Social media has profoundly damaged society. If I wrote those words a decade ago, few people would have agreed, but it is a widely shared belief now. Just last year, the Aspen Institute commissioned a six-month study that drew even darker conclusions. The report concluded that the misinformation and disinformation propagated by social media create “a chain reaction of harm,” …

China’s space programme took a major leap on Saturday (May 15) when an unmanned spacecraft, Zhurong rover, successfully landed on the surface of Mars, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, marking the country’s first landing on another planet and the second space-faring nation after the US to land on the red planet.

GB students are struggling to remain connected with digital world By Ramish KhanThere seems to be no one to understand the traumatic situation the students like me have been passing through for the last three months. If I start to jot down the stressful moments I have been through and how badly I have lost my mental peace, it will …

Digital Rights Movement Gilgit-Baltistan unveils 13-point Charter of Demands seeking an end to the monopoly of SCO, amendment to Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization Act  Students trying to catch signal at a vantage point on a hillock at Gulmit, Gojal Sub-Division of Hunza to attend online classes. Photo: Ali Ahmed Herald Report The youth-led digital rights movement that was born out of …

Herald Report Islamabad: A digital rights watchdog has expressed concern at the difficulties being faced by students in attending online classes due to lack of Internet facilities in the rural area of Pakistan and mountainous regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. The organisation has urged the government to provide an appropriate recourse for the students who are unable to access e-learning modules during …

News Desk The internet and new digital tools are being manipulated as never before to infringe on people’s right to free assembly, the UN’s top rights official says in a call for a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology during peaceful demonstrations. GENEVA: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on states and businesses to …

The team is there to re-measure the height of Everest, which is on the two countries’ border A team of Chinese surveyors have scaled Mount Everest, becoming the only climbers to summit the world’s highest peak during the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese media report the team is there to re-measure the height of Everest, which is on the two countries’ border. …

The social solidarity across the globe is the main measure to stop the episode of COVID-19 By Zahra Arshad Before the emergence of the pandemic as a global challenge, an unknown sickness was first recognized in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  It was called a Chinese novel virus. Across the globe, it was considered that this virus is a confined …

PARIS: The hunt for masks, ventilators and other medical supplies consumed the US and Europe on Monday, as new coronavirus infections soared and political paralysis stalled efforts for a quick aid package from Congress. On the financial markets, US futures jumped and global stock benchmarks trimmed their losses after the US Federal Reserve said it will lend to small and …

By Michael Karanicolas Pakistan’s newly published Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020 (the Rules) pose a serious danger for free speech in that country. Ostensibly, the Rules aim at curbing harmful online content, such as hate speech, harassment, and misinformation. However, the breadth of the Rules’ restrictions, and the intrusive requirements that they place on social media platforms, would severely threaten online freedom of expression in Pakistan. …

The peace deal was signed after 18 months of talks in Doha Sorin Furcoi Al Jazeera] Peace deal signed in Qatari capital, Doha, will pave the way for the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan within 14 months   Doha, Qatar: The US and the Taliban have signed a landmark peace agreement after nearly 20 years of war that could …

High Asia Herald Report Two young Pakistanis have been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Youth Awards, according to a press statement issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Jaya Rajwani and Hafiz Usama Tanveer were among 16 innovators, activists and entrepreneurs from 12 Commonwealth countries who were selected by a panel of Pan-Commonwealth judges in each of the award’s four regional categories. Jaya …

High Asia Herald Report   Islamabad: A Senate panel on Monday observed that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has no jurisdiction to regulate web TV and over the top (OTT) content services. The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights called the PEMRA Chairman for a briefing about the authority’s recent proposal to regulate Web TV and OTT services. “(PEMRA) …

Over 500 students stuck in Wuhan plead for evacuation; Gilgit asks Islamabad to delay reopening of Sost border HAH Report The outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan province of China has panicked people around the world especially in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), as a large number of students are currently studying in various Chinese universities and institutes. According to media reports, 82 people …

Madrid: With national delegations thrashing out an outcome agreement at the UN COP25 climate change conference in Madrid, the UN chief has called on countries to be more ambitious, side strongly with science, and commit to stronger action. “Today is the last day of the COP25 in Madrid”, said Secretary-General António Guterres. “And I appeal to the delegates of all Member States …