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Art and supernatural lovers were left spellbound as the ‘ Yokai Parade — Supernatural Monsters from Japan ’ exhibition closed its doors for Karachiites. The three-day exhibition, held from Monday to Wednesday, showcased pieces reproduced from various art forms that depicted yokai — best described as “Japanese folkloric imaginary monsters”. Words such as ghosts and jinns do not suffice to categorise what yokai are, since these imaginary beings dating centuries back have various shapes, sizes, myths, and even behaviours, thanks to the creativity of Japanese artists. As time passed, the art medium for these depictions changed from picture scrolls to woodblock prints to card games and popular media, which were displayed at the event (most of them being fine-quality replicas). The Karachi exhibition was organised by the Japan Foundation in collaboration with the Consulate-General of Japan in Karachi, the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association (PJCA), and the State Bank of Pakistan Muse...

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ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) announced on Wednesday that electricity rates for consumers of ex-Wapda distribution companies (Discos) will be higher next month despite lower fuel costs. During a public hearing on fuel cost adjustments (FCA) for September’s electricity consumption, a Nepra case officer said that “there would be a net increase of 15 paise per unit for consumers”, provided the regulator approved 71 paise per unit in refund demanded by Discos in November. He explained that an 86 paise per unit negative FCA was applicable in October bills that would come to an end and be replaced by a 71 paise negative adjustment, thus a net increase of 15 paise per unit. During the hearing, presided over by Nepra Chairman Waseem Mukhtar, the regulator’s technical member Rafique Sheikh inquired about the impact of lower FCAs and changes in consumption patterns on quarterly tariff adjustments (QTA) due next month. The case officer reported that quarte...

KARACHI: The stock market on Wednesday witnessed a rollercoaster session as the benchmark KSE 100 index witnessed wild fluctuations. Howe­ver, bears outnumbered bulls, ending the seven-session winning streak and pushing the index into negative territory. Initially, the index surged 1,008.54 points, hitting an intraday high of 91,872.63, but bears ente­red the market, pulling the index down by 860.78 points to the day’s low of 90,003.31. However, the index settled at 90,286.57 after losing 577.52 points or 0.64pc day-on-day. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said sto­cks closed under pressure on institutional profit-taking in overbought scrips. He added that foreign out­flows, rising industrial gas tariff, rupee instability and concerns for the outcome of Saudi investors seeking guarantees over sta­ble government policies for a $2bn investment played a catalyst role in the bearish close. Topline Securities Ltd said the downturn was primarily driven by investors engaging i...

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A Pakistan Army major and two soldiers were martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Wednesday, according to the military’s media wing. A press release from the Inter Services Public Relations said security forces carried out an IBO in the district’s general area of Bakka Khel based on the reported terrorist presence. It added that the troops “effectively engaged” the militants at their location, killing eight and injuring seven. “However, during intense exchange of fire, Major Atif Khalil (age: 31 years, resident of Sudhanuti district, Azad Jammu and Kashmir), a brave officer, who was leading his troops from front, fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom along with his two men. “The two soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice include Naik Azad Ullah (age: 36 years, resident of Kara districtk) and Lance Naik Ghazanfar Abbas (age: 35 years, resident of Layyah district),” the ISPR said. It added that a sanitisation operation w...

GAZA / BEIRUT: An Israeli air strike on a single residential block in Beit Lahiya killed nearly 100 people on Tuesday, leaving rescuers scrambling through rubble for survivors, with medics saying that at least 20 children were among the dead. Meanwhile, at least 60 people, including children, were killed and 58 others wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Separately, eight Austrian soldiers belonging to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) sustained injuries in a rocket strike on the force’s headquarters in Naqoura. Palestinian rescuers and desperate family members gathered round the demolished five-storey block in Beit Lahiya in the north of Gaza. A charred body with long hair hung out of an upper-storey window and corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up in the street below, as stunned relatives sought to identify the dead. Nearly 100 killed in Beit Lahiya airstrike; 60 dead in attacks on Bekaa Valley; US envoy presses Israel on Gaza humanitari...

QUETTA / GWADAR: Mil­itants killed five private security guards dep­loyed on the construction site of a dam in Panjgur district of Makran division on Tuesday, officials said. A Balochistan government spokesman said the attack took place in the early hours of Tuesday. Late on Tuesday night, the outlawed Baloch Libera­tion Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims were hired by the contractor for security duty at the dam site in the Promom area of Panjgur, officials added. A senior police official told Dawn that the assailants, armed with automatic weapons, arrived at the site on motorcycles. Victims were protecting dam construction site “Over a dozen armed men attacked the dam site where the victims were looking after the equipment and machinery,” the police officer said, adding the victims briefly returned fire but they were outnumbered. The Balochistan government spokesperson, Shahid Rind, said all five victims were locals. He said security forces mov...

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KURRAM: Two Fron­tier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred when unidentified shooters opened fire on Tall Scouts in the Char Khel area of Lower Kurram district on Monday, police sources said. The attack was carried out at a time when half a million residents have been facing acute shortage of daily commodities due to uncertain situation in the district, with several roads closed and public transport off the road. The police sources said that the FC personnel were deployed for the pro­tection of road users when some unidentified armed men attacked them. The two FC personnel suffered injuries in the attack and were rushed to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Tall. Later, police sources said both personnel could not survive. Residents seek security instead of road closures, say children can’t go to school Meanwhile, locals complained that roads were closed and patients could not be transported to hospitals, adding that there was acute shortage of medicines in the area. Medical su...

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LONDON: After lobbying UK parliamentarians to write to their government about Imran Khan’s incarceration , the PTI is going full steam ahead to campaign and build awareness overseas around the prolonged detention of its leader, with a planned protest at an event where former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa will be a key guest. A group of parliamentarians has issued a formal letter to UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Common­wealth & Development Affairs David Lammy, urging action on the detention of ex-premier Khan, while a PTI leader confirmed to Dawn on Sunday that London-based leaders and supporters of the party would protest at an event later this week where ex-CJP Isa would be a key guest. Speaking to Dawn , PTI’s UK-based leader Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari said, “Naturally, overseas Pakistanis are going to protest. Faez Isa has left a miserable legacy and destroyed the judicial system in Pakistan. He has a long charge sheet from depriving us from our symbol, to reserved seats...

• Minister stresses need for ‘DNA change’; says database to be utilised to identify tax evaders • After Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports to also go under the hammer • World Bank agrees to provide grant for capacity-building WASHINGTON: Not trading with your neighbours doesn’t make sense, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, when asked a question on increasing regional trade, particularly with India. Speaking at a wide-ranging presser, held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, he clarified that while “political connotations” or “geopolitical issues” affecting regional trade were outside his purview, Pakistan was “already engaging with its neighbours”. He noted that all intergovernmental organisations effe­ctively serve as “regi­onal corridors,” citing examples from south-east Asia and the countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). “We recently attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference and are keen to joi...

Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said on Sunday that he would not follow the Supreme Court’s order on the reserved seats case, stating that he would wait for a decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before taking action. Speaking on the Geo News programme ‘Jirga with Saleem Safi’, the speaker also said that the Supreme Court cannot challenge the recently passed 26th constitutional amendment , stating that doing so “would go against the Constitution itself”. “It is the Election Commission’s job to notify members,” Sadiq said. “If we start listening to courts, there are many decisions … We won’t do it on the court’s order, we will wait for the ECP to notify it,” he added. The speaker added that he would receive court orders, but would not act on them, instead wait for a notification from the ECP. In July, the top court declared the PTI eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, giving it a ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan issued a strong condemnation on Saturday of Israel’s missile strikes on Iran , describing them as a “grave violation” of the country’s sovereignty and international law. In a statement , the Foreign Office warned that the attacks posed a significant threat to peace and stability in an already volatile region. “Israeli military strikes against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran are a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law. “These strikes undermine the path to regional peace and stability and also constitute a dangerous escalation,” the FO said, holding Israel responsible for an “escalation and expansion of the conflict”. Starmer says Israel has right to self-defence; Biden hopes ‘this is the end’ after strikes Pakistan also urged the UN Security Council to step in and halt “Israeli recklessness in the region and its criminal behaviour.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed these concerns on social media, condemning the att...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been ranked the third-worst among 142 countries in terms of law and order, according to a new report. The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index is an annual survey which ranks nations on eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice. In the 2024 edition of the report, Pakistan was ranked 140th for Order and Security, which measured three factors: crime control, protection from armed conflicts and the use of violence to resolve civil disputes. Only Mali and Nigeria were below Pakistan in terms of law and order and security. Gets overall ranking of 129 out of 142 nations on Rule of Law Index Pakistan ranked 103rd for constraints on government powers, 120th for corruption, 106 for open government, 125th for fundamental rights, 127th for regulatory enforcement, 128th for civil justice and 98th for criminal jus...

GUJAR KHAN / ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, the sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan, were released from the Jhelum District Jail on Friday after a judge granted them bail . Noreen Naizi, Mr Khan’s third sister, family members and party workers gathered outside the prison and welcomed the two women, who were detained for allegedly leading a protest in Islamabad earlier this month. The crowd showered them with rose petals and chanted slogans in support of Mr Khan and his sisters. In a brief talk with reporters, Ms Aleema claimed she and her sister were kept isolated from other inmates and not allowed facilities like TV and telephone calls. The release of Mr Khan’s sisters came two days after his wife, Bushra Bibi, was granted bail in the Toshakhana case. Ms Aleema said her brother was also detained in the same case and demanded his release as well. Ms Niazi dismissed the speculation that back-to-back bails were a result of any “deal” with the powers that be. Sources said...

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that Ukraine has twice approached Russia with peace proposals, mediated by Turkiye, only to abandon its initiatives soon after. In an interview with the Russian channel Rossiya 1 , Putin urged Kyiv to clarify its stance on peace talks. “Our Turkish partners … have approached us with what they described as initiatives from the Ukrainian side. But each time we agreed, the Ukrainians had already withdrawn their proposal. This has happened twice. Ultimately, we need clarity on their readiness and intentions,” he said. Putin said Turkish representatives had given him “Ukraine-related materials” on the sidelines of the Brics economic bloc summit in the city of Kazan, which he said required careful review and that he had not yet had the chance to examine them thoroughly. He, however, emphasised that any agreement would need to consider and respect Russia’s interests. Russia’s started its “special military operation” in Ukraine in Febru...

The attacks of October 7, 2023, saw over 1,000 people killed in Israel, while over 250 were taken hostage by Hamas. Israel was caught off guard, as was the rest of the world. Nobody saw it coming, nor did anyone see the Israeli military’s retaliatory scorched-earth campaign in the Gaza Strip. It’s been over a year since that day, during which time Gaza has borne witness to one of the bloodiest conflicts in the region in decades. Over 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with Israel no closer to rescuing the hostages, although the Israeli military assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in July and his successor Yahya Sinwar in October, who was the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks. Meanwhile, South Africa has filed a “genocide” case against Israel with the International Court of Justice, while the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes. A Pal...