A Roman Catholic church official who won an appeal of his landmark conviction in the priest-abuse scandal has left a Pennsylvania prison after 18 months behind bars.

A Roman Catholic priest who won an appeal against his landmark conviction in the church sex abuse scandal has left a Pennsylvania prison after 18 months behind bars.

There is a depressing sense of closing the stable door after the horse bolted about the new child protection standards drawn up by Hiqa, the health and social services watchdog.

Capping a decade of delays and embarrassing missteps, the US Air Force awarded to Boeing one of the biggest defence contracts ever, a $35bn deal to build nearly 200 giant airborne refuelling tankers.