An election becomes a poll on India and China, and a new map charts the worldâs forgotten continent
| | | | | | | Hello. Ahead of a new chapter in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, Bernd Debusmann Jr looks at the properties in the real estate tycoon’s empire facing an uncertain future. South Asia regional editor Anbarasan Ethirajan explores the geopolitical stakes in the Maldives’ presidential election, and Tiffanie Turnbull in Sydney reports on the start of magpie mischief’s season. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | Trump’s property empire under threat | | | | The 58-floor Trump Tower, in Manhattan, is home to the embattled Trump Organization. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Having lost a bid to delay a civil fraud trial, Donald Trump could face proceedings as soon as Monday. The trial is due to address six remaining fraud claims and determine penalties against Mr Trump, with a judge having this week ruled the former US president had misrepresented his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars. That ruling cast doubt on the fate of some of Mr Trump’s flagship properties. | | | | What does the ruling mean? | | The judge ordered that some of Mr Trump's companies be removed from his control, but what the ruling means for his properties is less clear. The Trump Organization could be forced to hand over control to a court-appointed receiver, or ultimately have to sell some of its most iconic landmarks. A request from Mr Trump's lawyers for more clarity has yet to receive a definitive answer. | | Which New York properties are under scrutiny? | | Among the most recognisable properties highlighted in the case is Mr Trump's penthouse on the top three floors of Trump Tower. Mr Trump was found to have artificially inflated its value, by repeatedly claiming the triplex was almost three times larger than what’s listed in property records. Then there’s 40 Wall Street, a neo-Gothic tower in the heart of New York's financial district, whose value prosecutors deemed also vastly inflated. | | Is the Mar-a-Lago estate, in Florida, safe? | | The extent of the ruling is still unclear, but it might affect properties controlled by New York-based limited liability companies. This could reportedly include the Palm Beach estate, where Mr Trump currently resides. The ruling determined that Mr Trump inflated the value of Mar-a-Lago by as much as 2,300%. | | | | |
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| AT THE SCENE | BBC Newsroom, London | | The island nation with India and China on the ballot | | | | China and India are front and centre of the Maldives' colourful election this month, Credit: Getty Images | | A run-off vote in the presidential election in the Maldives has highlighted the geopolitical stakes engulfing the island nation. Traditionally within India’s sphere on influence, the Maldives’ location in the Indian Ocean also appeals to China’s strategic interests. At the September 30 polls, China appears to have the edge. | | | | Anbarasan Ethirajan, South Asia regional editor |
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| Maldives' two presidential contenders, who have been crisscrossing the islands by airplanes and boats to canvass voters, each represent a different Asian power. One issue that may have hurt current President Mohamed Solih's performance is criticism that his administration has forged close ties with Delhi - called the "India-first" policy - at the expense of China. But Mr Solih dismisses this argument. "We do not view it as a zero-sum game where good relations with one country are at the cost of relations with the other," he told the BBC in an email interview.
Opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu favours better relations with China. Though India has also tried to match Chinese investments by offering loans and grants of more than $2bn over the past few years, Delhi's motives are viewed with suspicion by many in the Maldives. Critics say India indirectly has boots on the ground there. Another concern is that the Maldives might be affected as tensions between India and China escalate along their Himalayan border. "There is a much larger sentiment in the Maldives that we should not have any substantive strategic relationship with any country, including India," says Azim Zahir, a Maldives analyst and a lecturer at the University of Western Australia. |
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| | The big picture | | Making peace with magpies | | | | Magpies are arguably Australia’s most polarising bird. Credit: TMR Queensland |
| | The arrival of spring in Australia coincides with the start of an annual turf war between humans and magpies. At times drawing blood, the birds’ ambushes can cause serious injuries and, in a handful of cases, death. But experts claim magpies are misunderstood and humans are the aggressors. | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Forgotten continent | | A new map of Zealandia helps explain how the mysterious landmass disappeared. | | |
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| | | | And finally... in Norway | | One family’s search for a lost golden earring ended up unearthing a different kind of treasure: relics from an apparent Viking-era burial. See the items the Aasvik family dug up. |
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– Sofia |
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