President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random House, in his latest legal assault on major media companies he accuses of treating him unfairly.
The lawsuit filed on Monday in Florida federal court centres on a book about Mr Trump by two Times reporters and three “false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging” articles that he says were aimed at sabotaging his chances in the 2024 presidential election.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Times said the lawsuit has no legitimate legal claims and is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.
Penguin Random House did not respond to requests for comment.
US law makes it difficult for public figures like Mr Trump to prevail in defamation cases, requiring them to prove defendants published information they knew or should have known was false.
Mr Trump has nonetheless mounted a flurry of legal attacks against major media outlets during his second term, including a $10 billion defamation case against the Wall Street Journal in July. In his latest lawsuit, Mr Trump accuses the Times and Penguin Random House of maliciously publishing articles and a book filled with “repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump.”
The lawsuit cites three articles, including an editorial before the 2024 election saying Trump was unfit for office, and a 2024 book titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, which was written by two Times reporters and published by Penguin Random House.
Those publications harmed Mr Trump's business and personal reputation, thereby causing economic damage to his brand value and significant damage to his future financial prospects, the President's lawyers said in a court filing.
The filing comes after Mr Trump threatened last week to sue the New York Times for its reporting on an allegedly sexually suggestive note and drawing given to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019.
Mr Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before the financier's legal troubles became public in 2006.
Trump has intensified his legal attacks on the media during his second term.
In July, CBS parent company Paramount agreed to give $16 million to Trump's presidential library to settle his lawsuit alleging that the CBS News programme 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with former vice president Kamala Harris to boost the Democrat's chances in the 2024 election.
And in December, ABC News agreed to give $15 million to Mr Trump’s library to settle a lawsuit over comments that anchor George Stephanopoulos made on air involving sex abuse claims brought against Mr Trump by writer E Jean Carroll.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2051.1%25%3Cbr%3EFrancois%20Fillon%3A%2024.2%25%3Cbr%3EJean-Luc%20Melenchon%3A%2011.8%25%3Cbr%3EBenoit%20Hamon%3A%207.0%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%202.9%25%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESecond%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2095.1%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%204.9%25%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
