i'm sharanjit leil in singapore, the headlines. president trump's son—in—law jared kushner insists he did not have improper contact with the kremlin during the us election campaign. i did not collude with russia, nor do i know of anyone in the campaign who did so. one of the pope's most senior advisors, cardinal george pell, is set to appear in court to face sexual assault charges. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: the parents of terminally ill baby, charlie gard, give up the fight to find him medical treatment in america. we meet the stars of toilet — a new bollywood movie tackling taboos in india. good morning.

it's 6am in singapore, ”pm in london and 6pm in washington where donald trump's son—in—law and trusted adviser, jared kushner, has made a rare statement before the cameras, after appearing before a senate intelligence committee. his message: there was no collusion between russia and the trump campaign to influence the us presidential election. the bbc‘s north america editor jon sopel has the story. jared kushner, the husband of ivanka, the son in law of the president, and the closest confidante of donald trump to find himself in the cross hairs of the sprawling russia investigation. a man who's normally found studiously avoiding the limelight today found himself uncomfortably the centre of attention. after giving evidence to the senate intelligence committee

behind closed doors, he returned to the white house to insist he'd done nothing wrong. i did not collude with russia, nor do i know of anyone else in the campaign who did so. i had no improper contacts. i have not relied on russian funds for my businesses. and i have been fully transparent in providing all requested information. so what were the contacts? in april 2016, kushner meet russian ambassador sergey kislyak, apparently no more than a handshake and passing small talk. kushner denies two for phone calls took place after this. onjune nine, 2016, kushner joins donald trump junior and campaign manager to hear from a russian attorney who has alleged links to the intel services in moscow. the subject matter? getting dirt on hillary clinton. after the election he meets

the russian ambassador again on december the ist and two weeks later he meets a russian banker, sergei gorkov, said to have direct links to vladimir putin. but one thing he was insistent. these meetings made zero difference to the outcome of the election. donald trump had a better message and ran a smarter campaign, and that is why he won. suggesting otherwise ridicules those who voted for him. but today, as donald trump was framed by over 100 white house interns, he was doing some ridiculing of his own, as reporters sought to ask disobliging questions. is it truejeff sessions resigned? first by saying nothing... and then by letting rip. she's breaking the code. he found it similarly difficult to keep his opinions to himself over russia. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. at least four activists in southern china have been detained by police, after publicly commemorating

the death of the dissident and nobel laureate liu xiaobo. the seaside memorial, which took place on i9july, was part of a widely shared international campaign on social media mourning the dissident‘s death. juliana liu is in hong kong. what do we know about what has happened to be the diverse who were detained? according to the veteran beijing —based activist, four activists have been detained in the southern chinese province. i have been unsuccessful in contacting the detention centre so far. but i will continue to try to do that through the course of today. the four were members of a group, an ngo that

developed to update the world about what was happening to the nobel prize winner liu xiaobo who died two weeks ago. seven days after his death, this group organised a global social media campaign to remember him and encourage people around the world to post to facebook, twitter and instagram with the hash tag, with liu xiaobo. these activists gathered in the province on wednesday night by the beach, because liu xiaobo was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the sea. they threw flowers and other items into the sea. photos were widely shared on twitter and other social media, and in fact a hong kong tv station did a facebook

profile. a very high profile evening. on saturday morning, four of the activists were detained by police. a fifth activist is believed to be missing, and believed to have been detained. four or five others are currently on the run from authorities. also this hour — china's anti corruption authorities have announced that the former communist party secretary of a major metropolis, chongqing, is under investigation for serious violations of discipline. sun zhengcai was abruptly removed from his post last week. a court in the us state of texas has charged a truck driver with illegally transporting immigrants after the vehicle was found crammed with people in sweltering heat, with many of the occupants dead. thirty people were treated for acute dehydration. a manhunt is under way in switzerland, where five people

were attacked by a man with a chainsaw. police have identified him and are warning the public the suspect is highly dangerous. they say the attack was not related to terrorism. a suicide bomb attack in the afghan capital kabul has killed 35 people and left 50 more injured. the taliban has claimed responsibility for the blast, which destroyed a bus carrying government officials. kabul has seen a number of deadly attacks this year blamed on the taliban or so—called islamic state. israel says it is going to remove metal detectors from a disputed holy site injerusalem. metal detectors from a disputed holy site in jerusalem. they metal detectors from a disputed holy site injerusalem. they have warned of costs if the detectors were not removed in time for prayers. they we re removed in time for prayers. they were installed after two policemen we re were installed after two policemen were killed, sparking days of deadly clashes. not a good day for bielbers — the pop starjustin bieber has cancelled the rest of his current world tour due to what his publicist

called "unforseen circumstances". the 23—year—old canadian superstar was due to resume his purpose tour on thursday, with 15 shows across north america and asia. it's a heartbreaking case which has made headlines around the world, but now the parents of the terminally—ill baby charlie gard have ended their legal battle to bring him here to the us for experimental treatment. in an emotional statement, charlie's father said they're going to spend their last precious moments with their son. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. the fight over charlie gard's future, a sick little boy who will now be allowed to die. after an emotional hearing, his parents said

they agreed to let their son go. they emerged to face the world's media. our son is an absolute warrior, and we could not be proud of him, and we will miss him terribly. his body, heart and soul may soon be gone, but his spirit will live on for eternity, and he will make a difference to people's lives for years to come, we will make sure of that. we are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son, charlie, who unfortunately won't make his first birthday in just under two weeks‘ time. charlie has been in intensive care since october. he has a rare, inherited condition. he cannot move, feed or breathe unaided. the central question was whether this powder, which is added to food, could boost his muscle function. his parents raised £1.3 million for the treatment in the united states. that money will now go

to a foundation in charlie's name. but every neurologist who examined him said the treatment was futile, because by january, he had suffered catastrophic and irreversible brain damage. because charlie's parents and doctors could not agree, the matter went to court. in april, they backed the doctors, saying his suffering should end and his life—support be withdrawn. every legal appeal by the parents failed. but they had powerful supporters including the pope and donald trump. the latter, tweeting an offer of help. this has been an extra ordinary case. a battle over the fate of a baby boy that was fought not just in court, but internationally. the judge said it was one of the pitfalls of social media, that the world felt

a right to have an opinion. he said the court's paramount consideration at all times was charlie's best interest. the case came back to court when this american neurologist claimed new evidence that his therapy could help. last week, he and another doctor from the vatican flew over to examine charlie for the first time. new mri body scans were ordered. on friday night, charlie's parents accepted that they showed his muscle wasting was now so severe, he was beyond help. a brave decision by charlie's pa rents, a brave decision by charlie's parents, they have reached the same conclusion. to lie in hospitalfor months. in court, connie yates said they would be haunted for the rest of their lives by what—ifs — what if their son had received the treatment months earlier? she said he had the potential to be a normal boy but it was now too late.

for charlie, we say mummy and daddy, we love you so much. we always have and we always will and we are so sorry that we could not save you. the parents are now with charlie in his final hours. great ormond street said the agony, desolation and bravery of their decision humbled all who worked there. one of the pope's most senior advisors is due to appear in an australian court to face charges of sexual assault. cardinal george pell has returned from rome saying that he is innocent and will clear his name. as our sydney correspondent hywel griffith explains, the case is the latest controversy to hit the catholic church in australia. in cardinal pell‘s hometown, they have become used to confronting the past in dealing with the spectre of abuse. in ballarat, members of the

christian brothers order sexually assaulted children in the 1970s. dozens ended their lives prematurely. this man was abused as an 80 roald, and it took more than 20 years for his abuser to be brought tojustice. 20 years for his abuser to be brought to justice. he still feels the catholic church has not defended the catholic church has not defended the suffering of the them is. they are backing the criminal man. they don't back the victims at all —— victims. cardinal pell was brought up victims. cardinal pell was brought up in ballarat and became famous as an archbishop. it was his responsibility to deal with the allegations of abuse against his brother in. now, he is the one accused of sexual assault, allegations he has strongly refuted. as they wait for the legal process to unfold, there is a feeling here

that people need answers. the charges against cardinal pell won't be made public until his first court hearing. it is likely to put the spotlight on this town. those who work with abuse survivors say every headline has an impact. coverage has already caused more people to seek help. it was really difficult, because it was exhausting. relentless. you couldn't get away from it. it would be in the local papers, on the local news. across australia, nearly 2000 figures from the catholic church have been accused of abuse. a four—year royal commission enquiry has helped to break the silence. it has also made their head of ballarat‘s catholic couege their head of ballarat‘s catholic college speak out, giving a formal apology to the victims and striking the names of convicted abusers from its walls. there is no question that we have an enormous amount of work

to do within the wider community and the catholic community. the only way to do that is to come to the table and said, we acknowledge this openly, we are so very sorry. that can only happen when people hear feel they have found the truth. they hope that is what the courts can deliver. you're watching newsday on the bbc. a prime minister under pressure — shinzo abe's grilled by parliament as his popularity plunges. and a bollywood romance with a serious message about sanitation — we meet the cast of toilet.

mission control: you can see them coming down the ladder now. it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunction of sperm unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. welcome back, you are watching new

stay the bbc. let's bring you up—to—date with our top story: jared kushner insists he did not collude with russia during the election campaign. cardinal george pell is set to appear in court to face sexual assault charges. let's take a look at the front pages. the business times this paper points out that the world economy is improving at its strongest rate in a decade. the update comes from the international monetary fund which says the economy is gaining momentum. moving onto the south china morning post — it's reporting on the heatwave that has hit much of mainland china. it shows tourists with flotation rings coolng off in a lake known as the "dead sea of china" in sichuan as temperatures reached

as high as 39 degrees celsius. and finally the japan times. it leads on the story about the japanese prime minister shinzo abe who is currently being questioned over claims he exploited his political power to help a long—time friend. the paper discusses how the leader is facing a battle with losing the trust of voters. more on that story now: japan's prime minister shinzo abe is facing an uphill struggle amid plummeting ratings and a growing lack of confidence in his leadership. the latest public opinion polls suggest support has dropped to less than 30%. rupert wingfield hayes is in tokyo. talk us through the story a little bit more. why is it proving to make him so unpopular? his reputation has

been tarnished by a couple of different scandals. one earlier in the year about a school being construct did weather was a sweetheart landed deal, a piece of land was sold or about a million us dollars and it should have been priced around eight million dollars. allegations that he was directly involved. more recently, a second alleged scandal has come to light, also connected to the prime minister ‘s office, alleging an old school friend of his got permission to add a veterinary school to his private university after the prime minister ‘s office directly intervened to get the approval process moved. the first in 50 years to be approved. these together have really eroded

massively public confidence in the prime minister and we have seen these collapsed in public opinion ratings. a poll said just 26% of japanese people approve of prime minister shinzo abe. he is the longest serving prime minister in japan. years. with these approval... disapproval ratings, i should add, we will see another leadership battle ? we will see another leadership battle? people here as saying that when a prime minister ‘s's popularity drops to below 30% that is real danger. he is expected to do a cabinet reshuffle at the end of this month. we have seen the tokyo elections for the tokyo assembly last month, the ldp lost its

majority. on sunday it lost the mayor of a big city in the north. there is another election for air coming up. and then his leadership really is under threat. thank you for bringing us up—to—date with that story. a new bollywood movie billed as a love story is set against the backdrop of prime minister modi's initiative to provide more households with toilets. it's a big issue in india where half a billion people don't have access to a functioning toilet and woman are put at risk of attack song, dance and plenty of laughs but this indian movie also uncovers the

to—do subject of open defecation. this indian movie also uncovers the to—do subject of open defecationm is very relevant and people will understand what trying to say. is very relevant and people will understand what trying to saylj personally feel it is probably the toughest scene i ever done. i could not bring myself to squat. i felt humiliated. around 546 million people in india don't have access to a functioning toilet. many women tend to venture out at night, to avoid being seen, which puts them at risk of attack, even rate. the men, they can go anywhere. it is not a threat to their security but the women you could be pregnant, you could be on your period, what do you do? you do not have access, you cannot really do sell for 14 hours, you are working, cleaning your

house, taking care of your children, there is a lot that they do. the inspiration comes from the prime minister ‘s clean india campaign in which he promised sanitation for millions of households. he has given his backing to the movie. when he became prime minister, the first thing he started talking to people about was clean india sofa him this subject is a very close. he knew about it and he was very happy about it. it is not really a bollywood movie. it takes time but surely it will change. this is a just a small contribution. it is notjust about providing the infrastructure, the challenge is to change the mindset of people. if you cook, feed in the house, how can we do our business in the same area? it is a very big

mindset issue. meanwhile, toilet hopes to get its message across, bollywood style. we wa nt we want to show you some movie fanatic cash machine robbers in italy. do they look familiar? us president donald trump. they painted their white car black to get away. there are suggestions they were inspired by point break, the movie. by inspired by point break, the movie. by police in italy in fact say they we re by police in italy in fact say they were inspired by the film, the jackal, in which the character changes the colour of his car. the two have been arrested. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we will be taking a look at alphabet, the parent company of google. profits have fallen by more than a quarter after it was hit

with a record fine by the european commission. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures, there were taken in china and are of a very focused thunder storm over the city of liancheng, in the south east of the country. as you can see, the rain fell very heavily, but only in one very small area. this cctv footage shows the clouds rolling together. even though the storm is raging just a few hundred metres away, the cameras themselves appear to have remained dry. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. many of us have had more than our fairshare of many of us have had more than our fair share of weight and cloudy weather of late —— went. sunshine

for many places. the sunshine was not shared out equally though. suffolk seeing a lot of cloud. eastern areas cloudy conditions. out west in the atlantic, cloud hurtling its way in bringing rain. the tuesday, we are between weather systems and that means a fair amount of fine and dry weather in the day ahead. cloudy breaking up in eastern england. more in the way of sunshine. thou breaking up in the south—west and the south wales. in the sunshine, the highest temperatures 25 degrees. a little less cool than monday across the south—east and east anglo because there will be more sunshine. sunny spells in northern england. clouding overin spells in northern england. clouding over in northern ireland and maybe a showerfor over in northern ireland and maybe a shower for scotland. most places dry ifa shower for scotland. most places dry if a little on the chilly side. most

places will have a fine evening but things begin to change in the early hours of wednesday, quite a band of rain working in the northern ireland, wales and the south—west courtesy of an area of low pressure, quite a deep low and this is not a usual weather charts this point in july. closely squeezed ice bars which means strong winds and bringing rain eastwards. the northern half of the british isles, the rain quite heavy and will go on for quite a few hours. not as much across the south—east. the wales and northern ireland, things right ending up with spells of sunshine. blustery winds making it feel cool. although the weather front responsible for the main body of the rain will clear away to the east, this area of low pressure is still close by on thursday and that means strong wind especially up to the

north—west with heavy showers. dry weather towards the south—east. we stick with that blustery theme as we had to the end of the week. some spells of sunshine on friday. highs of 17— spells of sunshine on friday. highs of 17- 22 spells of sunshine on friday. highs of i7— 22 degrees. as we head towards the end of the week, a cooler, fresher feel. towards the end of the week, a cooler, fresherfeel. some spells towards the end of the week, a cooler, fresher feel. some spells of sunshine that also heavy blustery showers as well. you are watching bbc world and news. our top story: jared kushner has denied any collusion with russia in the dirt elections last year. he said there had been nothing improper with his contact with russian representatives. one of the pope ‘s most senior advisers it is due to appear in court to face charges of sexual assault. cardinal george pell says he will clear his name. justin

bieber is trending on bbc .com. he has had to cancel his tour because of what his publicist is calling unforeseen circumstances. stay with us, more to come. it is half past midnight.