The Vatican’s child protection board said Thursday the Catholic Church has a moral obligation to help victims of clergy sexual abuse heal. Financial reparations for the abused and tougher sanctions for the abusers and their enablers are essential remedies, it said.

Rome

The Vatican's Commission for Child Protection has released its annual report, criticizing Catholic leadership for slow responses to sexual abuse by clergy. The report, informed by the input of 40 abuse survivors, emphasizes the church's moral duty to support victims and recommends sanctions against abusers as well as reparations for those affected.

The commission suggests that reparations should include monetary settlements to fund therapy and assistance, but also highlights the importance of non-financial measures such as apologies, restitution, and rehabilitation. The report is seen by child protection activists as a call for stronger action from the church, with Pope Leo having expressed support for the commission's work and acknowledged the abuse crisis.

Vatican panel urges reparations for sex abuse victims

The Catholic Church has long dealt with criticism over its handling of sexual abuse by clergy. This time, it's coming from within. On Thursday, the Vatican's Commission for Child Protection released its annual report. The document criticized Catholic leadership, saying it has been far too slow to act. It is important that the leadership and the Vatican adopts an attitude of transparency and communication which really serves the victims as well. Let's not just talk about disciplinary proceedings, let's talk about how the children who have been raped, sexually assaulted, how they feel and how they see these processes in their local church develop. The report was written with the input of 40 abuse survivors and says the church has a moral duty to help victims. It lays out recommendations to sanction abusers and to provide reparations for people abused by clergy. This would be an unprecedented measure for the church. Committee members argue that monetary settlements are crucial to provide therapy and other assistance to survivors, but they are not the only way the church can help address trauma. Financial compensation is just one aspect of reparations. The part of the world that I come from, which is Africa, many a times you hear from victims that they're not necessarily interested about financial compensations, they might be interested about apologies, they might be interested about restitution, they might be interested about rehabilitation. Many activists for child protection hope this will be a wake-up call for Pope Leo. The sovereign pontiff has signaled support for the commission and has called the abuse scandal a crisis for the church.

The Trump administration is awaiting word from the Supreme Court after asking it to allow the immediate deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. A lower court blocked the move.

Portland

Tensions rising in Portland, Oregon over immigration tactics

President Trump posted a video of a U.S. military strike on a submersible suspected of smuggling drugs. Two people were killed in the strike but the survivors were brought to a Navy ship. Trump says the U.S. will send the them back to their home countries for prosecution.

Washington

Trump says survivors of U.S. drug submersible will be sent home

The U.S. State Department issued a warning that Hamas appeared to be planning an attack 'against Palestinian civilians,' warning that such an attack would 'constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement'.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

State Dept. flags ceasefire violation by Hamas

Britain's Prince Andrew said on Friday he would give up using his title of Duke of York following years of criticism about his behavior and connections to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Windsor

Prince Andrew gives up title of Duke of York

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war with Russia, but met an American president who appears more intent on brokering a peace deal than upgrading Kyiv’s arsenal.

Ukraine Invasion

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Caracas

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Kipnuk

Mass evacuations in Alaska after record floodwaters

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Trump says he'd rather broker peace than send Tomahawks to Ukraine

President Trump announced that he has commuted former New York Rep. George Santos' sentence on Friday in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

President Trump commutes George Santos' sentence

The head of the World Trade Organization said on Thursday (October 16) she is urging the U.S. and China to de-escalate trade tensions, warning that a decoupling between the world's two largest economies could reduce global economic output by 7% over the longer-term.

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John Bolton pleaded not guilty at a Maryland federal court on Friday (October 17). This comes after the former Trump administration national security adviser was indicted on 18 counts for his alleged mishandling of classified information.

Greenbelt

John Bolton pleads not guilty to criminal charges

Buckingham Palace announced Friday that Prince Andrew is giving up his royal titles. This comes after a posthumous memoir by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre emerged.

London

Prince Andrew giving up his royal titles, Buckingham Palace says

U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. On Thursday, Trump spent more than two hours on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump set to meet with Zelenskyy

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At least one person was killed and dozens of police officers injured in widespread protests overnight in Peru against President Jose Jeri, who assumed power just days ago. The government will declare a state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity.

Lima

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The espionage case against Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash collapsed after government officials refused to testify under oath that China posed a threat to national security.

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Šiauliai

NATO, EU step up defences to deter Russia

The U.S. military flew three B-52 bombers on missions near the coast of Venezuela, according to a Global Strike Command spokesperson and a U.S. official, as the Trump administration continues to exert pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government.

U.S. flies B-52 bombers off the coast of Venezuela

A federal judge overturned a Homeland Security decision to cut anti-terrorism funding for New York City. The ruling comes as the Trump administration faces lawsuits from Democratic governors over similar cuts.

New York

Judge blocks Trump cuts to New York City's anti-terrorism funds

China has accused the U.S. of stoking panic over its rare earth controls and said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had made "grossly distorted" remarks about a top Chinese trade negotiator, rejecting a White House call to roll back the curbs.

Beijing

Global Tariffs

China blames U.S. for global panic over rare earths controls

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had a "productive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced plans for a meeting with Putin in Hungary.

Trump says he plans to meet with Putin in Hungary

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Jerusalem

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Tumultuous scenes unfolded during the public viewing of late Kenyan Prime Minister Ralia Odinga's body. The 80-year-old's coffin was on its way to a Nairobi stadium when security forces fired tear gas and gunshots into the crowds. At least two people have reportedly been killed.

Nairobi

Kenyan police open fire at mourners at Odinga public viewing

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday after airstrikes and ground fighting ramped up tensions between the South Asian neighbors, leaving more than a dozen civilians dead and 100 wounded.

Balochistan

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U.S. President Trump confirmed CIA covert operations in Venezuela during a press conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday. CBS News' Ed O'Keefe asked Trump about what that means for Nicolás Maduro.

Trump authorizes CIA covert operations in Venezuela

Israel is still limiting the number of aid trucks allowed to enter Gaza nearly a week after a ceasefire deal was agreed. It’s told the United Nations will only allow 300 per day - that's half the minimum number agreed under the truce.
The UN says even 600 trucks entering daily would not be enough to meet the needs of the population.

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President Trump confirmed that he has authorised the CIA to go into Venezuela and conduct covert operations.

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Hamas executes Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel

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Chicago

Federal agents deploy tear gas in Chicago despite court order

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily ordered the Trump administration to halt the firing of workers during the government shutdown.

Breakdown