more information and shortcuts to be shown at once

    “The reason it performed so well is that many network operators are only willing to focus on smartwatches with their own [built-in cellular] connectivity,” commented IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo.

    “That’s why they are shipping about as many watches as the whole Swiss watch-making industry.”

    New iPhones

    There had been concerns that the relatively high £999 entry price of the handset would limit its appeal when it was announced a year ago.

    But Apple said it had consistently proven more popular than either of the lower-priced iPhone 8 models. Market research firms suggest it also outsold rival companies’ flagship devices.

    That helped propel Apple to become the world’s first company with a market capitalisation above $1tn (£768m).

    However, China’s Huawei still managed to overtake it in terms of overall smartphone market share in the April-to-June quarter, putting Apple into third place.

    “Huawei was able to overtake it because Apple is not playing in the mid and low ends of the market,” commented Francisco Jeronimo from IDC.

    “But Apple is very well positioned in the premium segment, and we don’t expect that to change over the next 18 months.”

    iPhone demand grows despite Chinese gains

    IBM Simon: The first mobile phone to offer a touchscreen user-interface – but its battery only lasted an hour.

    Siemens S10: The first handset with a colour display – although only red, green, blue and white could be shown.

    LG Prada: The handset debuted a capacitive touchscreen – detecting finger taps by changes in the display’s electrical field rather than pressure.

    iPhone: Apple made use of “multi-touch”, detecting several points of contact – allowing pinch-to-zoom and other interactions.

    Nokia N85: First phone with an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, letting it show deeper blacks and better contrast.

    Samsung Galaxy Note: Although not the first “phablet”, the handset proved there was demand for a 5+ inch display, despite claims it was “comically huge”.

    LG G Flex: The curved design was derided as being a gimmick, but points the way to the true “bendy” phones of the future.

    Sharp Aquos Crystal: The phone’s “edgeless” look foreshadowed today’s trend to keep bezels to a minimum.

    Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: Samsung’s first handset to wrap its screen over one its sides used the extra space for notifications and app shortcuts.

    Sony Xperia Z5 Premium: The smartphone premiered a 4K display before it was easy to obtain such ultra-high definition mobile content.

    Essential Phone: The start-up beat Apple to featuring a camera notch in its display, which allowed the rest of the screen to extend upwards.

    Vivo X21: The Chinese firm beat rivals to offering a fingerprint reader beneath its screen.

  • Oil pushes past $80 as Iran fears mount

    Oil well in South Texas Image copyright Reuters

    Oil has risen above $80 a barrel to its highest level this year amid concerns about supplies from Iran and a fall in US stockpiles.

    Brent crude rose more than 1% to $80.13 – the first time it has breached $80 since late May.

    The rise reflects concern about the impact of US sanctions against Iran that will target oil exports.

    “Iran is increasingly becoming the preoccupation of the crude market,” said consultants JBC Energy.

    “The last couple of weeks have seen the expected squeeze on Iranian crude flows taking shape, with overall outflows down markedly.”

    Gordon Gray, HSBC’s global head of oil and gas equity research, said there were “real risks” that Brent could hit $100 a barrel.

    “The fact that much higher supply is already needed from the likes of Saudi Arabia – and the low levels of spare capacity remaining – leave the global system highly vulnerable to any further significant outage,” he said.

    ‘Huge uncertainty’

    Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said global oil markets were fragile due to geopolitical risks and supply disruptions.

    He also warned of the impact of US sanctions against Iran: “This is a huge uncertainty on the market – how countries, which buy almost 2 million barrels per day of Iranian oil, will act. The situation should be closely watched, the right decisions should be taken.”

    Opec, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that accounts for 40% of global production, cut its forecast for oil demand growth next year in its monthly report.

    Oil traders were also watching the progress of category 4 Hurricane Florence, which is expected to make landfall in the US by Friday.

    US crude rose 91 cents to $70.16 a barrel.

    In January Brent crude hit $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2014.

  • Lehman gamble paid out for brave investors

    Lehman UK staff Image copyright Reuters Image caption This Reuters picture of Lehman Brothers staff being told the bank would survive at a meeting on 11 September 2008 is one of the images that defines the financial crisis

    Investors who took a gamble on the wreck of Lehman Brothers’ UK operations after the investment bank collapsed made up to seven times their money.

    The assets of Lehman’s UK arm greatly exceeded its liabilities.

    Tony Lomas, the partner at the accountancy firm PwC who was appointed lead administrator, told the BBC there was a surplus of about £8bn.

    Lehman’s collapse into administration a decade ago marked the height of the financial crisis.

    Creditors able to wait while the administrators unwound millions of trading positions received back more than they were originally owed, said Mr Lomas, who has recently left PwC.

    Image copyright PA

    Lehman UK was far from flush when he first took over. The US parent company had grabbed all the cash available – a normal practice for large multinational companies with central treasury units – and the British operation was unable to meet its bills. “There was £3bn that had to go out on the Monday morning and it didn’t have it,” Mr Lomas said.

    As a result, Lehman UK was put into administration, and the search for assets began. “The first thing is you are looking for assets – and for liabilities – and first of all for liquid assets, things that you might be able to sell quickly,” Mr Lomas said.

    “We had a September payroll due and the quarterly rent was due. We needed about £100m quickly. We couldn’t find liquid assets quickly enough, so we had to borrow £100m from a hedge fund.”

    Lehman collapse: ‘These were very dangerous times’ How did the financial crisis affect your finances? Who’s to blame for the financial crisis?

    That search for ready funds was itself fraught. “You had to be sure you were borrowing from the right legal entity – from the right bit of Lehmans that you were sure assets would fall into,” he explained. “Most of the counterparties to Lehman trades just identified them as trades with Lehman – not the actual legal entity, so you had to be sure.”

    “We have been able to pay everybody everything they were owned – and we had £8bn left over, which was mainly the bank’s own capital.”

    Separately, the senior Bank of England official who dealt with the fallout from the Lehman collapse has revealed the Bank arranged to bring $86bn from the US to help keep London markets running in the wake of the collapse.

    Sarah Breeden, now executive director for international banks supervision at the Prudential Regulation Authority, said the Lehman administration meant London markets were running short of US dollars, leading the Bank of England to agree a “swap” deal with its US counterparts. “Eventually that totalled $86bn,” she said.

    The Bank of England lost no money from its interventions after Lehman, Ms Breeden added.

  • Carney warns against complacency on 10th anniversary of financial crisis

    Image copyright AFP Image caption The Chinese economy is a success story, but levels of debt are worryingly high, according to Mark Carney.

    The governor said that regulators around the world needed to remain vigilant and that any fragmentation of global standards to try and gain competitive advantage would be dangerous.

    He said no one should engage in a “race to the bottom”.

    “We have to think about not why things are going to go right, but what could go wrong,” he said.

    “What could happen [for example] when we think about the changing relationship with the EU?

    “Part of our job at the Bank of England is to think about what could go wrong in that circumstance and how do we prepare our banks, our financial system, so that it’s there regardless of the outcomes of the negotiations.

    “There are risks around Brexit, for the financial sector.

    ‘Economic miracle’

    “And here’s something that’s changed with the system from 10 years ago – we are absolutely upfront about those risks, our view of those risks.

    “We have stressed test our banks against those risks to make sure they have enough of a safety net, both in terms of their own funds plus liquid funds, in case we had a no deal Brexit.”

    He said when he thought of the major risks globally, China was at the top of the risk register.

    “China is a great source for growth for the global economy, it’s an absolute economic miracle, lots of positives,” the governor said.

    “At the same time, their financial sector has developed very rapidly, and it has made many of the same assumptions that were made in the run up to the last financial crisis.

    “So there’s a big so-called shadow-banking sector in China, there’s a lot of lending that’s based on very good past-experience.

    “But there’s so much lending that the quality has gone down quite substantially.

    “The level of debt is enormous relative to the size of the economy.”

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