Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case, halting collection of the more than $454 million he owes in the case. Former President Donald Trump posted a $175 million (€163 million) bond in his New York civil fraud case on Monday, staving off the possible seizure of his assets while the case is on appeal. The bond bars New York Attorney General Letitia James from collecting the $355 million — plus interest and growing daily — that a state judge ordered Trump to pay after a monthslong trial. Trump's financial lifeline Last week a New York appeals court gave the former president 10 days to stump up the money after a panel of judges agreed last month to the $454 bond payment he was originally required to pay. "As promised, President Trump has posted bond. He looks forward to vindicating his rights on appeal and overturning this unjust verdict," said one of Trump's lawyers, Alina Habba. Trump's legal team had complained it was "a practical impossibility" to get an underwriter to sign off on a bond for the $454 million, plus interest, that he owes. Trump properties safe for now The bond prevents New York Attorney General Letitia James from pursuing Trump's properties, including Trump Tower, his 370-acre resort and golf course in Westchester and his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump is seeking to to overturn a judge's finding in February, that he lied about his wealth, inflating his true worth on annual financial statements in order to deceive banks and financial institutions. The former president denies wrongdoing and contends that the statements lowball the true extent of his worth. Last month Trump posted $91.6 million bond to cover money he owes to writer E. Jean Carroll. Juries found that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s and defamed her when she went public with the allegation in 2019.  He denies all of the allegations.

Chinese-born Australian writer and businessman Yang Hengjun's recent suspended death sentence on espionage charges is likely to add to growing concerns about the risks foreign nationals face living in, working in and visiting China, analysts say. Yang, a democracy advocate and spy novelist, was sentenced earlier this month. On Wednesday, his family released a statement saying that they would not file an appeal to the ruling due to a lack of trust in China's judicial system and the hope of securing "adequate and supervised medical care" for him. "Yang's decision to forgo the appeals process does not in any way change the fact that he is both innocent and morally unbreakable, [and] we, family and close friends, strongly support Yang's decision to waive his legal right to appeal the suspended death sentence handed down to him," they wrote in the statement. Feng Chongyi, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Technology Sydney and Yang's former academic adviser, told VOA in a phone interview that the case will have ripple effects. "The Chinese government's decision to give Yang Hengjun a suspended death sentence will create a chilling effect among democratic countries and discourage foreign nationals from doing business in China," Feng said. He added that under China's anti-espionage law, which was amended in July 2023 to give Chinese authorities more power to punish threats against national security, the Chinese government categorizes commercial information and news as "state secrets," and that any foreigner could be treated as a spy under the law.   Source: Beijing Bulletin

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled against the former president, making him liable for $354.9 million. The order also barred Trump from business in New York for three years. A US judge on Friday ordered Donald Trump to pay nearly $355 million (€329.4 million) for fraud. He also banned Trump from operating businesses in the state of New York for three years. "The Court hereby enjoins Donald Trump... from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years," Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in his ruling. He said that Trump and other defendants in the case "are incapable of admitting the error of their ways" and showed a "lack of contrition and remorse." Trump condemned the ruling as a "sham." "This 'decision' is a Complete and Total SHAM," he said on his Truth Social platform, calling the judge "crooked" and the prosecutor "totally corrupt." Trump's adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were each ordered to pay $4 million in the same ruling. Trump could pay over $400 million including interest.   What is the civil fraud case against Donald Trump? Trump had been accused of providing banks and others with fraudulent financial statements that inflated his wealth. The civil case against Trump was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is a Democrat. She sued the former president in 2022 under a state law that allows her to investigate persistent fraud in business dealings. Before the triral began, Engoron ruled that James had proven the statements were fraudulent and ordered that some of Trump's companies be removed from his control and dissolved. An appeals court put the ruling on hold. By inflating his wealth, Trump qualified for better terms for loans and saved on interest, lawyers argued. They said he exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion one year. The former president's lawyers said that they would appeal the verdict. Trump lawyer Alina Habba called the ruling a "manifest injustice" and the "culmination of a multi-year, politically fueled witch hunt." "This is not just about Donald Trump — if this decision stands, it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business," she said. Trump testified that the statements in question actually understated his net worth and that banks did their own research. "There was no victim. There was no anything," Trump said in November. He also called Engoron "extremely hostile" and James "a political hack." He said that the case was an example of "fraud" against him. Trump's lawyers argued that the financial statements came with disclaimers that protected him from liability and that some of the allegations were barred by the statue of limitations.   Trump faces multiple indictments Trump faces a number of legal challenges as he campaigns to be elected as president. He has been indicted four times in the last year. He has been accused in Georgia and Washington, D.C. of plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss, in Florida of unlawfully storing classified documents at his private residence and in Manhattan of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels. On Thursday, a judge confirmed that the hush money trial will start on March 25.In January, a jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carrol after it found he defamed he after she accused him of assautling her in the 1990s.

The resignation of two top allies of Prime Minister Victor Orban over a decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up a child sexual abuse case has done little to quell public anger. Tens of thousands of people in Hungary protested in the capital, Budapest on Friday amid a continuing fallout from a scandal that has rocked Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government. President Katalin Novak and former Justice Minister Judit Varga both resigned last weekend for supporting a decision to grant a pardon to a man implicated in a child sex abuse scandal in April 2023. The deputy director of a state-run orphanage who had been imprisoned for covering up a string of child sexual abuses was pardoned last year, but it only became known early this month.  Both ministers were close allies of Orban, whose party has governed the country with a constitutional majority for nearly 14 years. YouTubers and online creators lead protests Demonstrators, led by some of the most popular online personalities, filled the capital's sprawling Heroes' Square and called for genuine reforms to Hungary's child protection system. “I don’t know exactly what we’re going to achieve at the end of the day,” said Zsolt Osvath, a popular online content creator who helped organize the demonstration. “But it’s certain that we won’t stay silent any longer, and that we had to step out from the comfort zone of our computer screens.” The organizers included nearly a dozen popular YouTubers and other content creators who wrote they were "distraught" over the revealtions and protesting for a "healthy society." Political parties were asked to stay away from Friday's demonstration.  Orban chief of staff says government looking to "the future" Orban's Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas told a press briefing earlier on Friday Orban did not have knowledge of the pardon until last week. "The prime minister himself learned about the affair in the press," he said. He said the president and the former justice minister took responsibility for the issue and the government considered the matter closed. Gulyas added that it was important "to look into the future" and the government would looking to tighten child protection regulations.  Orban was scheduled to deliver his annual state of the nation address on Saturday.   

The judge said former President Donald Trump's hush money trial will begin with jury selection on March 25. Trump has claimed the case is politically motivated ahead of the 2024 election.   Donald Trump's hush money trial will go ahead as scheduled after a judge on Thursday threw out his request to dismiss the criminal charges. Justice Juan Merchan set a trial date of March 25 for the case, which relates to money that the former US president allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. "Given all the information I have before me, we are moving ahead to jury selection on March 25," the judge said. Trump repeated unfounded claims that the case brought against him is politically motivated. "They wouldn't have brought this except for the fact — no way — except for the fact that I'm running for president and doing well," Trump said in a hallway outside the Manhattan courtroom. The front-runner in the Republican primaries also faces three other criminal cases. He is likely to face off in a rematch against current Democratic President Joe Biden in the November presidential election.  Why Trump could still be elected president even if convicted Although the case is expected to influence the presidential election later this year, the trial and criminal charges have no bearing on whether or not Trump is actually allowed to hold office. "The motion to dismiss was based on the argument of selective prosecution and a second argument that they had this evidence and they kind of sat on it, those are not likely to win an appeal," John Culhane, a professor at Widener University Delaware Law School, told DW. "But more importantly, these cannot be appealed until after the jury reaches a verdict. And assuming that verdict is a conviction, that's when the appeal would be appropriate. So there's no appeal right now that could be lodged." "In theory, he could be elected and he could serve as president even if he's in prison," Culhane said. "And of course, if that were the case, it would be up to the the Congress to impeach him. That would be the only way to get him out of office."   What is the Stormy Daniels case about? Prosecutors allege that Trump illegally falsified business records to hide hush money paid to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 (€120,000) to keep quiet about an alleged affair and paid $150,000 to a New York tabloid to buy, but not publish, a story from former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Trumo Organization then reimbursed Cohen and logged the payments as legal expenses to hide the true nature of the payments, prosecutors said. Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in 2018. Trump now faces 34 counts of accounting fraud. His legal team has argued that no crime was committed and Trump also denies he had an affair with Daniels.  

A Seoul court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the merger between two Samsung affiliates in 2015 was unlawfully conducted to strengthen Chairman Lee Jae-yong's control over the tech conglomerate. A South Korean court on Monday cleared Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong of financial misconduct charges related to a 2015 merger which prosecutors said was aimed at consolidating his power within the conglomerate. The verdict potentially eases Lee's legal troubles, following the Samsung heir's pardon for a separate conviction of bribing a former president that toppled the government of President Park Geun-hye. Court finds insufficient evidence The Seoul Central District Court found insufficient evidence to support the claims that the merger between two Samsung affiliates — Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries — was unlawfully intended to bolster Lee's grip over Samsung Electronics. The court said it did "not recognize intention to harm shareholders" through the merger. "Solidifying Lee's control and ensuring his succession wasn't the only purpose of the merger," the court ruled. Lee denied wrongdoing, arguing the merger was part of "normal business activity" that was intended to benefit shareholders.   "I swear I had never imagined increasing my stake at the expense of causing damage to other shareholders," he said in his closing argument, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The prosecution, which had proposed a five-year prison sentence for Lee on charges including stock price manipulation and accounting fraud, has not disclosed plans for an appeal. Lee served 18 months in prison In 2017, Lee was convicted over separate bribery charges related to the 2015 deal and served 18 months in prison. He was initially sentenced to five years for bribing former President Park Geun-hye to win government support for the merger, seen as crucial for his control over Samsung. He was pardoned in 2022 by current President Yoon Suk Yeol with the government seeking his help to overcome a "national economic crisis."

A Noakhali court sentenced 10 people to death including six others to life term imprisonment in a case over raping a woman in Subarnachar upazila in 2019. The judge of Noakhali Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2, Fatema Ferdous, has delivered the judgment today (Feb 5). The court also fined the accused Tk 50,000 each. If they fail to fulfill the fine, they would have to stay in jail for two more years. 15 accused were present in court at the time of pronouncement of verdict and one accused was absconding. The assaulted woman alleged that the attack and rape happened because she did not vote for their preferred symbol. The incident was widely discussed at home and abroad.  

Some Bangladeshi Americans wrote a latter to express our disappointment with the letter about the case of the case of Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The latter was signed by US Senator Richard J. Durbin along with  eleven other Senators.  They said, "It is important to note that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been charged with violating labor laws, not providing a 5% dividend to Grameen Telecom workers, not regularizing 101 staff, and not compensating workers for public holidays. The government of Bangladesh has invited international experts and lawyers to assess the legal proceedings and examine documents involving the charges against Yunus. There are not hundreds of individual cases that he has to face; rather, the fact is that there are hundreds of affected employees who brought the same charges, and one verdict of guilty or not guilty will satisfy all cases, which is similar to a class action lawsuit. Some other charges involve alleged corruption and fund embezzlement with Grameen Telecom. Unfortunately, in your latter, we witness the reflection of what the U.S. mainstream media, CBS News, predicted in their online news when they stated, "As Yunus is known to have close connections with political elites in the West, especially in the United States, many think the verdict could negatively impact Bangladesh's relationship with the U.S" They also wanted to emphasize that Dr. Yunus's identity as an internationally acclaimed Nobel laureate  should not excuse him from violating labor law, nor should his relationship with influential Western leaders and his appointed lobbying companies influence the merit of this court verdict.  

Roundup is a weedkiller that contains glyphosate, which researchers have called a "probable carcinogen." Bayer says that studies show its product is safe, and the company will appeal the verdict. A subsidiary of German pharmaceutical giant Bayer was ordered to pay $2.25 billion (€2.07 billion) to a Pennsylvania man who said he developed cancer from exposure to the company's Roundup weedkiller. A jury found that John McKivision developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma as a result of using Roundup for yard work over several years. The verdict includes $2 billion in punitive damages and $250 million in compensation. "The jury's punitive damages award sends a clear message that this multi-national corporation needs top to bottom change," Tom Kline and Jason Itkin, McKivision's attorneys, said in a joint statement. Bayer said in a statement that it disagreed "with the jury's adverse verdict that conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and worldwide regulatory and scientific assessments, and believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the unconstitutionally excessive damage award eliminated or reduced." A spokesperson for the company told the AFP news agency that it plans to appeal the verdict. Thousands more claims Roundup is among the top-selling weed killers in the United States. It was originally produced by US agrochemical company Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018. Bayer phased out sales of the household version of Roundup last year. Bayer has said that decades of studies show that Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for human use. But in 2015, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a "probable carcinogen." Around 165,000 claims have been made in the US against the company for personal injuries — mainly non-Hodgkins lymphoma — that were allegedly caused by Roundup. The company has paid out billions in various settlements in recent years.  

The top UN court hands down an initial decision Friday in a case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza, a landmark ruling closely watched in the Middle East and around the world.   The top UN court hands down an initial decision Friday in a case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza, a landmark ruling closely watched in the Middle East and around the world.     The International Court of Justice could order Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, sparked by the unprecedented October 7 attacks by Hamas, or to facilitate humanitarian aid.     The court will not however pass judgement on whether or not Israel is actually committing genocide in Gaza.     At this stage, the ICJ will hand down emergency orders before considering the wider accusation of genocidal acts in Gaza -- a process that will likely take years.     The case has been brought by South Africa, which says that Israel is in breach of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, set up in the ashes of World War II and the Holocaust.     "South Africa does not need to prove that Israel is committing genocide," said Juliette McIntyre, international law expert from the University of South Australia.     "They simply need to establish that there is a plausible risk of genocide occurring," she told AFP.     Over two days of hearings earlier this month in the gilded halls of the Peace Palace in the Hague, a world away from the violence in Israel and Gaza, robed lawyers argued over the technicalities of the Genocide Convention.     "Genocides are never declared in advance," declared Adila Hassim, a top lawyer for South Africa.     "But this Court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts," she added.     - 'World is upside down' -     The case has sparked fury in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that "the world is upside down".     Israel's lawyer Tal Becker dismissed Pretoria's case as a "profoundly distorted factual and legal picture" and a "decontextualised and manipulative description of the reality" on the ground.     Showing the court images of the brutal Hamas attack, Becker said that "if there have been acts that may be characterised as genocidal, then they have been perpetrated against Israel".     Becker denied that Israel's operations were aimed at the citizens of Gaza. The army's aim was "not to destroy a people, but to protect a people, its people, who are under attack on multiple fronts", he said.     The ICJ's rulings are binding on all parties, but it has no mechanism to enforce them. Sometimes they are completely ignored -- the court has ordered Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine for example.     Netanyahu has already suggested he does not feel bound by the court, saying "no one will stop us -- not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no one else".     - 'Huge' symbolic impact -     "It is conceivable that an order by the court would not have any significant influence on Israel's military operation," said Cecily Rose, assistant professor of public international law at Leiden University.     But if the court decides there is a risk of genocide in Gaza, it could still have a ripple effect, notably on other nations that back Israel politically or militarily.     "It makes it much harder for other states to continue to support Israel in the face of a neutral third party finding there is a risk of genocide," said McIntyre.     "States may withdraw military or other support for Israel in order to avoid this," she added.     In addition, she noted the "huge" symbolic impact of any ruling against Israel under the Genocide Convention, given its tragic history.     In its submission to the court, South Africa acknowledged the "particular weight of responsibility" of accusing Israel of genocide but said it was bound to uphold its duties under the Convention.     Israeli lawyer Becker retorted that "there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the allegation against Israel of genocide".     The October 7 Hamas attack resulted in the death of around 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.     At least 25,700 Palestinians, around 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents, have been killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli bombardments and ground offensive since then, according to the Hamas government's health ministry.