New York (Reuters): The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial fined him $1,000 and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time for violating a gag order, while warning any further violations could land the former president in jail.

Justice Juan Merchan said the nine $1,000 fines he had imposed so far did not seem to be deterring the wealthy business mogul from violating the order, which bars him from making public comments about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors if the statements are meant to interfere with the case.

Merchan said he considered jail time “truly the last resort” for many reasons, including the disruption to the trial, the political implications of jailing a leading presidential candidate ahead of an election and the extraordinary security challenges of incarcerating an ex-president with a lifetime Secret Service detail.

But he said Trump’s “continued, willful” violations of the gag order amounted to a “direct attack on the rule of law.”

“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Merchan said from the bench in the absence of the jury.

New York law allows fines of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 30 days for violating a court-imposed gag order.

Merchan imposed a $1,000 fine on Monday for an April 22 broadcast interview in which the Republican former president said: "That jury was picked so fast - 95% Democrats. The area's mostly all Democrat."

He found that other statements flagged by prosecutors that mentioned witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker did not violate the order.

Last week Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for nine social media posts that he ruled had violated the gag order.

Merchan spoke while Trump sat at the defendant's table in the New York courtroom in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

Trump's criminal hush money trial, now in its 12th day, has featured testimony from a top aide and a former tabloid publisher about efforts during his first presidential bid to tamp down stories of unflattering sexual behaviour.

New York prosecutors have charged Trump with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him in 2006. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies ever having sex with Daniels.

Trump complains frequently that the gag order limits his ability to make his case to voters for a comeback White House bid.

Speaking to reporters before Monday's session, Trump declined to comment about Cohen, his former lawyer who is expected to be a prominent witness in the trial.

However, he repeated unsupported claims that New York prosecutors are working with President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to hobble his political prospects and said Merchan faces a conflict of interest because his daughter has done work for Democratic politicians. Trump's lawyers have unsuccessfully tried to remove Merchan from the case.

"The judge has gagged me and I'm not allowed to talk about, I guess, his total conflict," Trump told reporters outside the courtroom. "He's taken away my constitutional right to speak."

Lahore: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Kashif Anwar emphasized that those existing taxpayers, who are fulfilling their national obligations, should not be burdened with new laws.

 He stressed that legislative efforts should focus on individuals outside the tax net.

The LCCI president made these remarks during a meeting with Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Amjad Farooq, at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meeting was attended by LCCI Senior Vice President Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry, Commissioners Inland Revenue Sahibzada Umer Razzaq, Nauman Malik, LCCI Executive Committee Members, and other officials.

Kashif Anwar highlighted the economic challenges faced by the business community and underscored the need to provide facilities and relief to existing taxpayers. He expressed concerns regarding recent government-issued SROs, including SROs 457(I)/2024, 350(I)/2024, and 1842(I)/2024, which have posed difficulties for businesses.

Regarding SRO 457(I)/2024, Anwar criticized the requirement for traders and shopkeepers to submit monthly advance tax under the Tajir Dost scheme. He proposed that advance tax collection should occur annually or bi-annually instead of monthly, as this would alleviate the burden on shopkeepers, reduce legal fees, and streamline business operations.

The LCCI president also questioned the imposition of tax based on rental value, suggesting that tax collection should be linked to commercial electricity meters' actual consumption, with incentives such as audit exemptions and reduced tax rates provided to registered retailers under the Tajir Dost Scheme.

Addressing SRO 1842(I)/2024, Anwar recommended increasing the threshold for mandatory integration with the POS system from one lakh rupees to five lakh rupees for retailers. He advocated for exemptions for single-shop retailers from POS integration requirements.

Anwar affirmed LCCI's support for the government's initiatives to formalize the economy and broaden the tax base, stressing the importance of stakeholder engagement in policy formulation.

In response, Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Amjad Farooq, assured that the registration process for the Tajir Dost scheme is simplified, with teams actively engaging traders. He clarified that registration under the scheme by June 30 will not incur liabilities, and registrants will receive a 25% advance tax discount. He acknowledged concerns regarding amnesty under the scheme and pledged clarity upon the bill's passage.

Farooq emphasized the FBR rate's use for valuation and expressed willingness to review the provision for monthly advance tax submission based on LCCI's input. He reassured that efforts are underway to minimize harassment and ensure smooth implementation of the scheme, citing significant voluntary returns filed in RTO Lahore this year.

Islamabad:  Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) senior leader Shehla Raza stepped down from the office of President of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

Shehla Raza confirmed that she had submitted her resignation as President of the PHF on April 27, 2024.

“I have also sent my resignation to Minister IPC Dr. Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Mashood, and have also presented her resignation to the PHF Congress,” she said while talking to a local private TV on Monday.

The PPP leader said that the promises made in the government meeting were not fulfilled, the decisions taken in the meeting were not given importance, and the proposal to form a committee to resolve PHF issues was not implemented.

Shehla Raza said that Haider Hussain was asked to work as Secretary of the PHF, but action was not taken on it, the constitution and laws of the PHF were violated, and they all had offered their resignations in the meeting, but they were prevented from doing that as they were told that their concerns would be addressed.