Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his prosecution of Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of engaging in a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Smith, in remarks to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, said his team of investigators had “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity.””Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith told lawmakers.He said his decision to bring charges against Trump were taken “without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.”Smith was appointed special counsel in 2022, and charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.Trump denied both charges and sought to frame them as politically motivated, accusing the Justice Department of being weaponized against him.Neither case came to trial and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 presidential election.- ‘No one’ above law -Smith said his decision to charge Trump was not motivated by politics.”If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican,” he said. “No one should be above the law in this country and the law required that he be held to account.”President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the very laws that he took an oath to uphold,” he said.Smith’s public appearance before the House panel comes a little over a month after he testified behind closed doors about his investigation and prosecution of Trump.Smith had requested that the initial deposition be delivered in public, but the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee declined his request.Since taking office for the second time, Trump has urged the Justice Department to bring cases against Smith and a number of other perceived political opponents.Trump has lashed out repeatedly at Smith over the years and he called him “deranged” and a “sick son of a bitch” at a press conference this week.Cases brought against Trump foes James Comey, a former FBI director, and New York Attorney General Letitia James collapsed last year after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.

US President Donald Trump unveiled his new Board of Peace at Davos on Thursday, casting himself again as a global peacemaker despite widespread scepticism over a plan that aims to rewrite the world order.Trump officials also unveiled ambitious plans for a “New Gaza” during the ceremony at the World Economic Forum, with the US leader describing the devastated Palestinian territory as “great real estate.”Trump later met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with both leaders describing their talks as good and the US leader saying Russia’s nearly four-year-old war with Kyiv “has to end”.The Board of Peace was created after Trump expressed frustration at failing to win the Nobel Peace Prize and ramped up his accusations that the United Nations had failed to resolve a host of international conflicts.”Well this is exciting,” Trump said as he was joined on stage by leaders and officials from 19 countries to sign the board’s founding charter in the Swiss ski resort.”This board has the chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created,” he said.The Board of Peace, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the reconstruction of the strip after the war between Hamas and Israel.But its purpose has since morphed into resolving all sorts of international conflicts, sparking concerns that the US president wants to create a rival to the UN.Countries have been asked to pay $1 billion for permanent membership of the board.And the invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has sparked controversy.- Gaza ‘master plan’ -Key US allies including France and Britain have expressed doubts, with London saying Thursday it would not attend the ceremony.Trump told the gathering of the global elite in the Swiss mountain resorts that the organisation would work “in conjunction” with the United Nations.A large part of the ceremony was devoted to talking about its plans for shattered Gaza.Gaza’s newly appointed administrator said in a video message that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will reopen in both directions next week.Then Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, like the president a former property developer, showed slides of what he billed as a “master plan” for Gaza’s reconstruction.The slides included maps of new settlements in the Gaza Strip and artist renderings of gleaming seafront hotels and apartments under the caption “New Gaza”.”It could be a hope. It could be a destination,” Kushner said.Trump told Hamas to disarm under the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire accord or it would be the “end of them”. He added that he was ready to “talk” with regional foe Iran.- ‘Not so popular’ -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the Gaza war, had said he would join, but was not at the ceremony.The representatives of the 19 countries on stage with Trump included two close populist allies, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Argentine President Javier Milei, and officials from a host of Middle Eastern monarchies keen to curry favour.Trump joked that they were “in most cases very popular leaders, some cases not so popular”.”That’s the way it goes in life,” he said.He said he expected around 50 countries to join, but the full extent of the board’s membership remains unclear.Egypt said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had accepted Trump’s invitation to join, but he was not on stage.Trump said Putin had also agreed to join, though the Russian leader said he was still studying the invite.Zelensky has also been invited, but has said that he could not envisage working alongside arch-foe Putin.Trump said Thursday he was hopeful of a deal soon to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which he admits he thought would be the easiest conflict to resolve but has proved the hardest.Zelensky told the World Economic Forum that documents being drafted with Washington to end the war were “nearly, nearly ready”.While Zelensky said his meeting with Trump was “positive”, the Ukrainian leader conceded that dialogue with the US president was “not simple”.Zelensky has voiced fears that Trump’s push to seize Greenland — which dominated Davos on Wednesday — could divert focus away from Russia’s invasion.Tensions over Greenland eased, however, after Trump announced a “framework of a future deal” over the Danish territory and dropped his threat to hit European allies with new tariffs.burs-dk-lt/jhb

“Sinners” set a new Oscars record with 16 nominations on Thursday, but that was not the only surprise from the Academy’s announcement.Here are five takeaways from this year’s Oscars nominations, ahead of the March 15 gala:- Snubs and surprises -Every year, the Oscars nominations bring hand-wringing over the names that were not read out.This year’s highest-profile “snub” was Ariana Grande. The pop sensation had earned a best supporting nod last year for the first “Wicked” film, but missed out this year despite taking a more prominent role in the Broadway adaptation’s second chapter.Indeed, there was no love at all for “Wicked: For Good,” which failed to earn any nominations — despite the first movie landing 10 nods, and winning two Oscars.Other notable omissions this year included “One Battle After Another” female star Chase Infiniti, and “Hamnet” male lead Paul Mescal.Among the surprises were supporting acting nominations for veteran Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”) and Elle Fanning in Norwegian dramedy “Sentimental Value.”- Warner swansong? -It is a rare feat for a single Hollywood studio to boast the two clear Oscar frontrunners.With “Sinners” (16 nominations) and “One Battle After Another” (13), Warner Bros has pulled that off. The studio has recently backed original fare from auteur filmmakers — like Zach Cregger’s horror hit “Weapons” (one nomination) and Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” — along with more commercial hits like “Superman” and “A Minecraft Movie.”Ironically, that success comes in what could be the century-old studio’s swansong year as an independent distributor.Warner Bros is the target of a fierce bidding war between Paramount Skydance and Netflix.- Records tumble -Sixteen nominations for “Sinners” was not the only record broken at Thursday’s announcement.In a sign of the increasingly global outlook of Oscars voters, a record four non-English-language acting performances are nominated this year.That includes three Norwegian actors from “Sentimental Value” — Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — and Brazil’s Wagner Moura, the star of “The Secret Agent.”Meanwhile, “Hamnet” director Chloe Zhao became only the second woman to achieve multiple directing nominations, after Jane Campion. Zhao previously won the category with her best picture winner “Nomadland.”- Best casting -This year, the Oscars introduced a prize for best casting — the Academy’s first new category since the animated film award was created in 2002.With no precedent, it was unclear what exactly voters would be looking for — star power, new discoveries, or a cohesive ensemble.In the end, the category mostly mirrored the expected best picture frontrunners, with nominations going to “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle after Another,” “The Secret Agent” and “Sinners.” – Chalamet supreme -Timothee Chalamet is only 30, yet his Oscar nomination for “Marty Supreme” is his third for best actor — after “Call Me By Your Name” in 2018 and last year for playing Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”Arguably the biggest star of his generation, Chalamet also earned a nod for his role as a producer in best picture nominee “Marty Supreme,” the semi-fictional tale of a talented, always-hustling ping-pong player in 1950s New York and Japan.Will it be third time lucky for Chalamet, at the Oscars ceremony in March?Though up against Leonardo DiCaprio, Chalamet’s chances are boosted by a strong all-round showing for “Marty Supreme” at Thursday’s nominations announcement.The movie exceeded most pundits’ expectations with nine nods, including best director for Josh Safdie, best cinematography and best production design — suggesting Oscars voters are paying close attention.