| | | | | | | Hello. Today we look into Donald Trump's latest judicial woes, after a judge found the former US president liable for fraud. We also have a dispatch from diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams, in Kyiv, where off-duty soldiers have been using cannabis to deal with PTSD. And bear with us for a scary encounter involving tacos. | | | |
| | | | Top of the agenda | | Judge finds Trump liable for fraud |  | | Donald Trump accused the judge of being "highly politicised". Credit: Reuters | | | A judge in New York has ruled that former US President Donald Trump "repeatedly" misrepresented his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars to banks and insurers to get better terms on deals, and to pay less tax. The judge determined, among other claims, that Mr Trump overvalued his Mar-a-Lago estate by 2,300% in one financial statement, and that he once claimed his Trump Tower penthouse was three times its actual size. This pre-trial ruling is a major blow for the former president, who's fighting several other legal battles, while also campaigning for a rematch with President Joe Biden next year. Mr Trump dismissed the case as another political "witch hunt" and is still seeking to delay the trial, currently scheduled to begin next Monday, 2 October. | | • | On other fronts: This latest ruling is in a civil trial. Here's where the four criminal cases against Mr Trump stand. | | • | Republican debate: Seven GOP candidates will take part in the party's second primary debate tonight - but Mr Trump won't be there. Here's what you need to know. | | • | Counter-programming: Instead, Mr Trump will be in Detroit a day after Mr Biden met with striking auto workers of the UAW. But unlike his Democratic rival, Mr Trump was not invited by the union. | | | | | |
| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Tragedy in Iraq: At least 100 people have died and 150 others were injured after a fire broke out at a wedding in northern Iraq. The cause is unknown but early reports suggest it broke out after fireworks were lit. Follow our updates live. | | • | Thousands flee: Some 42,500 of Nagorno-Karabakh's 120,000 ethnic Armenians have now left the enclave, seized by Azerbaijan last week, with the Armenian PM warning of "ethnic cleansing". Read survivors' accounts of a bombing during Azerbaijan's offensive in the area. | | • | War in Ukraine: Russia's Defence Ministry has released a video showing Black Sea Fleet's commander Viktor Sokolov at a meeting, despite Ukraine claiming to have killed him. The BBC has so far been unable to verify whether the meeting actually took place after the attack on the fleet's HQ. | | • | Cheaper fuel: French drivers will be able to fill the tank at cost price at some supermarkets, after the government pressed the industry to help consumers with the cost of living. | | • | Biden's biting dogs: Commander, the Biden family's two-year-old German Shepherd, has bitten yet another Secret Service agent. This is the 11th time the dog has bitten a guard. The president's other dog, Major, has also been involved in numerous biting incidents. | | | |
| AT THE SCENE |  Niamey, Niger | | 'France takes us for idiots' | | The West African country of Niger is among the world's most deadly for attacks by jihadists. Following a military coup in July, there are fears a decision to order 1,500 French troops to leave the country may further embolden insurgents. |  | | Mayeni Jones, West Africa correspondent | | | Adama Zourkaleini Maiga is soft-spoken, but her eyes suggest steely determination. "My mother's cousin was chief of a village called Téra," she tells me over lunch. "He was assassinated just seven months ago." Adama blames France - which has had 1,500 troops in the region to fight Islamist militants - for the failure to contain the violence. "They can't tell us that the French army was successful," she says. "I don't understand how they can say they're here to help people fight terrorism, and every year the situation gets worse."
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | How Ukraine veterans smoke weed to forget |  | | Cannabis use is frowned upon in the Ukrainian military. Source: BBC | | | In Ukraine, off-duty soldiers and veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder sometimes use cannabis to ease physical and mental pain. Decriminalised in small amounts for personal use, the drug is still not available for medical research. Soldiers tell our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams why it helps. | | | | | | |
| | | | Something different | | Island green | | You're invited to make an eco-pledge if you want to visit this Great Barrier Reef island. | | | | | |
| | | | And finally... | | Tacos, anyone? A hungry black bear did not wait for permission to gatecrash a picnic in Mexico's Chipinque Ecological Park, in the state of Nuevo León. The family was unhurt despite this very close encounter with the animal, although they might not have touched their food afterwards. Black bears have increased in the area, according to the park's website. | | |
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– Jules | | |
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