Akshay Kumar is all geared up to drop a bomb soon.

The actor announced the release date of his upcoming film 'Laxmmi Bomb'&nbsp;on Twitter.

The actor shared the news on Saturday, mentioning that the film also stars 'MS&nbsp;Dhoni: The Untold Story'&nbsp;fame, Kiara Advani.

Sharing an eccentric poster of the film on Twitter, and calling it one bomb of a story, the actor captioned, "Bringing you one bomb of a story, Laxmmi Bomb starring Kiara Advani &amp; yours truly! Bursting in cinemas on 5th June 2020 Fox Star Studios Presents A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment &amp; Tusshar Entertainment House Directed by Raghava Lawrence."

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Bringing you one bomb of a story,<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaxmmiBomb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaxmmiBomb</a> starring <a href="https://twitter.com/Advani_Kiara?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Advani_Kiara</a> &amp; yours truly!Bursting in cinemas on 5th June,2020💥 
Fox Star Studios Presents 
A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment &amp; Tusshar Entertainment House 
Directed by Raghava Lawrence <a href="https://t.co/vlXyK4HkNE">pic.twitter.com/vlXyK4HkNE</a>
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) <a href="https://twitter.com/akshaykumar/status/1129623007104835584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In the poster, Akshay is seen applying kohl to his eyes as he is gawking somewhere, hinting at some out of the box story.

Raghava Lawrence is directing the film, which is being produced by A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment and Tusshar Entertainment House. 'Laxmmi Bomb'&nbsp;is set to burst on the silver screen on June 5, 2020.

As of now, Akshay Kumar is shooting for Rohit Shetty's 'Sooryavanshi'. He will also be seen in 'Mission Mangal'.

Meanwhile, Kiara Advani will be seen alongside Shahid Kapoor in 'Kabir Singh', a Hindi remake of Telugu hit 'Arjun Reddy'. 
&nbsp;

Akshay Kumar is all geared up to drop a bomb soon. The actor announced the release date of his upcoming film 'Laxmmi Bomb' on Twitter. The actor shared the news on Saturday, mentioning that the film also stars 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' fame, Kiara Advani.

Akshay Kumar is all geared up to drop a bomb soon. The actor announced the release date of his upcoming film 'Laxmmi Bomb' on Twitter. The actor shared the news on Saturday, mentioning that the film also stars 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' fame, Kiara Advani. Sharing an eccentric poster of the film on Twitter, and calling it one bomb of a story, the actor captioned, "Bringing you one bomb of a story, Laxmmi Bomb starring Kiara Advani & yours truly! Bursting in cinemas on 5th June 2020 Fox Star Studios Presents A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment & Tusshar Entertainment House Directed by Raghava Lawrence." Bringing you one bomb of a story,#LaxmmiBomb starring @Advani_Kiara & yours truly!Bursting in cinemas on 5th June,2020💥 Fox Star Studios Presents A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment & Tusshar Entertainment House Directed by Raghava Lawrence pic.twitter.com/vlXyK4HkNE — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 18, 2019 × In the poster, Akshay is seen applying kohl to his eyes as he is gawking somewhere, hinting at some out of the box story. Raghava Lawrence is directing the film, which is being produced by A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment and Tusshar Entertainment House. 'Laxmmi Bomb' is set to burst on the silver screen on June 5, 2020. As of now, Akshay Kumar is shooting for Rohit Shetty's 'Sooryavanshi'. He will also be seen in 'Mission Mangal'. Meanwhile, Kiara Advani will be seen alongside Shahid Kapoor in 'Kabir Singh', a Hindi remake of Telugu hit 'Arjun Reddy'.

Akshay Kumar shares poster of new film 'Laxmmi Bomb', calls it 'bomb of a story'

Facebook, Google and Twitter were reprimanded by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-twitter-have-to-do-more-to-fight-fake-news-european-union-212915">European Commission</a> on Friday for not doing enough to tackle fake news plaguing the election campaign to the European Parliament, seven months after promising to do more.

The tech giants took a voluntary pledge last October to combat the spread of fake news, hoping to avoid more heavy-handed rules. Elections to the European Parliament will be held in the 28 countries making up the European Union on May 23-26.

Foreign interference during the campaign and in national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in the coming months has been a key concern for the Commission and EU governments.

Facebook, Google and Twitter are still falling, the EU executive said in its report on their efforts in April.

"More needs to be done to strengthen the integrity of their services, including advertising services," the Commission's digital chief Andrus Ansip, Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, Security Commissioner Julian King and Digital Economy Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said in a joint statement.

"The data provided still lacks the level of detail necessary to allow for an independent and accurate assessment of how the platforms' policies have actually contributed to reducing the spread of disinformation in the EU," they said.

Google and Twitter were criticised for failing to develop and implement policies for identifying and disclosing issue-based ads before next week's vote. Such ads can stoke divisive public debate during elections and are prone to disinformation.

Facebook, which took down a fake Russian network targeting Ukraine, was rapped for not saying whether the network also affected users in the EU.

Facebook, Google and Twitter were reprimanded by the European Commission on Friday for not doing enough to tackle fake news plaguing the election campaign to the European Parliament, seven months after promising to do more.

Facebook, Google and Twitter were reprimanded by the European Commission on Friday for not doing enough to tackle fake news plaguing the election campaign to the European Parliament, seven months after promising to do more. The tech giants took a voluntary pledge last October to combat the spread of fake news, hoping to avoid more heavy-handed rules. Elections to the European Parliament will be held in the 28 countries making up the European Union on May 23-26. Foreign interference during the campaign and in national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in the coming months has been a key concern for the Commission and EU governments. Facebook, Google and Twitter are still falling, the EU executive said in its report on their efforts in April. "More needs to be done to strengthen the integrity of their services, including advertising services," the Commission's digital chief Andrus Ansip, Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, Security Commissioner Julian King and Digital Economy Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said in a joint statement. "The data provided still lacks the level of detail necessary to allow for an independent and accurate assessment of how the platforms' policies have actually contributed to reducing the spread of disinformation in the EU," they said. Google and Twitter were criticised for failing to develop and implement policies for identifying and disclosing issue-based ads before next week's vote. Such ads can stoke divisive public debate during elections and are prone to disinformation. Facebook, which took down a fake Russian network targeting Ukraine, was rapped for not saying whether the network also affected users in the EU.

Google, Facebook, Twitter rapped for not doing enough in European Union fake news fight

Together with Facebook and Google, Twitter is under pressure from regulators and governments worldwide to remove extremist content more rapidly or face more heavy-handed legislation.

Twitter suspends more than 166,000 terrorist accounts

Micro-blogging website Twitter blocked more than 166,000 accounts between July and December 2018, for violations related to the promotion of terrorism. The company also said that there is a steady decrease in terrorist groups trying to use the platform owing to its "zero-tolerance policy enforcement".

The rate of suspension was down by 19 per cent compared to the previous period (January-June 2018), Twitter announced in a blog post highlighting details of its transparency report.

Twitter has suspended over 1.4 million accounts since August 2015 for promoting terrorism.

The company said its methodology to bring down the terror accounts were producing results - nearly 91 per cent of accounts promoting terrorism related content were proactively removed by its internal technology. Twitter said that in the majority of cases, it took action at the account setup stage - before the account even tweets.

The greater threat for social media giants such as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-twitter-have-to-do-more-to-fight-fake-news-european-union-212915">Facebook, Google and Twitter</a> is the pressure from regulatory and government bodies worldwide to remove extremist content more rapidly or face heavy-handed legislation. Many times, these organisations have failed over the years as several men and women joined terror organisations with the help of their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Due to sheer convenience, affordability and broad reach of numerous social media platforms, terrorist groups have increasingly used social media to propagate hatred and recruit new members into their organisation.

Though Twitter says that the sharp decrease in the number of accounts suspended is indicative of a larger trend, it is now observing that year-on-year the numbers of terrorist organisations attempting to use their service is reducing.

In the past, Twitter has taken down the official pages of terror groups and disqualified their accounts, but many of them have been able to propagate their messages by asking their followers to publish pictures and videos.

Twitter also said that it received eight per cent fewer global requests to remove content, though the US topped the chart with 30 per cent of global government information requests. Requests from the UK (13 per cent), India (6 per cent), Germany (6 per cent) and France (5 per cent) together account for 30 per cent of all global information requests, and 29 per cent of all global accounts specified, the company said.

Micro-blogging website Twitter blocked more than 166,000 accounts between July and December 2018, for violations related to the promotion of terrorism. The company also said that there is a steady decrease in terrorist groups trying to use the platform owing to its "zero-tolerance policy enforcement".

Micro-blogging website Twitter blocked more than 166,000 accounts between July and December 2018, for violations related to the promotion of terrorism. The company also said that there is a steady decrease in terrorist groups trying to use the platform owing to its "zero-tolerance policy enforcement". The rate of suspension was down by 19 per cent compared to the previous period (January-June 2018), Twitter announced in a blog post highlighting details of its transparency report. Twitter has suspended over 1.4 million accounts since August 2015 for promoting terrorism. The company said its methodology to bring down the terror accounts were producing results - nearly 91 per cent of accounts promoting terrorism related content were proactively removed by its internal technology. Twitter said that in the majority of cases, it took action at the account setup stage - before the account even tweets. The greater threat for social media giants such as Facebook, Google and Twitter is the pressure from regulatory and government bodies worldwide to remove extremist content more rapidly or face heavy-handed legislation. Many times, these organisations have failed over the years as several men and women joined terror organisations with the help of their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Due to sheer convenience, affordability and broad reach of numerous social media platforms, terrorist groups have increasingly used social media to propagate hatred and recruit new members into their organisation. Though Twitter says that the sharp decrease in the number of accounts suspended is indicative of a larger trend, it is now observing that year-on-year the numbers of terrorist organisations attempting to use their service is reducing. In the past, Twitter has taken down the official pages of terror groups and disqualified their accounts, but many of them have been able to propagate their messages by asking their followers to publish pictures and videos. Twitter also said that it received eight per cent fewer global requests to remove content, though the US topped the chart with 30 per cent of global government information requests. Requests from the UK (13 per cent), India (6 per cent), Germany (6 per cent) and France (5 per cent) together account for 30 per cent of all global information requests, and 29 per cent of all global accounts specified, the company said.

Twitter suspends over 166,000 accounts for promoting terrorism

A Venezuelan military helicopter crashed close to Caracas on Saturday morning, killing all seven people on board, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The helicopter was to fly from Caracas, the capital, to the west-central state of Cojedes when it "went to ground," the Defence Ministry said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.

President Nicolas Maduro was in Cojedes on Saturday to watch a series of army drills, which, in televised speeches, he said demonstrated Venezuela's military readiness against what he called the threat posed by the United States.

Maduro accuses the US government of trying to foment a coup against him by backing opposition leader Juan Guaido, who denounces Maduro as illegitimate and has assumed a rival presidency.

"I profoundly regret this incident and express my heartfelt condolences to their relatives and friends," Maduro said later on Twitter.

A Venezuelan military helicopter crashed close to Caracas on Saturday morning, killing all seven people on board, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The helicopter was to fly from Caracas, the capital, to the west-central state of Cojedes when it "went to ground," the Defence Ministry said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.

A Venezuelan military helicopter crashed close to Caracas on Saturday morning, killing all seven people on board, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The helicopter was to fly from Caracas, the capital, to the west-central state of Cojedes when it "went to ground," the Defence Ministry said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the crash. President Nicolas Maduro was in Cojedes on Saturday to watch a series of army drills, which, in televised speeches, he said demonstrated Venezuela's military readiness against what he called the threat posed by the United States. Maduro accuses the US government of trying to foment a coup against him by backing opposition leader Juan Guaido, who denounces Maduro as illegitimate and has assumed a rival presidency. "I profoundly regret this incident and express my heartfelt condolences to their relatives and friends," Maduro said later on Twitter.

Venezuelan army helicopter crashes near Caracas, killing seven

Australian political parties are using voter email addresses to find matching social media profiles then combining them with the country's compulsory electoral roll data, illustrating how privacy scandals have done little to slow the march of data-driven campaigning.

While the use of data and public profiles from Facebook, Twitter and other social media for political campaigning has become widespread globally, Australia is one of the most open countries in the world to online information gathering by political operatives.

"Most Australians have little idea about how many data points organisations like political parties, let alone Facebook, have on each of them," said Glenn Kefford, a political scientist at Macquarie University who has written extensively about data-driven campaigning.

"They would be shocked and probably disgusted."

Australia, which goes to the polls on May 18, is one of the few Western democracies where voting is compulsory.

What's more, Australian political parties and candidates are exempt from privacy laws covering access to the electoral roll data - full names and addresses - that all 16 million voters are required to provide.

In the United States, just 60 per cent of adults are registered to vote, limiting the number of voters whose electoral roll information can be dragged into a data profile.

Last year, Europe introduced sweeping laws requiring political organisations to get specific permission before scraping a person's data from another website.

Australia's government, however, rejected calls for a review of its exemption from privacy laws.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said it has been asking the government for over a decade to overturn that exemption and "continues to hold the view that this exemption should be re-examined in light of the changing digital environment and data collection practices".

Click match

Branches of the left-leaning Labor and Greens parties, the conservative Liberals and the rural-focused Nationals have all hired consultants to run the U.S.-owned campaigning software NationBuilder, a Reuters analysis of party websites shows.

Privately held NationBuilder, which counted several senior Facebook personnel among its early investors and markets itself as politically neutral, launched its social media "match" function in 2013 but stopped automatically offering it in Europe in 2018 due to new digital privacy laws.

NationBuilder's vice president of strategic partnerships, Toni Cowan-Brown, said the company was looking at spreading its "model of privacy by default and consent" beyond Europe but it had not stopped offering its "match" function by default in Australia.

"It's a very delicate line between innovation and privacy," Cowan-Brown said. "The way customers are innovating is very cool and we don't want to stifle that."

In 2018, amid a political data harvesting scandal involving now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, Facebook made it more difficult for third-party apps like NationBuilder to harvest some user data, although it still lets them import people's profile photo and name based on an email address match.

NationBuilder is trying to regain access to Facebook event RSVPs, the only data it uses that is affected by the new policy, said Cowan-Brown. Unlike Cambridge Analytica, the firm does not pull data on a person's emotions or habits, Cowan-Brown added.

NationBuilder customers can also collect the names of people who "like" or comment on their Facebook posts.

Facebook declined to comment on interactions with NationBuilder specifically but said third-party apps could no longer ask for access to personal information such as religious or political views, relationship status, education or work history.

The company has also limited access to information in its groups, pages and events features, a spokeswoman said.

With Twitter, NationBuilder customers can under certain circumstances import a person's written profile bio, location, personal website, as well as their name and photo and tweets when a customer is mentioned, Cowan-Brown said.

Twitter said its data reflected information that users choose to share publicly.

"Our API (application programming interface) provides broad access to public Twitter data that users have chosen to share with the world," Twitter said in an emailed response to Reuters.

Marketers dream

The major parties also prospect for email addresses with social media "petitions" about hot-button topics, some collecting emails addresses without a person typing it, thanks to other software linked to the person's Facebook account.

"It is a wet dream for marketers," said Curtis Harrison, a NationBuilder consultant who has worked on Australian political campaigns for five years.

"You start off with an email address, and once you get that email address you get a name. And once you get a name you get a phone number. Once you get that phone number you get more and more and more."

Attorney-General Christian Porter said in an email the exemption was "designed to encourage freedom of political communication and support the operation of the electoral and political process". He did not respond to a question about whether politicians had access to too much voter data.

A spokesman for the Labor Party's shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the political exemption was "put in place to facilitate political engagement, which is a foundation of our system of representative democracy".

When the Australian Labor Party posted on Facebook a video of two of its leaders bantering on a campaign bus last month, artist Jaymie Faber was one of 1,600 people who clicked "like", automatically sending the party's NationBuilder database her name and Facebook photo.

From there, the party could manually enter her public profile information, which included her employment situation and home city, to match with electoral roll information.

"While I never intended for the information to be collected into a database, I also accept that I had the knowledge that it could be a possibility," Faber told Reuters.

"I don't believe that it should be allowed or legal to be collected in such a matter but unfortunately it is."

Australian political parties are using voter email addresses to find matching social media profiles then combining them with the country's compulsory electoral roll data, illustrating how privacy scandals have done little to slow the march of data-driven campaigning.

Australian political parties are using voter email addresses to find matching social media profiles then combining them with the country's compulsory electoral roll data, illustrating how privacy scandals have done little to slow the march of data-driven campaigning. While the use of data and public profiles from Facebook, Twitter and other social media for political campaigning has become widespread globally, Australia is one of the most open countries in the world to online information gathering by political operatives. "Most Australians have little idea about how many data points organisations like political parties, let alone Facebook, have on each of them," said Glenn Kefford, a political scientist at Macquarie University who has written extensively about data-driven campaigning. "They would be shocked and probably disgusted." Australia, which goes to the polls on May 18, is one of the few Western democracies where voting is compulsory. What's more, Australian political parties and candidates are exempt from privacy laws covering access to the electoral roll data - full names and addresses - that all 16 million voters are required to provide. In the United States, just 60 per cent of adults are registered to vote, limiting the number of voters whose electoral roll information can be dragged into a data profile. Last year, Europe introduced sweeping laws requiring political organisations to get specific permission before scraping a person's data from another website. Australia's government, however, rejected calls for a review of its exemption from privacy laws. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said it has been asking the government for over a decade to overturn that exemption and "continues to hold the view that this exemption should be re-examined in light of the changing digital environment and data collection practices". Click match Branches of the left-leaning Labor and Greens parties, the conservative Liberals and the rural-focused Nationals have all hired consultants to run the U.S.-owned campaigning software NationBuilder, a Reuters analysis of party websites shows. Privately held NationBuilder, which counted several senior Facebook personnel among its early investors and markets itself as politically neutral, launched its social media "match" function in 2013 but stopped automatically offering it in Europe in 2018 due to new digital privacy laws. NationBuilder's vice president of strategic partnerships, Toni Cowan-Brown, said the company was looking at spreading its "model of privacy by default and consent" beyond Europe but it had not stopped offering its "match" function by default in Australia. "It's a very delicate line between innovation and privacy," Cowan-Brown said. "The way customers are innovating is very cool and we don't want to stifle that." In 2018, amid a political data harvesting scandal involving now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, Facebook made it more difficult for third-party apps like NationBuilder to harvest some user data, although it still lets them import people's profile photo and name based on an email address match. NationBuilder is trying to regain access to Facebook event RSVPs, the only data it uses that is affected by the new policy, said Cowan-Brown. Unlike Cambridge Analytica, the firm does not pull data on a person's emotions or habits, Cowan-Brown added. NationBuilder customers can also collect the names of people who "like" or comment on their Facebook posts. Facebook declined to comment on interactions with NationBuilder specifically but said third-party apps could no longer ask for access to personal information such as religious or political views, relationship status, education or work history. The company has also limited access to information in its groups, pages and events features, a spokeswoman said. With Twitter, NationBuilder customers can under certain circumstances import a person's written profile bio, location, personal website, as well as their name and photo and tweets when a customer is mentioned, Cowan-Brown said. Twitter said its data reflected information that users choose to share publicly. "Our API (application programming interface) provides broad access to public Twitter data that users have chosen to share with the world," Twitter said in an emailed response to Reuters. Marketers dream The major parties also prospect for email addresses with social media "petitions" about hot-button topics, some collecting emails addresses without a person typing it, thanks to other software linked to the person's Facebook account. "It is a wet dream for marketers," said Curtis Harrison, a NationBuilder consultant who has worked on Australian political campaigns for five years. "You start off with an email address, and once you get that email address you get a name. And once you get a name you get a phone number. Once you get that phone number you get more and more and more." Attorney-General Christian Porter said in an email the exemption was "designed to encourage freedom of political communication and support the operation of the electoral and political process". He did not respond to a question about whether politicians had access to too much voter data. A spokesman for the Labor Party's shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the political exemption was "put in place to facilitate political engagement, which is a foundation of our system of representative democracy". When the Australian Labor Party posted on Facebook a video of two of its leaders bantering on a campaign bus last month, artist Jaymie Faber was one of 1,600 people who clicked "like", automatically sending the party's NationBuilder database her name and Facebook photo. From there, the party could manually enter her public profile information, which included her employment situation and home city, to match with electoral roll information. "While I never intended for the information to be collected into a database, I also accept that I had the knowledge that it could be a possibility," Faber told Reuters. "I don't believe that it should be allowed or legal to be collected in such a matter but unfortunately it is."

After data scandals, Australia faces an election under heavy profiling

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday fiercely denounced Israel for the bombing of a building housing Turkey's state news agency Anadolu in Gaza.

"We strongly condemn Israel's attack against Anadolu Agency’s office in Gaza," Erdogan said on Twitter.

"Turkey and Anadolu Agency will continue to tell the world about Israeli terrorism and atrocities in Gaza and other parts of Palestine despite such attacks," he wrote.

Anadolu reported that the building collapsed after being hit.

Staff were evacuated shortly before the strike which was preceded by a warning shot, the agency said, adding that none of its journalists had been hurt.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added: "Targeting of @AnadoluAgency #Gaza office is new example of Israel's unrestrained aggression.

"Israeli violence against innocent people w/out distinction is a crime against humanity. Those who encourage Israel are also guilty. Will keep defending #Palestinian cause, even if alone," he said.

Gaza militants on Saturday fired some 200 rockets at Israel, which responded with strikes that killed four Palestinians including a baby and her pregnant mother, according to officials, as a fragile ceasefire faltered and a further escalation was feared.

The latest flare-up came with Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockaded Gaza Strip, seeking further concessions from Israel under the ceasefire.

The destruction of the Anadolu offices risks a new surge of tension between Turkey and Israel.

Turkey has repeatedly criticised Israeli policies even though the two countries in 2016 ended a six-year rift triggered by the Israeli storming of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Erdogan, an ardent defender of the Palestinian cause, and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu frequently exchange barbs, notably during election campaigns.

Last month, Erdogan called the Israeli leader a "tyrant" after Netanyahu called him a "dictator" and a "joke".

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday fiercely denounced Israel for the bombing of a building housing Turkey's state news agency Anadolu in Gaza. "We strongly condemn Israel's attack against Anadolu Agency’s office in Gaza," Erdogan said on Twitter.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday fiercely denounced Israel for the bombing of a building housing Turkey's state news agency Anadolu in Gaza. "We strongly condemn Israel's attack against Anadolu Agency’s office in Gaza," Erdogan said on Twitter. "Turkey and Anadolu Agency will continue to tell the world about Israeli terrorism and atrocities in Gaza and other parts of Palestine despite such attacks," he wrote. Anadolu reported that the building collapsed after being hit. Staff were evacuated shortly before the strike which was preceded by a warning shot, the agency said, adding that none of its journalists had been hurt. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added: "Targeting of @AnadoluAgency #Gaza office is new example of Israel's unrestrained aggression. "Israeli violence against innocent people w/out distinction is a crime against humanity. Those who encourage Israel are also guilty. Will keep defending #Palestinian cause, even if alone," he said. Gaza militants on Saturday fired some 200 rockets at Israel, which responded with strikes that killed four Palestinians including a baby and her pregnant mother, according to officials, as a fragile ceasefire faltered and a further escalation was feared. The latest flare-up came with Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockaded Gaza Strip, seeking further concessions from Israel under the ceasefire. The destruction of the Anadolu offices risks a new surge of tension between Turkey and Israel. Turkey has repeatedly criticised Israeli policies even though the two countries in 2016 ended a six-year rift triggered by the Israeli storming of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead. Erdogan, an ardent defender of the Palestinian cause, and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu frequently exchange barbs, notably during election campaigns. Last month, Erdogan called the Israeli leader a "tyrant" after Netanyahu called him a "dictator" and a "joke".

Erdogan condemns Israeli Gaza bombing of Turkish news agency offices

President Donald Trump on Friday evening took to Twitter and slammed social media censorship in reaction to Facebook's recent crackdown of conspiracy theorists. Watch full video to know more.

US President Donald Trump slams censorship on social media

Air India's SITA server has been restored after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/air-indias-operations-hit-globally-due-to-technical-glitch-official-213832">system was down all over India and overseas</a> since 3:30 am on Saturday that led to the delay of its flights.

Chairman and Managing Director of the state-owned airline, Ashwani Lohani, said in a statement, "Air India's system is restored." Several Air India flights were affected due to the SITA server glitch all over India and overseas since the wee hours of Saturday.

Taking to Twitter, the national carrier had said, "#FlyAI: Due to a breakdown in our server system, some of our flights are getting affected all over the world. Work is on in full swing to restore the system. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers."

Many passengers are stranded at airports worldwide due to the delay in flights.

Passengers took to Twitter to express their ordeal.

Air India's SITA server has been restored after the system was down all over India and overseas since 3:30 am on Saturday that led to the delay of its flights. Chairman and Managing Director of the state-owned airline, Ashwani Lohani, said in a statement, "Air India's system is restored.

Air India's SITA server has been restored after the system was down all over India and overseas since 3:30 am on Saturday that led to the delay of its flights. Chairman and Managing Director of the state-owned airline, Ashwani Lohani, said in a statement, "Air India's system is restored." Several Air India flights were affected due to the SITA server glitch all over India and overseas since the wee hours of Saturday. Taking to Twitter, the national carrier had said, "#FlyAI: Due to a breakdown in our server system, some of our flights are getting affected all over the world. Work is on in full swing to restore the system. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers." Many passengers are stranded at airports worldwide due to the delay in flights. Passengers took to Twitter to express their ordeal.

Air India server systems restored after affecting flights worldwide

Concerns Over Losing Followers On Twitter & Allegations Of Pro Liberal-Bias In The Platform Dominate Trump's Meeting With Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey

Gravitas: When The Potus Wants To Know Why He Is Losing Followers On Twitter

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-twitter-is-trump-says-us-president-after-sites-profit-soars-212982">US President Donald Trump</a> met with Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey on Tuesday and spent a significant time questioning him about why he had lost some Twitter followers, a person briefed on the matter said.

The meeting, which was organised by the White House last week, came hours after Trump again attacked the social media company over his allegations it is biased against conservatives.

"Great meeting this afternoon at the @WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue!" Trump tweeted, posting a photo of Dorsey and others with him in the Oval Office.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Great meeting this afternoon at the <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/jack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jack</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twitter</a>. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue! <a href="https://t.co/QnZi579eFb">pic.twitter.com/QnZi579eFb</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1120793199650463747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Dorsey, who had not previously met with Trump, replied in a tweet: "Thank you for the time. Twitter is here to serve the entire public conversation, and we intend to make it healthier and more civil. Thanks for the discussion about that."

The source, who was briefed on the meeting that included Twitter’s general counsel and public policy chief, said Dorsey explained in response to Trump’s concerns about losing followers that the company was working to remove fraudulent and spam accounts and that many famous people, including Dorsey himself, had lost followers as a result.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump suggested Twitter was biased against him, without providing evidence. He wrote on Twitter that the company does not "treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory."

Trump has been upset about losing followers. Trump lost 204,000, or 0.4 per cent, of his 53.4 million followers in July, according to social media data firm Keyhole, when Twitter started its purge of suspicious accounts after it and other social media services were used in misinformation campaigns attempting to influence voters in the 2016 US presidential race and other elections.

In October, Trump wrote that "Twitter has removed many people from my account and, more importantly, they have seemingly done something that makes it much harder to join - they have stifled growth to a point where it is obvious to all. A few weeks ago it was a Rocket Ship, now it is a Blimp! Total Bias?"

Shares in Twitter jumped 13 per cent on Tuesday after it reported quarterly revenue above analyst estimates, which executives said was the result of weeding out spam and abusive posts and targeting ads better.

Trump has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter. But the president and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly criticized the company and its social media competitors for what they have called bias against conservatives, something Twitter denies.

Democratic US Senator Mazie Hirono said earlier this month: "We cannot allow the Republican party to harass tech companies into weakening content moderation policies that already fail to remove hateful, dangerous and misleading content."

Carlos Monje, Twitter’s public policy director, said at a Senate hearing earlier this month the site "does not use political viewpoints, perspectives or party affiliation to make any decisions, whether related to automatically ranking content on our service or how we develop or enforce our rules."

US President Donald Trump met with Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey on Tuesday and spent a significant time questioning him about why he had lost some Twitter followers, a person briefed on the matter said.

US President Donald Trump met with Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey on Tuesday and spent a significant time questioning him about why he had lost some Twitter followers, a person briefed on the matter said. The meeting, which was organised by the White House last week, came hours after Trump again attacked the social media company over his allegations it is biased against conservatives. "Great meeting this afternoon at the @WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue!" Trump tweeted, posting a photo of Dorsey and others with him in the Oval Office. Great meeting this afternoon at the @WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue! pic.twitter.com/QnZi579eFb — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019 × Dorsey, who had not previously met with Trump, replied in a tweet: "Thank you for the time. Twitter is here to serve the entire public conversation, and we intend to make it healthier and more civil. Thanks for the discussion about that." The source, who was briefed on the meeting that included Twitter’s general counsel and public policy chief, said Dorsey explained in response to Trump’s concerns about losing followers that the company was working to remove fraudulent and spam accounts and that many famous people, including Dorsey himself, had lost followers as a result. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump suggested Twitter was biased against him, without providing evidence. He wrote on Twitter that the company does not "treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory." Trump has been upset about losing followers. Trump lost 204,000, or 0.4 per cent, of his 53.4 million followers in July, according to social media data firm Keyhole, when Twitter started its purge of suspicious accounts after it and other social media services were used in misinformation campaigns attempting to influence voters in the 2016 US presidential race and other elections. In October, Trump wrote that "Twitter has removed many people from my account and, more importantly, they have seemingly done something that makes it much harder to join - they have stifled growth to a point where it is obvious to all. A few weeks ago it was a Rocket Ship, now it is a Blimp! Total Bias?" Shares in Twitter jumped 13 per cent on Tuesday after it reported quarterly revenue above analyst estimates, which executives said was the result of weeding out spam and abusive posts and targeting ads better. Trump has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter. But the president and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly criticized the company and its social media competitors for what they have called bias against conservatives, something Twitter denies. Democratic US Senator Mazie Hirono said earlier this month: "We cannot allow the Republican party to harass tech companies into weakening content moderation policies that already fail to remove hateful, dangerous and misleading content." Carlos Monje, Twitter’s public policy director, said at a Senate hearing earlier this month the site "does not use political viewpoints, perspectives or party affiliation to make any decisions, whether related to automatically ranking content on our service or how we develop or enforce our rules."

Trump complained to Twitter CEO about lost followers: Source

Saudi Arabia said it executed 37 of its citizens on Tuesday after they were convicted of "terrorism" in the kingdom, which is one of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rights-groups-condemn-saudi-arabia-over-trial-of-women-activists-200733">world's top executioners</a>.

The sentences were carried out in Riyadh, the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, central Qassim province and Eastern Province, home to the country's Shiite minority.

The men were executed "for adopting terrorist and extremist thinking and for forming terrorist cells to corrupt and destabilise security", a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency said.

It said that one person was crucified after his execution, a punishment reserved for particularly serious crimes.&nbsp;

Executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom are usually carried out by beheading.&nbsp;

At least 100 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year, according to a count based on official data released by SPA.

Last year, the oil-rich Gulf state carried out the death sentences of 149 people, according to Amnesty International, which said only Iran was known to have executed more people.

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in Saudi Arabia, governed under a strict form of Islamic law.

People convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking face the death penalty, which the government says is a deterrent for further crime.

Saudi Arabia said it executed 37 of its citizens on Tuesday after they were convicted of "terrorism" in the kingdom, which is one of the world's top executioners.

Saudi Arabia said it executed 37 of its citizens on Tuesday after they were convicted of "terrorism" in the kingdom, which is one of the world's top executioners. The sentences were carried out in Riyadh, the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, central Qassim province and Eastern Province, home to the country's Shiite minority. The men were executed "for adopting terrorist and extremist thinking and for forming terrorist cells to corrupt and destabilise security", a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency said. It said that one person was crucified after his execution, a punishment reserved for particularly serious crimes. Executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom are usually carried out by beheading. At least 100 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year, according to a count based on official data released by SPA. Last year, the oil-rich Gulf state carried out the death sentences of 149 people, according to Amnesty International, which said only Iran was known to have executed more people. Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in Saudi Arabia, governed under a strict form of Islamic law. People convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking face the death penalty, which the government says is a deterrent for further crime.

Saudi Arabia executes 37 citizens for 'adopting terrorist and extremist thinking'

Twitter said Tuesday profits soared in the past quarter, and President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-takes-down-trump-campaign-clip-with-dark-knight-rises-score-after-warner-bros-complaint-209261">Donald Trump</a> immediately claimed credit for the success of the short messaging platform even as he renewed his allegations of bias.

Profits in the first quarter hit $191 million, compared with $61 million a year earlier, while revenues increased 18 per cent to $787 million.

Twitter's global user base appeared to show modest growth even as the company transitions to a different way of measuring it.

The longstanding metric of monthly active users was 330 million in the January-March period, an increase of nine million from the past quarter but down slightly from a year ago.

But Twitter no longer will use that measure, switching instead to "monetizable" daily active users -- 134 million in the past quarter, up from 120 million last year.

Chief executive Jack Dorsey said Twitter is benefiting from its moves to root out abusive and inauthentic content that had hurt Twitter's reputation.

"We are taking a more proactive approach to reduce abuse and its effects on Twitter," said Dorsey.

"We are reducing the burden on victims and, where possible, taking action before abuse is reported."

Twitter has also faced intense pressure from governments around the world to remove "hate speech" and incitements to violence.

Dorsey said much of the effort to deal with inappropriate content is based on machine learning and other technical tools, enabling Twitter to "proactively" remove tweets that violate its terms of service.

"Our number one priority as the company continues to be healthy," Dorsey told a conference call.

He added that Twitter aims to become "more conversational" and has launched a prototype for a new app called "twttr," with the goal of "making conversation on Twitter feel faster, more fluid and more fun."

Dorsey said the experimental app enables users "to see the entire conversation on one surface" without needed to click through various tweets.

Trump takes credit

Twitter shares rallied some six per cent in pre-market trade on the stronger-than-expected results.

The messaging platform has become an important tool for celebrities, politicians and journalists, but has failed to grow as quickly as Facebook and other social media among mainstream internet users.

Its troubles had sparked speculation that it might need to sell itself to survive.

Trump, who uses the platform for policy and political commentary, appeared to take credit for Twitter's turnaround, even as he renewed his claims of bias.

"The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump," the president tweeted after the quarterly update, taking a quote from a television journalist.

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“The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump.” <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MariaBartiromo</a> So true, but they don’t treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off list. Big complaints from many people. Different names-over 100 M.....
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.....But should be much higher than that if Twitter wasn’t playing their political games. No wonder Congress wants to get involved - and they should. Must be more, and fairer, companies to get out the WORD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1120651611410436098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"So true, but they don't treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off the list. Big complaints from many people."

Trump has maintained that Twitter and other Silicon Valley platforms have discriminated against conservatives, a claim roundly rejected by tech firms.

The quarterly results appear to show Twitter on a positive track, according to Jasmine Enberg of the research firm eMarketer.

Enberg said the move to use monetizable daily active users -- those seeing ads on the platform -- leads to a "value proposition to advertisers" to reach "a committed though not very large user base when compared with other social platforms."

She said Twitter's revenue beat expectations, with most of the growth coming from the US, even though most new users were international.

"That proves once again that Twitter is able to grow its revenue without significantly growing its user base," Enberg said.

Twitter said Tuesday profits soared in the past quarter, and President Donald Trump immediately claimed credit for the success of the short messaging platform even as he renewed his allegations of bias.

Twitter said Tuesday profits soared in the past quarter, and President Donald Trump immediately claimed credit for the success of the short messaging platform even as he renewed his allegations of bias. Profits in the first quarter hit $191 million, compared with $61 million a year earlier, while revenues increased 18 per cent to $787 million. Twitter's global user base appeared to show modest growth even as the company transitions to a different way of measuring it. The longstanding metric of monthly active users was 330 million in the January-March period, an increase of nine million from the past quarter but down slightly from a year ago. But Twitter no longer will use that measure, switching instead to "monetizable" daily active users -- 134 million in the past quarter, up from 120 million last year. Chief executive Jack Dorsey said Twitter is benefiting from its moves to root out abusive and inauthentic content that had hurt Twitter's reputation. "We are taking a more proactive approach to reduce abuse and its effects on Twitter," said Dorsey. "We are reducing the burden on victims and, where possible, taking action before abuse is reported." Twitter has also faced intense pressure from governments around the world to remove "hate speech" and incitements to violence. Dorsey said much of the effort to deal with inappropriate content is based on machine learning and other technical tools, enabling Twitter to "proactively" remove tweets that violate its terms of service. "Our number one priority as the company continues to be healthy," Dorsey told a conference call. He added that Twitter aims to become "more conversational" and has launched a prototype for a new app called "twttr," with the goal of "making conversation on Twitter feel faster, more fluid and more fun." Dorsey said the experimental app enables users "to see the entire conversation on one surface" without needed to click through various tweets. Trump takes credit Twitter shares rallied some six per cent in pre-market trade on the stronger-than-expected results. The messaging platform has become an important tool for celebrities, politicians and journalists, but has failed to grow as quickly as Facebook and other social media among mainstream internet users. Its troubles had sparked speculation that it might need to sell itself to survive. Trump, who uses the platform for policy and political commentary, appeared to take credit for Twitter's turnaround, even as he renewed his claims of bias. "The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump," the president tweeted after the quarterly update, taking a quote from a television journalist. “The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump.” @MariaBartiromo So true, but they don’t treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off list. Big complaints from many people. Different names-over 100 M..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019 × .....But should be much higher than that if Twitter wasn’t playing their political games. No wonder Congress wants to get involved - and they should. Must be more, and fairer, companies to get out the WORD! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019 × "So true, but they don't treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off the list. Big complaints from many people." Trump has maintained that Twitter and other Silicon Valley platforms have discriminated against conservatives, a claim roundly rejected by tech firms. The quarterly results appear to show Twitter on a positive track, according to Jasmine Enberg of the research firm eMarketer. Enberg said the move to use monetizable daily active users -- those seeing ads on the platform -- leads to a "value proposition to advertisers" to reach "a committed though not very large user base when compared with other social platforms." She said Twitter's revenue beat expectations, with most of the growth coming from the US, even though most new users were international. "That proves once again that Twitter is able to grow its revenue without significantly growing its user base," Enberg said.

Best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Trump, says US president after site's profit soars

Google, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-rights-groups-hit-out-at-singapores-fake-news-bill-207343">Facebook</a> and Twitter have to do more to tackle fake news ahead of key European Parliament elections next month, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as its latest report showed a lack of progress in some areas.

The monthly reports follow a pledge made by the tech giants and advertising trade bodies in October last year to combat the spread of fake news and avoid more heavy-handed regulations.

The EU has warned of foreign interference during campaigning for the European Parliament elections and national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in recent and coming months.

"Further technical improvements, as well as sharing of methodology and data sets for fake accounts, are necessary to allow third-party experts, fact-checkers and researchers to carry out the independent evaluation," the EU executive said.

The Commission said Google had made insufficient progress in defining issue-based advertising. The report covered actions taken by the companies in March.

It said Facebook, which took down eight coordinated inauthentic behaviour networks originating in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Russia, failed to disclose whether these affected EU users.

Twitter also fell short because it did not provide details on its measures against spam and fake accounts and also did not report on any action to improve the scrutiny of ad placements.

Google, Facebook and Twitter have to do more to tackle fake news ahead of key European Parliament elections next month, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as its latest report showed a lack of progress in some areas.

Google, Facebook and Twitter have to do more to tackle fake news ahead of key European Parliament elections next month, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as its latest report showed a lack of progress in some areas. The monthly reports follow a pledge made by the tech giants and advertising trade bodies in October last year to combat the spread of fake news and avoid more heavy-handed regulations. The EU has warned of foreign interference during campaigning for the European Parliament elections and national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in recent and coming months. "Further technical improvements, as well as sharing of methodology and data sets for fake accounts, are necessary to allow third-party experts, fact-checkers and researchers to carry out the independent evaluation," the EU executive said. The Commission said Google had made insufficient progress in defining issue-based advertising. The report covered actions taken by the companies in March. It said Facebook, which took down eight coordinated inauthentic behaviour networks originating in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Russia, failed to disclose whether these affected EU users. Twitter also fell short because it did not provide details on its measures against spam and fake accounts and also did not report on any action to improve the scrutiny of ad placements.

Google, Facebook, Twitter have to do more to fight fake news: European Union

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it has complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra) about a rap song posted on the official twitter handle of Congress alleging that it violated the poll code of conduct.

Speaking to ANI, Maharashtra's Education Minister Vinod Tawde said, "We have complained to the Chief Election Commission of Maharashtra Anup Kumar, regarding a rap song posted on the official twitter handle of Indian Nation Congress. The song uses religious sentiments to garner votes. We have sought for the immediate removal of the tweet."

The said tweet was posted at 11:50 am on Saturday.

A caption accompanying the rap song reads, "This is the modus operandi that Modi gives his blessings for- organised propagation of hate, spreading of fake news, misleading people, rampant misogyny, abusing the Constitution and misuse of religious sentiments to incite hatred. #BhaktCharitra"

The 2-minute 16-second video shows some of the alleged controversial statements made by BJP leaders, including Yogi Adityanath and Maneka Gandhi.

The video also includes a series of headlines and images of communal riots in the country.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it has complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra) about a rap song posted on the official twitter handle of Congress alleging that it violated the poll code of conduct.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said it has complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra) about a rap song posted on the official twitter handle of Congress alleging that it violated the poll code of conduct. Speaking to ANI, Maharashtra's Education Minister Vinod Tawde said, "We have complained to the Chief Election Commission of Maharashtra Anup Kumar, regarding a rap song posted on the official twitter handle of Indian Nation Congress. The song uses religious sentiments to garner votes. We have sought for the immediate removal of the tweet." The said tweet was posted at 11:50 am on Saturday. A caption accompanying the rap song reads, "This is the modus operandi that Modi gives his blessings for- organised propagation of hate, spreading of fake news, misleading people, rampant misogyny, abusing the Constitution and misuse of religious sentiments to incite hatred. #BhaktCharitra" The 2-minute 16-second video shows some of the alleged controversial statements made by BJP leaders, including Yogi Adityanath and Maneka Gandhi. The video also includes a series of headlines and images of communal riots in the country.

BJP moves Election Commission; seeks removal of tweet on Congress twitter handle

Twitter Inc said on Monday it paid its Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey $1.40 in 2018.

Dorsey had declined all direct compensation and benefits for three years in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

In 2018 he declined all compensation and benefits other than a salary of $1.40, the social media company said in an SEC filing.

Twitter Inc said on Monday it paid its Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey $1.40 in 2018. Dorsey had declined all direct compensation and benefits for three years in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Twitter Inc said on Monday it paid its Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey $1.40 in 2018. Dorsey had declined all direct compensation and benefits for three years in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2018 he declined all compensation and benefits other than a salary of $1.40, the social media company said in an SEC filing.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey paid $1.40 in 2018

Twitter on Monday trimmed the number of accounts that a user can follow in a single day in an effort to fight spam at the micro-blogging platform.

The total number of accounts that can be added to a user's list was cut to 400 from 1,000, the San Francisco-based internet firm said.

"Follow, unfollow, follow, unfollow. Who does that? Spammers," the Twitter safety team said in a tweet.

"So we're changing the number of accounts you can follow each day from 1,000 to 400. Don't worry, you'll be just fine."

Software programs referred to as "bots" sometimes run Twitter accounts, automatically following massive numbers of real people, a portion of whom tend to reciprocate by following back.

High follower counts can then serve to raise the status of both accounts, which can fire off-website links or marketing content in tweets or messages to followers.

Twitter policy bars use of the service for spreading spam, which it defines as "bulk or aggressive activity that attempts to manipulate or disrupt Twitter or the experience of users on Twitter to drive traffic or attention to unrelated accounts, products, services, or initiatives."

Factors taken into account by Twitter when determining if accounts are being used for spam is following and or unfollowing large numbers of accounts in short time periods.

Twitter on Monday trimmed the number of accounts that a user can follow in a single day in an effort to fight spam at the micro-blogging platform. The total number of accounts that can be added to a user's list was cut to 400 from 1,000, the San Francisco-based internet firm said.

Twitter on Monday trimmed the number of accounts that a user can follow in a single day in an effort to fight spam at the micro-blogging platform. The total number of accounts that can be added to a user's list was cut to 400 from 1,000, the San Francisco-based internet firm said. "Follow, unfollow, follow, unfollow. Who does that? Spammers," the Twitter safety team said in a tweet. "So we're changing the number of accounts you can follow each day from 1,000 to 400. Don't worry, you'll be just fine." Software programs referred to as "bots" sometimes run Twitter accounts, automatically following massive numbers of real people, a portion of whom tend to reciprocate by following back. High follower counts can then serve to raise the status of both accounts, which can fire off-website links or marketing content in tweets or messages to followers. Twitter policy bars use of the service for spreading spam, which it defines as "bulk or aggressive activity that attempts to manipulate or disrupt Twitter or the experience of users on Twitter to drive traffic or attention to unrelated accounts, products, services, or initiatives." Factors taken into account by Twitter when determining if accounts are being used for spam is following and or unfollowing large numbers of accounts in short time periods.

Twitter limits bulk following to thwart spammers

A federal judge on Thursday gave Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and US securities regulators two weeks to resolve their differences over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-tweet-may-cost-him-job-as-tesla-ceo-199947">Musk's prolific social media use</a>.

The Securities and Exchange Commission had argued Musk should be held in contempt of court for allegedly violating an earlier settlement on tweeting potentially market-sensitive information without having it reviewed by counsel.

"I am requiring you to meet and confer for at least an hour," US District Judge Alison Nathan said to conclude a 90-minute oral argument.

Nathan said the parties should prepare a joint letter, suggesting she could rule on the case after that time if the talks fail.

The judge appeared sympathetic at times with some of the government's arguments, but she also expressed significant reservations about finding Musk in contempt, which she said was "serious business" and a ruling that placed a "significant burden" of proof on the government.&nbsp;

Musk, who could be seen nodding or shaking his head at times, told reporters just after the argument he was "very happy" with the hearing and "very impressed" with Nathan. &nbsp;

Later, outside the courthouse, Musk told CNBC he would "most likely" be able to resolve his differences with the SEC.

Bigger fines

Thursday's hearing was the latest incident in Musk's running dispute with the SEC after an October agreement required Musk to step down as chairman and pay $20 million to settle charges he defrauded investors with false claims on Twitter in August about a possible go-private transaction that was quickly aborted.

The settlement, which allowed Musk to remain as CEO, required him to obtain pre-approval from Tesla counsel before making written communications "that contain, or reasonably could contain, information material to Tesla or its stockholders."

The SEC cracked down after Musk tweeted on February 19 that Tesla would make 500,000 cars in 2019 -- up from the 400,000 that the company had estimated until then, an apparent increase on a benchmark tied to profitability.

Musk corrected himself four hours later, saying that Tesla would indeed produce about 400,000 cars this year.

SEC attorney Cheryl Crumpton said the errant February 19 tweet and the fact that Musk had not submitted any tweets for pre-publishing review showed he had made no serious effort to follow the requirement, which she called the "heart" of the settlement.

Crumpton said possible remedies could include monthly reports from Tesla and Musk documenting steps to implement the requirement. She said fines could be escalated if there are more problem tweets.

Crumpton cited a comment from Musk on Twitter that the prior $20 million SEC fine had been "worth it," adding that the court should impose a "meaningful fine to make it not 'worth it.'"&nbsp;

John Hueston, an attorney representing Musk, argued that Musk's February 19 tweet was not material, or consequential, to investors, and that the language in the settlement was ambiguous on what types of information needed to be reviewed prior to publication.&nbsp;

He also argued that the SEC had been hasty in seeking a contempt ruling without first trying to confer with Musk.

"If Mr. Musk made some kind of mistake, that is not a reason for contempt," Hueston said.

When the SEC initiated the latest action against Musk, it generated talk that he could be removed as CEO. While some analysts think a contempt ruling could a prelude to that outcome down the road, the SEC has not discussed ousting Musk for flouting the agreement and Crumpton made no mention of such a punishment on Thursday.&nbsp;

The agency's remedies are constrained because of Musk's centrality to Tesla and a reluctance to harm Tesla employees and investors, said Columbia Law School professor Joshua Mitts.&nbsp;

"Normally we say if there are problems with corporate governance, just replace the CEO. That just doesn't work with Elon Musk," Mitts told AFP.&nbsp;

"Any kind of serious sanction on Elon Musk is devastating for Tesla the company and this is the perennial catch 22 that both the SEC and the judge face in this case."

A negative ruling could also increase investor pressure on Musk to appoint a chief operating officer to share responsibility for managing a company that has suffered from near-constant turnover.

Tesla faces heavy pressure to meet its ambitious targets for the Model 3 sedan.&nbsp;

On Thursday, shares of the company finished down 8.2 per cent at $267.78 after it reported lower than expected car deliveries in the first quarter.

A federal judge on Thursday gave Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and US securities regulators two weeks to resolve their differences over Musk's prolific social media use.

A federal judge on Thursday gave Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and US securities regulators two weeks to resolve their differences over Musk's prolific social media use. The Securities and Exchange Commission had argued Musk should be held in contempt of court for allegedly violating an earlier settlement on tweeting potentially market-sensitive information without having it reviewed by counsel. "I am requiring you to meet and confer for at least an hour," US District Judge Alison Nathan said to conclude a 90-minute oral argument. Nathan said the parties should prepare a joint letter, suggesting she could rule on the case after that time if the talks fail. The judge appeared sympathetic at times with some of the government's arguments, but she also expressed significant reservations about finding Musk in contempt, which she said was "serious business" and a ruling that placed a "significant burden" of proof on the government. Musk, who could be seen nodding or shaking his head at times, told reporters just after the argument he was "very happy" with the hearing and "very impressed" with Nathan. Later, outside the courthouse, Musk told CNBC he would "most likely" be able to resolve his differences with the SEC. Bigger fines Thursday's hearing was the latest incident in Musk's running dispute with the SEC after an October agreement required Musk to step down as chairman and pay $20 million to settle charges he defrauded investors with false claims on Twitter in August about a possible go-private transaction that was quickly aborted. The settlement, which allowed Musk to remain as CEO, required him to obtain pre-approval from Tesla counsel before making written communications "that contain, or reasonably could contain, information material to Tesla or its stockholders." The SEC cracked down after Musk tweeted on February 19 that Tesla would make 500,000 cars in 2019 -- up from the 400,000 that the company had estimated until then, an apparent increase on a benchmark tied to profitability. Musk corrected himself four hours later, saying that Tesla would indeed produce about 400,000 cars this year. SEC attorney Cheryl Crumpton said the errant February 19 tweet and the fact that Musk had not submitted any tweets for pre-publishing review showed he had made no serious effort to follow the requirement, which she called the "heart" of the settlement. Crumpton said possible remedies could include monthly reports from Tesla and Musk documenting steps to implement the requirement. She said fines could be escalated if there are more problem tweets. Crumpton cited a comment from Musk on Twitter that the prior $20 million SEC fine had been "worth it," adding that the court should impose a "meaningful fine to make it not 'worth it.'" John Hueston, an attorney representing Musk, argued that Musk's February 19 tweet was not material, or consequential, to investors, and that the language in the settlement was ambiguous on what types of information needed to be reviewed prior to publication. He also argued that the SEC had been hasty in seeking a contempt ruling without first trying to confer with Musk. "If Mr. Musk made some kind of mistake, that is not a reason for contempt," Hueston said. When the SEC initiated the latest action against Musk, it generated talk that he could be removed as CEO. While some analysts think a contempt ruling could a prelude to that outcome down the road, the SEC has not discussed ousting Musk for flouting the agreement and Crumpton made no mention of such a punishment on Thursday. The agency's remedies are constrained because of Musk's centrality to Tesla and a reluctance to harm Tesla employees and investors, said Columbia Law School professor Joshua Mitts. "Normally we say if there are problems with corporate governance, just replace the CEO. That just doesn't work with Elon Musk," Mitts told AFP. "Any kind of serious sanction on Elon Musk is devastating for Tesla the company and this is the perennial catch 22 that both the SEC and the judge face in this case." A negative ruling could also increase investor pressure on Musk to appoint a chief operating officer to share responsibility for managing a company that has suffered from near-constant turnover. Tesla faces heavy pressure to meet its ambitious targets for the Model 3 sedan. On Thursday, shares of the company finished down 8.2 per cent at $267.78 after it reported lower than expected car deliveries in the first quarter.

US judge orders talks between Tesla's Musk, securities regulators

Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn promised to "tell the truth" at a news conference next week, taking to Twitter to announce his first briefing since being released on bail and hours after a report that prosecutors were preparing a fresh case against him.

Ghosn, widely lauded for rescuing Nissan Motor Co from the brink of bankruptcy two decades ago, has experienced a dramatic fall from grace that shook the global auto industry and raised questions about the future of Nissan's alliance with France's Renault SA.

He was arrested in Tokyo in November and faces charges of financial misconduct and aggravated breach of trust over allegedly failing to report around $82 million in salary and temporarily transferring personal financial losses onto Nissan's books during the financial crisis.

Released on $9 million bails last month, Ghosn has denied the charges, calling them "meritless" and saying he was the victim of a boardroom coup.

"I'm getting ready to tell the truth about what's happening. Press conference on Thursday, April 11," Ghosn tweeted from the @carlosghosn account on Twitter, which displayed the blue tick mark indicating it had been verified by the social media site.

The account was created this month. It was the sole tweet, posted in Japanese and English.

Under the terms of Ghosn's bail, he is not allowed to use the internet, although the tweet may have been made on his behalf, as is common with celebrities and other high-profile figures.

Representatives for Ghosn could not be reached for comment about the tweet.

Earlier, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported that Tokyo prosecutors are preparing to build a fresh case against him over suspect payments the automaker made to a business partner in Oman.

Prosecutors are in discussions with the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and others and plan to make a decision soon on whether to prosecute Ghosn on further charges of aggravated breach of trust, the newspaper said, citing sources involved in the case.

A spokesman for the Tokyo prosecutors office said he was not aware of any new investigation when contacted by Reuters.

Ghosn's spokesman has previously said payments of $32 million made over nine years were rewards for the Oman firm being a top Nissan dealer. Such dealer incentives were not directed by Ghosn and the funds were not used to pay any personal debt, the spokesman said.

Sources told Reuters earlier this week that Renault SA had alerted French prosecutors after uncovering suspect payments to a Renault-Nissan business partner in Oman while Ghosn was chief executive of the French automaker.

Nissan had previously established that its own regional subsidiary had made questionable payments of more than $30 million to the Oman distributor, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA).

Evidence sent to French prosecutors late last week showed that much of the cash was subsequently channelled to a Lebanese company controlled by Ghosn associates, the sources said.

Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn promised to "tell the truth" at a news conference next week, taking to Twitter to announce his first briefing since being released on bail and hours after a report that prosecutors were preparing a fresh case against him.

Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn promised to "tell the truth" at a news conference next week, taking to Twitter to announce his first briefing since being released on bail and hours after a report that prosecutors were preparing a fresh case against him. Ghosn, widely lauded for rescuing Nissan Motor Co from the brink of bankruptcy two decades ago, has experienced a dramatic fall from grace that shook the global auto industry and raised questions about the future of Nissan's alliance with France's Renault SA. He was arrested in Tokyo in November and faces charges of financial misconduct and aggravated breach of trust over allegedly failing to report around $82 million in salary and temporarily transferring personal financial losses onto Nissan's books during the financial crisis. Released on $9 million bails last month, Ghosn has denied the charges, calling them "meritless" and saying he was the victim of a boardroom coup. "I'm getting ready to tell the truth about what's happening. Press conference on Thursday, April 11," Ghosn tweeted from the @carlosghosn account on Twitter, which displayed the blue tick mark indicating it had been verified by the social media site. The account was created this month. It was the sole tweet, posted in Japanese and English. Under the terms of Ghosn's bail, he is not allowed to use the internet, although the tweet may have been made on his behalf, as is common with celebrities and other high-profile figures. Representatives for Ghosn could not be reached for comment about the tweet. Earlier, Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported that Tokyo prosecutors are preparing to build a fresh case against him over suspect payments the automaker made to a business partner in Oman. Prosecutors are in discussions with the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and others and plan to make a decision soon on whether to prosecute Ghosn on further charges of aggravated breach of trust, the newspaper said, citing sources involved in the case. A spokesman for the Tokyo prosecutors office said he was not aware of any new investigation when contacted by Reuters. Ghosn's spokesman has previously said payments of $32 million made over nine years were rewards for the Oman firm being a top Nissan dealer. Such dealer incentives were not directed by Ghosn and the funds were not used to pay any personal debt, the spokesman said. Sources told Reuters earlier this week that Renault SA had alerted French prosecutors after uncovering suspect payments to a Renault-Nissan business partner in Oman while Ghosn was chief executive of the French automaker. Nissan had previously established that its own regional subsidiary had made questionable payments of more than $30 million to the Oman distributor, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA). Evidence sent to French prosecutors late last week showed that much of the cash was subsequently channelled to a Lebanese company controlled by Ghosn associates, the sources said.

Will be telling the truth about what's happening, says Ghosn

A Pakistani minister has branded the US ambassador to Kabul a "little pygmy" in a high-level diplomatic Twitter row that erupted over ongoing peace talks between Washington and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The furore underscores the delicate balance of regional tensions as the US steps up a push to find a way out of Afghanistan, more than 17 years after the invasion.

It began after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan reportedly suggested an interim government in Afghanistan to help smooth the talks process, making the comment during a briefing with local reporters on Monday.&nbsp;

Khan's comments caused uproar in Afghanistan, which has long held neighbouring Pakistan's shadowy intelligence services responsible for supporting and training the Taliban.&nbsp;

Kabul recalled its ambassador on Tuesday, and the Pakistani foreign office tried to downplay Khan's comments on Wednesday, saying they had been reported "out of context... leading to an unwarranted reaction".&nbsp;

But shortly after US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass issued a tweet rebuking Khan while alluding to his past as captain of Pakistan's World Cup-winning cricket team and numerous cheating scandals in the sport involving Pakistani players.

"Some aspects of #cricket apply well in diplomacy, some do not. @ImranKhanPTI, important to resist the temptation to ball-tamper with the #Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs. #AfgPeace," the tweet read.

Pakistanis outraged at the snub to their leader from a foreign envoy in another country took to Twitter in response -- including Khan's minister for human rights, Shireen Mazari.&nbsp;

"Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region! Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss! Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style!" she wrote, referring to the US envoy leading the peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad.

When the Twitterverse accused her of violating diplomatic norms, she doubled down.

"Haha! Haters gonna hate! But seriously what diplomatic norms? US dips have been violating them all day today from Zalmay to this moron!" she wrote in response to one critic.

The Taliban have long refused to speak with Kabul, deeming the administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- who is seeking re-election this year -- puppets of the West.&nbsp;

The US insists that it is negotiating with the insurgents on Afghan peace talks, but fears are sharp in Kabul that the government is being sidelined from its own peace process in Washington's rush to exit.

Many predict a US withdrawal before any peace deal is done with Kabul could see the Taliban return to some semblance of power in Afghanistan, or for the fighting to fracture into a full-blown ethnic civil war.

A Pakistani minister has branded the US ambassador to Kabul a "little pygmy" in a high-level diplomatic Twitter row that erupted over ongoing peace talks between Washington and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani minister has branded the US ambassador to Kabul a "little pygmy" in a high-level diplomatic Twitter row that erupted over ongoing peace talks between Washington and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The furore underscores the delicate balance of regional tensions as the US steps up a push to find a way out of Afghanistan, more than 17 years after the invasion. It began after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan reportedly suggested an interim government in Afghanistan to help smooth the talks process, making the comment during a briefing with local reporters on Monday. Khan's comments caused uproar in Afghanistan, which has long held neighbouring Pakistan's shadowy intelligence services responsible for supporting and training the Taliban. Kabul recalled its ambassador on Tuesday, and the Pakistani foreign office tried to downplay Khan's comments on Wednesday, saying they had been reported "out of context... leading to an unwarranted reaction". But shortly after US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass issued a tweet rebuking Khan while alluding to his past as captain of Pakistan's World Cup-winning cricket team and numerous cheating scandals in the sport involving Pakistani players. "Some aspects of #cricket apply well in diplomacy, some do not. @ImranKhanPTI, important to resist the temptation to ball-tamper with the #Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs. #AfgPeace," the tweet read. Pakistanis outraged at the snub to their leader from a foreign envoy in another country took to Twitter in response -- including Khan's minister for human rights, Shireen Mazari. "Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region! Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss! Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style!" she wrote, referring to the US envoy leading the peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad. When the Twitterverse accused her of violating diplomatic norms, she doubled down. "Haha! Haters gonna hate! But seriously what diplomatic norms? US dips have been violating them all day today from Zalmay to this moron!" she wrote in response to one critic. The Taliban have long refused to speak with Kabul, deeming the administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- who is seeking re-election this year -- puppets of the West. The US insists that it is negotiating with the insurgents on Afghan peace talks, but fears are sharp in Kabul that the government is being sidelined from its own peace process in Washington's rush to exit. Many predict a US withdrawal before any peace deal is done with Kabul could see the Taliban return to some semblance of power in Afghanistan, or for the fighting to fracture into a full-blown ethnic civil war.

Pakistan minister brands US envoy 'little pygmy' in Twitter row

Facebook on Wednesday banned praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism, a move that drew qualified approval from New Zealand where <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealand-mosque-attacks-youngest-victim-was-3-years-old-say-families-203805">a massacre of 50 people in mosques</a> was live-streamed earlier this month.

Civil rights groups have said social media giants have failed to confront extremism and that was under the spotlight this month after a suspected white supremacist broadcast live footage of his attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-to-pay-publishers-for-use-of-news-in-eu-205923">Facebook</a>, Twitter&nbsp;and YouTube have been under pressure to remove white supremacist and neo-Nazi content from their platforms, along with fake news and other types of abusive posts.

In response, Facebook has beefed up its content monitoring teams and taken down event pages that were used to promote and organize rallies by white supremacist groups.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has called for social media platforms to be accountable for what users post, said material covered by the measures should arguably have already been banned under Facebook's hate-speech rules.

"Having said that, I'm pleased to see that they are including it, and that they have taken that step, but I still think that there is a conversation to be had with the international community about whether or not enough has been done," she told a media conference in Christchurch on Thursday.

"There are lessons to be learnt here in Christchurch and we don't want anyone to have to learn those lesson over again."

The policy will be enforced next week, Facebook said in a blog post, and will apply to both its core Facebook app and Instagram.

Facebook has long banned white supremacy under its rules on "hateful" content, but did not previously consider white nationalist or separatist content to be explicitly racist.

Tech publication Motherboard, which first reported the policy change on Wednesday, revealed that the company was maintaining the distinction last year after an investigation into its content moderation policies.

Civil rights groups say there is no distinction between the ideologies.

In a statement, Facebook said it had initially been wary of infringing on broader concepts of nationalism and separatism, which it said are "an important part of people's identity."

"But over the past three months our conversations with members of civil society and academics who are experts in race relations around the world have confirmed that white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups," the company said.

"Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism."

Facebook said it would also start connecting people who search for terms associated with white supremacy to an organization called Life After Hate, focused on helping people leave hate groups.

Life After Hate did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the US&nbsp;House Committee on Homeland Security, welcomed the new approach but lamented that Facebook had not made the change sooner.

"This should have happened long ago," Thompson said in a statement. "For too long, Facebook has allowed hate speech – and the violence that it can inspire – to propagate on its platform. Since billions use its service, we must demand more from them."

Facebook on Wednesday banned praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism, a move that drew qualified approval from New Zealand where a massacre of 50 people in mosques was live-streamed earlier this month.

Facebook on Wednesday banned praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism, a move that drew qualified approval from New Zealand where a massacre of 50 people in mosques was live-streamed earlier this month. Civil rights groups have said social media giants have failed to confront extremism and that was under the spotlight this month after a suspected white supremacist broadcast live footage of his attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been under pressure to remove white supremacist and neo-Nazi content from their platforms, along with fake news and other types of abusive posts. In response, Facebook has beefed up its content monitoring teams and taken down event pages that were used to promote and organize rallies by white supremacist groups. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has called for social media platforms to be accountable for what users post, said material covered by the measures should arguably have already been banned under Facebook's hate-speech rules. "Having said that, I'm pleased to see that they are including it, and that they have taken that step, but I still think that there is a conversation to be had with the international community about whether or not enough has been done," she told a media conference in Christchurch on Thursday. "There are lessons to be learnt here in Christchurch and we don't want anyone to have to learn those lesson over again." The policy will be enforced next week, Facebook said in a blog post, and will apply to both its core Facebook app and Instagram. Facebook has long banned white supremacy under its rules on "hateful" content, but did not previously consider white nationalist or separatist content to be explicitly racist. Tech publication Motherboard, which first reported the policy change on Wednesday, revealed that the company was maintaining the distinction last year after an investigation into its content moderation policies. Civil rights groups say there is no distinction between the ideologies. In a statement, Facebook said it had initially been wary of infringing on broader concepts of nationalism and separatism, which it said are "an important part of people's identity." "But over the past three months our conversations with members of civil society and academics who are experts in race relations around the world have confirmed that white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups," the company said. "Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism." Facebook said it would also start connecting people who search for terms associated with white supremacy to an organization called Life After Hate, focused on helping people leave hate groups. Life After Hate did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland Security, welcomed the new approach but lamented that Facebook had not made the change sooner. "This should have happened long ago," Thompson said in a statement. "For too long, Facebook has allowed hate speech – and the violence that it can inspire – to propagate on its platform. Since billions use its service, we must demand more from them."

Facebook bans white nationalism, white separatism on its platforms after New Zealand mosque massacre

President Donald Trump has indicated his readiness to meet Pakistan's new leadership, amidst the ongoing peace talks between the US and the Taliban facilitated by Islamabad to end the brutal war in Afghanistan, America's longest.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-criticises-pakistan-for-discriminatory-policies-against-minorities-203979">relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived</a> after President Trump last year accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

In September, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-cancels-300-million-in-aid-to-pakistan-162974">Trump administration cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad</a> for not doing enough against terror groups like the Haqqani Network and Taliban active on its soil. Trump also criticised Pakistan in a Twitter post back in November, saying Islamabad was not doing enough to stop terrorism.

President Trump made this surprise announcement on the possibility of a meeting between him and Prime Minister Imran Khan at the end of a White House media interaction on Wednesday when a journalist asked him to comment on the current situation between India and Pakistan.

"We'll be meeting with Pakistan. I think our relationship right now is very good with Pakistan," Trump said before departing the White House for a visit in Ohio.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is spearheading efforts to strike a peace deal with the Taliban with the help of Pakistan.

Khalilzad, the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, said that Pakistan has an important role to play in Afghan peace talks and cannot be underestimated, state-run Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying.

Pakistan has been bargaining for the first meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Khan in return for Islamabad's help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. The cricketer-turned-politician assumed charge as Pakistan prime minister in August last year.&nbsp;

The representatives of the Afghan Taliban, the US as well as officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been meeting in Doha, Qatar. The talks were facilitated by Islamabad as Washington continues to seek an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan that has killed over 2,000 US soldiers.

The US has 14,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan. Two US soldiers were killed in an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, Fox News reported.

Friday's deaths were the first for US forces there since January. Last year, 13 American troops died while deployed there.

President Trump's signal that he is ready for a meeting with the Pakistani leadership also came hours after a senior administration official warned that the US remained concerned about India-Pakistan tensions as their militaries were still on alert nearly three weeks after their most dangerous confrontation in decades following the Pulwama terror attack.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in February 14.

India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in aerial combat and captured its pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1.

The US official also warned that another terrorist attack in India could be "extremely problematic" for Pakistan and it would cause a re-escalation in tensions.

"We need to see Pakistan taking concrete and sustained action to rein in the terrorist groups, mainly the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba in order to ensure that we don't have re-escalation (of tensions) in the region", the official said.

"If there's any additional terrorist attack without Pakistan having made a sustained, sincere effort against these groups, it would be extremely problematic for Pakistan and it would cause re-escalation of tensions, which is dangerous for both countries," the official said on the condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump has indicated his readiness to meet Pakistan's new leadership, amidst the ongoing peace talks between the US and the Taliban facilitated by Islamabad to end the brutal war in Afghanistan, America's longest.

President Donald Trump has indicated his readiness to meet Pakistan's new leadership, amidst the ongoing peace talks between the US and the Taliban facilitated by Islamabad to end the brutal war in Afghanistan, America's longest. The relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived after President Trump last year accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists. In September, the Trump administration cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for not doing enough against terror groups like the Haqqani Network and Taliban active on its soil. Trump also criticised Pakistan in a Twitter post back in November, saying Islamabad was not doing enough to stop terrorism. President Trump made this surprise announcement on the possibility of a meeting between him and Prime Minister Imran Khan at the end of a White House media interaction on Wednesday when a journalist asked him to comment on the current situation between India and Pakistan. "We'll be meeting with Pakistan. I think our relationship right now is very good with Pakistan," Trump said before departing the White House for a visit in Ohio. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is spearheading efforts to strike a peace deal with the Taliban with the help of Pakistan. Khalilzad, the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, said that Pakistan has an important role to play in Afghan peace talks and cannot be underestimated, state-run Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying. Pakistan has been bargaining for the first meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Khan in return for Islamabad's help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. The cricketer-turned-politician assumed charge as Pakistan prime minister in August last year. The representatives of the Afghan Taliban, the US as well as officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been meeting in Doha, Qatar. The talks were facilitated by Islamabad as Washington continues to seek an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan that has killed over 2,000 US soldiers. The US has 14,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan. Two US soldiers were killed in an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, Fox News reported. Friday's deaths were the first for US forces there since January. Last year, 13 American troops died while deployed there. President Trump's signal that he is ready for a meeting with the Pakistani leadership also came hours after a senior administration official warned that the US remained concerned about India-Pakistan tensions as their militaries were still on alert nearly three weeks after their most dangerous confrontation in decades following the Pulwama terror attack. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in aerial combat and captured its pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1. The US official also warned that another terrorist attack in India could be "extremely problematic" for Pakistan and it would cause a re-escalation in tensions. "We need to see Pakistan taking concrete and sustained action to rein in the terrorist groups, mainly the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba in order to ensure that we don't have re-escalation (of tensions) in the region", the official said. "If there's any additional terrorist attack without Pakistan having made a sustained, sincere effort against these groups, it would be extremely problematic for Pakistan and it would cause re-escalation of tensions, which is dangerous for both countries," the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Relationship very good right now, ready to meet new Pakistani leadership: Trump

Who really gets under Donald Trump's skin? A man who has been dead since last year and another whom the president says he hardly knows.

At least that's the bizarre picture painted by Trump this week in angry rants at the late senator John McCain and a Washington lawyer called George Conway.

Trump lashed out yet again Wednesday at the broadly popular McCain, saying "I've never liked him much. I really probably never will."&nbsp;

This followed a series of tweets and other statements in the last few days raging at the former senator's politics, role in the Russia collusion probe, and personal intelligence.

As for Conway, "he's a whack job," Trump told journalists Wednesday. "A stone cold LOSER," he wrote on Twitter a few hours earlier.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
George Conway, often referred to as Mr. Kellyanne Conway by those who know him, is VERY jealous of his wife’s success &amp; angry that I, with her help, didn’t give him the job he so desperately wanted. I barely know him but just take a look, a stone cold LOSER &amp; husband from hell!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1108335293671845888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The venom of the attacks was not unusual for a president who revels in put-downs. The targets of his ire, though, raised eyebrows.

McCain is widely remembered by Americans as a hero for his courage during six years of often brutal captivity in Hanoi during the Vietnam war.

More to the point, he died in August at 81. While he fell out over policy several times with his fellow Republican Trump, he's been buried for seven months.

No less curious is the Conway obsession.

A prominent lawyer in Washington circles but a nobody to ordinary Americans, Conway burst into the public eye because he is married to a senior White House aide and has begun loudly questioning Trump's mental stability on Twitter.

In both cases, Trump could have avoided controversy.

McCain, after all, can never clash with him again and Conway poses no real threat — other than, perhaps, to the stability of his marriage to senior Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway.

Even Trump says, "I barely know him."

Backing off from a fight, however, wouldn't be Trump: his entire presidency is based on being combative. Or, as Kellyanne Conway, told Politico: "he's a counter-puncher." "His base sees this as classic Trump behavior," said Rich Hanley, who teaches on politics and the media at Quinnipiac University. "They expect Trump to swing at everybody, even ghosts."

Trump enjoys landing pithy, sometimes humorous, sometimes what many would call poor taste verbal blows. And Twitter, where he has more than 59 million followers, is his principal weapon. 
The Twitter president has largely dispensed with formal news briefings, finding that a tweet alone can get everyone talking -- without giving them much chance for questioning.

Trump defended this method of communication on Wednesday as an antidote to what he calls the "corrupt" and "fake" media. By that, he means most standard news organisations.

"It's a way that I can get honesty out," he said.

It's a way where Trump typically gets to punch first and punch hard, thereby dominating the news agenda.

George Conway, however, has broken the mold.

Leveraging his position as husband to a Trump aide and posting outrage-seeking tweets that claim to diagnose personality disorders, he effectively out-trolled the troller in chief.

Trump's "not used to that. He's used to being the aggressor, the bully, the one who controls," Hanley said.

"Now he's finding that there are characters like Conway... Who are more aggressive than he is and he doesn't know how to handle it." In a different sense, the same applies to McCain.

He's gone, but memory of the maverick senator, who was not afraid to break with Republican ranks or to hide his dislike for a president who ridiculed his capture in Vietnam yet never served himself, remains fresh.

Clearly much too fresh for Trump, who has talked so much this week about his disagreements with McCain that it sounds as if they had been locking horns only hours ago.

Trump just can't let go.

"My dad... Would think it was so hilarious that our president was so jealous of him that he was dominating the news cycle in death," McCain's daughter Meghan said on ABC television Wednesday, demonstrating some put-down skills of her own.

With Trump soon starting his 2020 reelection campaign and Democrats launching their own nomination battle, the ugly back and forth is set to intensify.

But Mark Rom, a politics professor at Georgetown University, predicted that Democratic candidates will get surrogates to do the dirty work while they try to keep above it all.

Their mantra, he said, will be modelled on the icily dismissive approach taken by the House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi: "I'll just ignore that little man."&nbsp;

Who really gets under Donald Trump's skin? A man who has been dead since last year and another whom the president says he hardly knows. At least that's the bizarre picture painted by Trump this week in angry rants at the late senator John McCain and a Washington lawyer called George Conway.

Who really gets under Donald Trump's skin? A man who has been dead since last year and another whom the president says he hardly knows. At least that's the bizarre picture painted by Trump this week in angry rants at the late senator John McCain and a Washington lawyer called George Conway. Trump lashed out yet again Wednesday at the broadly popular McCain, saying "I've never liked him much. I really probably never will." This followed a series of tweets and other statements in the last few days raging at the former senator's politics, role in the Russia collusion probe, and personal intelligence. As for Conway, "he's a whack job," Trump told journalists Wednesday. "A stone cold LOSER," he wrote on Twitter a few hours earlier. George Conway, often referred to as Mr. Kellyanne Conway by those who know him, is VERY jealous of his wife’s success & angry that I, with her help, didn’t give him the job he so desperately wanted. I barely know him but just take a look, a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019 × The venom of the attacks was not unusual for a president who revels in put-downs. The targets of his ire, though, raised eyebrows. McCain is widely remembered by Americans as a hero for his courage during six years of often brutal captivity in Hanoi during the Vietnam war. More to the point, he died in August at 81. While he fell out over policy several times with his fellow Republican Trump, he's been buried for seven months. No less curious is the Conway obsession. A prominent lawyer in Washington circles but a nobody to ordinary Americans, Conway burst into the public eye because he is married to a senior White House aide and has begun loudly questioning Trump's mental stability on Twitter. In both cases, Trump could have avoided controversy. McCain, after all, can never clash with him again and Conway poses no real threat — other than, perhaps, to the stability of his marriage to senior Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway. Even Trump says, "I barely know him." Backing off from a fight, however, wouldn't be Trump: his entire presidency is based on being combative. Or, as Kellyanne Conway, told Politico: "he's a counter-puncher." "His base sees this as classic Trump behavior," said Rich Hanley, who teaches on politics and the media at Quinnipiac University. "They expect Trump to swing at everybody, even ghosts." Trump enjoys landing pithy, sometimes humorous, sometimes what many would call poor taste verbal blows. And Twitter, where he has more than 59 million followers, is his principal weapon. The Twitter president has largely dispensed with formal news briefings, finding that a tweet alone can get everyone talking -- without giving them much chance for questioning. Trump defended this method of communication on Wednesday as an antidote to what he calls the "corrupt" and "fake" media. By that, he means most standard news organisations. "It's a way that I can get honesty out," he said. It's a way where Trump typically gets to punch first and punch hard, thereby dominating the news agenda. George Conway, however, has broken the mold. Leveraging his position as husband to a Trump aide and posting outrage-seeking tweets that claim to diagnose personality disorders, he effectively out-trolled the troller in chief. Trump's "not used to that. He's used to being the aggressor, the bully, the one who controls," Hanley said. "Now he's finding that there are characters like Conway... Who are more aggressive than he is and he doesn't know how to handle it." In a different sense, the same applies to McCain. He's gone, but memory of the maverick senator, who was not afraid to break with Republican ranks or to hide his dislike for a president who ridiculed his capture in Vietnam yet never served himself, remains fresh. Clearly much too fresh for Trump, who has talked so much this week about his disagreements with McCain that it sounds as if they had been locking horns only hours ago. Trump just can't let go. "My dad... Would think it was so hilarious that our president was so jealous of him that he was dominating the news cycle in death," McCain's daughter Meghan said on ABC television Wednesday, demonstrating some put-down skills of her own. With Trump soon starting his 2020 reelection campaign and Democrats launching their own nomination battle, the ugly back and forth is set to intensify. But Mark Rom, a politics professor at Georgetown University, predicted that Democratic candidates will get surrogates to do the dirty work while they try to keep above it all. Their mantra, he said, will be modelled on the icily dismissive approach taken by the House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi: "I'll just ignore that little man."

Trump tries to pick Twitter fight with dead John McCain

A huge explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens as it knocked down factory buildings and sent a huge plume of smoke skyward, officials and state media said.

The blast occurred at around 2:50 pm (0650 GMT) at a facility run by Tianjiayi Chemical in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, city officials said on their official Twitter-like Weibo account.

It is the latest industrial incident to rock China in recent years.

Around the time of the explosion, China's earthquake administration reported a 2.2-magnitude tremor in Lianyungang, a city near the Yancheng blast.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed windows of nearby houses blown out from the force of the explosion. An aerial view of the blast area showed a large swath of destruction in an industrial park, where multiple fires still raged.

A CCTV reporter on the scene said that toxic fumes were coming from the blast site.

At least six people were killed and 30 seriously injured, while numerous others in the vicinity were slightly injured, city officials said on Weibo late Thursday.

"At present, on-site rescue is still going on... The cause of the accident is under investigation," officials said.

Injured residents near the site of the explosion have been sent to hospital for treatment, according to local authorities.

Medical staff, as well as personnel from the public security bureau and fire department, have been sent to the scene, they added.

Buildings knocked down

According to official news agency Xinhua, citing local authorities, the explosion occurred following a fire in a fertiliser factory in a chemical industrial park.

Workers near the site of the blast were trapped after shockwaves from the explosion knocked down nearby factory buildings, the report said.

Workers covered in blood were seen running out of the factory, Xinhua added, citing witnesses.

Images broadcast by state media showed an enormous explosion, with flames engulfing the top of the chemical plant.

Other shots showed thick grey smoke billowing skyward from the site of the blast.

History of industrial disasters

Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.

In November, a gas leak caused an explosion at a PVC production plant in a northern Chinese city that will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, killing 24 people and injuring 21 others.

A report published by local authorities in February revealed that the Chinese chemical firm responsible for the accident had concealed information and misled investigators.&nbsp;

Last July, a blast at a chemical plant in southwest Sichuan province left 19 dead and 12 injured. The company had undertaken illegal construction that had not passed safety checks, according to local authorities.

And in 2015, giant chemical blasts in a container storage facility killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin.

The explosions caused more than $1 billion in damage and sparked widespread anger at a perceived lack of transparency over the accident's causes and its environmental impact.

A huge explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens as it knocked down factory buildings and sent a huge plume of smoke skyward, officials and state media said.

A huge explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens as it knocked down factory buildings and sent a huge plume of smoke skyward, officials and state media said. The blast occurred at around 2:50 pm (0650 GMT) at a facility run by Tianjiayi Chemical in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, city officials said on their official Twitter-like Weibo account. It is the latest industrial incident to rock China in recent years. Around the time of the explosion, China's earthquake administration reported a 2.2-magnitude tremor in Lianyungang, a city near the Yancheng blast. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed windows of nearby houses blown out from the force of the explosion. An aerial view of the blast area showed a large swath of destruction in an industrial park, where multiple fires still raged. A CCTV reporter on the scene said that toxic fumes were coming from the blast site. At least six people were killed and 30 seriously injured, while numerous others in the vicinity were slightly injured, city officials said on Weibo late Thursday. "At present, on-site rescue is still going on... The cause of the accident is under investigation," officials said. Injured residents near the site of the explosion have been sent to hospital for treatment, according to local authorities. Medical staff, as well as personnel from the public security bureau and fire department, have been sent to the scene, they added. Buildings knocked down According to official news agency Xinhua, citing local authorities, the explosion occurred following a fire in a fertiliser factory in a chemical industrial park. Workers near the site of the blast were trapped after shockwaves from the explosion knocked down nearby factory buildings, the report said. Workers covered in blood were seen running out of the factory, Xinhua added, citing witnesses. Images broadcast by state media showed an enormous explosion, with flames engulfing the top of the chemical plant. Other shots showed thick grey smoke billowing skyward from the site of the blast. History of industrial disasters Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced. In November, a gas leak caused an explosion at a PVC production plant in a northern Chinese city that will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, killing 24 people and injuring 21 others. A report published by local authorities in February revealed that the Chinese chemical firm responsible for the accident had concealed information and misled investigators. Last July, a blast at a chemical plant in southwest Sichuan province left 19 dead and 12 injured. The company had undertaken illegal construction that had not passed safety checks, according to local authorities. And in 2015, giant chemical blasts in a container storage facility killed at least 165 people in the northern port city of Tianjin. The explosions caused more than $1 billion in damage and sparked widespread anger at a perceived lack of transparency over the accident's causes and its environmental impact.

Six dead, dozens injured as blast rocks China chemical plant

A Republican congressman is suing Twitter claiming the online platform discriminates against conservatives by hiding their messages, and for allowing "abusive, hateful and defamatory" content about the lawmaker.

The complaint was filed by Representative Devin Nunes, an ally of President Donald Trump, in a Virginia state court, and released online by Fox News. It seeks $250 million in damages.

Nunes alleges that Twitter "shadow bans" conservatives -- purportedly making their messages less visible -- and failed to crack down on parody accounts such as "Devin Nunes' Mom" and "Devin Nunes' cow" which accused him of obstructing investigations into the president.

The suit echoes accusations from Trump that major internet platforms discriminate against conservatives, even though he himself has more than 59 million followers on Twitter.

Twitter declined to comment on the lawsuit, but has in the past vigorously denied claims that its platform is politically biased.

Legal analysts have largely maintained that internet platforms such as Twitter are not liable for most content posted by third parties, but the Nunes lawsuit claims Twitter was negligent and failed to enforce its own terms of service.

"Twitter let it happen because Twitter had (and has) a political agenda and motive," the lawsuit said.

The complaint included many of the insulting tweets, including one from the Devin Nunes' Mom account stating: "Are you trying to obstruct a federal investigation again? You come home right this instant or no more Minecraft!"

Other tweets accused the lawmaker of having "white supremacist friends" and distributing "disturbing inflammatory racial propaganda."

Nunes, who represents a district in California, is a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and was accused of undermining the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump himself weighed in on the issue again on Tuesday, retweeting a message about the lawsuit and repeating his claims about bias by internet firms.

"Facebook, Google and Twitter, not to mention the Corrupt Media, are sooo on the side of the Radical Left Democrats. But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before!" Trump tweeted.

A Republican congressman is suing Twitter claiming the online platform discriminates against conservatives by hiding their messages, and for allowing "abusive, hateful and defamatory" content about the lawmaker.

A Republican congressman is suing Twitter claiming the online platform discriminates against conservatives by hiding their messages, and for allowing "abusive, hateful and defamatory" content about the lawmaker. The complaint was filed by Representative Devin Nunes, an ally of President Donald Trump, in a Virginia state court, and released online by Fox News. It seeks $250 million in damages. Nunes alleges that Twitter "shadow bans" conservatives -- purportedly making their messages less visible -- and failed to crack down on parody accounts such as "Devin Nunes' Mom" and "Devin Nunes' cow" which accused him of obstructing investigations into the president. The suit echoes accusations from Trump that major internet platforms discriminate against conservatives, even though he himself has more than 59 million followers on Twitter. Twitter declined to comment on the lawsuit, but has in the past vigorously denied claims that its platform is politically biased. Legal analysts have largely maintained that internet platforms such as Twitter are not liable for most content posted by third parties, but the Nunes lawsuit claims Twitter was negligent and failed to enforce its own terms of service. "Twitter let it happen because Twitter had (and has) a political agenda and motive," the lawsuit said. The complaint included many of the insulting tweets, including one from the Devin Nunes' Mom account stating: "Are you trying to obstruct a federal investigation again? You come home right this instant or no more Minecraft!" Other tweets accused the lawmaker of having "white supremacist friends" and distributing "disturbing inflammatory racial propaganda." Nunes, who represents a district in California, is a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and was accused of undermining the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump himself weighed in on the issue again on Tuesday, retweeting a message about the lawsuit and repeating his claims about bias by internet firms. "Facebook, Google and Twitter, not to mention the Corrupt Media, are sooo on the side of the Radical Left Democrats. But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before!" Trump tweeted.

US lawmaker Devin Nunes sues Twitter, alleging anti-conservative bias

Secretary of State <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-direct-evidence-between-saudi-crown-prince-and-khashoggis-killing-pompeo-180866">Mike Pompeo</a>, who has managed where others have failed to stay in President Donald Trump's good graces, joked Monday that he knows how he'll leave —&nbsp;when he learns on Twitter.

In a rare light-hearted comment about his notoriously mercurial boss, Trump's loyal top diplomat alluded to the inglorious fate of his predecessor, Rex Tillerson.

Asked at a forum in his home state of Kansas how long he will remain secretary of state, Pompeo said to the audience's laughter: "I'm going to be there until he tweets me out of office.

"Which I'm not counting on, at least today," Pompeo said, before praising Trump.

Pompeo, who served at the start of Trump's term as CIA director, is careful not to show any daylight with the president and has succeeded in becoming one of the rare original cabinet members who has not clashed with him.

Tillerson, a courtly former oil executive who pressed unsuccessfully for Trump to stay in international agreements, was sacked by tweet after he returned from a trip to Africa, with the White House letting it be known that he learned the news while on the toilet.

Pompeo, a former congressman popular with conservatives, has been recruited by top Republicans to run for an open Senate seat in Kansas next year when Trump is up for re-election.

He has been coy about his intentions. In an interview with his hometown newspaper The Wichita Eagle, Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, said of his political future: "The Lord will get me to the right place."

Pompeo returned to Kansas ahead of a trip to the Middle East for a conference on promoting opportunities for businesses from the American heartland.

The meeting will lead up to the June 4-5 "Global Entrepreneurship Summit" in The Hague that Pompeo will co-host with The Netherlands.

Echoing a Trump theme of anti-elitism, Pompeo said he wanted to recruit more diplomats away from the US coasts.

"The State Department prides itself on having a diverse workforce. There's many dimensions to that. I want to make sure everyone we hire is not from New York or Boston or Washington," he told the forum.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has managed where others have failed to stay in President Donald Trump's good graces, joked Monday that he knows how he'll leave — when he learns on Twitter.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has managed where others have failed to stay in President Donald Trump's good graces, joked Monday that he knows how he'll leave — when he learns on Twitter. In a rare light-hearted comment about his notoriously mercurial boss, Trump's loyal top diplomat alluded to the inglorious fate of his predecessor, Rex Tillerson. Asked at a forum in his home state of Kansas how long he will remain secretary of state, Pompeo said to the audience's laughter: "I'm going to be there until he tweets me out of office. "Which I'm not counting on, at least today," Pompeo said, before praising Trump. Pompeo, who served at the start of Trump's term as CIA director, is careful not to show any daylight with the president and has succeeded in becoming one of the rare original cabinet members who has not clashed with him. Tillerson, a courtly former oil executive who pressed unsuccessfully for Trump to stay in international agreements, was sacked by tweet after he returned from a trip to Africa, with the White House letting it be known that he learned the news while on the toilet. Pompeo, a former congressman popular with conservatives, has been recruited by top Republicans to run for an open Senate seat in Kansas next year when Trump is up for re-election. He has been coy about his intentions. In an interview with his hometown newspaper The Wichita Eagle, Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, said of his political future: "The Lord will get me to the right place." Pompeo returned to Kansas ahead of a trip to the Middle East for a conference on promoting opportunities for businesses from the American heartland. The meeting will lead up to the June 4-5 "Global Entrepreneurship Summit" in The Hague that Pompeo will co-host with The Netherlands. Echoing a Trump theme of anti-elitism, Pompeo said he wanted to recruit more diplomats away from the US coasts. "The State Department prides itself on having a diverse workforce. There's many dimensions to that. I want to make sure everyone we hire is not from New York or Boston or Washington," he told the forum.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Will serve until Trump 'tweets me out'

BJP's wrong foot on social media, ministers prefix 'Chowkidar' to Twitter handles

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday changed his name on his Twitter profile to 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi, and a number of BJP bigwigs including party president Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal followed suit.&nbsp;

Modi had first referred to himself as the chowkidar (watchman) of the nation in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. "Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga (I will not be corrupt, I will not let others be corrupt)," he had said then. &nbsp;

"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/your-chowkidar-is-standing-firm-and-serving-nation-pm-modi-203679">Your Chowkidar is standing firm &amp; serving the nation</a>," Modi had tweeted on Saturday.&nbsp;

"But, I am not alone," he said. "Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar."&nbsp;

"Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he added.&nbsp;

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Your Chowkidar is standing firm &amp; serving the nation. 
 
But, I am not alone. 
 
Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. 
 
Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. 
 
Today, every Indian is saying-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MainBhiChowkidar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MainBhiChowkidar</a>
— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1106759555315314689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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जिसने बनाया स्वच्छता को संस्कार...वो है चौकीदार। <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MainBhiChowkidar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MainBhiChowkidar</a> 
 
कहो दिल से <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChowkidarPhirSe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChowkidarPhirSe</a> <a href="https://t.co/jLqn6atvXR">pic.twitter.com/jLqn6atvXR</a>
— Chowkidar Amit Shah (@AmitShah) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmitShah/status/1107163540291571712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As Chowkidars of our nation, we are committed to creating a clean economy by using cashless financial transactions. 
 
The menace of corruption and black money has adversely affected us for decades. Time to eliminate these for a better future. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MainBhiChowkidar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MainBhiChowkidar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChowkidarPhirSe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChowkidarPhirSe</a> <a href="https://t.co/y44vwyM4xs">pic.twitter.com/y44vwyM4xs</a>
— Chowkidar Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1107160729403252736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The others to add the prefix 'Chowkidar' to their Twitter profiles Sunday included BJP president Amit Shah, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, and Health Minister JP Nadda.&nbsp;

"As Chowkidars of our nation, we are committed to creating a clean economy by using cashless financial transactions," Goyal tweeted.&nbsp;

"The menace of corruption and black money has adversely affected us for decades. Time to eliminate these for a better future," he added.&nbsp;

Modi's adding of the prefix 'Chowkidar' to his name on Twitter is being seen as a response to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's allegation that "Chowkidar chor hai".&nbsp;

Rahul has for some time now been attacking Modi over the Rafale deal, especially the choosing of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as an offset partner of Dassault Aviation — the French manufacturer of the Rafales — considering Ambani's firm has no experience in the defence or aerospace industries.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday changed his name on his Twitter profile to 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi, and a number of BJP bigwigs including party president Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal followed suit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday changed his name on his Twitter profile to 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi, and a number of BJP bigwigs including party president Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal followed suit. Modi had first referred to himself as the chowkidar (watchman) of the nation in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. "Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga (I will not be corrupt, I will not let others be corrupt)," he had said then. "Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation," Modi had tweeted on Saturday. "But, I am not alone," he said. "Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar." "Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he added. Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar — Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 16, 2019 × जिसने बनाया स्वच्छता को संस्कार...वो है चौकीदार। #MainBhiChowkidar कहो दिल से #ChowkidarPhirSe pic.twitter.com/jLqn6atvXR — Chowkidar Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 17, 2019 × As Chowkidars of our nation, we are committed to creating a clean economy by using cashless financial transactions. The menace of corruption and black money has adversely affected us for decades. Time to eliminate these for a better future. #MainBhiChowkidar #ChowkidarPhirSe pic.twitter.com/y44vwyM4xs — Chowkidar Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 17, 2019 × The others to add the prefix 'Chowkidar' to their Twitter profiles Sunday included BJP president Amit Shah, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, and Health Minister JP Nadda. "As Chowkidars of our nation, we are committed to creating a clean economy by using cashless financial transactions," Goyal tweeted. "The menace of corruption and black money has adversely affected us for decades. Time to eliminate these for a better future," he added. Modi's adding of the prefix 'Chowkidar' to his name on Twitter is being seen as a response to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's allegation that "Chowkidar chor hai". Rahul has for some time now been attacking Modi over the Rafale deal, especially the choosing of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as an offset partner of Dassault Aviation — the French manufacturer of the Rafales — considering Ambani's firm has no experience in the defence or aerospace industries.

PM changes name on Twitter to 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi; Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal follow suit

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealand-mosque-shootings-kill-49-in-what-pm-calls-terrorist-attack-203560">New Zealand mosque shootings kill 49 in what PM calls 'terrorist attack'</a>

At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country's worst ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-world-reacts-with-disgust-at-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-203532">Islamic world reacts with disgust at New Zealand mosque attacks</a>

Political and Islamic leaders expressed their disgust at the deadly shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday, with some citing rising "Islamophobia" as being responsible.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/france-freezes-jem-chief-masood-azhars-assets-will-also-take-up-his-listing-with-eu-203478">France freezes JeM chief Masood Azhar's assets, will also take up his listing with EU</a>

France has decided to freeze the assets of Masood Azhar, chief of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed the responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel on February 14.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/social-media-platforms-say-they-are-taking-measures-to-remove-nz-shooting-content-203539">Social media platforms say they are removing New Zealand shooting content</a>

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter said on Friday they are taking measures to take down content involving mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques that killed at least 49 people and wounded more than 20 others.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-had-global-support-says-sushma-swaraj-on-masood-azhar-listing-203563">India had global support, says Sushma Swaraj on Masood Azhar listing&nbsp;</a>

A day after China blocked the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar under United Nations terror list and opposition Congress lashed out at Centre, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday in series of tweets claimed India got support from the global community for the move.

New Zealand mosque shootings kill 49 in what PM calls 'terrorist attack' At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country's worst ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism.

New Zealand mosque shootings kill 49 in what PM calls 'terrorist attack' At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country's worst ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism. Islamic world reacts with disgust at New Zealand mosque attacks Political and Islamic leaders expressed their disgust at the deadly shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday, with some citing rising "Islamophobia" as being responsible. France freezes JeM chief Masood Azhar's assets, will also take up his listing with EU France has decided to freeze the assets of Masood Azhar, chief of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed the responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel on February 14. Social media platforms say they are removing New Zealand shooting content Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter said on Friday they are taking measures to take down content involving mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques that killed at least 49 people and wounded more than 20 others. India had global support, says Sushma Swaraj on Masood Azhar listing A day after China blocked the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar under United Nations terror list and opposition Congress lashed out at Centre, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday in series of tweets claimed India got support from the global community for the move.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Facebook and Instagram are down across large swathes of the world with numerous users saying neither would load on their mobile phones or computer screens.&nbsp;

Some users got a message on their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-presidential-hopeful-warren-wants-breakup-of-google-facebook-and-amazon-202089">Facebook</a> screens saying the social networking site was down for maintenance purposes, but would be back up soon.&nbsp;

Others just came up against a blank page.&nbsp;

At WION's office in Noida one user came up against a blank Facebook page, while another got the "down for maintenance purposes" message.&nbsp;

Another user was able to open and access his Instagram on his desktop while yet another said it would not load on her mobile phone.&nbsp;

News reports meanwhile said users were experiencing problems with their Facebook and Instagram in at least the US, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and parts of Europe.&nbsp;

The reason for the disruption is not yet known.&nbsp;

That left Twitter, on which #instagramdown was trending Wednesday night and to which a number of users gravitated to report the problem:&nbsp;

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me logging onto twitter to make sure instagram is down for other people and not just me <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/instagramdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#instagramdown</a> <a href="https://t.co/mI2pnHE9wt">pic.twitter.com/mI2pnHE9wt</a>
— ♡ ava ♡ (@v2ncentvanhoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/v2ncentvanhoe/status/1105880989870579712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Me waiting for Instagram to be fine again<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/instagramdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#instagramdown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Instagram?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Instagram</a> <a href="https://t.co/HwDwoTQXMv">pic.twitter.com/HwDwoTQXMv</a>
— Alex Quotes (@Alex_moods) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_moods/status/1105883668474523649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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People running from Instagram to twitter to see if other people are having the same problem <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Instagramdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Instagramdown</a> <a href="https://t.co/hqPrjjE3aK">pic.twitter.com/hqPrjjE3aK</a>
— Jodie (@j0dieW) <a href="https://twitter.com/j0dieW/status/1105882011338768385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The news reports added that Google and Gmail had had issues too during the day.&nbsp;

Facebook meanwhile also took to Twitter to say it was "working to resolve the issue as soon as possible".&nbsp;

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We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
— Facebook (@facebook) <a href="https://twitter.com/facebook/status/1105888649676111877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"We're focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack," it added.&nbsp;

A DoS (denial-of-service) attack uses a single computer and internet connection to attack a target and shut it down.&nbsp;A DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack on the other hand uses several computers and internet connections to do the same thing.&nbsp;

A DoS attack is easier to fight back against since it would require the blocking of only one IP address.&nbsp;

Facebook and Instagram are down across large swathes of the world with numerous users saying neither would load on their mobile phones or computer screens. Some users got a message on their Facebook screens saying the social networking site was down for maintenance purposes, but would be back up soon.

Facebook and Instagram are down across large swathes of the world with numerous users saying neither would load on their mobile phones or computer screens. Some users got a message on their Facebook screens saying the social networking site was down for maintenance purposes, but would be back up soon. Others just came up against a blank page. At WION's office in Noida one user came up against a blank Facebook page, while another got the "down for maintenance purposes" message. Another user was able to open and access his Instagram on his desktop while yet another said it would not load on her mobile phone. News reports meanwhile said users were experiencing problems with their Facebook and Instagram in at least the US, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and parts of Europe. The reason for the disruption is not yet known. That left Twitter, on which #instagramdown was trending Wednesday night and to which a number of users gravitated to report the problem: me logging onto twitter to make sure instagram is down for other people and not just me #instagramdown pic.twitter.com/mI2pnHE9wt — ♡ ava ♡ (@v2ncentvanhoe) March 13, 2019 × Me waiting for Instagram to be fine again#instagramdown #Instagram pic.twitter.com/HwDwoTQXMv — Alex Quotes (@Alex_moods) March 13, 2019 × People running from Instagram to twitter to see if other people are having the same problem #Instagramdown pic.twitter.com/hqPrjjE3aK — Jodie (@j0dieW) March 13, 2019 × The news reports added that Google and Gmail had had issues too during the day. Facebook meanwhile also took to Twitter to say it was "working to resolve the issue as soon as possible". We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. — Facebook (@facebook) March 13, 2019 × "We're focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack," it added. A DoS (denial-of-service) attack uses a single computer and internet connection to attack a target and shut it down. A DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack on the other hand uses several computers and internet connections to do the same thing. A DoS attack is easier to fight back against since it would require the blocking of only one IP address.

Facebook, Instagram down in large parts of the the world

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