Former US president Donald Trump makes a zipped-lips motion as he leaves New York Supreme Court. AP
Former US president Donald Trump makes a zipped-lips motion as he leaves New York Supreme Court. AP
Former US president Donald Trump makes a zipped-lips motion as he leaves New York Supreme Court. AP
Former US president Donald Trump makes a zipped-lips motion as he leaves New York Supreme Court. AP

New York judge lifts Trump's gag order in civil fraud trial


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A gag order that barred former US president Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial has been temporarily lifted by an appellate judge who raised free speech concerns.

Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court on Thursday issued what is known as a stay – suspending the gag order and allowing Mr Trump to speak freely about court staff while a longer appeals process plays out.

The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed the gag order on October 3 after Mr Trump posted a false comment about the judge’s law clerk to social media on the second day of the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit.

Ms James alleges Mr Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals.

Mr Engoron later fined Trump $15,000 for violating the gag order and expanded it to include his lawyers after they questioned clerk Allison Greenfield’s prominent role on the bench, where she sits alongside the judge, exchanging notes and advising him during testimony.

Mr Friedman’s ruling allows the lawyers to again comment about court staff as well.

At an emergency hearing on Thursday, Mr Friedman questioned Mr Engoron’s authority to police what Mr Trump says outside the courtroom. He also disputed the trial judge’s contention that restricting the 2024 Republican front-runner’s speech was necessary or the right remedy to protect his staff’s safety.

The appellate court intervened after Mr Trump’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against Mr Engoron late on Wednesday that challenged his gag order as an abuse of power.

Donald Trump zips his lips after testifying in civil case – video

Mr Trump and his lawyers have been increasingly frustrated with Mr Engoron presiding over the non-jury trial in Ms James’s lawsuit. Mr Trump, angered by a pretrial fraud ruling imperilling his property empire, has called him an “extremely hostile” judge.

His lawyers on Wednesday asked for a mistrial, citing evidence of “tangible and overwhelming” bias.

Mr Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly criticised Ms Greenfield, contending the former judicial candidate is a partisan voice in Mr Engoron’s ear – though both are Democrats.

Trump lawyer Christopher Kise lauded the stay as the “right decision”.

Mr Friedman has “allowed President Trump to take full advantage of his constitutional First Amendment rights to talk about bias in his own trial, what he’s seeing and witnessing in his own trial – which, frankly, everyone needs to see”, Mr Kise said.

Mr Trump did not wait long to lash out at Ms Greenfield, calling her a “politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk” in a post to his Truth Social platform on Thursday night.

State lawyers and a court system lawyer representing Mr Engoron urged the appellate judge to keep the gag order in place. They argued the trial judge had taken a reasonable step to protect his staff amid increased threats to their safety.

Mr Engoron and his staff have received hundreds of threatening and anti-Semitic phone calls and letters since the trial began on October 2, court system lawyer Lisa Evans said.

She blamed Mr Trump’s comments about Mr Engoron and Ms Greenfield for amplifying his supporters' anger towards them.

  • Mr Trump prays with a pastor and others at Versailles restaurant in Miami after his arraignment on felony charges. AP
    Mr Trump prays with a pastor and others at Versailles restaurant in Miami after his arraignment on felony charges. AP
  • A man protests outside a Miami, Florida, federal courthouse on June 13 as former president Donald Trump is arraigned on dozens of charges related to his handling of classified information. AFP
    A man protests outside a Miami, Florida, federal courthouse on June 13 as former president Donald Trump is arraigned on dozens of charges related to his handling of classified information. AFP
  • Trump supporters outside the courthouse in Miami. AP
    Trump supporters outside the courthouse in Miami. AP
  • Mr Trump's personal aide Walt Nauta was also charged in the classified documents case in Miami. AFP
    Mr Trump's personal aide Walt Nauta was also charged in the classified documents case in Miami. AFP
  • Mr Trump during his Miami arraignment. AP
    Mr Trump during his Miami arraignment. AP
  • People protest against Mr Trump during his arraignment in Miami. AFP
    People protest against Mr Trump during his arraignment in Miami. AFP
  • A courtroom sketch of Mr Trump during the Miami arraignment. Reuters
    A courtroom sketch of Mr Trump during the Miami arraignment. Reuters
  • Mr Trump arrives for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4 in New York. AFP
    Mr Trump arrives for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4 in New York. AFP
  • In the case in New York, Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to dozens of felony charges stemming from hush-money payments made during his 2016 presidential election campaign. AP
    In the case in New York, Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to dozens of felony charges stemming from hush-money payments made during his 2016 presidential election campaign. AP
  • In a separate civil case, Mr Trump was found liable on May 9 for the sexual abuse of former magazine columnist E Jean Carroll. AFP
    In a separate civil case, Mr Trump was found liable on May 9 for the sexual abuse of former magazine columnist E Jean Carroll. AFP
  • A protester dressed as the former president outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Reuters
    A protester dressed as the former president outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Reuters
  • Trump opponents gather as he is arraigned in New York on April 4. Getty / AFP
    Trump opponents gather as he is arraigned in New York on April 4. Getty / AFP
  • Pro-Trump protesters storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington. AP
    Pro-Trump protesters storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington. AP
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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

I Care A Lot

Directed by: J Blakeson

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage

3/5 stars

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars

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About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

Updated: November 17, 2023, 2:41 PM