NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
Sex abuse charges: The most senior Vatican official ever charged in the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis is preparing to make his first court appearance in Australia. Cardinal George Pell is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He is Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic and Pope Francis’ top financial adviser. Pell was charged last month with sexually abusing multiple people years ago in his Australian home state of Victoria. The details of the allegations against the 76-year-old cardinal have yet to be released to the public, though police have described the charges as “historical” sexual assault offenses. That generally means crimes that occurred years ago. He has vehemently denied the allegations against him.
American dies in Syria: The father of a former Marine says he was notified by the U.S. State Department that his son was killed in Syria while fighting for a Kurdish militia battling the Islamic State. David Taylor Sr. said Tuesday that his son David Taylor told only a high school friend about his plans to join the Kurdish group, and he swore his friend to secrecy. Taylor’s father says he didn’t even know of his son’s plans until after he had arrived in Syria earlier this year. A Kurdish militia group said Taylor was killed on July 16.
Corruption probe: Brazil’s attorney general’s office announced on Tuesday that it has tripled its 2018 budget for the investigation into a sprawling corruption scandal that has engulfed political and business leaders across Latin America. Federal prosecutors decided to boost spending on the so-called Car Wash investigation from the $165 million initially allotted in January to more than $500 million. The probe could get an additional $165 million later this year, though that is not certain.
Building collapse: A five-story apartment building in the Indian city of Mumbai collapsed Tuesday morning, burying many residents under tons of concrete and debris. At least 12 people died and as many as six others were feared trapped in the rubble of the collapse, whose cause was not yet known. A severe housing shortage and lax regulation in India has resulted in too many people crowded into old, weak and substandard structures.
Turkish troops to stay: Turkey’s president says he will not pull Turkish troops from their base in Qatar, rejecting a demand by major Arab states that it do so to end the ongoing crisis with the small gulf country. Speaking in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the demand “disrespectful.” He said Turkey would not seek permission from others when making its defense cooperation agreements. The president said the 13-point demand list by Arab states, already rejected by Qatar, contradicted international law. Corruption crackdown: The Tunisian prime minister has embarked on a sweeping crackdown against organized crime, arresting nearly a dozen mafia bosses and smuggling barons in recent weeks in an effort to stamp out what has become a nearly existential threat to the young democracy. The campaign, led by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, is proving popular among Tunisians frustrated at increasingly brazen corruption, a stagnating economy and an ever-widening gap between rich and poor. The drive has surprised nearly everyone for its vigor, but it is not without risks, as the mafia bosses have become so powerful that financial and political analysts say they present a threat as dangerous as terrorism.