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Former president Donald Trump arrives at Reagan National Airport in Washington, en route to his arraignment in federal court.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Trump pleads not guilty to charges he tried to overturn election loss
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges that he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss in what US prosecutors call an unprecedented effort by the then-president to undermine the pillars of American democracy.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has overseen the investigation, looked on from the front row as Trump entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya.
“Not guilty,” Trump said, emphasising the first word.
The arraignment, lasting about half an hour, took place just a kilometre from the US Capitol, the building Trump’s supporters stormed on Jan 6, 2021, to try to stop Congress from certifying his defeat.
US Navy sailors arrested on charges of sharing secrets with China
Two US Navy sailors have been arrested on charges of handing over sensitive national security material to China, US officials said on Thursday.
Petty Officer Zhao Wenheng, 26, was charged with conspiracy and bribetaking in connection with taking nearly US$15,000 (S$20,000) in exchange for photographs and videos of sensitive US military information, the officials said.
US Navy sailor Wei Jinchao, whose age was not disclosed, was charged with conspiring to send national defence information to China in exchange for thousands of dollars.
Zelensky says Ukraine strength dominates, progress reported
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine’s military faced difficulties on front lines in the east and south of the country, but were dominant in their campaign.
Senior military officials reported Ukrainian gains in the east – long the focal point of the 17-month-old conflict - around the shattered Russian-held city of Bakhmut.
Ukraine in June launched a counter-offensive in the east and in the south, where it hopes to advance to the Sea of Azov and sever a Russian land bridge between occupied parts of the east and the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Canadian wildfire emissions are double previous record
Forest fires in Canada this year have released 290 million tonnes of carbon, doubling a previous annual record, and emissions are set to rise as hundreds of blazes remain active across the country, according to the EU’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
The estimated emissions from Canadian fires account for over 25 per cent of the global total for 2023 to date, and are well above the previous Canadian record of 138 million tonnes registered in 2014, Copernicus said on Thursday. Satellite monitoring of emissions began in 2003.
This year’s wildfire season is also the worst on record for area burned, with about 131,000 sq km already scorched across eastern and western Canada.
Paris airport pandemonium as bag handler breaks
With just one year to go before Paris hosts the Olympic Games, one of the city’s airports suffered an unprecedented breakdown on Thursday that led to a mountain of luggage piling up and delayed flights.
A breakdown in the luggage-sorting equipment at terminal four of Orly airport meant that baggage had to be handled by hand.
That resulted in many flights leaving late and without the luggage of their passengers on board, according to airport operator ADP and airlines.
