Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia; a deadly fire in South Africa, and more

This is the world in brief from the Economist. Our Top Stories Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering brought against him by prosecutors in Georgia, who accused him of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results there. Mr. Trump waived his right to be present at an in-person arrangement next week, as did several of his 18 accolades. In total, Mr. Trump is facing four prominent indictments. And these 74 people were killed and 50 injured in a fire in a multi-story building in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city. Officials said that the cause of the blaze was unclear, but noted that a locked gate prevented some occupants from leaving the building. Many living there were undocumented migrants from neighboring countries. The annual rate of inflation in the Eurozone was 5.3% in August, the same as in July. In France, meanwhile, the inflation rate rose to 5.7% in the year to August, up from 5.1% in July, largely because of higher energy prices. Urban inflation has caused much speculation over whether the European Central Bank will raise interest rates again in September. UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, confirmed that it would absorb the domestic business of credit suites after its takeover of its rival in March, despite local opposition to the new megabanks size. The bank also said it would cut 3,000 jobs in Switzerland in order to achieve $10 billion in savings by 2026. It reported a second quarter profit of $29 billion. The contents of an annual form filed by Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court justice, were made public. Mr. Thomas disclosed flights on private jets and meals provided by Harlan Crow, a Republican Megadona. Mr. Thomas acknowledged that he had, quote, inadvertently omitted some of this information, including the sale of several properties to Mr. Crow in 2014 from previous disclosures. America approved $80 million of military aid to Taiwan. The package represents the first time America has sent aid to Taiwan under the so-called Foreign Military Financing Program, which is usually reserved for sovereign states. The move could anger China, which claimed the self-governing island as its own. America called its decision, quote, necessary, in helping Taiwan maintain, quote, a sufficient self-defense capability. Army officers who seized power in Gabon said that General Bryce Ali-Gueh Nguéma would be sworn in as the transitional leader of the West African country on Monday. General Nguéma is the former head of the Gabonese Republican Guard, the country's most powerful security unit. He is reportedly a cousin of Gabon's ousted president, Ali Bungo, who is under house arrest. Figure of the day, 14, the number of attempted or successful coups globally since 2020, in the 2000s there were just 22.