Briefly

UNITED STATES

Trump hits out at judge in fraud trial

Donald Trump complained of unfair treatment in defiant and rambling testimony on the witness stand at a New York civil fraud trial on Monday. Trump's long-awaited testimony about his company's accounting practices was punctuated by personal jabs at Judge Arthur Engoron, who he said was biased against him, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom he derided as a "political hack". Trump, his sons Donald Jr and Eric, and other Trump Organization executives are accused of exaggerating the value of their real estate assets by billions of dollars to obtain more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.

After turmoil, WeWork files for bankruptcy

Beleaguered shared office giant WeWork, which has been in dire financial straits for years, announced on Monday that it had filed for bankruptcy in a bid to negotiate down its debt. The coworking company said its bankruptcy impacts operations in the United States and Canada, but "global operations are expected to continue as usual". The bankruptcy filing was a stark turn of events for the New York-based company, which was once a startup darling promising to reshape the office sector globally. At one point, it attracted huge infusions from investors, including SoftBank. WeWork was considered the most valuable US startup as recently as 2019, worth $49 billion.

INDIA

States vote in key test for opposition, Modi

Two Indian states began voting in local elections on Tuesday in a test of strength for India's opposition, which is pitted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party ahead of a crucial national vote scheduled for next year. The elections in central Chhattisgarh and northeastern Mizoram states, along with polls in three others states over the next three weeks, are expected to give an indication of voter mood before India's political parties gear up for nationwide elections next year, in which Modi is eyeing a third consecutive term.

Agencies Via Xinhua