North America

USA: Trump’s day in court as criminal defendant: What to know

NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant.

Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday after being indicted by a New York grand jury on charges related to hush-money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom. He then flew home to Florida and spoke to a crowd of supporters at his home.

Here’s what to know about Trump’s day in court:

USA: Trump in police custody, pleads not guilty to 34 counts against him in Manhattan court

New York/Washington, Apr 4 (PTI) Former US President Donald Trump was on Tuesday arrested as he arrived to surrender at the Manhattan criminal court for his arraignment on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

This is for the first time that a former US president has been under arrest and arranged for criminal charges.

USA: UN tells Afghan staff not to work for 48 hours - UN sources

UNITED NATIONS/KABUL, April 4 (Reuters) - The United Nations has told all Afghan staff not to report to work in Afghanistan for 48 hours for security reasons while it seeks additional information from the Taliban authorities about a ban on Afghan women working for the world body, U.N. sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

Mexico asks China for help to control fentanyl shipments

MEXICO CITY, April 4 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he had sent a letter to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping urging him to help control shipments of the synthetic opioid fentanyl sent across the Pacific.

Lopez Obrador read out the letter during a news conference in which he defended his country's efforts to curb trafficking of the lethal drug in the face of U.S. criticism.

USA: Trump supporters, detractors crowd around Manhattan courthouse for arraignment

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters on Tuesday swarmed the streets around the courthouse in New York City where the former president was due to be arraigned on charges related to a hush-money payment to a porn star.

Hours before Trump turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon, crowds of people whistled, shouted and raised placards in support of Trump, who has already announced his candidacy for president in 2024.

USA: Study explains how primordial life survived on 'Snowball Earth'

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - Life on our planet faced a stern test during the Cryogenian Period that lasted from 720 million to 635 million years ago when Earth twice was frozen over with runaway glaciation and looked from space like a shimmering white snowball.

Life somehow managed to survive during this time called "Snowball Earth," and a new study offers a deeper understanding as to why.

USA: Trump arrives at New York courthouse to face criminal charges

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - Donald Trump, the former president and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, arrived at a Manhattan courthouse to be formally charged on Tuesday in a watershed moment for the United States as his supporters and detractors noisily rallied outside.

Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump, 76, exhibited little emotion on his face as he waved to a crowd assembled outside the courthouse after he was driven in a motorcade from his New York residence at Trump Tower.

USA: Russian UN envoy stresses need to "de-dollarize" world economy

UNITED NATIONS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia on Monday stressed the need to "de-dollarize" the world economy after the West's sanctions against Russia caused concerns about the reliability of the dollar-based international payment system.

Russia has been talking about the need to delink itself from the dependence on the U.S. dollar and other Western currencies for a long time, he told a press conference at UN headquarters as his country assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of April.

USA: New York braces for possible tensions on Trump arraignment day

NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

More law enforcement staff and barricades were put in place around Manhattan Criminal Court and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in Lower Manhattan as well as at Trump Tower on the Fifth Avenue in Midtown.

New York State Court officers were seen on duty around the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump is expected to face criminal charges.

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