Connect with us

Headline

Trump ‘Screams’ In Court, Says ‘Leave My Children Alone’

Published

on

Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the judge presiding over his civil fraud trial in New York and told him ahead of testimony by his eldest son, Don Jr, to “leave my children alone.”

Don Jr, 45, and his younger brother, Eric Trump, 39, are expected to take the witness stand this week in the trial for financial fraud that threatens to deal a heavy blow to the former president’s business empire.

Advertisement

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, attacked Judge Arthur Engoron, who is hearing the case, in a series of scathing posts on his Truth Social platform, calling him a “political hack” who is “doing the dirty work for the Democrat Party.”

“Engoron is crazy, totally unhinged, and dangerous,” the 77-year-old former president said. “Leave my children alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession!”

If all goes according to the court schedule, Don Jr will testify on Wednesday followed on Thursday by Eric Trump.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: Donald Trump, Sons Found Liable For Fraud In New York

Both are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, a sprawling network of companies managing residential and office skyscrapers, luxury hotels and golf courses around the world.

New York state attorney general Letitia James accuses the brothers — and their father — of fraudulently inflating the value of the group’s assets by billions of dollars to obtain more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.

Advertisement

Trump himself may be questioned on Monday, a day shy of one year before the November 5, 2024 presidential election that he hopes will sweep him back into the White House.

The former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who left the Trump Organization in 2017 to join the White House as an advisor to her father, may follow two days later. She is not a defendant in the case but was previously involved in the family business.

READ ALSO: Trump Indicted For Attempts To Overturn US 2020 Elections

Advertisement

– ‘There was no fraud’ –

Don Jr and Eric Trump took control of the Trump Organization when their father entered the White House and are unlikely to deviate from the line taken by the family’s defense attorneys since the trial began a month ago.

They assert that the subjective valuations of the group’s assets, such as Trump Tower and a building at 40 Wall Street, were sincere and banks did not lose any money lending to the Trump Organization.

Advertisement

“The Banks and Insurance Companies were paid in full, no defaults, they all made money, and there is no Victim (except me!)” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday. “My Financial Statements are GREAT! There was no fraud.”

Trump also said he would appeal a partial gag order imposed by Engoron on October 3 that bars him from attacking court staff — though not the judge himself.

READ ALSO: What Trump’s Attorney Said About Him After Arraignment

Advertisement

Engoron has fined the former president twice already — $5,000 and $10,000 — for violating the order by attacking his law clerk.

The former president does not risk going to jail in the fraud trial, but faces up to $250 million in penalties and potential removal along with his sons from management of the family real estate empire.

Trump is not required to attend the trial, but he has shown up sporadically, using his appearances to portray himself as the victim of a supposed Democratic plot to derail his White House campaign.

Advertisement

The civil fraud trial is one of several legal battles facing Trump as he seeks to recapture the presidency.

He is to go on trial in Washington in March for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and in Florida in May on charges of mishandling top secret government documents.

The twice-impeached former president also faces racketeering charges in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to upend the election results in the southern state after his 2020 defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.

Advertisement

 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Comments

Headline

Four Places In The World Without Traffic Lights

Published

on

In a world where traffic lights are an essential part of road management, a few countries and regions stand out for functioning without them. These places rely on alternative systems ranging from police officers and roundabouts to cultural driving habits to manage traffic. Here’s a closer look at the nations and areas where traffic lights are absent.

Bhutan

Bhutan is famously known as the only country in the world that operates entirely without traffic lights. Even in its capital city, Thimphu, which has witnessed growing traffic due to urbanisation, automated signals have never been adopted. Instead, traffic management is handled by police officers who stand at major intersections, directing vehicles with hand signals.

Advertisement

In 1995, when a set of traffic lights was briefly installed in Thimphu, public complaints led to their swift removal, as locals felt the system clashed with the country’s traditions and culture of cooperation. Bhutan’s reliance on human-directed traffic reflects both its small population and strong sense of civic responsibility.

READ ALSO:Top 10 African Countries With Cheapest Petrol Prices In July 2025

Vatican City

Vatican City, the world’s smallest sovereign nation, also operates without any traffic lights. With an area of just 44 hectares and a population of around 800 people, the city-state does not require traffic signals to regulate movement. Roads inside the Vatican are short and few, and traffic is mostly managed by signage and the Vatican’s own police force. However, just outside the Vatican’s walls, in Rome, traffic lights are abundant, highlighting the contrast between the bustling Italian capital and the tranquil governance of the Holy See.

Advertisement

Niue

In the South Pacific, Niue, one of the world’s smallest island nations, also has no traffic lights. With a population of less than 2,000 people and very limited vehicle traffic, there is little need for automated signals. Roads are quiet, and driving is relaxed, with motorists often waving to one another as they pass.

The absence of traffic lights in Niue is less a necessity than a reflection of the island’s lifestyle, where community trust and minimal congestion make formal traffic control unnecessary.

READ ALSO:Full List Of Schengen Countries Offering 5-yr Visa Programme

Advertisement

Tekesi County, China

A unique example of urban planning without traffic lights can be found in Tekesi County, Xinjiang, China. The county town was designed based on the ancient Bagua (Eight Trigrams) symbol from Taoist philosophy. Its distinctive circular and radiating street layout relies on roundabouts to direct vehicles.

In 1996, authorities cancelled the installation of traffic lights in order to preserve the Bagua system, making Tekesi a rare modern settlement that manages traffic without signals. The design has since become both a cultural attraction and a point of pride for residents, who see it as a symbol of harmony and balance.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Nigerian Student Wins ‘Top In World’ Cambridge IGCSE English Award

Published

on

A Nigerian student, Kenechukwu Oluwanifemi Uba, has emerged the “Top in World” candidate in the November 2024 Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (Speaking Endorsement).

Uba, a pupil of Caleb International College, Magodo, Lagos, received the Outstanding Cambridge Learners Award for her performance, which was recognised by Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Advertisement

This was contained in a statement signed by the Spokesperson to the Proprietor and Founder, Caleb Group of Schools and University, Prof. Elvis Otobo, and made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

READ ALSO:UK To Bar Criminals From Football Matches, Pubs, Travel Under New Policy

The certificate, signed by the Group Managing Director of International Education at Cambridge, Rod Smith, was presented during a ceremony organised by the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment at the Civic Centre, Lagos.

Advertisement

Speaking on the achievement, the Proprietor/CEO of Caleb Group of Schools and University, Dr. Oladega Adebogun, said the recognition reflected the school’s values of integrity, perseverance and innovation.

“We are overjoyed by Kenechukwu’s outstanding performance.

READ ALSO:Suspected Amasiri Warriors Invade Ebonyi Community, Behead Farmer Amid Land Dispute

Advertisement

“Her success embodies our core values of integrity, perseverance, and innovation. We invest heavily in cutting-edge teaching methods—from flipped classrooms to AI-driven language labs—so that every student can discover their potential and lead with confidence,” Adebogun said.

Uba expressed gratitude to her teachers, classmates and family, noting that preparing in the school’s language lab helped build her confidence.

“From the moment I joined Caleb, I felt inspired by teachers who challenged me to think deeply and by peers who encouraged me to persevere. Preparing for the speaking endorsement in our state-of-the-art lab sharpened my confidence. This recognition belongs to everyone—my mentors, my classmates, and my family,” she said.

Advertisement

Caleb International College described the award as proof of its commitment to raising globally competitive students through advanced learning facilities and strong character development programmes.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Iran Has Executed At Least 841 People This Year — UN

Published

on

At least 841 people have been executed in Iran since the start of the year, the UN said Friday, decrying “a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of state intimidation”.

The United Nations’ human rights office said there had been a “major increase in executions” by Tehran during the first half of 2025.

Advertisement

Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people since the beginning of the year,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

“The real situation might be different,” she added. “It might be worse, given the lack of transparency.”

In July alone, she said, Iran had executed at least 110 individuals — twice the number of people executed in July 2024.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Why Nigeria Needs Female President – Presidential Aspirant

The high number of executions indicates a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of state intimidation, with disproportionate targeting of ethnic minorities and migrants,” Shamdasani added.

She cited the executions of Afghan nationals, and of Baluch, Kurdish, and Arab citizens.

Advertisement

In the first six months of the year, at least 289 people were executed for drug-related offences.

Shamdasani said the pattern witnessed across multiple countries showed that when their governments perceive threats to their grip on public order, they become increasingly repressive and less tolerant of dissent.

– Hangings before children –

Advertisement

The spokeswoman in particular criticised the staging of public executions in Iran. The rights office documented seven such cases since the beginning of the year — some reportedly in front of children.

READ ALSO:We Would Have Killed Iran’s Supreme Leader If Given Opportunity – Israel

Public executions add an extra layer of outrage upon human dignity… not only on the dignity of the people concerned — the people who are executed — but also on all those who have to bear witness,” she said.

Advertisement

“The psychological trauma of bearing witness to somebody being hanged in public, particularly for children, is unacceptable.”

The UN human rights office said there were serious concerns over due process in capital punishment cases.

What we are particularly worried about is that a lot of these death sentences are imposed based on vague laws,” the spokeswoman said, such as charges of enmity against God.

Advertisement

Shamdasani said that 11 individuals were currently facing “imminent execution” in Iran, including six charged with “armed rebellion” due to alleged membership of the exiled opposition People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (MEK).

READ ALSO:US Struck Iran With B-2 Bombers, Submarine-launched Missiles – Top US General

The other five had been sentenced to death over their participation in large-scale protests in 2022, she said. Iran’s supreme court last week confirmed the death sentence against workers’ rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi, she added.

Advertisement

The UN rights office was urging Iran’s government “not to implement the death penalty against these and other individuals on death row”, Shamdasani said.

The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity,” she added.

“It creates an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people. It should never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law.”

Advertisement

UN human rights chief Volker Turk is calling on Tehran to impose a moratorium on the application of capital punishment, as a step towards abolition.
AFP

 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending