followers

CAIRO: Freedom of expression may shrink further in Egypt where lawmakers have approved the first reading of a bill that would monitor popular social media users in the name of combating "false news". Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have become one of the last forums for public debate in Egypt since a November 2013 ban on all but police-approved gatherings. In Egypt, more than 500 websites have so far been blocked, according to the Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE). On June 10, parliament…

JOHANNESBURG: A South African court has fined a self-styled “prophet” who sprayed his followers in the face with insecticide as a supposed cure for illness. Pastor Lethebo Rabalago was found guilty by a court in the northwest town of Limpopo of five charges of grievous assault and contravening chemicals laws . He used "Doom", a household insecticide on his followers, earning the sobriquet "Prophet of Doom". The Sowetan daily reported Wednesday that the presiding judge jailed Rabalago to four years or a 21,000…

WASHINGTON: Pop superstar Katy Perry has made history by becoming the first user to garner 100 million followers on Twitter, the social media platform announced. "Today we #WITNESS history," Twitter said Friday in a tweet, referencing the title of Perry's recently released fifth album. "Congratulations @katyperry, the first to reach 100 million followers! #LoveKaty." The 32-year-old singer recently livestreamed her life for 96 hours, inviting fans to watch as she slept, cooked, did yoga, cuddled with her dog Nugget and…

BAGHDAD: Hundreds of supporters of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed into Baghdad's Green Zone and entered parliament on Saturday after Sadr denounced politicians' failure to reform a political quota system blamed for rampant corruption.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis surpassed 22 million Twitter followers Wednesday on his multiple accounts, joining the ranks of tech-savvy entertainers and world leaders who command tens of millions of eyeballs on social media.

NEW DELHI: Indian police said they are investigating a popular self-styled godman for allegedly encouraging 400 followers to undergo castrations at his ashram so they could get closer to god.

LAHORE: Chief of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Dr Tahirul Qadri has directed his party workers to observe the Day of Martyrs in their respective cities, while the focal ceremony will be held there in Model Town, ARY News reported.