Blanket ban on word ‘shaheed’ to be lifted by Meta

Global technological giant Meta has decided to lift its blanket ban on the use of word “shaheed” (martyr) as per the recommendations of its Oversight Board. The company, which also own prominent social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, announced the policy change after accepting the board’s extensive review which assessed that the blanket ban might be censoring those speaking about violence in conflict-hit places such as Gaza and Sudan. The word “Shaheed”, which Meta itself has accepted to being subjected to one of the most over-enforced blanket bans, has…

White House says zero chance Biden will withdraw

WASHINGTON: Joe Biden is “absolutely not” pulling out of the White House race, his spokeswoman said Wednesday, as pressure mounted on the president following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump. Panic has gripped Democrats in the wake of last week’s debate, and internal rumblings about finding a replacement candidate before November’s election have been amplified by polls showing Trump extending his lead. The New York Times and CNN reported that Biden, 81, had acknowledged to a key ally that his reelection bid was on the line if he failed to quickly reassure the…

High-profile terrorist commander killed in Bajaur IBO: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: A high-profile terrorist commander was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the military’s media affairs wing said on Wednesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of local commander Irfan Ullah Adnan, who was killed during an intense exchange of fire. The slain terrorist was actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent civilians, according to the ISPR. He was a most-wanted…