Facebook to train 1 mn US entrepreneurs in digital skills
San Francisco, June 9: Aim to give individuals and companies the tools they need to flourish in an increasingly digital economy, Facebook has vowed to train one million people and small business owners across the US by 2020.
"Our plan is to work side by side with communities to provide more free in-person training, mentorship and online courses," Amy Brooks, Facebook's Business Education Director, said in a statement on Friday.
"We're developing local partnerships across the US so we can create free training for skills like coding, digital marketing, and more," Brooks added.
"By the end of the year we plan to establish new local partnerships which include teaming up with 20 community colleges to offer digital marketing training," said Brooks.
Facebook said it also plans to train more US businesses on how to use Facebook and Instagram to build and grow their businesses using "Blueprint", which includes a free e-learning programme available in 14 different languages.
Facebook launched Blueprint in March 2015.
"So far, more than 160,000 US small businesses have been trained using Blueprint, and by 2020 we plan to train an additional 250,000," Brooks said.
Facebook also announced it will launch in autumn of this year "Learn with Facebook", a free online training resource to equip people with the skills they need to grow and become drivers of their local economies.
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Pakistani Defence Minister admits past support for terror outfits at the behest of the West
calls it a costly mistake
Islamabad: In a stunning revelation, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has admitted that the country supported militant groups for decades on behalf of the United States and its Western allies, including the United Kingdom — a strategy he now acknowledges as a grave and costly mistake.
Speaking to Sky News, Asif said, “We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the United Kingdom.” He emphasized that such involvement, particularly during the Soviet-Afghan war and the post-9/11 US-led campaign in Afghanistan, had deeply undermined Pakistan’s own national interest.
He further stated that had Pakistan maintained neutrality in those conflicts, its international reputation would have remained “unimpeachable.”
During the Soviet-Afghan conflict, Pakistan was a frontline ally of the US, facilitating the training and arming of militants against Soviet forces. The country’s strategic location made it a key player in the US-led proxy war. After 9/11, Pakistan again joined forces with the US to combat the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, continuing its involvement in regional conflicts through militant proxies.
Asif’s remarks come amid renewed global scrutiny following a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians — mostly tourists — were brutally killed. The attack has been linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), led by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
Intelligence agencies believe the Pahalgam massacre was carried out by a group of foreign terrorists operating with local logistical support. The same network is believed to be responsible for a series of recent attacks in the Kashmir Valley, including deadly incidents in Sonamarg, Ganderbal, and Boota Pathri.
In October 2024, coordinated attacks in Boota Pathri and Sonamarg claimed the lives of army personnel, civilian laborers, and a doctor. Hashim Musa, one of the key suspects in the Pahalgam attack, is also believed to have played a role in those earlier incidents.
