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Washington, DC [US], September 26 (ANI): Ahead of his scheduled meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal, US President Donald Trump addressed reporters from the Oval Office, saying, “they’re coming, and they may be in this room right now. I don’t know, because we’re late.”

“We have a great leader coming, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Field Marshal. Field Marshal is a very great guy, and so is the Prime Minister, both, and they’re coming, and they may be in this room right now,” Trump said.

According to the White House’s public schedule, Trump is set to engage in a closed-door session with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office.

On September 23, Sharif also had an informal exchange with Trump following a meeting between the US President and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, which also included Pakistan.

“Informal exchange followed the dialogue between President Trump and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, including Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar joined President Donald Trump in the discussion,” the Pakistan Foreign Minister stated in a post on X.

After years of strained relations, US-Pakistan ties began warming when Islamabad credited US President Donald Trump for his so-called peace intervention during the military conflict with India in May.

Trump claimed he helped broker a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, using trade and tariff threats–a claim that India has firmly denied.

Initially, Pakistan’s military leadership stated that the ceasefire was initiated following a direct proposal from its Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) to his Indian counterpart. However, Islamabad later shifted its stance, attributing the breakthrough to Washington’s efforts, even going so far as to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The thaw continued in June when Trump welcomed Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, to the White House. The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including trade, economic development, and even cryptocurrency. Just a few weeks later, the Trump administration announced a new trade deal with Pakistan, alongside plans to help Islamabad tap into its “massive oil reserves.”

Munir again visited Washington in August, and during this visit, Pakistan secured a USD 500 million investment from the US, aimed at bolstering the country’s critical minerals sector.

Meanwhile, during the day, Trump signed an executive order approving a deal involving the popular video-sharing app TikTok, signalling a shift towards American ownership and control.

“This is interesting because I had a very good talk with President Xi, a lot of respect for him. Hopefully, he has a lot of respect for me, too. We talked about TikTok, and he gave us the go-ahead,” he said.

“You know, it’s run by American investors and American companies, great ones, great investors, the biggest. The young people really wanted this to happen,” he added.

Last week, Trump announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping had approved the TikTok deal for the video-sharing platform to continue operating in the US.

Trump mentioned that the US will have “tight control” over the app, emphasising that this is a “very good deal” for Washington. (ANI)

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Paris [France], September 25 (ANI): Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a trial over the alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from the government of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Al Jazeera reported.

The Paris criminal court acquitted the 70-year-old of all other charges, including illegal campaign financing and passive corruption, on Thursday. However, the guilty ruling means Sarkozy, who led France between 2007 and 2012 and retired from active politics in 2017, will serve jail time even if he appeals.

Sarkozy was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was interior minister, to secure campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage. The former French president has denied the charges, saying the case was politically motivated.

Two of Sarkozy’s closest associates during his presidency, former ministers Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux, were also found guilty of criminal association but acquitted of other charges. Eric Woerth, Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign treasurer, was acquitted, Al Jazeera reported.

Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy, as a serving minister and party leader at the time, had “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters over whom he had authority and who acted in his name” to approach the Libyan authorities in order to obtain or attempt to obtain financial support”. The court, however, did not accept prosecutors’ claims that Sarkozy directly benefited from the alleged illegal campaign financing.

The case traces its origins to 2011, when a Libyan news agency and Gaddafi himself claimed that the Libyan state had secretly funneled millions of euros into Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. In 2012, the French investigative outlet Mediapart published what it described as a Libyan intelligence memo referencing a 50-million-euro funding agreement. Sarkozy denounced the document as a forgery and filed a defamation suit.

Al Jazeera reported that the trial included statements from seven former Libyan officials, financial transfer records, trips to Libya by Gueant and Hortefeux, and the notebooks of the former Libyan oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who was found drowned in the Danube river in Vienna in 2012. Prosecutors argued that Sarkozy had knowingly benefited from what they described as a “corruption pact” with Gaddafi’s regime.

Libya’s long-time dictator was overthrown and killed by opponents during the 2011 Arab Spring, amid NATO military intervention, in which France under Sarkozy played a significant role.

Sarkozy has faced numerous legal challenges since leaving office. He was previously convicted for corruption and sentenced to a one-year jail term, which he served under electronic tagging for three months before being granted conditional release. He also received a one-year jail term, six months with another six months suspended, in the so-called “Bygmalion affair” involving illegal campaign financing, which he has appealed at France’s top court.

Beyond legal proceedings, Sarkozy has faced consequences such as losing his Legion of Honour, France’s highest distinction, following his corruption conviction. Despite this, he continues to wield influence in France’s right-wing political circles and maintains a regular rapport with President Emmanuel Macron, Al Jazeera noted. (ANI)

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Geneva [Switzerland], September 25 (ANI) At the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the founder of the Sambhali Trust, Govind Singh Rathore, in his oral intervention, illustrated that with persistent human rights challenges, civil society organisations continue to emphasise the importance of strengthening global mechanisms for dignity, justice, and equality, in this revolution Sambhali Trust, a Rajasthan-based initiative has been working to uplift marginalised women and girls through education, training, and legal awareness.

Rathore highlighted the crucial role of international human rights bodies, describing them as guardians of freedom and dignity at a time when violence and discrimination remain on the rise.

“These are not just institutions, but lifelines of hope,” he stated, calling for stronger international cooperation and capacity building within the United Nations system.

Since its inception, the Sambhali Trust has supported over 77,000 women and girls across Rajasthan. Its programs include vocational training, literacy initiatives, legal aid, and shelter facilities.

By equipping women with the tools to gain independence and self-confidence, the Trust has sought to break cycles of poverty and challenge entrenched intolerance.

Rathore also reflected on India’s contributions to advancing human rights domestically. Initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, which addresses development in areas with a high concentration of minorities, and the National Commission for Women, which safeguards women’s rights, were cited as key examples.

According to Rathore, these programs demonstrate India’s efforts to align its policies with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in promoting gender equality.

Appealing directly to the international community, he urged the United Nations to step up efforts in supporting grassroots initiatives.

He called for closer collaboration with civil society actors, arguing that such partnerships are critical to transforming human rights commitments from paper into everyday realities.” With solidarity and coordinated action, we can ensure that rights are not abstract ideals but lived experiences for all,” he stated. (ANI)

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The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.