US President Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon pleaded guilty on Tuesday to defrauding donors who contributed money to a private scheme to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, a case the conservative strategist had decried as “political persecution”.
Mr Bannon, 71, entered a guilty plea to New York state charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors that spared him prison time. He received a three-year conditional discharge, which requires that he stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment.
He was indicted in 2022 for his role in a project called “We Build the Wall”, which involved private fundraising to build the southern border wall.
One of the masterminds behind Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Mr Bannon also faced federal charges over the scheme but received a pardon at the end of the Republican's first term in the White House. A US president cannot pardon state-level charges, which also is why Mr Trump, who was convicted of dozens of felonies in New York, cannot pardon himself.
Mr Bannon pleaded guilty to a state charge on Tuesday of involvement in a “scheme to defraud in the first degree”. He served nearly four months in prison last year after being convicted of contempt of Congress.
He was sent to jail for defying a subpoena to testify before the congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Mr Trump.
During Mr Trump's first term in office, Mr Bannon served in the White House as his chief strategist, but he left after seven months, reportedly due to conflicts with other top staffers.
Though he no longer works officially for Mr Trump, he has remained a vocal backer of the Republican President, mainly through his podcast The War Room.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
