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Trump booked at Atlanta jail on election charges, heads home, mugshots released

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This handout image released by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office on August 24, 2023 shows the booking photo of former US President Donald Trump. (AFP)
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Former US President Donald Trump arrives to turn himself in to be processed at Fulton County Jail after his Georgia indictment, in Atlanta, Georgia, US, August 24, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 25 August 2023
Reuters
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Trump booked at Atlanta jail on election charges, heads home, mugshots released

  • Trump has agreed to post $200,000 bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his co-defendants in the Georgia case
  • Former White House chief of staff Meadows surrenders,
Updated 25 August 2023
Reuters

ATLANTA, Georgia: Donald Trump’s mug shot was released on Thursday evening after he was booked at an Atlanta jail on more than a dozen felony charges as part of a wide-ranging criminal case stemming from the former US president’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
An unsmiling Trump — inmate no. P01135809, according to Fulton County Jail records — was captured glaring at the camera in the mug shot. The image represented yet another extraordinary moment for Trump, who did not have to submit to a photograph when making appearances in his three other criminal cases.
He wasted little time trying to turn it to his advantage, posting it on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, as well as his own social media site, Truth Social. His campaign website featured the mug shot along with a message from Trump defending his actions and asking for donations.
The X post appeared to be Trump’s first on the site since his account was banned after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. X owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump’s account late last year.

Trump spent only about 20 minutes at the jail before heading back to his New Jersey golf club. Before boarding his private plane at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport, he repeated his claim that the prosecution — along with the others he faces — is politically motivated.
“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” he told reporters. “I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it.”
Trump, 77, already has entered uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges, even as he mounts another campaign for the White House next year.
Far from damaging his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, however, the four cases filed against him have only bolstered his standing. He holds a commanding polling lead in the Republican race to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.

Dozens of supporters, waving Trump banners and American flags, jostled for a glimpse as Trump arrived at the jail. Among the Trump backers gathered outside was Georgia US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the former president’s most loyal congressional allies.
Lyle Rayworth, 49, who is in the aviation industry in the Atlanta area, had been waiting near the jailhouse for 10 hours, since early on Thursday.
“Yeah, I’m hoping he sees me waving the flags, showing support,” Rayworth said as he awaited Trump’s arrival. “He needs us.”
The image is certain to be circulated widely by Trump’s foes and supporters alike.

‘A more popular image than Monalisa’
“We want to put it on a T-shirt. It will go worldwide. It will be a more popular image than the Mona Lisa,” said Laura Loomer, 30, a Republican former congressional candidate who mingled with other Trump supporters outside the jail on Thursday morning.
Judge Scott McAfee set a trial date of Oct. 23 for one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed that date in response to Chesebro’s request for a speedy trial. The judge’s order said the schedule does not yet apply to Trump or any of the other defendants.
Eleven of his co-defendants already have been booked, according to authorities. Some, like Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, were stone-faced in their mug shots, while others, such as lawyer Jenna Ellis, smiled for the camera.
All 19 defendants faced a Friday deadline to surrender. Court records showed that Mark Meadows, who served as Trump’s White House chief of staff, was processed at the jail on Thursday.
The jail has a reputation for grim conditions that have inspired rap songs and prompted an investigation by the US Justice Department.
Trump faces 13 felony counts in the Georgia case, including racketeering, which is typically used to target organized crime, for pressuring state officials to reverse his election loss and setting up an illegitimate slate of electors to undermine the formal congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 victory.

Trial date wrangling
Willis originally proposed a trial date of March 4 but moved it up for Chesebro after he asked that his trial start by October. Trump’s legal team has yet to propose a date but is expected to push for a much later start. On Thursday, his newest Atlanta lawyer, Steven Sadow, asked for Trump to be tried separately from Chesebro.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the three other cases and denied wrongdoing. In the Georgia case, Willis has requested that arraignments begin the week of Sept. 5, though defendants in Georgia are permitted to waive those appearances and plead not guilty via court filing.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed the first case, accusing Trump of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn star who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him years ago.
Trump also faces two sets of federal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith — one case in Washington involving election interference and one in Miami involving classified documents he retained after leaving office in 2021. He faces 91 criminal counts in total.
Trump agreed to post $200,000 bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his co-defendants in the Georgia case.
Republicans who control the US House of Representatives said on Thursday they would investigate whether Willis improperly coordinated with federal prosecutors. They previously launched an investigation of Bragg, who accused them of a “campaign of intimidation.”
On Wednesday, Trump’s leading rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination met in Milwaukee for their first debate. Trump skipped that event, instead sitting for a pre-taped interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson aimed at siphoning away viewers.
“I’ve been indicted four times — all trivial nonsense,” Trump told Carlson.
 

Topics: Donald Trump Atlanta Georgia Fulton County

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Youth voices at COP29 demand a seat at the table

Updated 16 sec ago
MANAL AL-BARAKATI
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Youth voices at COP29 demand a seat at the table

  • Advocates on the ground are clear: climate action cannot succeed without fully integrating the voices of the generation that will live with its consequences
Updated 16 sec ago
MANAL AL-BARAKATI

BAKU: At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, young climate leaders are amplifying their calls for meaningful inclusion in global climate negotiations. Despite their innovative solutions and unique perspectives, many youth-led initiatives continue to face barriers such as underfunding and tokenism. Advocates on the ground are clear: climate action cannot succeed without fully integrating the voices of the generation that will live with its consequences.

Children as climate stakeholders

Catarina Lorenzo, a 16-year-old Youth Climate Champion, emphasizes the critical need for young people to be involved in decision-making processes. “Children are among the most vulnerable groups, yet their voices are often excluded,” Lorenzo says. She highlights the unique perspectives that children bring to the table, including an innate connection to nature and firsthand experiences of climate impacts such as floods and school disruptions.

Lorenzo points to a concerning statistic: only 2 percent of global philanthropic investments in development directly benefit children, despite their making up a third of the world’s population. “We need concrete actions,” she asserts, calling for greater investment and a dedicated youth and children-focused section in national contributions to climate goals. While she acknowledges an increase in youth presence at COP events compared to earlier years, she stresses that their voices remain sidelined during key negotiations.

Progress amid tokenism

While initiatives like the COP29 Youth Delegates Program, led by Presidency Youth Climate Champion Leyla Hasanova, aim to train young people in policy-making and technical advocacy, gaps in meaningful inclusion persist. Youth advocate Yitong Li recognizes a growing interest in youth participation but criticizes the tokenistic nature of many engagements.

“There’s more interest in involving young people, but it’s often superficial,” says Li, referencing instances where youth demands were disregarded, such as the controversy surrounding the creation of a Youth Climate Champion role. Despite these setbacks, Li remains optimistic about the growing influence of youth coalitions such as the Global Youth Statement, which has gained traction with world leaders and international organizations. “Young people remind us of what truly matters beyond the technicalities of negotiations,” she adds.

Concrete demands from youth advocates

Representing the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Anjali Chalise brings a focus on actionable outcomes. At COP29, she outlined three key demands from the Global Youth Statement: integrating children’s rights into climate policies, prioritizing children in adaptation measures, and establishing early warning systems for climate impacts.

However, Chalise expresses frustration at the lack of responsiveness from decision-makers. “We participate in negotiations and present our demands, but they are not fully reflected in final decisions,” she explained. Despite this, Chalise underscored the importance of continuing to advocate for increased climate finance, particularly for youth-driven projects that address green initiatives and adaptation strategies.

Building a framework for youth inclusion

Programs like the COP29 Youth Delegates initiative are attempting to bridge the gap between youth participation and actionable outcomes. These efforts align with the conference’s broader emphasis on amplifying the role of young leaders in addressing interconnected climate crises, such as biodiversity loss, desertification, and sustainable development.

The Presidency Youth Climate Champion has highlighted the role of youth networks in fostering collaboration across Central Asia, where the program has helped align national actions with international commitments. In parallel, events like “Youth at the Forefront of Climate Action” have underscored the urgency of meaningful youth inclusion in the climate agenda, particularly as youth advocates call for safeguards against greenwashing in nature-based solutions and demand greater accountability from world leaders.

A call for action

The growing presence of youth voices at COP29 signals a shift in global climate discourse. However, advocates insist that recognition must translate into action. They demand not just applause for their speeches but a tangible seat at the table — one that allows them to co-create policies and implement solutions.

By addressing systemic barriers and investing in youth-led initiatives, COP29 has the potential to set a new standard for inclusive climate governance. The stakes are high, but the message is clear: the future of the planet depends on listening to those who will inherit it.

Topics: Green & Blue COP29

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Putin gifts North Korea a lion, bears and ducks

Updated 8 min 53 sec ago
AFP
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Putin gifts North Korea a lion, bears and ducks

  • Putin previously gifted Kim 24 purebred horses, known to be Kim’s favorite
  • The two countries, both under heavy Western sanctions, signed a mutual defense pact earlier this year
Updated 8 min 53 sec ago
AFP

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korea dozens of animals, including a lion and two bears, as a sign of friendship between Moscow and Pyongyang, Russian officials said Wednesday.
The two countries have deepened political, military and cultural ties amid Russia’s offensive on Ukraine, with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un repeatedly professing their personal camaraderie.
“An African lion, two brown bears, two domestic yaks, five white cockatoos, 25 pheasants of various species and 40 mandarin ducks were transferred from the Moscow Zoo to the Pyongyang Zoo,” Russia’s natural resources ministry said in a post on Telegram.
It posted a video of the animals in cargo boxes being unloaded off a government plane, and another of the lion in its new enclosure at the Pyongyang Zoo.
Putin previously gifted Kim 24 purebred horses, known to be Kim’s favorite, while Kim sent Putin a pair of local dogs.
The two countries, both under heavy Western sanctions, signed a mutual defense pact earlier this year that obligates them to provide immediate military assistance if the other is invaded.
Western capitals, as well as Ukraine and South Korea, say North Korea has recently deployed more than 10,000 of its troops to Russia, to be sent into combat against Kyiv’s forces.

Topics: Vladimir Putin North Korea

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Trump names former wrestling executive as Education Secretary

Updated 32 min 33 sec ago
AFP
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Trump names former wrestling executive as Education Secretary

  • Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, will lead Department of Education that Trump has pledged to abolish
  • McMahon is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of his return to the White House in January
Updated 32 min 33 sec ago
AFP

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, on Tuesday to lead the Department of Education, which he has pledged to abolish.
Describing McMahon as a “fierce advocate for Parents’ Rights,” Trump said in a statement: “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.”
McMahon is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team ahead of his return to the White House in January. It is tasked with filling some 4,000 positions in the government.
Regarding McMahon’s experience in education, Trump cited her two-year stint on the Connecticut Board of Education and 16 years on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, a private Catholic school.
McMahon left WWE in 2009 to run in vain for US Senate, and has been a major donor to Trump.
Since 2021, she has chaired the Center For The American Worker at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute.
During the election campaign Trump promised to do away with the federal education department when he returns to the White House.
“I say it all the time. I’m dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education,” he said in September during a rally in Wisconsin.
At the Republican convention in Milwaukee, McMahon said she was “privileged to call Donald Trump a colleague and a boss,” as well as “a friend.”
Her ties with Trump go back to her years in the professional wrestling industry — she said she first met him as chief executive at WWE.
At the culmination of a staged feud, Trump once body-slammed her husband, legendary wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, and shaved his head in the middle of a wrestling ring on live television.
In 2017, she was confirmed as the head of the Small Business Administration, which is responsible for supporting America’s millions of small businesses, which employ around half the country’s private-sector workforce.
In nominating her, Trump pointed to her experience in business, helping to grow the WWE.
After leaving the administration, she served as chair of the pro-Trump America First Action SuperPAC, or political action committee.

Topics: Trump Linda McMahon US World Wrestling Entertainment

Elections in two Indian states test of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity

Updated 38 min 57 sec ago
AP
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Elections in two Indian states test of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity

  • Millions are voting in elections in Maharashtra, western industrial hub and mineral-rich eastern province of Jharkhand 
  • Election surveys on the eve of polling put the opposition alliance comprising Congress party and two others ahead of the BJP
Updated 38 min 57 sec ago
AP

NEW DELHI: Millions of people are voting in state elections in Maharashtra, India’s western industrial hub, and the mineral-rich eastern province of Jharkhand on Wednesday, in a test of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party and its regional partners.
Politically significant Maharashtra is India’s wealthiest state and home to the financial and entertainment capital, Mumbai. It is currently ruled by a coalition of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and a Hindu nationalist ally. An opposition alliance, including the Congress party, is in power in eastern Jharkhand state.
Modi has held big rallies in the two states. The challenge comes barely four months after his party suffered a setback and returned to power in national elections for a third term without a parliamentary majority. He formed the government with the help of regional partners.
Modi, in a post on social platform X ahead of the state elections, wrote: “On this occasion, I appeal to all the youth and women voters to vote in large numbers.”
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst who wrote a Modi biography, said a reversal in these state elections would negatively impact Modi’s leadership style.
“It will have repercussions for the BJP in coming elections in Delhi and Bihar states next year,” he said.
Votes in the two states will be counted on Saturday.
After suffering a setback in national elections, the BJP regained momentum in October as it won Haryana state elections, where pollsters had predicted an easy victory for the opposition Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi’s Congress party won a consolation victory in alliance with the regional National Conference party in local elections in India’s insurgency-wracked Jammu and Kashmir after a 10-year gap.
The BJP is trying to wrest power from the Congress party and its allies in Jharkhand, a state rich in iron ore, coal and other minerals.
The BJP’s use of slogans like “If you divide, then you will die” and “If we are united, then we are safe” to attract Hindu votes has prompted opposition parties to accuse the BJP of trying to polarize the voters along Hindu-Muslim religious lines.
Hindus constitute nearly 80 percent and Muslims 11.5 percent of Maharashtra state’s estimated 131 million people.
Mukhopadhyay saw a tendency from top BJP leaders to communalize the elections, saying, “It shows the growing desperation of the party, and it looks like their reading is they are not doing very well in Maharashtra and Jharkhand states.”
Election surveys on the eve of polling put the opposition alliance comprising the Congress party and two truncated regional groups, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress party, ahead of the BJP and its allies currently governing the state. The Congress party defeated the BJP and its allies in the June national elections by winning 30 out of 48 seats in the state. The BJP and its regional partners won 17 seats.
The Congress party and its allies hope to capitalize on the simmering disaffection with high youth unemployment, inflation and low crop prices during the BJP’s rule.
The BJP hopes to attract women voters with a scheme that provides 1,500 rupees ($18) a month to over 20 million women aged 21-65 whose annual family income is less than 250,000 ($3,010). If the Congress party is voted to power in the state, it has promised women double that amount and free transportation in government buses.

Topics: India elections Indian PM Narendra Modi

UN moves to unlock stuck climate financing for Afghanistan

Updated 44 min 57 sec ago
Reuters
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UN moves to unlock stuck climate financing for Afghanistan

  • UN agencies drawing up proposals for climate projects
  • Initial projects expected to be worth around $19 million
Updated 44 min 57 sec ago
Reuters

KABUL/BAKU: United Nations agencies are trying to unlock key climate financing for Afghanistan, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change which has not received approval for any fresh such funds since the 2021 Taliban takeover, two UN officials told Reuters.

Plagued by drought and deadly floods, Afghanistan has been unable to access UN climate funds due to political and procedural issues since the former insurgents came to power.

But with the population growing more desperate as climate woes stack up, UN agencies are hoping to unseal project financing for the fragile country to boost its resilience.

If successful, this would be the first time new international climate finance would flow into the arid, mountainous nation in three years.

“There are no climate skeptics in Afghanistan,” said Dick Trenchard, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) country director for Afghanistan. “You see the impact of climate change and its environmental effects everywhere you go.”

Two UN agencies are currently drawing together proposals they hope to submit next year to shore up nearly $19 million in financing from the UN’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), part of the financial mechanism of the 2015 UN Paris Agreement on climate change.

These include the FAO, which hopes to get support for a project costing $10 million that would improve rangeland, forest and watershed management across up to four provinces in Afghanistan, while avoiding giving money directly to Taliban authorities.

That’s according to diplomatic sources, who say that the world’s 20 major economies have reached a consensus — but a fragile one.

The UN Development Program, meanwhile, hopes to secure $8.9 million to improve the resilience of rural communities where livelihoods are threatened by increasingly erratic weather patterns, the agency told Reuters. If that goes ahead, it plans to seek another $20 million project.

“We’re in conversations with the GEF, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund — all these major climate financing bodies — to reopen the pipeline and get resources into the country, again, bypassing the de facto authorities,” said Stephen Rodriques, UNDP resident representative for Afghanistan.

National governments often work alongside accredited agencies to implement projects that have received UN climate funds. But because the Taliban government is not recognized by UN member states, UN agencies would both make the request and serve as the on-the-ground partner to carry out the project.

A Taliban administration spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

FLOODS, DROUGHT

“If one of the countries most impacted by climate change in the world cannot have access to (international climate funds), it means something isn’t working,” Rodriques said, adding that any funds should come alongside continued dialogue on human and women’s rights.

Flash floods have killed hundreds in Afghanistan this year, and the heavily agriculture-dependent country suffered through one of the worst droughts in decades that ended last year. Many subsistence farmers, who make up much of the population, face deepening food insecurity in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The FAO and UNDP will need to receive initial approvals by the GEF secretariat before they can submit their full proposals for a final decision from the GEF Council, which comprises representatives from 32 member states.

If the agencies get that first green light, Trenchard said, they would aim to submit their proposals in early 2025.

We “are awaiting guidance as to whether it would be possible to proceed,” Trenchard said.

No foreign capital has formally recognized the Taliban government, and many of its members are subject to sanctions. The United States has frozen billions in central bank funds since the former insurgents took over and barred girls and women over the age of 12 from schools and universities.

Many human rights activists have condemned the Taliban’s policies and some have questioned whether interaction with the Taliban and funnelling funds into the country could undermine foreign governments’ calls for a reversal on women’s rights restrictions.

The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law.

Countries mired in conflict and its aftermath say they have struggled to access private investment, as they are seen as too risky. That means UN funds are even more critical to their populations, many of whom have been displaced by war and weather.

Taliban members are attending the ongoing annual UN climate negotiations COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan as observers for the first time, Reuters has reported.

The Taliban’s presence could build trust between Afghanistan and international donors, said Abdulhadi Achakzai, founder of the Afghanistan climate nonprofit Environmental Protection Trainings and Development Organization, on the sidelines of COP29.

“It will be a safer world for the future to include Afghanistan officially in the agenda,” he said. “We see this is an opportunity. There are funds for Afghanistan, we just need to secure it.”

Topics: UN Afghanistan

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