WASHINGTON: Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to U.S. President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit he filed in 2021, accusing the tech company of unfairly blocking him from Facebook and Instagram following the U.S. Capitol riot. The Wall Street Journal first reported the settlement of the lawsuit against Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which was seen as a victory for Trump. According to individuals familiar with the agreement, the Journal reported that $22 million of the payment will be allocated towards funding Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Islamabad: Supreme Court Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi questioned whether the offences of May 9, 2023, were more severe than acts of terrorism. His remarks were made during a hearing on the intra-court appeal against the trial of civilians in military courts by a seven-member constitutional bench led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan. The Ministry of Defence’s counsel, Khawaja Haris, stated that military courts were not part of the judicial system under Article 175 of the Constitution but were instead established under a separate recognized law. In response, Justice Jamal Mandokhail remarked that courts established under Article 175 have broad jurisdiction,…
Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the government is ready to form a parliamentary committee to advance talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), following the latter’s abrupt exit from negotiations. PTI had abruptly walked away from the talks after three meetings, accusing the government of not genuinely addressing its demands, including the release of “political prisoners” and the formation of judicial commissions to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and November 24-27, 2024. The prime minister said he wishes to reduce political tensions and proceed with negotiations sincerely, as the country cannot afford more damage. Speaking at a federal…
Rawalpindi: Major Hamza Israr, aged 29, embraced martyrdom during a gun battle with terrorists in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, where he was leading his troops from the front. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the exchange of fire occurred on the night between January 29-30, as security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation. The forces successfully engaged a terrorist location, resulting in the death of six terrorists. In addition to Major Israr, Sepoy Muhammad Naeem, aged 26, also laid down his life in the line of duty. Sepoy Naeem was a resident of Naseerabad and fought gallantly…
ISLAMABAD: According to records from the Cabinet Division, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among the notable individuals who received gifts from March 2023 to December 31, 2024. Several dignitaries, including PM Shehbaz, President Asif Ali Zardari, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, former caretaker PM Anwarul Haq Kakar, Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, former PM Nawaz Sharif, former president Arif Alvi, and former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, were listed as recipients of gifts during this period, according to a Cabinet Division notification. Other recipients included Federal Ministers Musadik Malik, Rana Sanaullah, Attaullah Tarar, and Jam Kamal, along with…
ISLAMABAD: In response to complaints from foreign countries, the federal government has decided to criminalize begging by amending the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018. The Interior Ministry has submitted the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to modify the existing legislation by adding “organized beggary” to Section 3. The proposed changes come as the issue of begging has been raised by several countries with Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Iraq, and Malaysia. According to the draft, Pakistanis visiting these countries for Hajj, Umrah, and other religious pilgrimages have been…
PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar has announced that the party will hold a public rally in Swabi on February 8 on the directives of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan. The day marks the first anniversary of the last general elections, which PTI claims were rigged, resulting in the alleged theft of its mandate. “A public rally will be held in Swabi on February 8 on the PTI founder’s call,” Akbar said in a statement. He was recently appointed as PTI’s provincial president, replacing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. This development comes as PTI has…
NEW YORK: Progress has been reported on the move to send skilled nursing professionals from Pakistan to the United States following an online discussion between representatives from the Pakistani embassy in Washington, the New York Consulate General, the New York State Assembly, and the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC), officials said. The US faces a shortage of nurses and other healthcare workers, and Pakistani professionals are being considered to help fill that gap. Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Pakistani Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Consul General Aamer Ahmed Atozai, and the Community Welfare Attaché at the New York Consulate. From…
KARACHI: An American woman, Onijah Andrew Robinson, who traveled to Pakistan in pursuit of love, has found herself stranded after the Karachi-based youth she came for abandoned her. Now, refusing to leave the country, she has made an unusual demand—$3,000 per week—and insists she wants to become a Pakistani citizen. The 33-year-old woman arrived in Karachi after falling in love with a 19-year-old, Nidal Ahmed Memon. However, under family pressure, the young man refused to marry her, leaving the American woman stranded at Karachi Airport for the past seven days. Unable to leave Pakistan due to the expiration of her…
investigation so far has revealed that the family objected to her dressing, lifestyle, and social media activities.” He added, “We have her phone, but it is locked. We are investigating all aspects, including the possibility of an honor killing.” According to Baloch, the family had returned to Balochistan recently after spending approximately 25 years in the United States. During the investigation, the suspect revealed that his daughter had started creating “objectionable” content on TikTok while living in the U.S. and continued to share videos even after returning to Pakistan. The police reported that the suspect’s brother-in-law had also been arrested…
