Politics
UK High Court orders Adil Raja to publicly apologise to Brig (retd) Rashid Naseer
LONDON: The UK High Court has ordered YouTuber Major (retired) Adil Raja to make a public apology and pay around £310,000 in damages and legal costs to Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer in relation to the defamation case that Adil Raja lost in October this year.
Judge Richard Spearman KC made the order after a hearing in the London High Court, where Raja had sought to make an appeal against the original judgment.
Naseer asked the court to proceed with making the order following the judgment he obtained in his favour in October this year.
After hearing the arguments of Raja’s lawyer Simon Harding, Judge Richard Spearman KC refused to entertain Raja’s application for permission to appeal before him. The Judge was critical of Raja’s lawyers, who did not engage with Naseer’s lawyers in dealing with consequential matters.
The Judge has made the following orders to Raja: he must make a public apology for his defamatory statements towards Brig (retired) Naseer; this apology is to be posted for 28 days on Raja’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube accounts and the main page of his website; Raja has been ordered to pay £50,000 in damages and £260,000 costs upfront (and the rest to be assessed later) all to be paid by 22 December 2025; Raja has been issued an Injunction order not to repeat the defamatory statements; and permission to Appeal was not granted by the Judge.
In October this year, the UK High Court Judge ruled against Major (retd) Raja in the defamation case filed by Brigadier (retd) Naseer at the London High Court that Raja defamed Naseer, without any factual basis and evidence, made false allegations and therefore the court awarded £50,000 in damages to Naseer, an injunction restraining Raja from repeating his baseless and false allegations ever again and ordered Raja to publish a summary of the judgement confirming that Naseer had won the case and that the allegations were defamatory.
Brig (retd) Naseer attended the trial in July this year, he also attended the court when the judgment was delivered and he was also present in the court on Monday when the final orders were made. Raja attended the court remotely, and his lawyers attended the court during the trial. Raja was not present during the hearing on Monday.
Raja told Geo News in a statement: “We are appealing the judgement at the Court of Appeal.”
Naseer had started his defamation claim against Raja in August 2022 over ten publications — published between June 14 and 29, 2022, on Raja’s Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
The court found that nine of these publications were seriously defamatory to Naseer and caused him serious harm.
The judge stated that he was not persuaded that the allegations that Raja published came from his “sources” because (i) when observing Raja give oral evidence, he was unable to determine whether Raja’s evidence was reliable or a case of mistaken recollection or exaggeration; and (ii) Raja produced no contemporary record of any kind which supported his evidence.
Raja was unable to satisfy the judge that his source(s) provided him with information to support the allegations that he made against Naseer; therefore, his public interest defence failed.
Naseer was represented by Barrister David Lemer of Doughty Street Chambers and Ushrat Sultana and Sadia Qureshi of Stone White Solicitors. Raja was represented by Barrister Simon Harding.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday he encourages Britain’s King Charles to return the Koh-e-Noor Diamond, with his comments coming during the British monarch’s ongoing US visit.
“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-e-Noor Diamond,” Mamdani, who is Indian American, said when asked at a press conference hours before a ceremony that commemorated victims of the deadly September 11, 2001, attacks.
Later in the day, the king spoke with Mamdani at the ceremony. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request to comment on whether Mamdani brought up the issue with the king.
India has previously repeatedly demanded that Britain return the 105-carat diamond.
Britain’s then colonial governor-general of India arranged for the huge diamond to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 after the East India Company had annexed the region of Punjab in 1849 and taken the diamond from a deposed Indian leader.
Charles on Wednesday commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, attack on New York City, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Centre’s twin towers once stood.
India received independence from British rule in 1947. The British colonisation of India and the widespread atrocities committed against people during that period remain sensitive issues in the country.
India has previously said the diamond was a “valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation’s history.” The diamond’s possession by the British is seen by many Indians as a symbol of colonial atrocities during British rule.
The diamond has been previously owned by India’s Mughal emperors, shahs of Iran, emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh maharajas, according to the Historic Royal Palaces charity.
China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the maker of J-10C aircraft used by Pakistan to down India’s French-made planes in May last year, has reported a significant surge in profits, according a report by Bloomberg.
Revenue increased by 15.8% to 75.4 billion yuan ($11 billion) in 2025, with profit up 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan in 2025, the publication cited the jetmaker as saying in a statement.
The numbers are the highest-ever for the company, Bloomberg reported, adding that Chengdu’s first-quarter sales rose almost 80% on year.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted J-10C in March 2022, in a major boost to the country’s military capabilities to defend airspace.
At the time, the government said that the fighter jet could carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles, including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.
The fighter jet saw its first combat use in May 2025 when India launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on May 6, following an attack on tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan, during the 87-hour conflict, downed seven Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafale, and dozens of drones.
The four-day war saw Pakistan successfully employing the Chinese-made HQ-9 air-defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10C fighter aircraft, credited with downing multiple Indian aircraft.
The PAF also used its JF-17 Thunder jets to destroy India’s S-400 air defence system in Adampur by using hypersonic missiles.
The war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.
Months after the conflict, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry praised the performance of Chinese-made weapons, saying they performed “exceptionally well. “Of course, lately, recent Chinese platforms, they’ve demonstrated exceptionally well,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said in an interview in October last year.
In November last year, a report presented to the United States Congress acknowledged Pakistan’s “military success over India” in the war.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report — reviewing US-China security and foreign affairs — stated that Pakistan employed advanced Chinese weaponry to enhance its military edge over India.
- Revenue up by 15.8% to 75.4 billion yuan in 2025: report.
- Company’s profits up by 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan in 2025.
- Chengdu sales in first-quarter rose almost 80% on year.
China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the maker of J-10C aircraft used by Pakistan to down India’s French-made planes in May last year, has reported a significant surge in profits, according a report by Bloomberg.
Revenue increased by 15.8% to 75.4 billion yuan ($11 billion) in 2025, with profit up 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan in 2025, the publication cited the jetmaker as saying in a statement.
The numbers are the highest-ever for the company, Bloomberg reported, adding that Chengdu’s first-quarter sales rose almost 80% on year.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted J-10C in March 2022, in a major boost to the country’s military capabilities to defend airspace.
At the time, the government said that the fighter jet could carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles, including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.
The fighter jet saw its first combat use in May 2025 when India launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on May 6, following an attack on tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan, during the 87-hour conflict, downed seven Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafale, and dozens of drones.
The four-day war saw Pakistan successfully employing the Chinese-made HQ-9 air-defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10C fighter aircraft, credited with downing multiple Indian aircraft.
The PAF also used its JF-17 Thunder jets to destroy India’s S-400 air defence system in Adampur by using hypersonic missiles.
The war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.
Months after the conflict, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry praised the performance of Chinese-made weapons, saying they performed “exceptionally well,” The News reported, citing Bloomberg.
“Of course, lately, recent Chinese platforms, they’ve demonstrated exceptionally well,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said in an interview in October last year.
In November last year, a report presented to the United States Congress acknowledged Pakistan’s “military success over India” in the war.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report — reviewing US-China security and foreign affairs — stated that Pakistan employed advanced Chinese weaponry to enhance its military edge over India.
Trützschler to showcase advanced textile tech at ITM 2026 in Istanbul
Gold, silver price prediction: Will gold head down to Rs 1.40 lakh/10 grams & silver hit Rs 2.20 lakh/kg? – The Times of India
US top commander to brief Trump on new military options against Iran, says report
-
Politics1 week agoUK’s Starmer seeks to deflect blame over Mandelson appointment
-
Business1 week agoUs-India Trade Talks: US–India trade deal: Where do talks stand & what to expect – explained – The Times of India
-
Fashion1 week agoGlobal energy growth slows to 1.3% in 2025: Report
-
Business1 week agoUK inflation accelerates after Iran war drives sharp rise in fuel prices
-
Tech1 week agoNation states responsible for ‘nationally significant’ cyber attacks against UK, says NCSC chief | Computer Weekly
-
Tech1 week agoMicrosoft faces court battle in £2bn Windows Server class action | Computer Weekly
-
Tech1 week agoHow to Watch the Lyrids Meteor Shower at Its Peak
-
Sports1 week agoPSL 11: Hyderabad Kingsmen opt to field after winning toss against Multan Sultans