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Evacuation in the Snow: Fears of Conflict Drive Mass Exodus from Pakistan’s Tirah Valley

Residents from Tirah valley, who fled a remote mountainous region bordering Afghanistan, gather to get themself registered, in Bara, Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan A wave of displacement is sweeping through northwest Pakistan as thousands of families flee the Tirah Valley after mosque loudspeakers warned residents of possible upcoming military action. The sudden announcements triggered a rapid and chaotic departure, with many families leaving in the middle of harsh winter conditions. Residents describe a tense atmosphere in the valley, where fears of renewed conflict between security forces and militant groups have been simmering for months. Entire communities have packed their belongings onto trucks, donkeys, and makeshift carts, heading toward safer towns such as Bara and Peshawar. Government officials insist that no military operation has been ordered and attribute the movement of people to seasonal migration patterns. Locals strongly dispute this, sayi...

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TikTok Goes Dark for US Users Amid National Security Concerns

 

TikTok, the viral social media platform, has officially gone dark for its 170 million American users. This unprecedented shutdown follows a law enacted by Congress, which mandates the app's ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its shares. The app's sudden inaccessibility has left millions of users in the lurch, with a message stating, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now".

The shutdown comes just before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Trump has indicated that he will work on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office, potentially granting a 90-day extension to finalize an agreement. This intervention could provide a temporary reprieve for the app, which has been at the center of national security debates due to its Chinese ownership.

TikTok's fate now hangs in the balance, with users and creators eagerly awaiting further developments. The platform's shutdown marks a significant moment in the ongoing tension between the U.S. and China over data privacy and national security concerns.

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