Trump wins another legal delay

Hello. My US colleagues keep reporting on the wide-ranging implications of Donald Trump's election. Today a judge in New York has delayed his decision on whether to uphold the president-elect's criminal conviction. In Baku, Azerbaijan's president has called oil a "gift of god" while addressing COP29 delegates. Our correspondents are also writing from Lebanon, China, and the Netherlands.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Judge delays decision on Trump conviction

Donald Trump (here in a courtroom in May) is arguing for the case to be thrown out. Credit: Getty Images

A New York court's decision on whether to uphold Trump's criminal conviction in the "hush money" trial is delayed yet again until at least 19 November. In May, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

What just happened?

Donald Trump’s legal delay tactics have won him yet another reprieve, this time in his New York criminal case. Both prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys convinced a judge they needed more time to weigh the “unprecedented circumstances” before any decision about his sentencing could be made. Justice Juan Merchan was supposed to decide whether to uphold the conviction and proceed to sentencing, or throw it out on the grounds of the US Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity.

How has Trump's election changed the cases against him?

His two federal prosecutions are almost guaranteed to end once he assumes the presidency – and control over the US Department of Justice. His state election interference case in Georgia will go on hold until he’s out of office – in 2029. Now he may be one step closer to sweeping away the one case that did make it in front of a jury.

What might happen on the New York case?

Some legal experts have a hard time envisioning that Trump will be sentenced before he takes office. “The most likely outcome in the state case is the judge putting off sentencing until after Trump's term in office,” said Daniel Charles Richman, a professor at Columbia Law School. “To actually impose a sentence would raise any number of messy issues in the short term,” including political ones, he said.

THE BIG PICTURE

Oil and gas 'gift of god', says COP29 host

Azerbaijan's president said countries should not be blamed for having oil and natural resources. Credit: Reuters

Ilham Aliyev, the president of COP29’s host country Azerbaijan, told the UN climate conference that oil and gas were a “gift of god”. The remark highlights concerns from some observers that the event is taking place in a country which plans to expand gas production by up to a third over the next decade.

And finally... in the Netherlands

Amsterdam's Rijkmuseum, which hosts the world's largest collection of paintings by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, has begun restoring his masterpiece, The Night Watch. The artwork remains available for viewing - in fact, the restoration work is happening in front of visitors' eyes. Take a sneak peek.