Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court for an arraignment on charges stemming from his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a historic case. But any potential trial could be more than a year away. That raises the possibility that the former U.S. president could face a jury as he seeks a return to the White House – or even after the November 2024 election. After he pleaded not guilty, Judge Juan Merchan set the next court hearing for Dec. 4.
Analysis: The long-awaited charges centering on hush money payments to suppress damaging news stories ahead of the 2016 election revealed few new details about a case that prosecutors have probed on-and-off for five years. Legal experts not involved with the case underscored that its ultimate strength will likely hinge on evidence that has not yet been made public.
French President Emmanuel Macron landed in China shortly ahead of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen as they seek to smooth ties with a key economic partner while broaching thorny issues like Ukraine and trade risks.
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin is stepping down as leader of the Social Democratic party and will serve as a regular lawmaker from next week. She sought another term in last Sunday’s election but her party came third. On Tuesday, her country formally joined NATO.
Cross-border fire in Gaza
Israeli police entered Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque before dawn and clashed with worshippers, setting off a furious reaction from Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and crossborder strikes in Gaza.
At least nine rockets were fired from Gaza overnight, prompting air strikes from Israel which struck what it said were Hamas weapon production sites. As day broke, the situation appeared to have calmed but the Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians had been wounded.
New Zealand’s central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates by 50 basis points to a more than 14-year peak of 5.25% on Wednesday, saying inflation was still too high and persistent and kept the door open to further tightening. This is how the markets reacted.
UBS’s Chairman told shareholders that the takeover of Credit Suisse was a significant milestone for Switzerland and for the global financial industry. The bank’s annual general meeting comes a day after executives at Credit Suisse faced their own shareholders and Chairman Axel Lehmann apologized for leading the bank to the verge of bankruptcy.
In more news from Switzerland, the country’s financial regulator FINMA called for more power to penalize and name and shame banks that break the rules. “Our instruments hit their limits in extreme cases as seen in the case of Credit Suisse,” FINMA president Marlene Amstad said.
In Pictures
Former President Donald Trump speaks, with a flag behind him, during a campaign rally at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, September 24, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
Marine biologist Ana Liria feeds a Caretta Caretta turtle at the Taliarte Wildlife Recovery Center, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez
Growing numbers of loggerhead sea turtles are nesting and laying eggs on western Mediterranean beaches in what some scientists suggest could be a case of climate change causing habitat expansion of a threatened species. Another factor probably benefiting the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle are protection programes in countries like Spain and Cape Verde.
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