When TikTok was arguing for its survival in the US in front of a US appeals court, the topic of Palestine took centre stage as TikTok's lawyer and circuit court judges went back and forth about the future of the social media platform.
“What about the case involving the Palestine Information Office, are you familiar with that case?” asked DC Circuit Court Judge Neomi Rao, one of three judges hearing TikTok's argument against a law passed by US congress that could lead to a potential ban in the country.
“I don't think I am [familiar], unfortunately, I apologise your honour,” said TikTok's lawyer Andrew Pincus.
Judge Rao is referring to case from 1987 known as Palestine Information Office v Shultz.
“There, this court said the fact that the Palestine Information Office, which was an entity in the US, could be shut down by the State Department, in part because of it's affiliation as a foreign mission to the PLO, which is a designated terrorist organisation,” said Judge Rao.
“Our court seemed to suggest very strongly that the control or the relationship itself was part of the strong justification for what the government did,” she explained to Mr Pincus, who seemed to be on the defensive for much of the hearing.
“I'm not familiar with that case your honour, I'm happy to address it in a supplemental brief,” Mr Pincus told the judge, trying to pivot to his overall arguments against the legislation passed by US Congress that seeks to force Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok.
It is not yet clear if TikTok's lawyer being unfamiliar with Palestine Information Office v Shultz will impact his overall argument, but one thing is for certain, given that it was one of the first topics brought up by one of the three appeals court judges, the case's precedent is definitely being tested to some extent.
Palestine Information Office versus Shultz origins
The case of PIO v Shultz stretches back to 1987, when then US Secretary of State George Shultz, and ultimately the US State Department, ordered the closure of the Palestine Information Office in Washington DC.
That decision stemmed from a US law passed in 1982 known as the Foreign Missions Act, which caused tighter regulation with regard to foreign missions inside the US.
More specifically, it sought to “protect the US public from abuses and privileges and immunities by members of foreign missions”, while also seeking to regulate “the activities of foreign missions in the US in a manner that protects the foreign policy and national security interests of the US”.
Since the US classified the Palestine Liberation Organisation as a terrorist group, it applied the Foreign Missions Act to the Palestine Information Office as well, claiming that the office operated in association with the PLO.
In response, the PIO sued Mr Schultz, alleging that the organisation's freedom of speech and association was being violated.
The US government, however, told the circuit court that closing the PIO was well within the State Department's responsibility to conduct foreign affairs.
In the end, the circuit court upheld the State Department's decision to close the PIO office.
“Having found that the Secretary's determination that the PIO is a 'foreign mission' representing the PLO was proper, the court concludes that the plaintiff's constitutional claims … do not rise to the level necessary to implicate First Amendment concerns,” the court wrote, dismissing the case and the idea that the PIO's free speech was being violated.
Thirty-seven years after the gavel slammed in on that particular case, it appears that decision may be weighing heavily on the outcome of TikTok's fight against US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and for that matter, the legislation that could potentially ban TikTok from operating in the US.
TikTok's argument
Back in April, US President Joe Biden signed HR 7521, also known as the 'protecting Americans from foreign adversary controlled applications act.'
That legislation singled out ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok, and essentially accused it of being under control of China, therefore making it a threat to US national security.
The bill requires that ByteDance divest from TikTok for the app to continue operating for millions of users in the US.
TikTok came out swinging against the legislation, urging users to call legislators and insist that the platform's free speech was being violated.
After passing both houses of US Congress and ultimately receiving a signature from Joe Biden, TikTok decided to sue the US government.
During his argument before the US appeals court, Mr Pincus disagreed with US government's claim that ByteDance was based out of China, and stated that it's technically a holding company registered in the Cayman Islands.
In response, Sri Srinivasan, one of three judges at the hearing, told Mr Pincus that company was ultimately “subject to Chinese control”, seeming to echoing the legislative concerns that data from the app could fall into the hands of Chinese government officials.
TikTok's lawyer, however, kept refocusing on his main arguments.
“This law imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks,” he explained.
“For the first time in history, Congress has expressly targeted a specific US speaker, banning its speech and the speech of 170 million Americans.”
He also told the judges that mere foreign ownership of companies should not necessarily negate the exercise of free speech, listing several US media companies that he said were owned by foreign entities.
“We have lots of publications owned by foreign entities and to say your foreign ownership casts your First Amendment in doubt … would fundamentally change the first amendment,” he added.
“Mere foreign ownership can't possibly be a justification because it would throw the First Amendment on its head.”
It remains to be seen when the court will make its much-anticipated decision regarding the TikTok's future, but it is likely to do so before the January 19 divestment deadline codified in the legislation signed by US President Joe Biden.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPayal%20Kapadia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kani%20Kusruti%2C%20Divya%20Prabha%2C%20Chhaya%20Kadam%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Asia%20Cup%202022
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhat%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAsia%20Cup%20final%3A%20Sri%20Lanka%20v%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhen%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESunday%2C%20September%2011%2C%20from%206pm%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhere%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EDubai%20International%20Stadium%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHow%20to%20watch%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ECatch%20the%20live%20action%20on%20Starzplay%20across%20Mena%20region.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Political flags or banners
-
Bikes, skateboards or scooters
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
UAE%20ILT20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMarquee%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMoeen%20Ali%2C%20Andre%20Russell%2C%20Dawid%20Malan%2C%20Wanindu%20Hasiranga%2C%20Sunil%20Narine%2C%20Evin%20Lewis%2C%20Colin%20Munro%2C%20Fabien%20Allen%2C%20Sam%20Billings%2C%20Tom%20Curran%2C%20Alex%20Hales%2C%20Dushmantha%20Chameera%2C%20Shimron%20Hetmyer%2C%20Akeal%20Hosein%2C%20Chris%20Jordan%2C%20Tom%20Banton%2C%20Sandeep%20Lamichhane%2C%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20Rovman%20Powell%2C%20Bhanuka%20Rajapaksa%2C%20Mujeeb%20Ul%20Rahman%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInternational%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ELahiru%20Kumara%2C%20Seekugge%20Prassanna%2C%20Charith%20Asalanka%2C%20Colin%20Ingram%2C%20Paul%20Stirling%2C%20Kennar%20Lewis%2C%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Brandon%20Glover%2C%20Ravi%20Rampaul%2C%20Raymon%20Reifer%2C%20Isuru%20Udana%2C%20Blessing%20Muzarabani%2C%20Niroshan%20Dickwella%2C%20Hazaratullah%20Zazai%2C%20Frederick%20Klassen%2C%20Sikandar%20Raja%2C%20George%20Munsey%2C%20Dan%20Lawrence%2C%20Dominic%20Drakes%2C%20Jamie%20Overton%2C%20Liam%20Dawson%2C%20David%20Wiese%2C%20Qais%20Ahmed%2C%20Richard%20Gleeson%2C%20James%20Vince%2C%20Noor%20Ahmed%2C%20Rahmanullah%20Gurbaz%2C%20Navin%20Ul%20Haq%2C%20Sherfane%20Rutherford%2C%20Saqib%20Mahmood%2C%20Ben%20Duckett%2C%20Benny%20Howell%2C%20Ruben%20Trumpelman%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5