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The trial of Donald Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election result has been set for 4 March 2024.

The date means Trump‘s trial could start almost eight months to the day before the 2024 US presidential election.

And it’s also one day before so-called Super Tuesday, when many states nominate their Republican or Democratic candidate for president.

The former president is currently hot favourite to win the Republican nomination to take on President Joe Biden.

The decision from US district judge Tanya Chutkan denied a defence request to postpone the trial until April 2026, around a year and a half after the 2024 election, but also sets it later than the January date proposed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.

Judge Chutkan said: “The public has a right to a prompt and efficient resolution of this matter.”

Hours later, Trump said he would “appeal” the trial date given in the federal election case in a Truth Social post.

He said: “Deranged Jack Smith & his team of Thugs, who were caught going to the White House just prior to Indicting the 45th President of the United States (an absolute No No!), have been working on this Witch Hunt for almost 3 years, but decided to bring it smack in the middle of Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent’s campaign against him.

“Election Interference! Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!”

Read more:
Robust exchange in Trump case a taste of what’s to come – analysis

What are the investigations Trump is facing?

Trump was charged earlier this month in a four-count indictment with scheming to undo his loss to Democrat Mr Biden in the 2020 election.

Mr Smith’s team has filed a separate federal lawsuit against Trump, alleging his unlawful possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach, Florida property, along with his refusal to relinquish them. This case is scheduled for trial on 20 May next year.

Additionally, Trump is facing state cases in both New York and Georgia.

In Manhattan, he is facing charges of manipulating business records in relation to a payment intended to conceal an affair with an adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Meanwhile, in Fulton County, Georgia, Trump and 18 co-defendants have been indicted on allegations of participating in a racketeering scheme aimed at overturning the state’s 2020 election results.

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Trump had his mugshot taken on Thursday – a historic first for a former US president – and was booked in as inmate P01135809 as he was presented with 13 charges at Fulton County jail.

The 77-year-old also posted on X, formerly Twitter, for the first time since 2021 – sharing his own mugshot. It was the first time Trump has used the social media platform since owner Elon Musk lifted his ban.

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Donald Trump booked on 13 charges

Trump accused his political opponents of “election interference”, with the charges coming as he campaigns to return to the White House.

“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong,” he said.

“I did nothing wrong and everybody knows that. I’ve never had such support.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

He wrote on social media last week that he was being prosecuted over what he described as a “perfect phone call” when he asked the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to help “find 11,780 votes” for him to overturn his loss in Georgia.

Despite the charges, Trump remains the frontrunner to be the Republican Party’s candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

On Wednesday night, he skipped a televised debate between eight of his party rivals and instead took part in an online interview in which he questioned whether Mr Biden would be physically capable of running in the campaign.

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Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim – short of 600 needed

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Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim - short of 600 needed

Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza on Saturday – despite the humanitarian situation in the enclave worsening, Palestinian officials have warned.

According to the Gazan government’s media office, most of the humanitarian supplies were looted and stolen – “as a result of the state of security chaos that the Israeli occupation systematically and deliberately perpetuates”.

Officials say at least 600 truckloads of aid are required on a daily basis, adding: “The needs of the population are worsening.”

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Gaza nurse: ‘We’re rationing care’

A statement released late last night called for “the immediate opening of crossings, and the entry of aid and infant formula in sufficient quantities” – and “condemned in the strongest terms the continuation of the crime of starvation”.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, refuted this – and accused Hamas of “stirring up a slanderous propaganda campaign against Israel”.

He said: “The cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries. While the State of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages and document them in a cynical and evil manner.

“The terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving the residents of the Strip as well, preventing them from receiving the aid.”

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Aid drops continue over Gaza

It comes as the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza said its headquarters in Khan Younis were hit by an Israeli strike, killing one staff member and injuring three others.

Footage posted on social media shows a fire broke out in the building.

Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a 60-day ceasefire, and a deal for the release of half the hostages still held in Gaza, ended in deadlock last week.

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy told the families of the hostages yesterday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would end the war.

Steve Witkoff, front centre, arrives to meet families of hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel. Pic: AP/Ariel Schalit
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Steve Witkoff arrives to meet families of hostages in Tel Aviv. Pic: AP

Steve Witkoff claimed that Hamas was willing to disarm to stop the conflict, despite the group’s repeated statements that it would not do so.

In response, Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.

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After Mr Witkoff’s meeting with the families of the hostages, Hamas released two videos of an emaciated Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and has been held in captivity in Gaza since.

The 24-year-old looked skeletal, with his shoulder blades protruding from his back. He was heard saying that he had not eaten for three days. The distressing videos show him digging his own grave, he said in the footage.

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Videos of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David released by Hamas

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Videos of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David released by Hamas

Two videos of an emaciated Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, have been released by Hamas, after US special envoy Steve Witkoff this week met with the families of the hostages.

The now 24-year-old looks skeletal, with his shoulder blades protruding from his back, and says he has not eaten for three days.

The distressing videos show him apparently digging his own grave.

He worked in a restaurant, according to a video posted by Labour Friends of Israel, before he was abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023.

Since then, he has been held in captivity in Gaza, and the videos suggest he is being kept in dark tunnels and surviving on scarce portions of lentils and beans.

Gaza itself is suffering “man-made mass starvation” because of Israel’s blockade on aid to the enclave, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has previously said.

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Evyatar David before he was captured by Hamas. Pic: Hostages and Missing Families Forum
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Evyatar David before he was captured by Hamas. Pic: Hostages and Missing Families Forum

In the video, Evyatar David writes on a hand-made calendar on the wall of a tunnel
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In the video, Evyatar David writes on a hand-made calendar on the wall of a tunnel

In the second video, released on Saturday, Mr David – according to the English subtitles – says: “I haven’t eaten for three days.”

The captions continue as he speaks while in an underground tunnel: “There’s no [sic] enough food. I barely get drinking water.”

The video shows him talking through what he ate in July, which has been recorded on a handmade calendar hung up on the side of an underground Gaza tunnel.

Speaking while under captivity and under duress, he adds: “They give me what they can get.”

At the end of the video, he is digging a hole. The subtitle reads: “This is the grave where I think I’m going to be buried in. Time is running out.”

He then appears to break down, crouching on the floor and leaning his head on his arm while still clinging to the shovel.

A poster released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum with photos of Evyatar David released in 2023, February this year and July
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A poster released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum with photos of Evyatar David released in 2023, February this year and July

In a statement, his family said: “We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza – a living skeleton, buried alive.

“Our son has only a few days left to live in his current condition.”

They added: “Israel and the international community must oppose Hamas’s cruelty and ensure that our Evyatar immediately receives proper nutrition.

“The intentional starvation, torture, and abuse of Evyatar for propaganda purposes violate even the lowest standards of humanitarian law and basic human decency.”

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Gaza nurse: ‘We’re rationing care’

‘Famine’ looms in Gaza

On Friday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff visited a site where the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been distributing food in Gaza.

Read more: ‘Little confidence’ US Gaza delegation would see full picture

The controversial GHF scheme has been widely condemned, including by the UK government, after fatal shootings ever since it was set up earlier this year.

According to the United Nations’ human rights office, at least 859 people have been killed “in the vicinity” of GHF aid sites since late May.

The Israel Defence Forces has repeatedly said it “categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians” and has blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IFSPC) this week said a “worst-case scenario of famine” was sinking in across the besieged enclave.

It has also said more than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April.

Families of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are concerned they are also starving, and blame Hamas.

On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said a further seven Palestinians had died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours, including a child.

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Search for five trapped Chilean miners suffers setback

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Search for five trapped Chilean miners suffers setback

Rescue crews searching for five trapped Chilean miners have discovered a body.

A section of the copper mine had collapsed on Thursday following a strong, 4.2-magnitude tremor.

The remaining four miners are still missing – and rescuers are vowing to continue their search with “strength and hope”.

A man reacts during a vigil at an entrance to El Teniente mine complex. Pic: Reuters/Pablo Sanhueza
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A man reacts during a vigil at an entrance to El Teniente mine complex. Pic: Reuters/Pablo Sanhueza

Andres Music, general manager of El Teniente mine, said: “This discovery fills us with sadness, but it also tells us that we are in the right place, that the strategy we followed led us to them.”

Crews are trying to drill through 90m (295ft) of rock to reach the trapped miners, but Mr Music said they had not yet made contact with the workers.

Just over a fifth of the blocked underground tunnels have been cleared, with teams hoping to get through about 15m to 20m (49ft to 66ft) every 24 hours using heavy machinery.

He said rescue efforts would continue with increased caution, which could slow progress.

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Two people are now known to have died as a result of the collapse.

Another miner, Paulo Marin Tapia, was found dead on Thursday shortly after the incident.

Codelco, which owns the mine, said the identity of the second man is yet to be confirmed.

Nine other miners were injured.

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