Entertainment
Four high court judges’ request for pension details triggers resignation rumours
- Four HC judges make verbal queries about post-retirement benefits.
- Seek details of when pensionary benefits will become due.
- Two of four judges to become eligible for pension next month in Dec.
ISLAMABAD: Following the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, empowering the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to transfer high court judges across provinces without their consent, fresh indications have emerged that as many as four high court judges may be contemplating resignation.
Well-placed sources told The News that these four judges have recently approached their respective high court’s accounts department to seek detailed information regarding their post-retirement entitlements.
Their queries, all made verbally, relate to pensionary benefits, the exact dates on which such benefits become due in two of the cases, the status of their accumulated leave balances, and the depreciated value of the official vehicles currently in their use if they opt to purchase them now.
According to sources, these inquiries have triggered strong speculation within judicial circles that the four judges — already understood to be on the government’s list for transfer after the passage of the 27th Amendment — are actively weighing the option of stepping down instead of being reassigned to new provinces or regions.
Two of the four judges will become eligible for pension sometime in next month- December 2025, leading to uncertainty over the timing of any decision. “If they choose to resign, it is still not clear whether the resignations will come immediately or after they qualify for pensionary benefits,” a source said, adding, “Even if they do resign, there is no clarity on whether they will proceed collectively or one by one”.
The development comes amid reported government plans for judicial reshuffling following the 27th Amendment, which government circles argue is necessary to address the conduct of certain judges who, in their view, have “brought disrepute” to the judiciary.
Others, however, believe that the 27th amendment has badly dented the independence of the judiciary and in such a situation, it is difficult for the “independent minded” judges to continue.
Although the Judicial Commission of Pakistan is constitutionally empowered to appoint and transfer judges, in the present constitution of the JCP government appears to be an advantage.
Originally published in The News
Entertainment
Holly Ramsay goes full Kate Middleton but guest list told another story
Holly Ramsay may not be royal, but on her wedding day she certainly dressed the part.
The daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has revealed that Princess Kate was a major style influence behind her elegant bridal look as she married Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty in a lavish ceremony at Bath Abbey over the weekend.
Alongside Hollywood royalty Grace Kelly, the Princess of Wales helped shape a gown that Holly says made her feel “very princess-like”.
Speaking to British Vogue, Holly explained that the sheer scale of the historic abbey played a decisive role in her choice.
With its soaring ceilings and a 65-metre aisle, subtlety was never going to cut it. Instead, she opted for drama, tradition and timeless elegance.
“I knew I wanted something long, modest and lace-heavy,” she said, adding that she has always admired Kate’s wedding dress for its high neckline and feminine silhouette.
The bride wore a lace Elie Saab gown, which she described as an “instant obsession,” paired with a delicate lace veil.
Accessories included a shell-shaped Chanel minaudière and Amina Muaddi heels.
In the days following the wedding, Adam’s mother Caroline Peaty shared a series of emotional posts on social media, hinting at the toll the fallout has taken.
In one message, she wrote of losing “a piece of myself that I will never get back,” while another expressed hope for “a year that doesn’t hurt.”
According to reports, tensions reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over Caroline’s wedding outfit, which allegedly spiralled into a wider family dispute.
Speaking to the Daily Mail before the ceremony, Caroline said she felt “cut out” of her son’s big day and described the situation as deeply painful, particularly over the Christmas period.
Despite considering travelling to Bath Abbey to watch the wedding from outside, she ultimately decided against it, saying it would have been “too sad” and she did not want to detract from her son’s moment.
Entertainment
Elon Musk’s Grok AI generates sexualized images of minors, xAI vows fixes
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has come under fire after users were able to generate illegal images of minors on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
The AI, developed by Musk’s company xAI, reportedly generated such images due to “laps in safeguards” as posted from Grok on Friday, January 2.
Users shared screenshots online where Grok’s public media tab was filled with sexualized depictions of minors in minimal clothing. xAI noted that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is illegal and prohibited and stressed that it is “urgently fixing” the system to prevent similar incidents.
Grok stated, “These are isolated cases, but we recognize lapses and are working to block such requests entirely.”
The incident has drawn international attention. French authorities reported the images to prosecutors and referred the matter to the media regulator, Arcom, over possible breaches of the EU Digital Services Act.
Last year, Grok was part of repeated controversies, including posting antisemitic content and other offensive materials, directly raising questions about its safety guardrails.
Entertainment
Key to going viral on YouTube isn’t creativity, it’s brainrot AI slop
A new study conducted by the video-editing company Kapwing found that more than one in five videos recommended to new YouTube users are “AI slop.”
AI slop, also known simply as slop, refers to digital content created by generative artificial intelligence, specifically showcasing low effort and cheap quality content. There’s an overwhelming volume of production of these AI videos, which are designed to farm views and advertising revenue.
In the study, Kapwign assessed 15,000 of YouTube’s most popular channels, including the top 100 channels in every country and found that 278 channels were constituted entirely of AI slop.
Together, these channels have accumulated more than 63 billion views and 221 million subscribers. Leveraging this audience, the channels generated an estimated $117 million (£90 million) annually.
To measure how content went viral on the platform, researchers created a fresh YouTube account without any personal preferences or interests. It was found that out of the first 500 recommended videos, 104 were entirely AI slop, while roughly one-third fell into a broader category of brainrot content, which is also another form of low-quality and meaningless AI-generated content.
These findings indicate a rapidly growing ecosystem of algorithm-driven content spreading across social media platforms, including YouTube.
The Guardian reported earlier this year that around 10% of YouTube’s fastest-growing channels are entirely based on AI slop, despite the platform’s efforts to curb “inauthentic content.”
Interestingly, many of the largest AI slop channels attract global audiences. In Spain, trending AI channels gained 20 million followers while similar channels with millions of subscribers exist in the United States, Egypt, Brazil, and India.
Analysts state that the popularity of AI slop stems from its absurdity, lack of narrative complexity, and algorithm amplification. While social media platforms say they prioritise quality content, researchers argue that the reach of these AI slop channels indicates how effectively they exploit recommendation systems and are deeply embedded in the modern attention economy.
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