The Canadian government has unveiled proposals to combat child pornography on the internet, which are believed to be among the toughest in the world.

The Canadian justice minister, Anne McLellan, said the bill was intended to keep pace with new technology, which she said was being used to commit horrible crimes.

Under the law, it would be an offence to access, transmit or publish child pornography on the internet, with prison sentences of up to ten years.

Currently, only those caught in possession of obscene material can be prosecuted.

The legislation would also make it easier for Canadian paedophiles to be tried at home for crimes committed abroad.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service