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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaTrump posts $175m bond in New York fraud casePublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Donald Trump attends his New York business fraud trial.By Kayla EpsteinBBC NewsFormer US President Donald Trump has posted a $175m (£140m) bond in his New York civil fraud case, staving off asset seizures by the state.Mr Trump was originally ordered to pay the full $464m judgement against him, but an appeals court said he could pay the smaller sum within 10 days.He was found in February to have fraudulently inflated property values. The Republican denies wrongdoing and says the case is a political witch hunt by the Democratic prosecutor.Last month, in addition to ordering Mr Trump to pay a significant financial penalty, Justice Arthur Engoron barred him from running a New York business for three years.He was also prohibited from getting loans from New York financial institutions for three years.The ruling placed Mr Trump, who has said in depositions and on social media that he has $400m or $500m in cash on hand, under a serious financial crunch. Forbes Magazine currently estimates his net worth at $6.4bn – it more than doubled after the parent company of his social media platform Truth Social went public last week.Around the same time a judge found him liable for fraud, Mr Trump had to secure a $91m bond after losing an unrelated defamation case brought by the writer E Jean Carroll.To delay enforcement of the penalty while he appealed the civil fraud case, Mr Trump initially sought a bond from 30 companies but was unable to secure one, his lawyers wrote in court filings. The appeals court reduced the amount he would need to post last week.Mr Trump has appealed against Justice Engoron’s ruling, and the higher court has suspended the ban on Mr Trump’s ability to run a business and get loans while they consider the matter. It could take months, or longer, for the appeals court to decide the case.In the meantime, Mr Trump’s first criminal trial – over his alleged attempt to fraudulently conceal hush-money payments to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election – is scheduled to begin on 15 April in Manhattan. Related TopicsDonald TrumpMore on this storyTrump wins reprieve as judge cuts fraud bond to $175mPublished25 MarchKey findings in Trump’s ‘overwhelming’ fraud trial lossPublished17 FebruaryA guide to Trump’s four criminal casesPublished25 MarchTop StoriesLive. Senior Iranian commander killed in Israeli strike, Iran state media saysIsraeli strike destroys Iranian consulate in Syria, says Iran state mediaPublished3 hours agoTrump posts $175m bond in New York fraud casePublished1 hour agoFeaturesWhy there’s a revolution on the way in glass makingThe Papers: ‘Iran general killed’ and ‘record’ boat arrivalsLulu: I don’t speak before 12 noon. I’m not lyingHow to solve the plastic problem. VideoHow to solve the plastic problemSmoke rises from destroyed Iranian consulate. VideoSmoke rises from destroyed Iranian consulateWill legalising cannabis unleash chaos in Germany?Is my family still alive? The daily question for HaitiansThe pothole signs that put a town in the spotlight’We bought a zoo and our lives turned upside down’Elsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceEnjoy the genius of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a journey through the archivesAttributioniPlayerProfessor Alice Roberts unearths her favourite musicThe scientist and Digging for Britain presenter is Lauren Laverne’s castawayAttributionSoundsWhy did four tragic murders spark an online obsession?The case racked up nearly two billion views on TikTok worldwideAttributioniPlayerCaffeine: Dangers and benefitsFind out what effects this drug can have on dementia and cardiovascular diseaseAttributionSoundsMost Read1Germany kit option blocked over Nazi symbolism2Trump’s media company tumbles in stock market3Insta fans kill special places, says cave cleaner4JK Rowling in ‘arrest me’ challenge over hate crime law5Diabetes patients offered artificial-pancreas tech6’Iran general killed’ and ‘record boat arrivals’7Twenty councillors quit Labour Party in protest8French toddler’s remains found but death a mystery9Google to delete records from Incognito tracking10Lulu: I don’t speak before 12 noon. I’m not lying
[ad_1] An appeals court gave him a reprieve after he could not secure a bond for the full $464m penalty
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaA jailed Imran Khan leaves Pakistan divided ahead of electionPublished7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Once seen as the Pakistan army’s golden boy, Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote widely seen as orchestrated by the armed forcesBy Kelly Ng, Tarhub Asghar & Farhat Javedin Singapore, Lahore and IslamabadIn the Zeshaan household there is a ground rule – conversations about politics are not allowed when the family gets together. It was a rule laid down shortly after Imran Khan was elected Pakistan’s prime minister in July 2018.”I remember my father didn’t vote for Imran Khan in the 2018 elections. My sister and I didn’t talk to him for three months. We couldn’t sit together at meals or anything,” said Nida Zeshaan, who calls herself a “diehard Khan supporter”.While political differences among families and friends are nothing unusual, no other politician has caused as many rifts in relationships in Pakistan as the former cricket star who rose to be PM before being ousted. Khan was elected after he vowed to to fight corruption and fix the ailing economy, but he has been fighting a series of cases since he fell out of power in 2022. Several criminal convictions have now barred him from standing in general elections on Thursday. The 71-year-old claims these are politically motivated to boot him off the ballot.And yet he still dominates conversation ahead of the 8 February vote.’We couldn’t sit together at meals'”I can say it out loud that I love Imran Khan but my father thinks he is not a good politician,” Ms Zeshaan says. The 32-year-old homemaker says she was especially drawn to the ideal of an Islamic welfare state (or Riyasat-e-Madin) championed by Khan “where equality and equity can be for everyone”. What led to Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s downfallFriend to foe: How Imran Khan took on Pakistan’s armyBut her father disapproves of the populist politician because of his perceived close ties to the military at the start of his political career. The military is widely regarded as Pakistan’s most powerful institution and has deep influence on its politics. It has ruled the country directly for more than three decades since its formation in 1947, and has continued to play a big role thereafter. No prime minister in Pakistan has ever finished a five-year term, but three out of four military dictators were able to rule for more than nine years each. “I believe my father was judging Khan for his past life. Whatever it is, political differences are hard to resolve, so we’ve agreed not to discuss politics when we are together,” said Ms Zeshaan, who lives in Pakistan’s second largest city Lahore.It is widely believed that Khan first rose to political prominence with support from Pakistan’s military establishment, but tensions between both sides emerged once he was in office. He allegedly fell out with then-military leaders over the appointment of the head of the country’s intelligence agency. Then, four years into his premiership, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote that he alleges was backed by the US in a “foreign conspiracy” that also involved Pakistan’s military. Both the US and the military have rubbished these allegations. This galvanised his supporters, who like Ms Zeshaan, have jumped to his defence.”Unfortunately he did not get enough time and chances to implement all of these things. Also, the circumstances and other powers of the country didn’t let him perform,” she said.Many Pakistanis are frustrated that his economic and anti-corruption pledges have rung hollow, but his popularity has not waned even from behind bars. A Gallup opinion poll in December showed his approval ratings stand at 57%, putting him narrowly ahead of rival Nawaz Sharif with 52% of the votes. A Bloomberg survey last month showed Khan to be the top pick among some Pakistani finance professionals to run the country’s failing economy.Image caption, Muhammad Hafeez, a farmer, says Imran Khan sparked a political awakening by portraying himself as a “change candidate”Some citizens say Khan sparked a political awakening by portraying himself as a “change candidate” who promised to end dynastic politics. “It was Imran Khan and his party who explained to a villager like me how two parties plundered the wealth of the nation. He taught us how to vote for change,” said farmer Muhammad Hafeez, who lives in Nabipura, a village in Punjab.Mr Hafeez was referring to the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – led by two political families that have dominated Pakistani politics for decades. Once bitter rivals, they united to topple Khan and his PTI in 2022. The PML-N candidate, Nawaz Sharif is widely expected to win the election and become prime minister for a record fourth term. This is being seen as a dramatic turnaround in his political fortunes. He was ousted from his second term in a 1999 military coup and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of hijacking and terrorism, and also convicted of corruption.He returned to Pakistan from exile in Saudi Arabia in 2007, and was elected prime minister for a third time in 2013. He was removed from power in 2017 following a corruption investigation related to the Panama Papers, and was sentenced to seven years’ jail in a separate graft case a year later. This paved the way for Khan to become prime minister.Now it is Khan who is behind bars and the path for Sharif to become PM is clear. Many believe that he is the military’s preferred candidate this time around. “Khan created awareness. Previously, people were not politically aware enough to speak up for their rights,” Mr Hafeez said.Is Imran Khan’s political future over now he is in jail?Pakistan’s king of comebacks looks set to win againBut other observers allege that Khan’s politics are nothing more than rabble-rousing and populism. “We are supposedly expected to believe this was a wronged man, almost a martyr, who ostensibly had a clean record prior to entering this murky fray,” said Burzine Waghmar from the University of London’s SOAS South Asia Institute.”[But] Khan’s style of governance comprised avoidable squabbles with the military top brass and irresponsible demagoguery.”‘Divided loyalties’Some believe Khan’s biggest offence was challenging the military, which has long been the ultimate arbiter of politics in the country – and is widely referred to as the “establishment”.Other former prime ministers have fallen out with the army in the past but few have come as close to Khan in dividing loyalties there. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, or PML-N, whose candidate Nawaz Sharif is making a comeback after serving time for corruptionSome retired military officers – typically expected to toe the line – have spoken against the army’s political interference.They allege that this has sparked a crackdown by military leaders against them. One retired senior officer said he was instructed to “stop talking in favour of Imran Khan”.”I said I am not speaking in favour of him, nor am I speaking against the military. I am against the policies and interventions of a few individuals who are causing harm to the country,” he claims.Some retired military officers told the BBC they were implicated after Khan fell out of power for not supporting the no-confidence vote against him. Others claim they had their pensions and government benefits suspended, while others received threats that further action could be taken against them.Many have since gone quiet. The BBC reached out to the military regarding these allegations but did not receive a response. A spokesman of the military said last year that retired army officers are “assets of the army but they are not above the law”, warning also that they should not get involved in organisations that “wear the garb of politics”.But with Khan now out of the running and the PTI too dealt a big blow after Pakistan’s election commission banned its iconic cricket bat symbol from ballot papers in January, it may look like Khan has been effectively neutralised. But instead, political divisions across the country look set to deepen. Back in Lahore, Imran Khan supporter Ms Zeshaan said: “Even my friends know my political lines. Whenever any of them tries to cross them I stop meeting them or we usually end up fighting with each other.”Additional reporting by Nicholas Yong in SingaporeRelated TopicsPakistanImran KhanNawaz SharifAsiaBilawal Bhutto ZardariMore on this storyHow Imran Khan plans to win an election from jailPublished2 days ago’My mother doesn’t know if she’s married or a widow’Published3 days agoA jailed star and former convict: Pakistan’s election, explainedPublished5 days agoIs Imran Khan’s political future over now he is in jail?Published6 August 2023Top StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaSri Lanka: What’s killing so many of the country’s iconic elephants?Published6 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sri Lanka’s endangered elephants are dying at an unprecedented rateBy Anbarasan Ethirajanin Sri LankaSumitra Malkandi breaks down as she recounts the fateful evening in March last year when her husband was trampled to death.She was busy in the kitchen – the couple lived in a farming village in central Sri Lanka – and her husband, Thilak Kumara, was just outside feeding their cows. Then she heard an elephant’s trumpeting roar.She said she was about to alert him, but “within minutes, the worst happened”. The elephant ran away after hearing the appalled cries of villagers.Ms Malkandi, a 45-year-old mother of three young daughters, said her family is yet to recover from the shock. She worries it could happen again. Surrounded by coconut, mango and banana trees, which elephants love to feast on, her house is nestled in a farm that is just a few hundred metres from a dense forest. Her village, Thalgaswewa in Kurunegala district, now finds itself on the frontlines of a worsening conflict between humans and elephants. The epic adventures of China’s wandering elephants Local officials say three people and 10 elephants have been killed in Thalgaswewa and nearby villages alone in the past two years. Villagers now fear venturing out of their homes after sunset. But the problem spreads itself far wider than just this one small area.Mr Kumara is one of 176 people who died in encounters with elephants in Sri Lanka last year. During the same period, 470 elephants died – half of them at the hands of humans, while the rest were killed by illness or in accidents. On average, that means, more than one elephant died each day of the year, while a human was killed every two days.As farming expands, it is encroaching elephant habitats, disrupting their food and water sources and putting people’s lives in danger. “All the food crops we cultivate are very attractive to them,” explains Prithiviraj Fernando, Sri Lanka’s foremost elephant expert.But it is also making future of Sri Lanka’s iconic elephants look precarious, with the latest figures showing a record number of deaths in 2023. Conservationists are seeking urgent action from the government because both casualty counts are the deadliest on record – and a stark reminder of the fatal consequences when humans cross paths with these majestic animals.”After the civil war ended [in 2009] the government started releasing [more] land to the public. These were no-go areas during the war,” said Chandima Fernando, an ecologist at the Sri Lanka Conservation Society. He says this has opened up more land for farming and settlements, bringing people into greater contact with elephants. Image caption, Illegal high-voltage fences have been killing elephants – this one was Kurunegala districtKilling elephants, which are endangered, is punishable by law in Sri Lanka where they hold religious and economic value. Domesticated elephants are often part of religious processions and a tourist attraction.That hasn’t stopped farmers from taking lethal precautions to protect their crops and themselves. While Sri Lanka allows electric fences to keep the animals away, the charge is just strong enough to stun them without causing serious injury. The country has some 5,000km (3,100 miles) of electric fencing, including around the homes in Thalgaswewa, and plans to expand it.But activists say farmers have also illegally set up fences with higher voltage that can kill elephants. They also use poison, explosive baits called “jaw bombs” and sometimes shoot at the animals to drive them away. Experts like Chandima Fernando recommend simpler and kinder methods, such as “cultivating citrus fruits or other crops that will not draw elephants”. World’s ‘saddest’ elephant dies in Philippines zooUncertain fate awaits Thailand’s elephant tourismAn estimated 5,800 elephants roam across Sri Lanka’s protected habitats – wetlands, grasslands, highlands and shrubland – although some experts fear the actual number could be far less. An elephant typically roams up to 48km a day, and stays close to fresh water. They do not walk long distances unless they run out of food.But when that happens – due to drought, for instance, in protected areas – they are drawn to nearby farms.The government itself has warned people about pushing elephants that wander out of protected areas back in, because shrinking forests cannot support too many elephants. Prithviraj Fernando was the head of an official committee set up in 2020 to draft a National Action Plan to lessen the impact of human-elephant conflict. The plan remained dormant the past few years as Sri Lanka went through an unprecedented economic crisis, but the sharp rise in elephant deaths has infused a sense of urgency.Image source, BBC/Anbarasan EthirajanImage caption, Apart from encounters with humans, shrinking habits and drought are also a risk for the animalsThe country’s elephant population has fallen almost 65% since the turn of the 19th Century, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature. A decade ago, Sri Lanka lost around 250 elephants a year. But the numbers have increased sharply in recent years with the deaths now exceeding 400 for the second year in a row. If elephant deaths continue to rise at the current rate, up to 70% of Sri Lanka’s elephants would be gone, Prithviraj Fernando said. What is also worrying experts is the large number of male elephants that are dying, putting the survival of the species at risk. The tuskers often wander into rural communities alone, which makes them more vulnerable.Is the worst over for Sri Lanka’s economic crisis?Parts of central Sri Lanka have not reported a single male elephant sighting in recent years, said Chandima Fernando. Before the pandemic, sightings were common.Researchers say that while elephant deaths outside protected areas are accounted for, they don’t know enough about what is happening inside forests, where illness, infighting or drought could be causes. Back in Thalgaswewa, Ms Malkandi says the chances of another encounter with an elephant terrify her. “More and more elephants keep coming to the farm,” she says. “We are scared to live here.”Related TopicsElephantsAsiaSri LankaMore on this story’Abused’ Thai elephant flown home from Sri LankaPublished3 July 2023Top StoriesLive. 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