The Information Minister of Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, Azma Bukhari is disturbed by a counterfeit image of herself: a sexualized deepfake video published to discredit her role as one of the nation’s few female leaders. Bukhari in a comment said: “I was shattered when it came into my knowledge.” Deepfakes — which manipulate genuine audio, photos or video of people into false likenesses — are becoming increasingly convincing and easier to make as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the mainstream. Bukhari — who regularly appears on TV — recalls going quiet for days after she saw the video of...
RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW! Trump Demands
President-elect of the United State, Donald Trump on Monday demanded that the hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel be released from Gaza before his inauguration in January, or there will be “hell to pay” in the Middle East for those responsible.Without pointing finger at any militant group, Mr. Trump said in his post on Social Truth: “If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities...
FG IMPLEMENTS N50 ELECTRONIC LEVY ON FINTECH TRANSACTIONS OVER N10,000
The federal government has officially commenced the deduction of a N50 levy on electronic transfers of N10,000 and above, effective 1 December 2024. The levy, known as the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), applies to transfers received through financial technology platforms, including Opay, Moniepoint, and Kuda, among others.This follows an earlier announcement by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in September 2024, which disclosed plans to implement the levy in accordance with the Finance Act 2020. Notifications sent to customers by fintech companies over the weekend confirmed the commencement of the deductions.Opay, in its statement, reiterated that the levy is mandated by the federal...
NEW BELGIUM’S LAW OFFERS SEX WORKERS MATERNITY LEAVE AND PENSIONS.
Under a new law in Belgium (the first of its kind in the world) sex workers will be entitled to official employment contracts, health insurance, pensions, maternity leave and sick days. Essentially, it will be treated like any other job.Sex work was decriminalised in Belgium in 2022 and is legal in several countries including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey. But establishing employment rights and contracts is a global first.“This is radical, and it’s the best step we have seen anywhere in the world so far,” says Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “We need every country to...
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS URGE BIDEN TO TRY TO LIMIT TRUMP’S ABILITY TO USE THE U.S. MILITARY DOMESTICALLY.
Two Democratic senators are urging the Biden administration to issue a policy directive that could temporarily limit President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to deploy U.S. military troops domestically after he takes office.Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., both members of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter dated Nov. 26 to President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that urged them to issue a policy directive that would ensure that U.S. troops can be used only when local or state authorities ask for federal help or are unable or unwilling to protect the public. “We write to urge you to issue a policy directive...
Update: Matchday 15 NPFL
Ikorodu City defeated Akwa United 4-1, extending their unbeaten streak to six games. The South West side has moved up to third place in the league table. The loss means Akwa United’s winless run continues, with only four wins in their last 15 league matches. The 2021 league champions are currently 19th in the table. Title contenders Remo Stars dropped points against Niger Tornadoes, while Rivers United beat Kano Pillars to climb to the top of the NPFL table. Enyimba and Enugu Rangers face off tomorrow in a highly anticipated clash. NPFL 2024/2025 Matchday 15 Results: Bendel Insurance 2–1 Plateau...
Fiorentina Midfielder Edoardo Bove Collapses During Match Against Inter Milan
Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove was rushed to the hospital yesterday after collapsing on the pitch during their Serie A match against Inter Milan. The incident, which saw the player lose consciousness, led to the suspension and calling off of the game. In an update shared on their X account, Fiorentina and the Careggi University Hospital stated: *”ACF and the Careggi University Hospital announce that footballer Edoardo Bove, who was assisted on the field after losing consciousness during the #FiorentinaInter match, is currently under pharmacological sedation and hospitalized in intensive care. Bove arrived stable from a hemodynamic point of view at...
Stowaway Who Flew To Paris Removed From Flight Back To New York After Causing Disturbance, Currently In French Custody
The stowaway who boarded a flight in New York and made it all the way to Paris on Tuesday was removed from her return flight to the U.S. after she caused a disturbance.A source with knowledge of the situation said the woman “created a disturbance” as the Delta flight was set to return to New York.Source revealed she was removed from the plane and is currently in French custody.Delta confirmed there was a delay on Flight 265 from Paris to New York on Saturday due to an unruly passenger. It did not release any additional information.The woman, who got on the flight...
AUSTRALIAN POLICE SEIZE RECORD 2.3 TONS OF COCAINE WORTH $494 MILLION
Police in Australia seized a record 2.3 tons of cocaine and arrested 13 people in raids after the suspects’ boat broke down off the coast of Queensland, authorities said Monday.The drugs had a sale value of 760 million Australian dollars ($494 million) and equaled as many as 11.7 million street deals if they had reached the country of 28 million people, federal police said in a statement.Investigators told reporters in Brisbane that the drugs were transported from an unidentified South American country. The arrests on Saturday and Sunday followed a month long investigation after a tipoff that the Comancheros motorcycle gang was planning a multiton smuggling...
IRANIAN RAPPER SALEHI RELEASED AFTER ONE YEAR SENTENCE COMPLETION, DEATH SENTENCE OVERTURNED
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported the country’s rapper Toomaj Salehi was released from prison Sunday after completing a one-year sentence for speaking out against the Iranian regime.Salehi had been sentenced to death in April by a revolutionary court on charges linked to unrest in the country from 2022 to 2023, although Iran’s Supreme Court overturned that sentence in June.His songs eulogized months-long protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman arrested for allegedly wearing an “improper” hijab that flouted Iran’s Islamic dress code.Salehi was arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the nationwide protests.Amini’s death in...