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This edition of Globetrotter comes to you on a Saturday, breaking a tradition simply to accommodate developments of great import. Trump has earned a dubious record, becoming the first US president to get indicted but Republicans are calling it a 'political witch-hunt'. We also track the unrest in Israel, Doval's chairing of SCO meet, Putin's new foreign policy doctrine and Britain's joining of an trans-Asia-Pacific treaty. There will be no edition of Globetrotter next week.

TOP FIVE NEWS UPDATES

Donald Trump becomes first US president in history to be indicted; will surrender on Tuesday

Donald Trump became the first former US president in history to be indicted. He faces criminal charges for allegedly paying hush money in 2016 to a porn star. "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office confirmed the indictment in a statement on Thursday and said it had reached out to Trump's attorney to arrange his surrender. The specific charge or charges have not yet been made public and the indictment remains under seal. Bragg's office said more guidance would be provided "when the arraignment date is selected," reports CBS. New York Times reports that Trump "will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed. But the unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief will be anything but routine. Trump will almost certainly be accompanied at every step — from the moment he is taken into custody until his appearance before a judge in Lower Manhattan's imposing Criminal Courts Building — by armed agents of the U.S. Secret Service. They are required by law to protect him at all times." The Hill reports that Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan on Tuesday. The report quotes a spokesperson for Bragg's office on Thursday, as saying that they have been in touch with Trump's lawyers to coordinate his surrender. Republicans have rallied around Trump. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to be a strong challenger for Trump in 2024 GOP primary, on Thursday called the indictment "un-American" and said the state would not assist in any extradition request. "The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent," tweeted DeSantis. Three Republican committee chairmen demanded on Monday that DA Bragg, who is an elected member of the Democratic party and was steering the high-profile grand jury investigation, provide communications, documents and testimony about his investigation in an extraordinary move by Congress to involve itself in an active criminal inquiry, reports New York Times. Associated Press says the indictment is raising concerns that it could undermine public confidence in what democracy experts view as far more important investigations. Trump called himself "completely innocent" and a victim of political persecution while legals experts have called the indictment "deeply flawed" and "patently political".

Netanyahu pauses 'judicial reform' after massive protests in Israel, gets involved in a spat with Biden

Israel is passing through one of its deepest ever moments of domestic crisis in history, triggered in part by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to remake the country's judicial system and change the way the judiciary works. BBC reports, "since the start of the year, huge weekly protests have been held by people opposed to the reform plans. The scale of the protests has escalated, with hundreds of thousands of people packing the streets in Tel Aviv and other towns and cities across the country. Protesters have called for the judicial reforms to be scrapped and for Netanyahu to resign. His political rivals have spearheaded the protests, though the fierce opposition to the reforms has cut across political lines. Most significantly, a growing number of military reservists — the backbone of Israel's armed forces — have protested by refusing to report for duty, triggering warnings that the crisis even threatens Israel's security." Under pressure, Netanyahu announced on Monday that the package of controversial reforms will be delayed, saying that he is "aware of the tensions" and is "listening to the people." According to Washington Post, "the plan, which would give the government greater power to choose judges, including those presiding over Netanyahu's corruption trial, has split the country, especially pitting liberal, secular Israelis against the religiously conservative factions." The unrest deepened after Netanyahu fired his defense minister Yoav Gallant for criticizing the overhaul, prompting protesters to surge into the streets, universities to shut their doors, and union leaders to hint of a looming general strike. The crisis also resulted in a rift and a public spat between Netanyahu and US president Joe Biden, leaders of two longtime allies.

Doval delivers firm message to China at SCO meet for national security advisors

Taking aim at China without naming the country during a meeting of national security advisors of countries that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where India is the chair, NSA Ajit Doval on Wednesday said SCO member states should respect territorial integrity and not seek unilateral military superiority. "Addressing a meeting of top SCO security officials in the Indian capital, Doval emphasised the need for regional connectivity but said such initiatives should be consultative and transparent and respect the sovereignty of all countries. His remarks assume significance in the context of India's consistent opposition to the CPEC, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, joined the meeting in person, while China's public security minister Wang Xiaohong and Amir Hassan, secretary in Pakistan's National Security Division, participated virtually," according to a Hindustan Times report. Doval reminded the members (read China) that the SCO charter "calls upon member states to have mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity of states and inviolability of state borders, non-use of force or threat of its use in international relations and seeking no unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas".

Putin's new foreign policy doctrine identifies US as 'main threat', hails investment, trade ties with India

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday approved a new foreign policy concept, essentially the first update to the doctrine since 2016, which identifies the US as the "main source of threats" to Russian security while describing Russia as a "distinctive state-civilisation" with a "unique historical mission". According to a report in Financial Times, "the new doctrine describes the US as the 'main source' of security threats to Russia and alludes to an 'era of revolutionary changes' towards a 'more just multipolar world' — wording intended to reflect the rising power of China under President Xi Jinping. Despite Moscow's war of aggression against its neighbour, the policy document depicts Russia as 'peaceful, open, and predictable'. It accuses the US of using its 'special military operation' in Ukraine as a pretext to unleash a 'hybrid war' aimed at 'weakening and disintegrating Russia'." The 42-page document signed by Putin and presented to Russia's Security Council says the US is "the source of fundamental risks to the security of the Russian Federation" and most European states are pursuing an "aggressive policy" aimed at undermining Russia's sovereignty, reports Bloomberg. Russia will seek to boost ties with "constructive partners" and create "conditions for unfriendly states to abandon their hostile policy toward our country," he said. Among those "constructive partners" is India. The document says "Russia will continue to build up a particularly privileged strategic partnership with the Republic of India with a view to enhance and expand cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances."

Post-Brexit Britain joins 11-member trans-Pacific trade treaty; move to deepen UK's Indo-Pacific tilt

Britain on Friday said it had struck a deal to join an 11-country trans-Pacific trade pact which includes Japan and Australia as it looks to deepen ties in the region and build its global trade links after leaving the European Union. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain had agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), in a move his office said was the biggest trade deal since Brexit, according to a report by Reuters. "Joining the group will boost UK exports by cutting tariffs on goods such as cheese, cars, chocolate, machinery, gin and whisky, the government said," reports BBC, adding, "however, the government's own estimates show being in the bloc will only add 0.08% to the size of the UK's economy. The trade area covers a market of around 500 million people. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was established in 2018, and includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam." The Hindu reports that British prime minister Rishi Sunak described "the outcome as an example of 'post-Brexit freedoms'. The agreement will now need to be ratified by Westminster and each of the CPTPP countries. 'We are at our heart an open and free-trading nation, and this deal demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms,' Sunak said about the UK's move to join the Indo-Pacific trading bloc, which, without the UK accounts for some 13% of global GDP . Talks had been on-going for 21 months."

TOP ANALYSES OF THE WEEK

Prosecuting Trump over Stormy Daniels looks like a mistake

Prosecuting Donald Trump over porn star Stormy Daniels looks like a mistake, says The Economist.

Trump prosecutor Bragg is playing with fire

Prosecutor Alvin Bragg is playing with fire. This appears to be about as execrable an exercise of prosecutorial discretion as one can fathom, writes Andrew C. McCarthy in National Review.

Trump was targeted because of who he is

"It seems clear that the only reason Trump was the focus of these investigations in the first place is because of who he is," write legal eagles John Malcolm, Zack Smith and Hans A. Von Spakovsky in their analysis for The Heritage Foundation.

Republican defense of Trump is the real shame

The unhinged Republican defense of Donald Trump is the real 'test' for America's democracy, argue Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman in Washington Post.

US lacks the credibility to hold a 'summit for democracy'

America lacks the credibility and moral authority to hold a 'democracy summit', I write in my column for Firstpost.

India will retain ties with Russia despite growing Sino-Russian axis

New Delhi will retain its partnership with Moscow, not to keep Russia away from China but despite Russia's growing proximity to Beijing, writes Krzysztof Iwanek of Asia Research Centre in The Diplomat.

Netanyahu destroying his own legacy

Anshel Pfeffer, a writer for Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper, writes in his column for CNN that Benjamin Netanyahu is destroying his own legacy.

Pakistan needs normalcy with India to stay afloat

Pakistan has to normalise ties with India if it wants to climb out of the hole it finds itself in, writes Sushant Sareen of ORF in Firstpost.

It is important to take Xi Jinping seriously

Xi Jinping says he is preparing China for war, the world should take him seriously, write John Pomfret and Matt Pottinger in Foreign Affairs.

Sunak is showing how a Tory govt might have looked under better hands

Rishi Sunak might go down in history as a prime minister who understood what was to be done, but was helpless against the forces of time, writes Sumantra Maitra in The American Conservative.

PODCAST

Why are Israelis so angry at Bibi's move?

We recommend this episode of Bloomberg's Big Take podcast where the newspaper's Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner talks about what's at stake — and why so many Israelis from all walks of life are demanding Netanyahu withdraw the plan of weakening the country's Supreme Court.