we've heard in the last short while a statement from george pell, cardinal pell, saying that he is willingo return to australia to defend himself. he has always strenuously denied any allegations of wrongdoing. always maintaining his innocence. but safe to say these allegations made against him today will send shockwaves not just through the catholic church in australia but far beyond these shores. cardinal pell is australia's most senior catholic figure. he is the former archbishop of sydney and melbourne. he is in charge of finances at the vatican, which makes him one of the most senior catholics anywhere. and the police are saying there are several complainants. yes, more than one, according to the police in the southern state of victoria. they have served these charges with cardinal pell‘s legal representatives in the city of melbourne. and it is there on the 18th ofjuly that cardinal pell will be required to attend a magistrates‘ court. police say there is more than one complainant, multiple charges of alleged historic child abuse, and we understand they date back to the 1970s in the

the pell grant is just that. it's a grant. it doesn't have to be paid back. loans do have to be paid back. we've been working with the department to try to create, actually, more competition in loan servicers and among loan servicers, on may 19, the department of education put out a new proposal where there'd be only one principal servicer and i'm inclined to think that is not the best direction to go. why did you make that decision as opposed to letting the department, as it has been doing, allocate -- loan tosser visers who are having the best experience and best results? ms. devos: good question. that process was begun well before i arrived at the department and in examining what had happened to, to date, the process was very complicated, confused, and was in fact moving to single servicer. we have proposed through the amendment that was put out on may 19, as you indicated that we will be re-examining that process and those bids for the servicing arrangement. our contention is that the method of servicing before with the department being the host, so to sp

at theso take a look life and times of cardinal pell. the 76-year-old was born in a mining town in the countryside. he was born into a religious family. manpaper speaks of a young who loved sports, who was destined for greatness and hoped to study medicine after he school before his calling eventually was religion. it also talks of his meteoric rise to become one of the most powerful school before men in tc church very close to the pope himself was feared, respected and plotted against. if the charges stick, his fall would be just as remarkable as his rise. in the papersons about venezuela's ongoing political crisis. the chief prosecutor was barred from leaving the country after a scathing critique of the president. >> it culminated on tuesday with a helicopter that fired shots at the interior ministry and dropped grenades onto the supreme court according to the french newspapers some believe this is actually self sabotage on the part of the president. to provoke the opposition and not a presumed military coup. it is clear that maduro is

this is part of a longer running picture for cardinal pell. the police in the australian state of victoria said about a year ago that they were investigating allegations in the city of ballarat concerning cardinal pell. detectives from australia flew to rome to interview him in october of last year. we understand that the cardinaldid of last year. we understand that the cardinal did that voluntarily, and as you say, in the last few hours he has, via an office here in sydney, released a statement saying that he again strenuously denied any allegations of wrongdoing, and said that he would return to australia as soon as possible to vigorously defend these charges. and the cardinal is required to appear before a magistrate in the city of melbourne in just under three weeks' time, and as you say, this is a story that affects not only the catholic church here in australia, this has ramifications far beyond these shores. he really is right at these shores. he really is right at the very highest echelons of the vatican. well, these allegations do bri

on the pell grant issue, when you go to year-round pell, that increases the pell potential by 50%. so the pell cap would be $8,880, and some observation was made here earlier that the pell grant only pays for 25% of education costs. that, obviously, depends on where you go, because a lot of places you can go that the pell grant pays for 100% of the education costs. may not pay for living cost, but i think we don't want to underestimate the impact of year-round pell to help people progress toward their goal of getting a degree, getting whatever they are in school to enhance their future abilities, but the annual cap now on pell if you choose to go year round would be $8,880, not $5,900. doesn't mean we shouldn't look at the $5,900. it just means that that is not a cap that somehow spread out over 12 months instead of nine. that cap increases. also i mention for senator kennedy's test on education, senator murray and i both were public school teachers, so we can pass the test. we're not sure that we'd want to wish our colleagues on every student in america for even a day, but some of

pell has been ordered to appear before a melbourne court onjuly the 18th. he is 76 years old.ballarat before he was appointed archbishop of melbourne. he denies all offences. it's important to note that none of the allegations that have been made against cardinal pell have obviously been tested in any court yet. cardinal pell, like any other defendant, has a right to due process , defendant, has a right to due process, and therefore, it is important that the process is allowed to run its national calls —— natural. preserving the integrity of that process is essential to all of us. it is important that it is allowed to go through unhindered, and allowed to see naturaljustice, including cardinal pell and the complainants in this matter. here in the uk, it's been announced that nearly 30 years after the hillsborough disaster — six people, including former police officers, are to face criminal charges. 96 liverpool fans died in a crush at the football ground in april 1989. new inquests last year concluded the fans had been unlawfully killed. on wednesday it was announced that form

the annual cap now on pell would be $8,880. it means that's not a cap that is some how spread out over 12 months instead of 9. that cap increases. also i mentioned on session. we could pass the test. we are not sure we want to wish our colleges for every student in a day. some would be vale reallily good. >> i think it would be very interesting. [ laughter [ laughter ] >>> on this issue of federal law, i would say that your press setter wanted to his own lie the department in the past, didn't want to go through the regulatory process, sent letters what they thought the federal law should say even though it was clearly not what the federal law did say. i don't believe it's your job to decide what the federal law says. >> i agree. >> if you believe it's not the place to settle what federal law says. that's the job of either the the courts or the congress, not the department of education. i think that's what i hear you repeatedly saying. i agree with that. something you said i don't agree with on impact aid, no federally connected

it is quite possible the church and the pope is distancing itself from pell and not certain that pell will return. >> seth doane at the vatican. thanks. >>> hot, dry weather continues to fuel a wave of wildfires in the west. nearly 30 large fires are burning in eight states. in central washington state several wildfires were sparked by lightning. they've destroyed more than 56,000 acres. >>> three years to the day after isis declared a muslim caliphate in the iraqi city of mosul, u.s.-backed forces retook that city's famous mosque. isis has also been surrounded in raqqa, the syrian city it considers its capital. as isis loses ground, it's also losing fighters. holly williams has more on that from inside syria. >> reporter: 81 men and boys, all accused of fighting for isis in serving time in prison according to america's syrian allies, and reunited with their families. [ crying ] abu bakr al baghdadi and his army of terrorists enforced a version of islam unrecognizable to most muslims, marked by vicious acts of violence. but ezadeen khalaf, a former shepherd, told us he joined isis not

pope francis has called george pell dedicated and honest.s so. james reynolds, bbc news, rome. our top story this evening: a retired judge will lead the inquiry into what happened at grenfell tower, but there are concerns it won't be wide ranging enough. and still to come... who calls the shots? questions over rupert murdoch's influence in britain. coming up in sportsday on bbc news... warren gatland says he has made some tough calls as he picks johnny sexton and owen farrell together for the first time for the lions ahead of their must—win second test with new zealand on saturday. it's now three years since the so—called islamic state proclaimed the establishment of a caliphate, a world power governed in accordance with islamic law and centred in iraq's second city of mosul. british warplanes, as part of the us—led coalition, have been hitting the militants there since last year. rafjets and drones have hit over 700 targets in support of operations to liberate mosul. now, for the first time, crews have been talking to the bbc about the chal

and cardinal pell has always denied any wrongdoing. he said this morning that he has kept the pope apprised of the situation, but what's different about today, of course, is that these are actual charges. he has to go back to australia and face a trial on july 18th. the pope, according to the vatican this morning, says he's going to give him a leave of absence to return and face charges. the vatican essentially this morning saying that they are supporting cardinal pell. theyity rated their respect for the australian justice system. they say the cardinal has repeatedly denied these allegations which, by the way, we don't know the exact nature of. the victoria police say they are historical sex abuse allegations. and some of the reports from abc australia of alleged victims are about cases that occurred in the '70s and '80s. and that the vatican is reminding people of the work that cardinal pell has done in australia to help safeguard children. certainly a statement of full support for the cardinal. at least until such time as there's an

cardinal pell is at the very top, close adviser to pope francis. this morning he appeared sullen, quiet, reflective, and he talk about the relentless what he called character assassination against him over what he calls matters that have been under investigation for at least two years. he also told us this morning he has been in regular contact with pope francis, keeping him up to date, and that the pope had, in his words, had granted him a leave of absence to return to australia to face these charges to, as you heard in the sound bite, he looks forward to his day in court to clear his name. we have been speaking with people at the vatican who we have brn covering. that said always with the vatican, you must read between the lines here. whether he was granted a leave of absence is a question. it's more likely pope francis has forced cardinal pell to leave. he is the highest ranking to be charged with these severe sex charges and it's really sending shock waves through the catholic church. >> as you're talking, we show him greeting parishioners, pre

it's quite possible the church and the pope is distancing himself from pell, and not certain that pell will return. >> mason: seth doane at the vatican, thanks. hot, dry weather continues to fuel a wave of wildfires in the west. nearly 30 large fires are burke in eight states. in central washington state, several wildfirees were sparked by lightning. they've destroyed more than 56,000 acres. three years to the day after isis declared a muslim caliphate in the iraqi city of mosul, u.s.-backed forces retook that city's famous mosque. isis has also been surrounded in raqqa, the syrian city it considers its capital. as isis loses ground, it's also losing fighters. holly williams has more on that from inside syria. >> reporter: 81 men and boys, all accused of fighting for isis in syria, now reformed after serving time in prison, according to america's syrian allies, and reunited with their families. abu bakr al baghdadi and his army of terrorists enforced a version of item swrm unrecognizable to most muslims, marked by vicious acts of violence. but ezadeen khalaf, a former sheppard, told us

are the historical the beast cardinal george pell.he'll return to his native australia to fight the char

one of pope francis's top advisers, cardinal george pell, third-ranking official in the holy see, is facing sexual abuse charges. he says he's innocent, and we get details from nbc's kelly cobiella at the vatican for us tonight. >> reporter: he's the third most powerful man at the vatican, but tonight cardinal george pell is a defendant in a criminal case. >> i'm innocent of these charges. they are false. >> reporter: police making the bombshell announcement in pell's native australia overnight. >> cardinal pell is facing multiple charges in respect to historic sexual offenses, and there are multiple complainants relating to those charges. >> reporter: the cardinal is now taking a leave of absence. the vatican said pope francis regretted news of the charges for decades-old actions. the detail of the charges against pell haven't been made public because of a gag order in australia, and aside from the morning statement the cardinal himself, who lives here just steps from the vatican, has stayed behind closed doors. >> the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> reporter: pell was alr

in the past, pell was criticized for not doing more to stop clergy sex abiews in his native australia anda video link in rome in 2016. >> with the experience of 40 years later, certainly, i would agree they should have-- should have done more. >> why do you need the experience of 40 years later? wasn't it a serious matter then? >> yes, but people had a different attitude then. >> reporter: you covered the vatican. what do charges like this do to this institution? >> well, i think it's very serious. >> reporter: joshua macklewy of the "national catholic reporter" said charges against pell, renewed criticism of the church. >> the church has been trying to move beyond the scandal to assure people children are of their children but when something like this happens there is questions raised about what is happening and if they're doing enough. >> reporter: the vatican said they granted the leave of absence so pell could defend himself. it's quite possible the church and the pope is distancing certain that pell will return. >> mason: seth doane at the vatican, thanks. hot, dry weather contin

pell admitting mistakes. >> reporter: pell was hand-picked by pope francis to head vatican finances,a huge responsibility which made him part of the pope's inner circle. tom, the pope has said he's committed to tackling the whole issue of child abuse just last month, promising a, quote, "zero tolerance" policy for sex abuse. critics say he is not doing enough. tom? >> james longman for us tonight. james, thank you jts there is much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the pregnant mom fighting back against an alleged thief. caught on camera, the victim taking on the suspect in the parking lot. running him down with her suv. tonight, why both are facing charges. >>> plus, the dramatic police chase across state lines. the robbery suspect trying to outrun officers. speeding across a corn field. >>> and rescue at sea off the american coast. five people clinging to their capsized boat, including, you see them there, a 4-year-old boy. the one thing in this video, helping them survive. stay with us. rts, it hurts. when i can't do something, it makes me feel isolated. with aleve

cardinal pell is the vatican treasurer and one of the pope's closest advisers.onight. yes, today was meant to be dominated bya yes, today was meant to be dominated by a solemn ceremony as the pope presided at the feast of saint peter and take that paul, whose ministry and take that paul, whose ministry and martyrdom helped establish the church —— saint peter and st paul. but as the cardinals gathered in saint peter's square behind me, one senior official was surprisingly absent. a public holiday for the people and for pope francis, an opportunity to celebrate mass with several new cardinals. but one of his most trusted officials, effectively the head of the vatican's vast property portfolio and finances, was not administering the sacraments, but facing the press after becoming the highest ranking vatican official to be charged with child sexual abuse. the alleged offences relate to an ongoing inquiry back in cardinal pell‘s native australia into instances of historical child sexual abuse. i'm innocent of these charges. they are false. the whole idea of sexual ab

pope francis has called george pell dedicated and honest.iness and for the first time in seven years all of america‘s biggest banks have been given a clean bill of health. they were tested to see if they could withstand a financial crisis. michelle is live in new york. what kind of test did they have to go through? it is a 2-part test. we found the results from the first pa rt last found the results from the first part last week and that was a simulated model in which the federal reserve and america‘s central bank looked at the big 2a institutions with us operations to see if there was a sudden, dramatic downturn, we re was a sudden, dramatic downturn, were those banks in a strong in opposition to survive? they all passed that test with flying colours. the test results we found out late last night had to do with their capital plans, what they intended to do with the money they had, whether or not they were allowed to pay out dividends or buy back shares, something that is hugely important to investors. for the first time we saw all of the ba

the detail of the charges against pell haven't been made public because of a gag order in australia, and aside from the morning statement, the cardinal himself, who lives here just steps from the vatican, has stayed behind closed doors. >> the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> reporter: pell was already on the defensive last year testifying he made mistakes handling sexual abuse claims against priests in australia. >> i reget that i didn't do more. >> reporter: the catholic church has been rocked by sex abuse scandals for two decades. pope francis promised zero tolerance for priests who commit crimes. >> we will truly feel healing and vindicated when the truth is exposed in the vatican and survivors no longer have to do all of the heavy lifting. >> reporter: tonight, the church abuse scandal reachinging the very heart of the vatican. kelly cobiella, rome. >>> it's a tense evening for thousands of homeowners across the west as nearly two dozen large wildfires rage out of control. we can show you now live picture from southern california where towering flames have come within f

george pell will appear in court in australia next month.r martin moore—bick is appointed to lead the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire. he met residents this morning and promised to get to the truth as quickly as possible. and still to come: it's all in the name. how the emir who owns the world's most famous stables helped a cornish village save their church. coming up in sport: can novak djokovic turn around his form this season on grass? he's warming up for next week's wimbledon with a third round match against american donald young at the aegon classic in eastbourne. it's three years since the self—proclaimed islamic state declared the creation of a caliphate. now, under extreme attack from a us—led international coalition, they are clinging on to their last major strongholds in syria and in iraq. britain has carried out the second largest number of air strikes against is, after america. now, for the first time, raf crews have been talking to the bbc about the challenges they face in avoiding civilian casualties. 0ur defence co

>> reporter: peter, both cardinal pell and the vet can are taking this seriously of course. conference early this morning. first george pell spoke as you heard there and after that it was the chance of the director of the holy press office and paypal spokesperson who said that while the vatican regrets the allegations they kind of threw a lifeline to george pell by saying that they appreciated his honesty during his three years that he spent here as the head of the vatican finances, they appreciated his role as one of the [ inaudible ] -- and so forth. and also they confirmed that the pope allowed a leave of absence to george pell from his top post here, allowing him to travel to australia to attend that hearing. but of course as always here in the vatican you need to read between the lines so you need to understand what we don't know is whether that is a way for pope francis to allow george pell to slowly slip away from that post gracefully. peter. >> nbc's claudio lavanga is at the vatican for us today. >>> closer to home president trump's travel ban goes back into effect

it's thought the charges against cardinal pell date back to the 1970s.ked as a priest after his ordination. he's been trusted by pope francis to reform the vatican finances as the treasurer. the pontiff has previously said he would show zero tolerance to abusive priests. the pope has granted the cardinal time off to defend himself. the specific nature of these allegations have yet to be made public. a court is expected to decide next week whether to release those details. the australian cardinal is the highest ranking vatican official to be charged in the catholic church's long—running sexual abuse scandal. phil mercer, bbc news. sydney. 0ur correspondentjames reynolds is in rome. when he became pope a few years ago, pope francis created a commission to deal with allegations of sexual abuse by clerics and he promised a change in the vatican's approach. how he handles this case will be a huge test for him and the church.” think he and the church are in a very uncomfortable position. he has made the fight against child abuse a central priority of his time

they are false. >> reporter: police making the bombshell announcement in pell's na a >> cardinal pell is facing multiple charges in respect to sexual offenses and there are multiple complainants relating to those charges. >> reporter: the cardinal is now taking a leave of absence. the vatican said pope francis regretted news of the charges for decades old actions. the detail of the charges against pell haven't been made public because of a gag order in australia, and aside from the morning statement, the cardinal himself, who lives here just steps from the vatican, has stayed behind closed doors. >> the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> reporter: pell was already on the defensive, last year testifying he made mistakes handling sexual abuse claims against priests in australia. >> i regret that i didn't do more. >> reporter: the catholic church has been rocked by sex abuse scandals for two decades. pope francis promised zero tolerance for priests who commit crimes. >> we will truly feel healing and vindicated when the truth is exposed in the vatican longer have to do all of the

george pell has denied allegations of child sex abuse.l said he will return from rome to his native land to stand trial. pope francis previously promised zero-tolerance for sex abuse. correspondent: pope francis celebrates mass with his cardinals in rome. the pontiff has suspended pell from his a job as the vatican finance chief. he is facing allegations of sexual assault, charges brought in his australian homeland. >> news of these charges strengthens my results and court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and return here back to rome. correspondent: the australian is facing a number of charges, among them, these two men accused the cardinal of molesting them in a sum equal in the 1970's. -- in a swimming pool in the 1970's. >> in the past, the vatican has always invoke its immunity. the cardinal has never before had to defend himself before a court outside the vatican. cardinal pell has already faced one allegation for sexual abuse in australia. he was acquitted them for lack of evidence. on the 18th of july, the c

now, pell says that he will return to australia to fight the charges. this, by the way, means that he's the highest ranking vatican official to be charged in the long running sexual abuse scandal. >>> a look at the thursday weather forecast. >>oo danger, elevated fire danger for today over the southwest. notice how all the wet weather, all the thunderstorms stay off to the east. humidity values are going to be low and there will be a breeze in place. this is going to continue right into the upcoming weekend. severe threat for today continues over the upper midwest and the midwest where tornadoes, damaging winds and hail along with flooding downpours will be a concern. i'm justin povick with your accuweather forecast. >> still ahead right here, the new flu vaccine that is pain-free. >>> new this morning an explosion destroys a college dorm. see what investigators think caused it. >>> plus, caught on camera, a u-haul truck slams into a bar nearly hitting a person inside. why the driver is now under arrest. >>> this morning two people are recovering after

cardinal pell like any other defendant has a right to due process. >> cardinal pell is being orderedappear in a court in melbourne on july 18th. the vatican says over the past three years pope francis has appreciated cardinal pell's work to reform the vatican's finances. >> maureen thanks. >>> let's get to politics closer to home. one day after calling off a healthcare vote this week senate majority leader mitch mcconnell trying to sandy revised version of that bill to the congressional budget office as soon as tomorrow. the hope is a vote can still take place this summer. the president weighing in saying it will include a great surprise when it comes vote. also on wednesday, capitol hill police arrested dozens of protesters of the gop's plan. >>> the president held his first reelection fundraiser last night at the trump international hotel not far from the white house in washington, d.c. raised about $10 million last night. it was $35,000 per plate to get in. the president did not allow reporters into the fundraiser. when his motorcade arrived there were protesters there chanting sh

are the historical the beast cardinal george pell. says he'll return to his native australia to fight the charges. wednesday . fast so korea's new press. men say in has arrived in washington talks with press. resolve trade. cause and still. i get so on so i. do we. korea the two. offering views when. presence of an self defense system on south korean territory with lauren that. all us correspondent phillip crown that joins us now and definite mainstay in is a lot less pro american than his predecessor. how is this relationship going to work given how much is at stake? israeli interest in relation to that will see. developer in front of our own eyes today because they will be joined state. from the two presidents in the white house rose garden ennahda time. steering train passing by. it gets very interest because there is a difference but. current south korean president. and the form on south korean president. the former south president want as much engagement with that south with north korea. president mood wants and what we're seeing

pell supported by bishops as a man of integrity completed institutional errors but denied any sexualenses himself. news from australia reached the vit can overnight, and before dawn on the fifth day of st. peters and paul, cardinal pell released his first statement saying he would return home next month to clear his name. then early this morning he spoke to the press. >> i am looking forward finally to having my day in court. i am innocent of these charges. they are false. the bhol idea of-- the whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me. >> pope francis who pell said he talked-- later presided over mass in saint peters square. use wrees in the square today wanted god's truth to shine through. >> there's been a lot of bad press about pell, in the australian media. he is not very well liked and a lot of people are very angry that the church in australia didn't do enough to cover any sexual abuse over many years. ♪ you know you're not feeling well. >> song by musician tim minchin which pleaded with the ailing cardinal to return to australia to testify to the royal commission went vi

it's more likely pope francis has forced cardinal pell to leave. he is the highest ranking to be charged with these charges and it's really sending shock waves through the catholic church. >> as you're talking, we show him greeting parishioners, presiding over a mass. do you know if he has any public events set up as well? >> reporter: yes. actually the pope is speaking behind me in st. peter's square in front of st. peter's basilica. this is a world week. the cardinals have been in rome. they make new cardinals. there's a feast of rome, a holiday here. we were told very specifically by the director of the holy see press office greg burke to not see cardinal pell at any public events until his name is cleared. some question whether he'll ever return to rome. anne-marie? >> wow. very interesting. thank you very much, seth. >>> the revised version of president trump's ban of preventing visitors from six mostly muslim countriesoe new instructions have been sent o the u.s. embassies and consulates. the new guidance will be there until they there's a re

cardinal george pell will appear in court in australia next month. james reynolds, bbc news.n the commons including scrapping the public sector pay cap, we will speak to representatives of the metropolitan police and the nursing federation. let's get an update on the weather now. here is the rate at which shows an awful lot of rain across scotland, some of that creeps westwards and there are dribs and drabs of rain and the south west. notjust words but also windy which brings a chilly field to things across the north and north—east, overnight tonight a lot of cloud out there and some is really low. in mild night, 10 degrees in stornoway, 14 in cardiff and london. starting pretty grey on friday, rain to be had, gradually moving back southwards and eastwards, something brightly developing. states grey with outbreaks of rain, top temperature around 22. on into the weekend and prospects are much better, not a dry we can do much drier than it is now and it should be brighter and for some little bit warmer. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: a retired judge, sir martin moore—b

cardinal pell like any other defendant has a writ to due process. >> and cardinal pell is being order appear in court in melbourne on july 18th the vatican says over past three yers, pope francis has appreciated cardinal pell's work to reform the vatican's finances. >>> 9:11 right now. former redskins player clinton tis is revealing disturbing details about his high profile financial troubles how about he contemplated on those who drove him to bankruptcy. >> he lost a portion of the $43 million he earned over his 9nfl seasons. story publish by sports illustrated portis says in 2013, he sat in car outside the d.c. managers while holding a gun. portis says a friend of his who was also a family therapist was able to talk him out of using that gun on anybody. portis filed multiple lawsuits against this financial adviser between 2011 and 2013. the lawsuit argued the adviser opened an account for portis with a forged signature and that led to withdrawals totaling more than $3 million without portis ever knowing. he also also lost a lot of money in a ponzi scheme he was talk to by another fo

a senior member of the vatican, cardinal george pell, is charged with sexual abuse offences in his homery, australia. i'm simon mccoy live in westminster where mps will vote on the queen's speech later. it's been interpreted as a test of authority for theresa may's minority government —— labour is seeking amendments on public spending and brexit. and the culture secretary says she is "minded to" refer rupert murdoch's 21st century fox takeover of sky to the competition watchdog. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. sir martin moore—bick — the retired judge chosen to lead the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire — says it's unlikely its remit would be wide enough to satisfy all survivors. sir martin promised a "vigorous inquiry‘ that would look at the problems surrounding the start of the fire and its rapid development in order to prevent this ever happening again. after meeting with residents this morning — he said he understood their desire forjustice and that he would produce an interim report "as early as possible". critics say residents should have been consulted. 80 peopl

speaking at the vatican a short time ago, pell proclaimed his innocence.only denying the allegations, but promising to return to australia to fight the charges and clear his name. cnn's delia gallagher is in rome with the latest. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, as you mentioned, the cardinal came out this morning here at the vatican to say that this was a relentless character assassination. the allegations have been swirling in the media for some time. the cardinal has always denied them. what's important this morning is that the vatican as well came out and said that they are supporting the cardinal, that they have respect for the australian justice system which will have its trial and that they are allowing him a leave of absence to return to australia. so there's no question of him having to be extradited or being protected by the vatican. the cardinal saying he is going to clear his name. what's really significant about this, not only with these charges being brought against one of the highest officials of the catholic church, but at a time in

police in australia have charged one of the catholic church's most seniorfigures, cardinal george pell, with historic sex offences. he strongly denies the allegations, and says he will return from rome to clear his name. the chinese president, xijinping, has arrived in hong kong for celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the territory's return to china from british rule. it is his first visit there since becoming the country's leader. the united states is introducing tough new security measures for inbound flights, but has stopped short of expanding the ban on laptops in hand luggage. the new measures include enhanced screening of passengers and baggage. the british prime ministerfaces what amounts to a vote of confidence later on thursday. the opposition will try to win concessions before a final vote on the government's legislative programme, known as the queen's speech. now it is time for world business report. reaching for the sky. will rupert murdoch's takeover plans for the pay tv giant be cleared for lift—off, or grounded? plus: ringgit rebellion. they saw off the speculat

pell has denied any wrongdoing. he says he plans to return to australia where he will defend the charges. during a government investigation in 2013... pell apologized for historical abuse in the church. he also acknowledged that cover-ups by others allowed pedophile priests to continue abusing children. pell currently serves as a top adviser to pope francis and is the vatican's top financial adviser. (darya) the majority of hate crimes in the u-s were not reported to police over the last 12 years. that is according to a new federal report. it says that more than half of the 250-thousand hate crimes that happened between 2004 and 20-15 were not reported. most often, hate crimes weren't reported to police because they were handled some other way. others say they did not come forward because they did not feel it was important or that police would help. ( mark ) a 26-year-old pregnant woman in north carolina found a man breaking into her s-u-v at a walmart parking lot, so she went after him.( darya ) after being unable

pope francis has called george pell dedicated and honest.. james reynolds, bbc news, rome. a man has been arrested in a paris suburb after trying to drive a car into a crowd near paris mosque. the police said no one was injured. french police said the driver claimed he wanted to avenge attacks against islamic state. the proposed merger of sky and rupert murdoch's 2ist century fox is likely to be referred to the competition watchdog. the decision — by the culture secretary karren bradley — is a blow to the media mogul‘s hopes of having the 11 billion pound deal waved through without further scrutiny. mr murdoch already owns 39% of the satellite broadcaster. 0ur media editor amol rajan gave us an idea of how he may have reacted to today's news. 0n the one hand they will be pleased and relieved that they have been deemed fit and proper by 0fcom to own a broadcasting licence. but there seemed to be these lingering worries about excessive power and control being in the hands of one family. rupert murdoch is not as powerful as he used to be in bri

cardinal pell said the pope has given him a leave of absence. it's very likely that the pope stood him down. >> reporter: and that leave of absence according to the vatican is effective immediately. a leave of absence is quite significant for a priest. it is even more serious for a cardinal and for such a close friend and adviser of pope francis it is a shock. >>> the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. i did everything i could to make her party perfect. almost everything. you know, 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. but for only $7 a month, rid-x helps break down waste. avoid a septic disaster with rid-x. it says you apply the blue one ok, letto me. this. here? no. have a little fun together, or a lot. k-y yours and mine. two sensations that work together, so you can play together. not all fish oil supplements provide the same omega-3 power. introducing megared advanced triple absorption... it supports your heart, joints, brain, and eyes. and is absorbed by your body three times better. so one megared has more o

pell wasn't among the cardinals he greeted today. last year pell was accused at an australian inquiry of mishandling sexual abuse claims against priest and admitted mistakes, now he is accused directly. >> it's going to be very difficult to untangle this. it becomes, as we know, his word against their word. >> dark clouds over the vatican today. the global sexual scandal hitting the church had crested and now it's reached inside the very corridors of papal power. >> this will be a huge test for a pope who has said there must be zero tolerance for abusers in the church. the task force pell who is 76, begins july 18th in an australian court. >> it is a day that the british will never forget, the day the attackers wept on a rampage on the london bridge killing eight people within a few minutes. the attack happened on june 3rd. but one of the police officers who took on those attackers was stabbed in the process and now speaking out publicly. officer wayne mark was the first o other to face the three attackers had no guns only a police b

his name is cardinal george pell. he faces charges in australia for alleged sexual assault that was committed allegedly ago. >> the cardinal is top adviser to pope francis who has zero tolerance. he'll take a leave of absence while he fights the charges. >> cardinal pell says he is innocent. seth doane has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as far as princes of the church, cardinal pell is at the top. he's a top adviser for pope francis. it's shending shock waives throughout the church. railing against what he said was nearly two years of relentless character assassination. >> i'm innocent of these charges. they are false. the whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me. >> reporter: australian police did not provide any specific details of the m of sexual assault. cardinal george pell has been in charge of reforming church finances but for years has faced allegations that he did not properly deal with clergy sex abuse in australia. he was questioned by a kmegs investigating the church's response to abus