Morning mail: Pell charges throw papacy into crisis Friday: The charging of Cardinal George Pell over child sexual abuse allegations reverberates in Rome. Plus: Iraqi forces enter Great Mosque in Mosul Pope Francis greets Cardinal George Pell (L) of Australia after a mass in Rome last year. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images Eleanor Ainge Roy @EleanorAingeRoy Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 30 June. Top stories Pope Francis is facing the biggest crisis of his papacy after the third highest ranking official in the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell, was accused of sexual abuse charges. Australian police announced on Thursday that charges relating to multiple alleged sexual offences were served on Pell's legal representatives in Melbourne and that he had been ordered to appear in court on 18 July. Pell said he was innocent of the charges and that he was taking leave of absence to return to Australia to "clear his name". In a statement Pell said he was the victim of a witch hunt and long-running "relentless character assassination". Pell is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be charged in the Catholic church's long-running sexual abuse scandal, which has claimed thousands of victims in numerous countries. The pope has repeatedly claimed that the church ought to have zero tolerance for sexual predators within the church or those who protect them. But his record on abuse issues has been criticised by victims' rights advocates, and Vatican watchers suggested that the tone of the statement indicated that Pope Francis was not wavering in his support for Pell. For the background to Thursday's bombshell read David Marr's profile of the cardinal, the "bright kid" from the bush, who rose to the highest ranks of the church. The chorus of voices opposed to the Adani megamine in Queensland is growing with farmers joining the coalition campaigning against it. Longreach farmer Angus Emmott launched a petition against the mine last week and it already has more than 30,000 signatures. The farmers speaking out against the mine are motivated by concerns about the affects the mine would have on groundwater, biodiversity, rural communities and climate change. Iraqi forces have entered the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, from where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself leader of Islamic State three years ago, Martin Chulov reports. Government troops are now in the heart of the Old City – the last redoubt of Isis in Mosul – and probably within a fortnight of recapturing the whole city. The Iraqi prime minister, Haidar al-Abadi, proclaimed the advance towards the mosque as "the end of the Isis state". Big business and banks in England are scrambling to prepare for Brexit, with around a dozen set to move staff to Dublin, Irish authorities have said. As Dublin continues to battle with Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Paris for the Brexit spoils, US bank JP Morgan is buying a landmark office building in the Irish capital, doubling its staff in the city. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which already has a presence in Dublin, has also spoken of expanding in the city, while Goldman Sachs is to start moving hundreds of staff out of London before a Brexit deal is struck, the bank's European boss has confirmed. Tasmanian scientists are fighting the potential extinction of the shy albatross with fake nests they hope will encourage the bird to mate. Shy albatrosses breed on only three remote Tasmanian islands in the Bass Strait, which host an estimated 1,500 breeding pairs. The albatrosses have elaborate mating rituals and form monogamous partnerships, meaning it can take them up to eight years to begin breeding. Combined with rising air temperatures and warming oceans, breeding rates are in decline. It's hoped the artifical nests will help protect their young and boost chances of survival. Sport Australia have beaten Sri Lanka by eight wickets in their second match of the women's cricket world cup in Bristol overnight. Meg Lanning underlined her status as the No1 batsman in women's cricket with a superb unbeaten century as Australia made 262-2, overhauling Sri Lanka's 257-9, of which Chamari Atapattu made an astonishing 178 not out. No other Sri Lankan contributed more than 24. Australia now face New Zealand on Sunday. The AFL appeals board has doubled the suspension of Richmond defender Bachar Houli to four weeks, drawing a line under a saga in which the league was forced to formally rebuff its own tribunal for the first time in the game's history. Thinking time Laura Poitras in Berlin. Photograph: Malte Jaeger/Archimedes Exhibition GmbH Laura Poitras's documentary on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange morphed dramatically over its six years of filming, as increasingly bizarre facets of Assange's personality were revealed, she tells Simon Hattenstone. Poitras eventually fell out with Assange, and she became increasingly critical of WikiLeaks, particularly over attitudes towards women. "Filming is always hard, and this was particularly hard." she said. " I knew Julian was going to be furious with the film, and I don't have any joy with that." The company that brought you Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run is staging a major exhibition in Melbourne. The Aardman Animation exhibition has opened at Acmi, showcasing 40 years of the beloved company's treasures. Surprising nobody, co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton are delightful as they talk Stephanie Convery through the magic behind the clay, sharing a few secrets – and taking a minor dig at Pixar, too. Britain's Royal Ballet company has set up shop in Queensland. For the first time in its 85 year history it will perform two shows in Brisbane and Cairns. The company's We All Dance programme aims to bring dance to marginalised communities, and for its members to learn from local forms of dance as well. What's he done now? Donald Trump has attacked the hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, launching a Twitter tirade against the pair. "I heard poorly rated Morning Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore)," Trump wrote. "Then how come low-IQ, crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago three nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" Trump once shared a friendly rapport with the Morning Joe hosts, frequently calling in to their program during the Republican primaries. But Trump began launching personal attacks against the duo during the general election, deeming their coverage of him unfair. Media roundup The Age reports that another historic Melbourne pub will be knocked down to make way for apartments, and the ABC reveals the Australian defence force will launch a cyber warfare unit in days with 100 personnel, growing to 900 within 10 years. Coming up The government will receive a report from the referendum council on the best way forward on constitutional recognition, following the historic meeting of more than 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders last month. The royal commission on the juvenile justice system in the Northern Territory will sit in Darwin for a final day. Support the Guardian It might take a minute to catch up on the news, but good journalism takes time and money. If you already support Guardian Australia, your generosity is invaluable. If not, and you value what we do, please become a Supporter today. Thanks. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396