Tag: twitter

  • Elon Musk disables Twitter Spaces after clash with journalists

    Elon Musk disables Twitter Spaces after clash with journalists

    Twitter Inc.’s live audio platform, Twitter Spaces, is down after many journalists who had just had their accounts suspended learned they could still participate in it.

    Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, announced late on Thursday that the company was resolving an old fault and that the audio service “should be working tomorrow.”

    Earlier, Musk’s network suspended journalists for seven days, including those from CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, for allegedly leaking the whereabouts of his private jet.

    Drew Harwell of the Washington Post and Matt Binder of Mashable, two of the suspended reporters, joined BuzzFeed News reporter Katie Notopoulos on Twitter Spaces to discuss the sudden wave of suspensions.

    They could no longer post new tweets and their old ones were no longer viewable, but they could still interact with other users on the Spaces site.

    Musk also joined the session after it attracted thousands of listeners to bluntly state that anyone who doxxes—gives another person’s personal location information—will be suspended. The journalists said that they had not posted any real-time flight data, as Musk alleged, but by then the billionaire had quit the call.

    The live session drew more than 40,000 listeners at its peak.

  • Sahafi baradari rejects offer of housing society, accuses govt of bribing them for not reporting on RUDA

    Sahafi baradari rejects offer of housing society, accuses govt of bribing them for not reporting on RUDA

    Pakistani journalist community has come forward to reject the Punjab government’s offer of a journalists’ housing society to be built in the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA).

    On Wednesday, Pervaiz Elahi, the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, allocated 700 kanals of land for the construction of a journalists’ housing society in RUDA.

    Taking to Twitter, Elahi said, “Another promise to the journalist community has been fulfilled. Ravi Urban Development Authority has allotted 700 kanals of land for Journalist Colony Phase 2 in its first phase.”

    He, further said that providing a roof for journalists is his top priority. “Plots were given to journalists in the previous period and still the promise of giving plots has been fulfilled,” he added.

    Right after the decision, Twitter was filled with tweets by journalists and human rights activists, jointly rejecting the scheme. They accused the government of bribing them with public money.

    Why are people against the allocation?

    The Ravi Urban Development Authority allegedly forcibly acquired farmland from farmers, destroying crops on hundreds of acres in the Ferozewala area.

    The farmers and landowners who have been victims of the project, accused the former premier Imran Khan of pushing the Pervaiz Elahi-led Punjab government to use force and arms for taking illegal possession of their land.

    In August 2020, the then prime minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the controversial real estate project.

  • ‘We would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway’: Norwegian ministry asks Twitter to remove Nigeria labels

    ‘We would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway’: Norwegian ministry asks Twitter to remove Nigeria labels

    In an apparent instance of name confusion, Norway’s foreign ministry complained to Twitter on Tuesday that it had been mistakenly labeled as representing Nigeria.

    Both the foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere’s Twitter accounts were also identified as representing Nigeria.

    Some accounts on Twitter have labels and little flag icons to indicate their association with governments; however, this appears to be a significant blunder that surely cannot be expected from a billion-dollar platform.

    “Dear @TwitterSupport, as much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway,” the Norwegian foreign ministry tweeted.

  • Twitter to relaunch its subscription service on Monday at higher price for Apple users

    Twitter to relaunch its subscription service on Monday at higher price for Apple users

    After many failed attempts, Twitter announced on Saturday that its subscription service, which features a procedure for platform account authentication, will be relaunched on Monday.

    “We’re relaunching TwitterBlue on Monday — subscribe on web for $8/month or on (Apple’s) iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark,” the company tweeted.

    In an attempt to prevent impersonation and false information, Twitter now only allows organisations and public figures to use the blue checkmark that signifies their accounts have been verified.

    Elon Musk announced his plan to diversify Twitter’s revenue source beyond advertising after purchasing the firm in October. He would do this by implementing additional payment methods for premium services.

    Ten days after Musk assumed leadership at the beginning of November, the first version was released, but there was a stir when several phoney accounts that claimed to represent businesses or celebrities started to appear.

    The version was abruptly halted.

    As part of the new deal, Twitter will once more assess accounts that want blue checkmarks, according to the company. Later in the week, the checkmark will change from grey for government organisations to gold for companies.

    Additionally, subscribers will have access to features like the ability to download higher-quality videos and modify tweets after they are published.

    “Thanks for your patience as we’ve worked to make Blue better,” the company tweet said.

    Musk first stated that Twitter Blue will be back by the end of November but then revealed a few days later that the project had been put on hold temporarily as specialists worked to create a method to combat impersonation.

  • Twitter will soon delete 1.5 billion inactive accounts to free up name space

    Twitter will soon delete 1.5 billion inactive accounts to free up name space

    Twitter is preparing to delete 1.5 billion inactive accounts to free up dormant profiles and user names on the social media platform.

    Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, stated that the suspensions would free up the “name space” of inactive profiles. He also stated that the accounts that would be erased were “obvious” since they had “no tweets” and “no log in for years.”

    Some Twitter users have expressed dissatisfaction with defunct accounts having interesting and appealing usernames that were captured during Twitter’s formative years.

    In the second quarter of 2022, Twitter counted 237.8 million of its users as “monetisable daily active users,” a measure that suggests they’re active on the platform and are being shown advertisements.

    Musk has already committed to deleting dormant Twitter accounts. He said in November that accounts that had been idle for 15 years would be deleted.

    How long an account may remain dormant before being marked for deletion is unknown at this time. Musk announced in October that accounts that had been inactive for more than a year would potentially be in danger.

    According to statistics from Apptopia, Twitter usage appears to have increased in the weeks after Musk’s takeover. In the first week of November, Twitter saw its highest daily active user count ever.

  • Twitter Blue will reportedly cost $11 for iPhone users instead of $7.99

    Twitter Blue will reportedly cost $11 for iPhone users instead of $7.99

    Twitter plans to increase the pricing of its Twitter Blue subscription product to $11 from $7.99 if paid for through its iPhone app and to $7 if paid for on the website.

    According to The Information, the move was likely in response to Apple’s 30 per cent cut on any payments made by users via apps on the iOS operating system.

    According to the report, the lower cost on the website was also likely to encourage more customers to join up there rather than on their iPhones. If prices will also change for the Android OS was not mentioned.

    Musk, who gained ownership of Twitter in October, is going to roll out the micro-blogging site’s verified service with different coloured checks for individuals, companies, and governments after a bungled initial launch led to a surge in users impersonating celebrities and brands on the website.

    Requests for comment from Twitter, Apple, and Google—which owns the Android operating system—were not immediately responded to.

    Musk cited a number of issues with Apple in a series of tweets last week, including the 30 per cent fee the iPhone manufacturer charges software developers for in-app purchases.

    Additionally, he posted a meme that said he would be prepared to “go to war” with Apple rather than pay the commission.

    Musk later met Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, at the company’s offices. Musk then tweeted that the misunderstanding regarding Twitter’s removal from Apple’s app store had been cleared up.

  • From watches to visas, is Imran Riaz and Moonis Elahi ka Twitter phadda never ending?

    From watches to visas, is Imran Riaz and Moonis Elahi ka Twitter phadda never ending?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi and journalist Imran Riaz Khan have been engaging in Twitter fights since a while.

    Just as it seemed that the trading of barbs had died down, this morning Elahi reignited the feud again, tweeting, “Heard someone’s visa got cancelled due to strong links with criminal elements. He had to go back from airport.”

    Responding to Moonis, Riaz tweeted, “Take the name Moonis Sahib, my visa got cancelled. And yes take the name of the ones because of whom it got cancelled.”

    Moonis replied, “Imran sb It wasn’t meant for you.”

    Riaz calling Moonis “deputy wazir-e-alla” said, “I also know who told you, you enjoy things like this.”

    Their arguments started on December 2, after Moonis Elahi revealed that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had advised his party to back Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) when the no-confidence motion was moved against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Riaz, reacting to Moonis’s remarks, tweeted, “And the PTI people kept thinking that Moonis Elahi and Pervaiz Elahi were willing to accept the Chief Minister post because of their conscience’s voice and love for Imran Khan.”

    Moonis didn’t take long to Riaz, stating, “Do not worry. Your ticket is also ready and then you can takeover. And then @PTIofficial as well as others will understand.”

    The journalist reacted by criticising Moonis for “trading party tickets”, calling it the “family business” of the PML-Q leader. “By the way, how is Richard Mille’s wrist watch running which only costs Rs.75 million,” he said referring to a luxury brand of Swiss watches.

    Moonis fired back by denying he owns a Richard Mille watch. “Think they are overpriced. Since you are such a fan shall I send you one? Or shall I present it to you when you ‘officially’ join politics,” he asked the journalist.

    Sharing a picture of his watch, Imran said in a tweet that he liked his own watch very much, advising Moonis not to deny receiving gifts.

    “Ask Farhan about the watch. He will remind you,” he wrote.

  • Samosagate: Pakistanis vehemently defend their favourite snack

    Samosagate: Pakistanis vehemently defend their favourite snack

    Pakistanis have vehemently reacted to a viral video which claims that their favourite desi snack, the humble samosa is, in fact, a very unhealthy thing to eat.

    Dr Muhammad Affan Qaiser has made a video about the negative side effects of the fried potato delight. Terming the samosa an “atom bomb of 400 calories”, he said that the average caloric ratio of samosas is between 250-400. He also emphasised the fact that samosas are fried in poor quality oil. “Dada ne tail dala hota hai aur pota us mei se samosa nikaal reha hota hai. (That grandson of the man who poured that oil is still frying in it).”

    The doctor also took exception to the fact that despite how unhealthy the samosa is, it is available in all high-end restaurants and universities.

    https://twitter.com/Aashi_2/status/1598200901080342530?s=20&t=gBHclqN_xUnVeX8-lb70tQ

    After the video went viral, Pakistani samosa lovers didn’t hesitate to express their love for samosas. Here is a look at some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/danadalrey1984/status/1598679801220300802?s=20&t=p2zgor-Gqegp136MJ75VRA

    https://twitter.com/Alamgir_Afridi_/status/1598570232980774912?s=20&t=p2zgor-Gqegp136MJ75VRA
  • ‘Quetta police took Swati away, endangering his life’: Imran Khan demands release of his senator

    ‘Quetta police took Swati away, endangering his life’: Imran Khan demands release of his senator

    Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has said that Senator Azam Swati has been “taken away by the Quetta police” from Islamabad despite his health concerns.

    In a tweet on Friday (today), the party chief stated, “Swati was moved to PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) early morning after suffering severe chest pains and breathing issues.”

    “While test results were awaited, Quetta police got him discharged and took him away endangering his life,” he further said.

    Terming the Quetta police act “a great crime”, Imran demanded the immediate release of his party’s senator.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Asad Umar said Swati was “handed over” to Balochistan police and taken to Quetta without waiting for medical reports from the hospital or waiting for the high court’s decision. He further blamed the “imported government” for “flouting fundamental rights and refusing to follow due process of law.”

    According to media reports, the arrest has been made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. It is pertinent to mention that several First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered within 24 hours against PTI leader Swati for his controversial tweets at different police stations in Karachi, Quetta, Jacobabad Qambar, Lasbela, Larkana, Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kandhkot, and other cities.

    Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on a plea filed by Swati seeking details of the FIRs registered against him.

    The court, asking if the federal government has no administrative control, had reserved its verdict on the plea.

    A day earlier, Swati approached the Supreme Court (SC) to request the transfer of all cases registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan to Islamabad. The same day, an Islamabad court sent the senator on 14-day judicial remand.

    In a petition to the apex court, Swati has said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him in a false case, adding that multiple cases were registered against him in the country, and he faces a security threat when appearing in various courts.

    Last Sunday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Swati — for the second time in less than two months — for speaking against the army.

  • Twitter approves of Abrar-ul-Haq’s new song for PTI

    Twitter approves of Abrar-ul-Haq’s new song for PTI

    Pakistani singer-turned-politician Abrar-ul-Haq has sung a song titled “Hai Haq Hamara Azaadi” for his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    The song was released by Haq’s YouTube channel on 26 November and has managed to get more than 70,000 views so far.

    The party chief Imran Khan also shared the song on his official Twitter account and said “it’s a great Tarana about Haqeeqi Azadi”.

    He further wrote that only truly free (Azad) nations “fulfill their immense human potential to rise and become Iqbal’s Shaheen.”

    After the release, Twitter couldn’t help but praise the song while some argued that “Kinnay Kinnay jaana PM day ghar would have been a banger”. Here is how people on Twitter are reacting :

    https://twitter.com/iKarachiwala/status/1598261695549345792?s=20&t=SDVwaOX3JCyDwTeIM40lXw

    https://twitter.com/FaryalG07152520/status/1598275141490073600?s=20&t=SDVwaOX3JCyDwTeIM40lXw