Raafi رَافِع

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

Bangladesh Cricket Team @BCBtigers deserves tributes. Pakistan Cricket Team @TheRealPCB deserves a funeral.

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

Imagine having every advantage life could hand you, education, platform, status & still communicating like a startled idiot. A brain with no thought, no intelligence, just a dumb reflex. His entire contribution to public discourse is panic, emojis & empty headed reactions

[Omar Abdullah @OmarAbdullah]

Bloody hell 😱😱😱!!

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George has been forced to resign with immediate effect, raising concerns over growing politicisation of the military, as President Trump publicises a strike on a civilian bridge in Iran that critics say could amount to a war crime.

[Muzzafar مظفر 🇵🇸 @MuzzafarCh]

A 14-year-old Bakerwal tribal girl was found hanging from a tree on April 1 in Ramban District while grazing cattle. Her family alleges gang rape & murder. FIR registered, but medical report still pending. We cannot let this become another Asifa.

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

After much reflection, and after it became clear to me that some UN seniors are serving a powerful lobby and not the UN, I have decided to suspend all my duties as PVA Main Representative at the UN and from all UN committees/groups of which I am a member.

I cannot in good conscience be part of or witness to what is happening at a time when the UN is preparing for possible nuclear weapon use.

It has been an honor cooperating with the UN for nearly 12 years under different Secretaries-General and Human Rights Council Presidents, leading PVA delegation.

May God bless this world.

[Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan]

Zeteo ended up buying the rights to the Gaza doctors film that the BBC refused to air and you can watch it here:

https://t.co/6IHE69Y2Hc

[Badr Albusaidi - بدر البوسعيدي @badralbusaidi]

For everyone hoping to fly home from the Gulf, the Omani government is working with your governments and international airlines to organise flights to get you home. We mean everyone, whatever passport you hold. The citizens of all countries have the human right to safety and security. People matter. Let's stop the war now.

[Quds News Network @QudsNen]

Propagandists have filed multi-million shekel lawsuits against the Israeli government, saying that officials recruited them after October 7 and failed to pay. Former Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy is among those who complain of unpaid dues.
https://t.co/MYVJyFAQo1

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

You should stay quiet and show respect to people who have a deeper understanding of Islam and real-world matters.

[Mufti Menk @muftimenk]

When you don't know EXACTLY what's going on, it's best not to say the wrong thing. Let those with a deeper understanding in that matter say what needs to be said. The Prophetic teaching to those who believe in the day of reckoning is to "utter what's upright or remain silent".

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

I am a diplomatic aide in the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

My job is logistics. When two countries that cannot speak to each other need to speak to each other, I book the rooms. I prepare the briefing materials. I make sure the water glasses are the right distance apart. You would be surprised how much of diplomacy is water glasses. Too close and it feels informal. Too far and it feels like a tribunal. I have a chart.

We had a very good month.

Since January, Oman has been mediating indirect talks between the United States and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. The talks were held in Muscat and in Geneva. The Americans would sit in one room. The Iranians would sit in another room. I would walk between them. My Fitbit says I averaged fourteen thousand steps on negotiation days. The hallway between the two rooms at the Royal Opera House conference center is forty-seven meters. I walked it two hundred and twelve times in February. This is good for my cardiovascular health. It was less good for my knees. Both are in the service of peace.

By mid-February, we had something.

Iran agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium. Not reduced stockpiling. Zero. They agreed to down-blend existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. They agreed to convert them into irreversible fuel. They agreed to full IAEA verification with potential US inspector access. They agreed, in the Foreign Minister's phrase, to "never, ever" possess nuclear material for a bomb. I have worked in diplomacy for seven years. I have never seen a country agree to this many things this quickly. I made a spreadsheet of the concessions. It had fourteen rows. I color-coded it. Green for confirmed. Yellow for pending. By February 21 the spreadsheet was entirely green. I printed it. It is on my desk in Muscat. It is still green.

That phrase took eleven days. "Never, ever." The Iranians initially offered "not seek to." The Americans wanted "will not under any circumstances." We landed on "never, ever" at 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in Muscat. I typed the final version myself. I used Times New Roman because Geneva prefers it. The document was fourteen pages. I was proud of every comma.

Here is what they said, in the order they said it.

February 24: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity." — The Foreign Minister, private briefing to Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors. I prepared the slide deck. Slide 14 was the implementation timeline. Slide 15 was the signing ceremony logistics. I had reserved the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Room XX. It seats four hundred. We discussed pen brands for the signing. The Iranians preferred Montblanc. The Americans had no preference. I ordered twelve Montblanc Meisterstucks at six hundred and thirty dollars each. They arrive on Tuesday.

February 27, 8:30 AM EST: "The deal is within our reach." — The Foreign Minister, CBS Face the Nation. He sat across from Margaret Brennan. He said broad political terms could be agreed "tomorrow" with ninety days for technical implementation in Vienna. He said, and I wrote this line for the briefing card he carried in his breast pocket: "If we just allow diplomacy the space it needs." He praised the American envoys by name. Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner. He said both had been constructive.

I watched from the Four Seasons Georgetown. The minibar had cashews. I ate the cashews. They were nineteen dollars. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten. But it was a good morning and we were within our reach.

February 27, 2:00 PM EST: Meeting with Vice President Vance, Washington. The Foreign Minister presented our progress. Zero stockpiling. Full verification. Irreversible conversion. "Never, ever." The Vice President used the word "encouraging." His aide took notes on an iPad. The aide did not make eye contact for the last nine minutes of the meeting. I noticed this. Noticing things is the only part of my job that is not water glasses.

February 27, 4:00 PM EST: "Not happy with the pace." — President Trump, to reporters.

Not happy with the pace.

We had achieved zero stockpiling. Full IAEA verification. Irreversible fuel conversion. Inspector access. And the phrase "never, ever," which took eleven days and cost me two hundred and twelve trips down a forty-seven-meter hallway.

Every American president since Carter has failed to get Iran to agree to this. Forty-five years.

Not happy with the pace.

February 27, 9:47 PM EST: The Foreign Minister's flight departs Dulles for Muscat. I am in the seat behind him. He is reviewing Slide 14 on his laptop. The implementation timeline. Vienna technical sessions. The signing ceremony. The pens.

I fall asleep over the Atlantic. I dream about water glasses.

February 28, 6:00 AM GST: I wake up to push notifications.

February 28: "The United States has begun major combat operations in Iran." — President Trump.

Operation Epic Fury. Coordinated airstrikes. The United States and Israel. Tehran. Isfahan. Qom. Karaj. Kermanshah. Nuclear facilities. IRGC bases. Sites near the Supreme Leader's office. Israel called their half Operation Roaring Lion. Someone in both governments spent time choosing these names. Epic Fury. Roaring Lion. I spent eleven days on "never, ever." They spent it on branding. The President said Iran had "rejected American calls to halt its nuclear weapons production."

Rejected.

Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling. Iran had agreed to full verification. Iran had agreed to "never, ever." Iran had agreed to everything in a fourteen-page document that I typed in Times New Roman.

The President said they rejected it.

I do not know which document the President was reading. I know which one I typed.

February 28, 18:45 UTC: Iran internet connectivity: four percent. — NetBlocks, confirmed by Cloudflare. Ninety-six percent of a country went dark. You cannot negotiate with a country at four percent connectivity. You cannot negotiate with a country that is being struck. You cannot negotiate. This is not a political opinion. This is a logistics assessment.

February 28: The governor of Minab reported forty girls killed at an elementary school.

I do not have logistics for that. There is no slide for that. The water glass chart does not cover that.

February 28: Lockheed Martin: up. Northrop Grumman: up. RTX: up. Dow futures: down six hundred and twenty-two points. Gold: five thousand two hundred and ninety-six dollars. An analyst at AInvest published a note titled "Iran Strikes: Tactical Plays." The note recommended positions in oil, defense stocks, and gold.

The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten was nineteen dollars. The most expensive pen I have ever ordered was six hundred and thirty dollars. The math suggests I have been working in the wrong industry. Defense stocks do not require water glasses. Defense stocks do not require eleven days. Defense stocks require one morning.

February 28: Israel closed its airspace and its schools. Iran launched retaliatory missiles toward US bases in the Gulf. The Supreme Leader promised a "crushing response." Israel's defense minister declared a permanent state of emergency. Everyone is using words I recognize in an order I do not. I recognize "permanent." I recognize "emergency." I do not recognize them next to each other. In diplomacy, nothing is permanent and everything is an emergency. In war it is the reverse.

February 28: The Foreign Minister has not made a public statement.

The briefing card is still in his breast pocket. It still says "within our reach."

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

You don’t surpass legends with fan fiction and vibes. One highlight reel and you are ready to rewrite history.
Relax, Professor What-If. 🥴

[Faizism. @karwan_e_faiz]

Had Shahid Afridi lifted the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup trophy, he wouldn’t have just matched Imran Khan he would’ve surpassed him on the field. His match-winning aura and unforgettable contributions make his legacy truly iconic.

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Sweden is committing more than €100 million to a sweeping classroom overhaul: replacing tablets and screens with traditional printed textbooks to help reverse falling student performance and sharpen focus.

After more than a decade of embracing digital-first education, Swedish authorities are now pivoting back to paper-based learning. Official data and recent studies cited by the Ministry of Education show that prolonged screen use in class has been linked to shorter attention spans, weaker reading comprehension, and reduced critical-thinking abilities.

Research consistently finds that reading on illuminated screens requires greater mental effort and invites more distractions compared to the calm, linear experience of physical books—factors believed to have contributed to declining academic outcomes in recent years.

Under the new plan, every student will receive printed textbooks for all core subjects, restoring books as the central learning tool. Digital devices and online resources will remain available as supportive tools, but they will no longer dominate daily instruction.

This bold €100+ million investment signals Sweden’s leadership in rethinking the role of technology in education. It underscores a broader, growing recognition worldwide: while screens provide speed and access, the hands-on, distraction-free engagement of physical books supports deeper concentration, stronger memory retention, and more effective long-term learning.

By choosing paper over pixels, Sweden is charting a path toward a more balanced, evidence-informed classroom future—one that puts proven pedagogical principles ahead of unchecked digital trends.

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

“Self inflicted brand destruction.”

[Brian Stelter @brianstelter]

Read former Washington Post editor Marty Baron's full statement about today's cuts:

This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations. The Washington Post’s ambitions will be sharply diminished, its talented and brave staff will be further depleted, and the public will be denied the ground-level, fact-based reporting in our communities and around the world that is needed more than ever. Of course, there were acute business problems that had to be addressed. No one can deny that.

This is a period of head-spinning change in media consumption. The response to that is necessarily difficult and severely disruptive. Radical innovation is required.

The Post’s challenges, however, were made infinitely worse by ill-conceived decisions that came from the very top —from a gutless order to kill a presidential endorsement 11 days before the 2024 election to a remake of the editorial page that now stands out only for its moral infirmity. Loyal readers, livid as they saw owner Jeff Bezos betraying the values he was supposed to uphold, fled The Post. In truth, they were driven away, by the hundreds of thousands.

The owner, in a note to readers, wrote that he aimed to boost trust in The Post. The effect was something else entirely: Subscribers lost trust in his stewardship and, notwithstanding the newsroom’s stellar journalism, The Post overall. Similarly, many leading journalists at The Post lost confidence in Bezos, and jumped to other news organizations. They also, in effect, were driven away. Bezos’s sickening efforts to curry favor with President Trump have left an especially ugly stain of their own. This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.

Many superior journalists will remain at The Post, delivering important work. I expect they will continue to hold power to account, as they have done spectacularly well for decades. They deserve the support of all who believe in quality journalism.

I remain personally grateful for Jeff Bezos’s steadfast support and confidence during my eight-plus years as The Post’s executive editor. During that time, he came under brutal pressure from Trump. And yet he spoke forcefully and eloquently of a free press and The Post’s mission, demonstrating his commitment in concrete terms. He often declared that The Post’s success would be among the proudest achievements of his life. I wish I detected the same spirit today. There is no sign of it.

Like many others, I’d like to hear the owner and the publisher he appointed articulate a contemporary vision that offers the prospect of financial stability and growth, demonstrates imagination and creativity, honors the heritage of The Post, shows appreciation for its remarkable staff and signals a firm sense of purpose. It is years overdue.

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

Respect @icelandcricket, not every team can juggle ovens, ships, and financial collapse. You didn’t quit, you just prioritized chaos responsibly 😂

[Iceland Cricket @icelandcricket]

Dear @ICC,

It is with a heavy heart that we now announce our unavailability to replace Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Regardless of whether they now withdraw, the short timescales ensure it is impossible for our squad to prepare in the professional manner necessary to compete effectively in this global cricketing spectacle. We are not like Scotland and able to turn up on a whim, with no kit sponsor.

Our players are from all walks of life and cannot simply drop their occupations to fly halfway around the world to experience temperatures only normally felt in Finnish saunas. Our captain, a professional baker, needs to attend to his oven, our ship captain needs to steer his vessel, and our bankers need to go bankrupt (again). This is the harsh reality of cricket at the amateur level of the game.

This news will be extremely disappointing to our fans. Despite being the most peaceful nation on Earth, we maintain an army of online followers, and are the world's 14th most followed national board on X. We were ready to give the Dutch the biggest shock they have experienced since William of Orange lost the Battle of Landen in 1693. And the Americans were looking forward to taking on Greenland, or so their orange-dyed leader thought.

Our loss is likely Uganda's gain. We wish them well. Their kits cannot be missed unless you have epilepsy, in which case they are probably best avoided.

The future is always ice, until it isn't.

Yours sincerely,

Icelandic Cricket Association

[Journalist Federation of Kashmir @pressfreedomJFK]

Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj has spent over 1,000 days in jail under UAPA. The Journalist Federation of Kashmir calls his detention unjust and demands his immediate release. @pressfreedom @PCITweets @globalfreemedia @FrontLineHRD @IFJGlobal @RSF_inter @CPJAsia @PressClubDC

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

How three Uyghur brothers fled China – to spend 12 years in an Indian prison https://t.co/RdyAlp2Bvi

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

Day 4–5 & bears are still roaming the Nigeen–Saderbal–Naseembagh belt.
The bears are active, Wildlife Dept is not.
Right now the real danger isn’t wildlife, it’s inaction.
People are scared while the govt plays dead. If something goes wrong, it won’t be an accident.
@OmarAbdullah

[Raafi رَافِع @MohammadRaafi]

وہ محبت کی شروعات ، وہ بے تحاشہ خوشی
دیکھ کر ان کو وہ پھولے نہ سمانا دل کا

دل لگی، دل کی لگی بن کے مٹا دیتی ہے
روگ دشمن کو بھی یار�� ! نہ لگانا دل کا

[اردو ورثہ @UrduVirsa]

آج پیر سید نصیر الدین نصیرؒ کے یوم ولادت پر ان کا ایک شعر لکھیں جو آپ کا پسندیدہ شعر ہو۔

[Journalist Federation of Kashmir @pressfreedomJFK]

Tariq Bhat, a prominent journalist, who was associated with The Week, passed away on Tuesday morning due to heart attack at his home in Srinagar. He had offered morning prayers at a local masjid before breathing his last.
Tariq, 54, was a journalist for almost three decades, 1/3