Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. President to be indicted as he makes another run for the White House

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The probe was led by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which could change the 2024 presidential race.

It means Donald Trump becomes the first former U.S. President to be criminally charged.

It is unclear what the specific charges are, however, the indictment will likely be announced in the coming days, according to the New York Times.

The former president will then have to travel to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other processing.

Taylor Budowich, is the CEO of Make America Great Again, who said there was no crime committed.

“This is not an indictment of a crime—there was no crime—instead, this news is the indictment of a failed nation.

“He will be re-elected in the greatest landslide in American history, and together we will all Make America Great Again.”

If he is convicted, Trump could face significant fines and possibly jail time.

The payment stems from a Trump Organisation reimbursement to Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen.

He paid Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she allegedly had with Trump in 2006.

Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance law violations in 2018. He testified Trump directed him to make the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison.

“For the first time in our Country’s history, a President (current or former) of the United States has been indicted. I take no pride in issuing this statement and wish to also remind everyone of the presumption of innocence; as provided by the due process clause,” Cohen told NBC News.

Trump has previously said he would continue campaigning for the Republican Party’s nomination if he was charged with a crime.

Premier Li Qiang was keen to portray China as a stable presence in Asia despite increased global tensions

 
China’s new Premier says his country can be an “anchor for world peace”, and called for an avoidance of “chaos and conflict” in Asia.

Premier Li Qiang made the comments at a Boao Forum in Hainan.

This was a keynote speech for Premier Li – the man who was just recently installed as the second-most powerful leader in China behind President Xi Jinping.

Mr Li was speaking at the Boao Forum – which is often seen as an Asian version of the World Economic Forum.

The audience included some notable names including prime ministers from Spain, Singapore and Malaysia and the managing director of the IMF.

Mr Li was keen to portray China as a stable presence in Asia despite increased global tensions – and he even described his country as an anchor for global peace and development.

He also stressed that Chaos and conflict must not happen in Asia – warning that the future of the continent could be lost.

As Chinese Premier – Mr Li has the job of managing the world’s second largest economy and it’s a considerable challenge given how damaging years of covid restrictions have been for China’s growth.

But he was pretty bullish in this speech, pointing to a rebound in China’s economy at the start of this year – with improvements in retail spending and investment in real estate.

He’s also continuing to try and drum up more foreign investment – promising that Beijing is willing to reopen to the world and reform their business practices.

The final hurdle the Nordic nation had to jump, to get into the strategic alliance, has been removed

 
Turkey’s parliament has voted to approve Finland’s NATO membership, removing the final hurdle the Nordic nation had to jump to get into the strategic alliance.

This signals a major shift in the balance of power between the West and Russia and is a direct result of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

When beginning the invasion last year, the Russia leader made it clear he wanted to block NATO’s eastward expansion.

The debate amongst Turkey’s lawmakers went deep into the night.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, and offers the alliance a much stronger position to deter aggression.

The nation also offers access to a strong military and Finnish airspace, ports and sea lanes.