| | | | | | | Hello. Former US President Donald Trump has made another court appearance this week, this time in New York, where Judge Arthur Engoron heard the closing arguments in the civil fraud trial and ultimately gave him the chance to give a statement. Chloe Kim is one of the reporters following the action inside and outside the court room. As global shipping companies reroute away from the Red Sea following Houthi attacks, Frank Gardner looks at the options available to counter the Yemen-based, pro-Hamas group. Finally, let’s hear it for the music legacy of 1970s rock bands from Germany. |
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| | | | | | AT THE SCENE | New York, USA | | Trump’s civil fraud trial wraps up | | | | Judge Arthur Engoron expects to deliver his final ruling by the end of the month. Credit: Reuters | | Unexpectedly, Trump's lawyer Chris Kise asks Judge Engoron to allow Trump to speak. The judge asks Trump if he will speak and abide by the rules, and Trump starts speaking. This is a change from yesterday, when the judge said Trump wouldn't be speaking as he hadn't agreed to conditions on what he could say. | | | Unexpectedly, Trump's lawyer Chris Kise asks Judge Engoron to allow Trump to speak. The judge asks Trump if he will speak and abide by the rules, and he agrees. This is a change from yesterday, when the judge said Trump wouldn't be speaking as he hadn't agreed to conditions on what he could say.
Trump delivers a brief statement, rebutting elements of the case he believed to be unfair. But he also sneaks in some out-of-bounds claims that the case was politically motivated. “What's happened here, sir, is a fraud on me," Trump tells the court. "This is a political witch hunt that was set aside...we should receive damages for what we’ve gone through." He adds: "They [the New York state] want to make sure that I don't win again. This is partially election interference." |
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| Questions Answered | | The headache of the Red Sea stand-off | | | | The UK's HMS Diamond and three US warships helped shoot down the Houthi drones and missiles, but it’s an expensive effort. Credit: PA Media |
| | Since the start of the civil war in Yemen in 2014, Houthi rebels have gained control of large parts of the country’s territory, including its Red Sea coastline. Armed with a powerful arsenal of missiles and drones, the Iran-backed group can cause considerable damage to global shipping in the name of solidarity with Gaza. Arab countries dare not risk triggering popular unrest by joining any military action against the Houthis. | | | | Frank Gardner, Security correspondent |
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| | Why are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea? | | The Houthis have professed themselves to have joined the Gaza war on the side of Hamas. They claim, inaccurately, to be targeting only shipping that is calling at Israeli ports or those vessels with Israeli links to their ownership. This stance, while massively unwelcome to global shipping and trade, is going down very well with their own population and across the wider Middle East. | | Why is that? | | The popular Arab consensus is that the US is part of the problem because it is feeding Israel's war machine and it has been blocking a ceasefire in Gaza. Arab populations are also dismissive of their own governments' inability to stop the slaughter in Gaza. | | What can be done to stop the attacks? | | Centcom, the division of the US Department of Defense that deals with the Middle East, will have already drawn up detailed strike plans for destroying a range of Houthi military targets along the coast. But any US-led action would undoubtedly be portrayed as "a US-Israeli attack on the Arab nation". It would risk inflaming the Israel-Hamas war well beyond its current borders and spark a conflict with Iran which the US is keen to avoid. | | | | | | |
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| | The big picture | | The cost of angering India | | | | A small island nation, Maldives depends on India for food, tourism and other resources. Credit: Anbarasan |
| | When three Maldivian junior ministers made comments deemed derogatory of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it sparked a diplomatic tussle with Delhi. Now, the tourism paradise is in danger of facing a boycott by Indian visitors, who are among the largest contributors to the country's income. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Neon lights | | Exploring the lasting musical legacy of Germany’s krautrock. | | |
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