Russians and Americans break porn ring

United States customs officials say they have helped the Moscow police to dismantle a child pornography ring operating over the Internet.

The officials said five Russians had been charged with producing and distributing videos through a website in which Russian boys as young as eight years old are shown being sexually abused.

The made-to-order videos were sold to around eighty customers worldwide from a Moscow apartment building.

Posing as buyers, the American officials helped their Russian counterparts track down the pornographers. They have arrested four suspected American customers and are investigating others. A US customs official said the child porn business had expanded significantly with the growth of the Internet. He said co-operation had not been affected by both sides' expulsion of diplomats last week.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service