>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> a damning report from belgium, every church diocese is implicated in child sex abuse claims. this is a nation founded on religious tolerance, says president obama. it pastor decides he will not be burning copies of the koran. pakistan's former military leader talks to the bbc. a court -- very warm welcome to "bbc world news." coming up, keeping the peace on the blue line. we had a special report from one of the world's most sensitive borders. a cyclist searches for his son. the australian father who crossed nine countries to find his child is set for a reunion.

>> the horror is in the tiny details. at one time it was happening in almost every diocese in every boarding school. there were hundreds of cases. allegations of sexual assault and belgium -- many surrounding clergy. it is another scandal for the catholic church to contemplate days before the pope's visit next week. >> in catholic-run boarding schools, the scale of the abuses revealed is shocking. it involved priests and teachers, and for some decades.

>> i think it is safe to say every conservation was involved. all schools at some point knew of cases of child sex abuse. every diocese has been affected by this. the commission found the abuse was at its worst during the 1960's. there were hundreds of victims and the youngest was accused from the age of two. 13 victims have committed suicide. the commission found no evidence of a cover-up by the church. >> we found no indication of a systematic cover-up. >> all that from an inquiry that never even finished its work. a police raid and those at the catholic church seized thousands of files. the police had yet to bring any

charges and the investigation has been thrown into doubt. the catholic church in belgium will announce its response to the findings on monday. >> it insults muslims and burning the koran could harm the u.s. deeply abroad. that is the message president obama is pushing as he urges terry jones not to do it. the event was planned for saturday on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. he is heeding criticism from the white house and one of the most senior generals. >> worrying signs, a possible gathering storm. the american pastor may have called off plans to bernie koran, but has not stopped -- burn the koran.

this was jalal above earlier today. -- jalalabad earlier today. three demonstrators were shot by afghan security guards when they besieged the premier in the north of the country. in kabul, president karzai spoke out with a new warning to terry jones, that he should not think of carrying out his threat. >> any a front against the koran was a humiliation to muslims everywhere. , >> this prompted a new intervention on american television from general petraeus. >> there has been some damage done. you have heard of demonstrations here in afghanistan. they are already images implanted in the minds.

>> this afternoon president obama weighed in again with more strong words, making clear he thinks this crisis is not about a french preacher but a matter of national security. >> the idea that we would burn the sacred texts of someone else's religion is contrary to what this country stands for. it is contrary to what this nation was founded on. and my hope is this individual praise on it and refrains from it. we are seeing today riots in kabul, afghanistan that threaten our men and women in uniform. we have an obligation to send a clear message that this kind of behavior or threats of action

put our young men and women in harm's way. >> no. >> at the eye of the storm at his tiny church, pastor terry jones has come under pressure, including a personal call from the u.s. defense secretary. he says he will not be burning the koran tomorrow. >> we have plans not to do it. >> it is complicated, conditional on the islamic center planned to be built in new york near ground zero. the countdown on his florida doorstep and the entire world is watching to see if this trauma will develop further. >> police in the danish capital have arrested a man after an explosion. he was seized in a nearby park bleeding from the head.

reports suggest he tried to blow himself up. iran says it has reversed its decision to release an american hiker held on spying charges. they say the required paperwork is not complete for the release. they claim they strayed across the border. the international labor organization has warned the flooding in pakistan has destroyed the livelihoods of millions. more than 5 million jobs have been lost by the floods, reversing a decade of steady progress. the number of pakistanis living in poverty went down by half. now 100,000 mothers to be are at risk for disease and death. many babies will be delivered in the squalor. >> in southern sindh, they are

trying to survive between the ancient mausoleum with kings and saints. the graveyard is on a hill, the only dry ground for miles. it was here that we found this person waiting the flies from the base of her son, tiny and motionless. he was born on a dirt floor. >> he will not take my milk, not even water. he is very weak. >> the family says they have had no help. if those yet to be born could be the next victim of the floods. many of the women are pregnant and face giving birth in squalor. there is a doctor in the graveyard for 10,000 people.

mohammed goes from ten to tent, but he is a man and women are reluctant to come to him for help. >> there will be many pregnant women. they must be treated. [unintelligible] >> a snake charmer provides a distraction from the misery of life, hoping for tips from people who have lost almost everything. but he does not join the crowd. her relatives tried to console her. her baby boy has died. >> with much of the country devastated , pervez musharraf has chosen this moment to talk publicly about returning to pakistan.

he is currently in london where he said he will be back under a new political banner. >> [unintelligible] >> standing for? >> standing for a party that i create. i do intend to create a new party because the time has come in pakistan when we need to introduce a new political culture which can take pakistan's problems on a correct democratic part. >> that is what you did last time? >> no, last time there were many issues involved which -- i lacked the legacy because i was not in uniform. i did very well for pakistan.

i can challenge anybody on any point as far as pakistan and the people of pakistan are concerned. we did wonders for them. it should be compared with the leaders of the past. >> pervez musharraf speaking there. you are watching "bbc world news." a river of mud surges through a village in italy. a local cameraman records the destruction. a breakthrough in the currently cold relations between serbia and cosell may be imminent. serviette dropped its rejection kosovo's independence. our correspondent reports. >> four weeks it seemed a major

diplomatic confrontation would take place at the un. serbia submitted a draft evelation rejecting kosovo's secession. but many refused to accept it, saying its own hopes would be jeopardized. after negotiations, belgrade agreed to change the text calling for dialogue with kosovo. >> the resolution welcomes the readiness of the european union to facilitate the process of dialogue between the parties, which would help to secure regional gains and improve the lives of the people on the ground. >> the resolution was unanimously accepted. this is a hugely important moment since serbia has given up its diplomatic fight. belgrade says it will not recognize the secession but is

prepared for direct talks with kosovo. the message from serbia is it will not allow this issue to obstruct its own eu hopes. but some say they feel betrayed. >> the original resolution was correct. we must not lose kosovo. >> but for the government, it is an attempt to move on towards the beginning of the end of the kosovo problem. >> give you the latest headlines on "bbc world news." a new report on the belgian sex abuse scandal claims it affected every catholic publication. this pastor has withdrawn his threat to burn copies of the koran. president obama urged religious tolerance.

a town in italy has been hit by a flash flooding and mudslides. heavy rains caused the river to burst its banks. >> just watch as the mudslide in gulf's this tiny village. -- engulfs this village. the speed of the flow carried cars with it. vehicles were tossed around as the cascade funneled its power. heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river. rescue workers checked the coastline to see if anyone was swept away. the search effort continued at sea. it took several hours for the water levels to subside to allow clean up to begin.

one area was covered in the rubble and the remains of a car. the town only has a population of 900. the aftermath of this horror is being moved aside. this is one of the most beautiful villages on the coast. it is regular they used in tv adverts and films. -- regularly used in tv adverts. this devastating mud flow has been impossible to predict. >> firefighters in the u.s. are still trying to put out a huge fire in san francisco. sparked by a gas explosion, four people were killed. the explosion produced a fireball and crater 5 meters deep.

>> these are the first minutes after the explosion ripped through a neighborhood. firefighters can do little but watch as gas fields inside. officials say more than three dozen structures in this area were destroyed after a gas line exploded. the morning revealed smoking ruins with hours before there were homes. several people are known to have died. the explosion left a giant crater in one town. >> this is difficult for the city. the sun is shining but there is still a dark cloud over this city. you have heard the numbers. unfortunately they will get higher. >> the fire burned into the night, spreading to more homes before gas supplies could be

shut off. residents fled with what they could grab. >> all the things that we have lost, but we've got our lives. >> i never thought [inaudible] >> is there any way to describe what your feeling? >> it was like hell on earth. all you see is a 80 foot flames. >> the explosion occurred two miles from the san francisco airport. authorities are investigating why the underground gas pipes ruptured. locals are wondering how long before they can return to their neighborhood. >> for centuries it has been a matter of international significance. which way is turkey facing? at the crossroads of europe and asia. on sunday turks give their verdict on a new constitution.

>> eight years of the pinnacle of power but he still knows how to move a crowd. [applause] >> he is the most successful politician for a generation. he connects to ordinary turks and speaks their language, but he is in a fight for political survival. over the past week there has been intense canvassing by the two sides. government supporters -- sensing a rare opportunity to weaken the prime minister. >> this referendum is no longer a simple yes or no to reforms many don't even understand. it has become a question of whether or not they trust the prime minister, a man who has

dominated politics for almost a decade. >> these reforms are just another stage in his struggle to contain the power of the military. the cause is important enough to risk a referendum. >> he had to take that risk. his party was stopped. they risked being unable to pass any reform because all the significant reforms have been taken by the main opposition to the constitutional calls >> his secular opponents worry about his deep religious beliefs. he is clearly enjoying his role as a champion of the islamic world, but his expressions of faith are those of religious conservatives. on this speech marking the anniversary of the koran, he

chastised people for failing to make their faith better understood in the west. at heart he is a politician, interested in winning votes. with an election next year, this referendum has turned into a test of his popularity. no wonder he is giving it all he's got to make sure of a win on sunday. borderr last month's clashes which left soldiers dead, the un is giving higher priority to the dangerous job of working out the blue line that is supposed to keep the two sides apart. most of it pasha's through land littered with mines. -- passes through land. >> a heavily fortified base in southern lebanon.

after years of fighting, it is hard for these trips to keep the blue line quiet. that quiet was shattered last night in fierce fighting. shoulders from both sides were killed -- soldiers from both sides were killed. the incident redoubled un efforts to mark the blue line clearly, not an official border but the one thing keeping these enemies apart. >> here on the border this illustrates the problem the un has. in order to mark at the blue line with posts they have dozens of minefields. in this area there are more than 1000 anti-personnel mines put down by israel. >> it takes minutes to lay a minefield.

this is dangerous and backbreaking work. progress is slow. >> [unintelligible] just to reach the point where [unintelligible] >> only then can you actually put the pillar down. >> yes. >> this work is a crucial part of keeping a fragile peace. >> [unintelligible] we have to play this in the middle and address this misunderstanding. >> the last major war in the area was in 2006 between israel and hezbollah. the militia is still a force in southern lebanon, and it says it will get involved in future

fighting. >> lebanon is in a position to protect the country. our lebanese army is not fully equipped and capable of defending our land. >> hezbollah will intervene next time? >> yes, this is a decision. >> such threats underline the delicate nature of keeping the peace and the need to mark the border once and for all. >> in -- and australia who cycled around europe looking for his missing son looks like he will be reunited. he quit his job as a fireman to search for his 6-year-old. the boy was abducted by his mother in 2008. >> he cycled more than 3,000 miles across nine countries. the image of his son printed

across his clothing, but his surge has come to an end. earlier this week he got an anonymous e-mail telling him his son had been tracked down. >> i have been cycling between nuremberg and [unintelligible] i checked my e-mails and there was an e-mail from somebody who was unidentified. it simply said, andrew has been found. he is safe. authorities will contact you. >> andrew was abducted in australia by his mother in 2008. at first she took her son to germany. with no news of his whereabouts, thompson quit his job and set up a web site before starting his tour. andrew is in foster care by his father is hoping to be reunited. >> he has not heard anything about me into 0.5 years.

we need to make sure he is comfortable before we go any further. i want to pick him up and give him a big hug, but i know i will not be able to do that right away. i am very calm about knowing where he is. i accept it will take time before i can see him. >> his wife has been arrested and will be extradited back to australia. this is a story of family breakdown, but the father says his long search shows sooner or later missing children will be found and returned home. >> we have more for you on that story and all the international news online at bbc.com. you can get in touch with me on twitter. you can see what is coming up on the facebook also.

thanks very much for being with us. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its

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