One of them was Lahore’s Superior University, which established a campus in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) just last year.

“I considered many universities, but they do not offer cyber security as a main subject, more as a module,” said 16-year-old Dubai resident Allan George. “But at Superior [University], they do.”

Dubai wants to be the ultimate destination for education, and Pakistanis can benefit

George’s friend, Prasanga Parajuli, was also impressed by the university’s offerings.

“I wanted an MBA course and they told me how much it was and what its requirements are. They offer internships they offer [project] incubation, job help and scholarships as well.”

Superior University has been the flag-bearer for Pakistan in this region, said the university’s academic director, Ayesha Zahid.

“There is a lot of responsibility on us also because we are representing our country,” she said. “We are proud Pakistanis but we are not here only for the Pakistani community. All communities are more than welcome because our curriculum is globally accepted.”

Some of the degrees and courses offered at Superior in RAK are business intelligence, mass communication, accounting and finance, as well as fashion design.

“Currently we are offering programmes which have a skill-based curriculum, different from the other universities who are operating here,” Zahid said. “We have a very unique programme: it is an experiential learning framework where the students study in the university for three years and in the fourth, they will have an opportunity to work in the industry.”

Zahid was wearing two hats at this year’s GETEX. She is also the director of coordination for the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP), which has brought together various private universities from across Pakistan to the GETEX stage for the first time.

“The Pakistan pavilion has been set up under the leadership of Professor Dr Chaudhary Abdul Rehman, who is the chairman for the association,” said Zahid, as well as. “His vision is to represent Pakistan at the international borders because India is present everywhere but unfortunately Pakistan is not.”

Universities represented at the pavilion were taking full advantage of the chance to be at GETEX, offering scholarships and on-the-spot admissions.

“We’re giving an opportunity to the Pakistani diaspora to be able to come to Pakistan and for parents to have the confidence to send their children to Peshawar, which is safe,” said Munir Lone, advisor to City University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar. “We have halls of residence, we have all the pastoral care facilities available for them to come and study, achieve their goals and reach their full potential.”

Lone said an emphasis on student employment is what makes City University stand out.

He explained that the university has a department dedicated to helping students with placements, career counselling and job applications.

A wholesome educational experience relies not just on the university but also the city it’s in, and that is one of the many selling points for the University of Sialkot (USKT), according to Rukhshanda Saleem, the university’s international office director.

“One thing which is very pronounced about Sialkot is its industry,” she said, talking to Business Recorder. “Sialkot is the city of entrepreneurs and is famous for surgical, leather, sports, and musical instruments.”

Another claim to Sialkot’s fame is its agricultural strength as well.

“We offer all courses which are a requirement of society,” said Saleem, talking about the slew of degrees and associate degree programmes offered at USKT. The university offers everything from degrees in natural and social sciences, technology, business management, Islamic studies, and communication.

It already has international students but hopes to attract more.

“We have students from Kenya and Palestine and now we are working towards the next horizons. Our slogan is ‘sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hai’.”

Where recruitment was the main agenda item for most universities, international collaboration was the target for the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi.

“I think it was a very successful event,” said Nabhan Karim, the institute’s head of marketing and communication. “We got to interact with a lot of different universities, not just from the UAE but again from around the world, from Europe and other countries of Asia.”

Previously, IoBM has had memoranda of understanding with universities in Malaysia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, China, and Russia, he noted.

Students are able to opt for faculty exchange or research exchange and we were able to meet with some of our existing partners, Karim said.

This year they have made headway with Albanian universities that were attending GETEX. IoBM, which has a strong alumni presence in Dubai, operates on the philosophy of experiential learning.

“We’re not just giving students simply an education but we’re grooming them to be entrepreneurs, we’re grooming them to be global citizens,” he said.

Much work laid ahead for George and Parajuli, who were loaded with prospectuses and information about various universities.

“GETEX gives you an opportunity to decide what your future is and where you want to go,” said George, who is currently in grade 12.

Now in its 41st edition, GETEX is the oldest and largest education-focused exhibition in the region, according to a press release. Over the years, it has adapted to the evolving global education landscape, enabling students to make informed decisions about their academic and professional futures.

GETEX 2025 was held from April 30 to May 2 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

As Pakistan went into a government-mandated lockdown to stymie the spread of Covid, “work” meant signing into Teams or onto Zoom through our laptops, school was reduced to children struggling with online classes, and each of us tried to reconcile the edicts of social distancing with cultural norms in our own way, even as news of the deaths in our communities trickled in.

The sudden, surreal changes were a clean break from what had hitherto been normal, inducing a sense of societal-level anxiety that was felt collectively, even in our isolation.

News that a PIA plane that had flown out from Lahore had smashed into a densely-populated Karachi neighborhood came like another calamity from the skies

Then, as we prepared for a first Eid in lockdown – how would prayers work? which relatives could we visit? – news that a PIA plane that had flown out from Lahore had smashed into a densely-populated Karachi neighbourhood came like another calamity from the skies.

Only two people survived that spectacular wreck: one an engineer named Zubair; the other a personality of some renown, Zafar Masud, CEO of the Bank of Punjab, son of veteran actor Munawwar Saeed.

In the wake of the disaster, frenzied social media posts and chaotic reporting hailed the latter’s survival as a miracle. Some included Whatsapp messages speculating about the prayers Masud had allegedly recited to escape the wreckage.

Since then, Masud himself has spoken up about the experience of surviving the disaster, reclaiming the narrative around the tragedy. Seat 1C is his exploration of the circumstances that led to the catastrophic failure, and an attempt to come to terms with being one of only two exceptions in a tragedy that killed 98 (spoiler alert: there are no references to prayers that help one escape a plane crash).

Masud’s insight is that the disaster was not a deviation, but the logical outcome of an institution that over the years has failed to reward efficiency and professionalism, instead favouring cronyism at the expense of passenger safety.

His insight is that the that series of failures that led to the crash were not down to one individual – critical as that individual might have been – but a function of the organizational culture of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Business losses: Financial restructuring under way at PIA, NA told

In other words, the calamity came not from the skies, from some divine source, but was of our own making. As a public sector specialist, Masud knows something about institutional inertia and state failure, and he traces the arc of all the plane crashes in recent Pakistani history, delving into the factors that led to them – and the utter lack of interest in learning from those incidents and rectifying institutional failures.

He paints the picture of an organization that is frozen into inertia, incapable of learning from its experiences and correcting course.

The description of the crash itself is bone-chilling. Masud weaves together his memory of the day with flight data recovered later, to construct an account of breathtaking institutional failure.

At several points in this narrative, we see that a different choice would have led to a happier outcome, but dogged disregard for professional norms, consistently poor communication, and hubris borne out of ignorance, kept flight 8303 firmly on the path to disaster. The description of the moment it became clear to passengers that they were hurtling towards their death leaves one cold:

“I cannot explain how alarming complete silence is in an aircraft that is still suspended in the air, and all its engines and auxiliary power units grind to a halt…When the flight crew- trained to maintain a stoic façade- begins to unravel, you know that something is wrong. The three of them had begun crying and reciting verses from the Quran,” he writes.

The account of the crash frames Masud’s reflections in the later chapters: to him it is not just one accident, but a metaphor for the downfall of Pakistan’s institution. As such he uses it as a canvas to tease out the factors which he believes are responsible for Pakistan’s steady decline.

One of these, unsurprisingly, is hubris; another is ritual observance. The crash happened on the last Friday of Ramazan, and with many ground control staff having left to offer special prayers on the religiously significant day, oversight of the flight was weakened.

On the other side of the coin, the “rituals” and established patterns and practices of in-flight observances and communication, were casually flouted by flight and ground crew, adding to the confusion and leading to the crash.

Masud examines and re-examines the crash through the lens of different factors: those that led to the disaster – “arrogance”, “rituals”, “communication” – but also those that resulted in his rescue – “sincerity”, “goodness”, “miracles”.

Building on the latter, he proffers possible panaceas for the ills afflicting our institutions. This is more than just sermonizing: the 98 that perished lay heavy on him, and Masud teases out lessons for himself as well as for policymakers, articulating the values that could have led to an alternative reality in which he would not be only one of two survivors.

Insofar as that, his fundamental faith in institutions is still intact – indeed after his accident he has redoubled his efforts to build them, which makes for an affirming read.

Not everyone will share his optimism, however.

Earlier this month, media reported on a wheel that had gone “missing” from a Lahore-bound PIA aircraft. For a layperson and an occasional flyer, the news was low-key alarming – but at any given point our newsfeeds are full of reasons for more immediate alarm.

The wheel after all was only one of six of the plane’s landing gear, and although the technicians should probably have spotted it before the plane took flight, one reasoned that possibly the five other wheels were enough to do the job. Did one really expect pre-flight safety checks and runway monitoring protocols to be followed so ritualistically? Could a single missing wheel really cause an accident?

The nonchalant attitude and the reactive scrambling after the fact, reminded one of the factors that had led to the fall of flight 8303. Despite the lessons offered by a series of air disasters, it seems that the safety of passengers on Pakistani flights will continue to be left to miracles and chance.

Journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood take transport readers to 1970’s Karachi, as they explore a true crime, while Mohammed El-Kurd explores the plight of Palestinians in the global world order.

Here is a selection of some of our recommendations:

‘The Dream Hotel’: Laila Lalami

Pulitzer Prize and National Book finalist Laila Lalami has leaned on her experiences to write five novels with Moroccan American characters.

Lalami breaks into the dystopian science-fiction genre with a novel about a near-future America that uses algorithms and technology to surveil dreams. Upon arriving at the airport, Sara is detained because data from her dreams report that she will commit a crime in the future. Forced to stay in a retention facility, she finds other women who must also work to prove their innocence for dreaming.

In today’s swiftly- evolving algorithm-driven world, this dystopia doesn’t seem very distant. The themes of censorship, propaganda, and surveillance in the likes of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Divergent’ that I grew up reading feel a lot less like fiction and more like a cautionary tale. Under the lens of the War on Terror and surveillance technology that has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, Lalami challenges readers to consider what privacy means and if it is possible at all.

The Dream Hotel is expected March 4.

‘None of us voted for you’: KLF audience challenge Karachi mayor Murtaza Wahab

‘Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies, and Scandal’: Saba Imtiaz, Tooba Masood

In Pakistan’s first true-crime podcast, ‘Notes on a Scandal’, journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood took listeners into the scene of Karachi in 1970 and the infamous cold case of poet and former high-ranking government officer Mustafa Zaidi. At the time, the murder mystery enthralled the local media and the world, and over 50 years later, Imtiaz and Masood’s investigation of the events and socio-political landscape captivated a global audience.

Society Girl is the amalgamation of years of investigation and research Imtiaz and Masood did to break down Zaidi’s case. The book is a crossover of Pakistan’s history, investigative journalism and a commentary on the scandals of Karachi’s elite and the country’s politics. This reads to me like ‘Gossip Girl’ meets investigative journalism with a backdrop of the 70s. They’ve got my attention.

Society Girl was published October 2, 2024.

‘Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal’: Mohammed El-Kurd

In 2021, poet, author, journalist and activist Mohammed El-Kurd amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across social media channels for his global campaign to document and raise awareness for Israel’s displacement of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.

That same year, he released his debut collection of poetry titled Rifqa, a reflection of his own family’s dispossession from Sheikh Jarrah and the reality of Israel’s violent settler colonialism.

El-Kurd and his writing are truly a gift to the younger generations, carrying the light of the legendary writer and politician Ghassan Kanafani. He is a revolutionary writer who dares to remind us that change and liberation are active, not passive. ‘Perfect Victims’ asks readers to reframe their understanding of the perfect victim and why Palestinians must continue to prove their humanity.

Perfect Victims was publushed February 11, 2025.

‘Dream Count’: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It has been over a decade since award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie graced her international readership with a new novel. Luckily, the release of Dream Count is finally slated for this year.

This contemporary featuring Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer, takes place during the COVID pandemic when she wrestles with her past experiences and people in her life. The narrative covers sensitive subjects including depression, sexual assault, among other things.

Adichie’s team shared on a Facebook post that this book is “quintessentially African at heart.” Some of her other famous books Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists redefine gender equity, race, and identity through Nigerian characters. She does not go unnoticed for her authenticity in introducing readers to multi-dimensional characters with identities and experiences that might not be familiar to them.

Dream Count is expected to release March 4.

‘Katabasis’: R.F. Kuang

Award-winning author R.F. Kuang of the ‘Poppy War’ trilogy, ‘Babel’, and ‘Yellowface’ has taken a turn back to the fantasy genre to produce a book with roots in ancient Greek: a hero’s descent into the underworld. This dark-academia story follows two rivals who must travel to hell together to save their professor’s soul after he dies in a magical freak accident.

Kuang has an unassuming writing style that took me by surprise when I read Yellowface and met her at a book signing in 2024. Unlike anything I had ever read, her satire meets psychological thriller steps into the thoughts of a white woman who loses her mind.

The storytelling forces the reader to question the ethics of writing narratives that aren’t your own. I am so curious to see what creativity Kuang has whipped up this time.

Katabasis is expected to be released August 26.

Over the past three days, the LLF has embodied a confluence of literature, history, and ideas, serving as a premier platform for erudite discourse and cross-cultural engagement. The final day was a distinguished affair, replete with profound literary dialogues, illuminating historical explorations, and captivating book unveilings, culminating in a transcendent Qawwali performance by the esteemed Sher Miandad Khan.

The concluding day of LLF showcased a stellar lineup of intellectuals, historians, and literary stalwarts, each contributing to a vibrant discussion on the evolution of literature and its indispensable role in shaping societies. Among the most anticipated talks was “Mughal Lahore and Modern Tellings,” a compelling exploration of the grandeur of the Mughal era, its cultural legacy, and the narratives that continue to define Lahore’s historical identity. Renowned scholars presented nuanced perspectives, enriching the audience with unparalleled insights into Lahore’s artistic and literary grandeur.

The launch of Ringside drew substantial attention. It featured a stimulating discourse between Nasim Ashraf and Shahid Malik, deliberating on the intricate intersections of sports, diplomacy, and governance. This discussion profoundly reflected Pakistan’s sporting history and broader socio-political ramifications.

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Art of Speculative Storytelling

One of the most engrossing sessions of the day was “Parallel Universes,” where luminaries of speculative fiction, including Karen Joy Fowler and Robert V.S. Redick, captivated the audience with their astute analyses of the genre. Chaired by Nur Nasreen Ibrahim, this session delved into the role of science fiction and fantasy literature in reflecting contemporary anxieties, stimulating imagination, and redefining storytelling paradigms.

Unearthing Forgotten Histories

A standout feature of the final day was the compelling session on “Forgotten Images: Postcards of Pre-Partition Pakistan (1890-1947)”, masterfully presented by F.S. Aijazuddin. This session meticulously dissected rare visual archives, shedding light on historical narratives often relegated to obscurity. Attendees were transported through time as the discussion illuminated the cultural and historical intricacies of pre-Partition Pakistan.

The “The Future of Dialects” session was yet another intellectual highlight. Linguists and cultural custodians passionately debated the urgent need to preserve Indigenous languages. The discourse reinforced LLF’s unwavering commitment to fostering linguistic diversity and safeguarding Pakistan’s rich linguistic heritage.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Scheduled from February 21 to 23, 2025, at the Alhamra Arts Council, this year’s festival will host over 150 eminent scholars, historians, authors, poets, artists, and thought leaders worldwide, engaging in more than 60 insightful sessions.

The festival will open with a powerful inaugural session, “Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia,” featuring renowned historian Dr. Ayesha Jalal and distinguished academic Mary Richardson. It will take place on February 21 at 2:30 PM in Alhamra Hall 1 and set the stage for a profound exploration of intellectual traditions, historical narratives, and contemporary discourse shaping the Muslim world.

A Global Stage for Literature, Art, and Ideas:

LLF 2025 promises a captivating program spanning literature, history, poetry, cinema, heritage, architecture, and contemporary affairs. The festival will host a series of panel discussions, book launches, poetry readings, and exhibitions, complemented by compelling performances and visual art showcases. A prestigious exhibition at the Allah Bakhsh Gallery will further enrich the festival’s artistic dimension.

Beyond the walls of Alhamra, Lahore’s cultural landscape will come alive, with select sessions and artistic engagements taking place across the city. This expansion reaffirms LLF’s role as Pakistan’s premier intellectual and cultural gathering, drawing audiences eager to engage with ideas that transcend borders.

A Vision of Excellence: Leadership Remarks:

Chairman Alhamra and CEO LLF Razi Ahmed expressed his unwavering commitment to crating an intellectually enriching experience: “LLF is a rare platform where the most distinguished voices of our time engage in meaningful conversations on literature, culture, and global narratives. This year’s festival embodies a commitment to excellence, offering a forum where ideas flourish and boundaries dissolve.”

Echoing this sentiment, Alhamra’s Executive Director, Touqeer Haider Kazmi, emphasized the institution’s dedication to fostering cultural dialogue: “Alhamra proudly hosts LLF, a festival that embodies the soul of literary and artistic heritage while showcasing Lahore as a beacon of intellectual and cultural prestige.

With every edition, LLF transforms the city into a crossroads of global thought, where voices from around the world converge to inspire, challenge, and reimaging the future of literature and the arts. This celebration honours tradition and paves the way for new narratives, reinforcing Lahore’s legacy as a thriving center of creativity and knowledge.“

LLF 2025 will welcome an extraordinary roster of international and national luminaries, including Dr. Ayesha Jalal (historian, USA), Diana Darke (Middle Eastern cultural heritage expert, UK), Susan Stronge (scholar of Mughal and Sikh art, UK), Peter Frankopan (acclaimed historian, UK), Jessica Bruder (award-winning journalist and author, USA), Fatimah Asghar (renowned poet and screenwriter, USA), David Wiegand (celebrated German writer), Mishal Husain (esteemed BBC journalist, UK), Ez El Hassan (Palestinian filmmaker and media scholar, Qatar), Sunila Jayawardena (Sri Lankan environmentalist), Luca M. Olivieri (Italian archaeologist, Swat Mission Director), Clemens Berger (Austrian playwright and columnist), Sofka Zinovieff (British journalist and author), Yasmeen Hameed and Iftikhar Arif (icons of Pakistani literature).

LLF 2025 is an unmissable cultural landmark. As one of South Asia’s most significant literary festivals, LLF 2025 stands as a beacon of intellectual engagement, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation. It offers audiences an unparalleled opportunity to interact with literary icons, discover groundbreaking ideas, and witness the fusion of global and regional narratives.

Over the past twelve editions, the Lahore Literary Festival has not just flourished—it has redefined the city’s cultural and intellectual heartbeat. Year after year, it has welcomed visionary thinkers, literary giants, and artistic pioneers, transforming Alhamra into a global crossroads of ideas and inspiration. From riveting discussions to unforgettable performances, LLF has sparked a dialogue that resonates far beyond borders.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Karachi’s residents, who have over time seen their city become one of the least livable in the world according to the Econo­mist Intelligence Unit (EIU), were eager to listen to any answer from the mayor – who belongs to the province’s ruling party – on several topics such as sustaining development of public spaces, public-private partnerships, housing, cleanliness, among countless others.

One particular quip received audience-wide appreciation with moderator Mahim Maher calling it a “killer question.”

“I have a very simple question. You are the mayor, however, none of us voted for you. What are you seeing in terms of the direct mayoral elections?” the audience member asked.

Mayor Wahab replied with a smart quip of his own, saying that likewise, no one voted for the previous two prime ministers either, apparently referring to rigging allegations that mar Pakistan’s general elections.

Audience members were also eagerly waving hands to have an opportunity during the question-and-answer period of the session. On high-rise living projects, architect Arif Hasan directed a comment to the mayor stating, “In my opinion, much of what you say is questionable.”

Citing his own career, Hasan continued to say, “Dharavi is a major failure.” The state of Dharavi is a cautionary tale about the direction Mayor Wahab’s government is attempting to take Karachi’s development.

To his credit, the mayor took questions in stride and answered as many of these elaborate comments and questions, even individuals who were cut off from the mic.

The session also featured social media influencer Bilal Hasan also known by his online moniker Mystapaki and urban planner Mansoor Raza.

Wahab began the session by speaking about his top priorities in his remaining time as mayor including resolving the water crisis, large-scale projects and ensuring public spaces are developed and available to all residents.

“Karachi is about 3,500 square kilometers. Just for perspective, the state of Bahrain is 800 square kilometers, and it is a country. You could fit at least five or six Bahrains into Karachi,” Hasan said.

Karachi is a city of opportunities, and it gives people a lot. You come to Karachi to be someone. You can only go to Islamabad when you become someone.

‘Water is the new gold’: Senator Sherry Rehman warns of dire climate consequences at KLF

After visiting some of the newly improved parks and recreation areas in Karachi, Hasan posted about them on his social media. He then posed a question to Mayor Wahab about whether he has plans beyond those five or six parks.

“But Karachi is more than just the parks. It’s a very good optics opportunity. But there’s so much more,” Maher, the moderator, posed.

“These poorer areas, for example. How are you going to keep paying for these parks? You said sustainability, but what is going on with the money? Karachi is a city of rich people, but the government is very very poor. And we don’t want World Bank money to run Karachi, frankly.”

Maher, who has remained the city editor for major publications and covered the provincial capital for decades, played an active role as a doubtful moderator throughout the conversation in holding not just the mayor, but all members of the panel accountable for their questions or lack of clear answers.

Mayor Wahab stated that there was a three-fold increase in the city’s active income flow from July 2024 to end of January 2025 which amounted to 2.3 billion.

Maher stopped him to ask how this was possible.

He claimed this was possible through making a “bold brave decision” and ensuring that properties like those of KMC pay appropriate rent that was previously far too cheap. The discussion then largely shifted to a back and forth about public-private partnerships. The mayor made clear that he would defend them.

Maher said public private partnerships are an indicator, to her, that the government is not doing its job and instead passing the buck over to private entities. While these projects may seem successful, she feels “nervous” about them.

“If public-private partnerships are a viable offer in your eyes, then tell me what are the mechanisms you are putting in place to ensure that exclusion is being avoided. In marginalised communities that do not have purchasing power, they become further marginalised,” commentator Mansoor Raza asked of the mayor.

Mayor Wahab accepted the validity of the question, but stated that as mayor, policymaker and enforcer of law, he believes in focusing on the end result.

“If I start thinking based on past experiences, then I think nothing will get done. I don’t have 40 years. I will be here for four years, and I have to do something. This city is our home,” Wahab responded.

Hasan ended this portion of the conversation back to a bigger picture.

“It is an absolute privilege to live in this city. But the problem with Karachi, and which becomes hard for me to defend, is that Karachi has an image problem,” Hasan said.

16th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) contemplates national identity on opening day

“Karachi is a city of opportunities, and it gives people a lot. You come to Karachi to be someone. You can only go to Islamabad when you become someone.”

The KLF concluded on Sunday evening with a closing ceremony featuring keynote speeches by Urdu language expert Arfa Sayeda Zehra and journalist Mishal Husain. A Qawwali performance by Ustad Farid Ayaz & Ustad Abu Muhammad followed after.

Citing how “water is the new gold,” Rehman warned how Pakistan is already water scarce at a time when temperatures are also rising. Pakistan especially needs to be cognizant as it remains one of the largest consumers of water per capita, she added.

“Water is not infinite,” she warned.

Rehman was speaking at a session titled, ‘Creating Resilience through Climate Change Education’ – only one of the speakers scheduled to speak at KLF that will conclude on Sunday.

She reminded audiences of Karachi’s propensity to climate extremities – being a coastal city – and warned how climate change and catastrophes create a new layer of inequality within the social structure.

Rehman told the audience how areas like Thatta and Badin are some of the hottest places on the planet, experiencing temperatures of 53 degrees centigrade which is not fit for human habitation.

For the record, globally, cities like Toronto and New York sound the alarm when temperatures reach 40 degrees centigrade.

16th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) contemplates national identity on opening day

The conversation veered towards individual responsibility and how the Indus River – the main source of freshwater in Pakistan – is badly polluted, and how the country only recycles 1% of its waste.

However, she added how citizens in Pakistan are independently accessing green energy.

Rehman lauded the “solar revolution” currently underway in Pakistan, citing how “an enabling policy known as net metering has driven this change.”

“In just one year we have built one-third of our capacity by importing panels from China,” adding how there is no reason why Pakistan cannot meet their climate goals by 2060.

She also reminded the audience where the onus on government lies, saying “democracy only works if you demand it,” reminding citizens not to be passive and to demand the change they want to see.

“The 1% – the audience sitting at KLF – are influencers, as I see it, and perfectly equipped with resources and knowledge to carry out change,” she said.

“For most of the 20th century humanity was linear, it is time to now be circular, giving back to the soil and the water,” she added.

She also spoke about the importance of educating the younger generation on how to be better stewards of the planet, citing that it is them who will have to bear the burden of coming up with solutions.

“Young people is where the journey to transformative action lies,” she said, citing how Karachi can especially be a unique hotbed for climate solutions and innovations.

“Children are powerhouses for the future. if we are able to ingrain in them the value, resource and intrinsic nature of fragility that the planet is facing today, then half the job is done.”

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Narratives from the Soil’, and in his keynote address Aijazuddin pressed audience members to analyze identity and the connection that “Pakistaniyat,” national identity, has brought a nation half a century later.

“It is a defensive ethnicity, a claim to identity and a need to remember what we were before. Before we became the other,” he claimed at the start of his speech.

He reminded guests of KLF that this event brings together Pakistanis at home and those across the diaspora, as well as readers, writers, and speakers across the divided South Asian subcontinent as well.

Aijazuddin poetically shared, “We are like distant divorcees, able to meet everywhere except in each other’s homes.”

Writer and Urdu poet Asghar Nadeem Syed was also a keynote speaker on Friday evening with chief guest Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah concluding.

Foreign dignitaries and special guests in attendance included Ambassador of France HE Nicolas Galey, U.S. Consul General Karachi Scott Urbom and Head of British Deputy High Commission Karachi Martin Dawson.

16th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) set to begin on Friday

Aijazuddin continued, adding that he hoped that writing is a means of bringing together divided nations, and that the KLF session on Bangladesh-Pakistan relations – scheduled for Sunday morning – is an overdue reminder.

“We were once siblings. All of us, were Indian by origin before. And In 1971, we became residual Pakistanis and unshackled Bangladeshis,” Aijazuddin reflected.

As a result of Britain’s colonization of Pakistan, its writers, authors, government, education, to name a few, have quickly adopted the English language. He said that this is the reality of countries that have been conquered, but it can have dire consequences too.

The art historian noted that mastery of the English language is “a ladder into the attic of the upper classes” and associated with success.

“Britain taught us English and also to look down on other tongues,” he said.

Pakistani writers continue to use English as their medium of messaging, but they are “conversing in a minority,” he added. This, he said, is troubling for the effectiveness of ensuring a united narrative.

“Over 200 million of us cannot read or understand what we have to say about us. So what about them? In another 25 years there will be 380 million of us,” Aijazuddin said in concern.

But, he argued, Pakistan does have a collective narrative. He surmised that as a literary community, the country and the authors and writers who developed from it have produced notable and radical work.“

“The English language may be the only adhesive holding us together,” Aijazuddin stated.

There is an immense potential for readership, whether in English or Urdu, provided that people can read.

KLF is free to attend and will host sessions at the Beach Luxury Hotel on Saturday and Sunday with a closing ceremony featuring keynote speeches from Urdu language expert Arfa Sayeda Zehra and journalist Mishal Husain.

Senator Sherry Rehman, author Kamila Shamsie and writer Omar Shahid Hamid are some of the speakers scheduled to attend.

The “cornerstone of Pakistan’s literary calendar” will include a host of book launches, thought-provoking panels, discussion on contemporary issues, movie screenings, poetry recitations, vibrant cultural performances, and showcases of traditional poetry through mushaira and qawwali under the theme of “Narratives from the Soil,” according to a press release issued by Oxford University Press Pakistan on Tuesday.

“In this year’s festival, we celebrate those literary stalwarts this soil has birthed– not just the current era but historically as well. And the Pakistani diaspora living in other countries and writing and doing creative work,” Managing Director of Oxford University Press Pakistan Arshad Husain said at the press conference.

Tribalization of human beings’: Mohsin Hamid explores race, fractured societies at KLF

According to Husain, the festival was first created to innovate new social and cultural avenues in Karachi that were lacking. The Oxford University Press also hoped to inspire a love for reading as people have less and less time for literature. It has since become a model for literature festivals across the country.

Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab attracted great applause from audience members with his comments about the future of the literature festival.

“It is an honor for Karachi that this festival has been held since 2010 in the city, and we get to showcase Karachi’s vibrance,” he said.

“It gives me great joy that the Government of Sindh is a partner, and I hope that next year this festival can be hosted at one of Karachi’s public places. We are prepared to make Frere Hall available for the festival,” he added.

KLF – over a decade since its creation – has expanded to be a cultural space to display and discuss modern developments in climate change and sustainability, Urdu rap, the education emergency, stand-up comedy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to name a few.

Key takeaways from the 15th edition of KLF

With 200 speakers, over 70 sessions and 26 book launches, the event will be inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Keynote speakers include Arfa Syeda Zehra, F.S. Aijazuddin who will welcome guests on Friday, and Asghar Nadeem Syed and Mishal Husain who will close the event on Sunday evening.

In addition, Iftikhar Arif and Kamila Shamsie are some of the notable lineup of speakers, while foreign dignitaries and special guests include Ambassador of France HE Nicolas Galey, U.S. Consul General Karachi Scott Urbom and Head of British Deputy High Commission Karachi Martin Dawson.

Husain added, “The purpose has always been to celebrate and provide literature space to showcase the diversity of this part of the world and the cultural pluralism. We have authors, writers, thought leaders, and literary figures who come and participate.”

The “Youth Pavilion” speaker series is a unique introduction to this year’s event. Over two days, young readers ranging from five to 18 years old are welcome to express themselves and take an active part in the festival.

Husain remarked that “At the end of the day, they are our future. This is providing them a platform to come and experience literature, culture, the arts and poetry.”

Also new this year is the categorization of sessions into genres of public interest, culture, education, and literature – which will be the majority and about 67 per cent of the sessions.

The inaugurating ceremony will announce the KLF-Getz Pharma Prize winners in their respective categories. Short-listed for the English Fiction Prize are ‘The Election’ by Omar Shahid Hamid, ‘Left You Behind’ by Nazneen Sheikh, ‘Akbar in Wonderland’ by Umber Khairi and ‘The Monsoon War’ by Bina Shah.

The event is free and open to all. It will also be live-streamed across Oxford University Press Paskistan’s website and social channels

The six-day festival opened on January 29 at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City.

This year’s festival was inaugurated by H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Member of the Dubai Council.

“The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature embodies Dubai’s vision of fostering cultural dialogue and creating meaningful connections between ideas, perspectives, and people from diverse backgrounds,” she stated, during her opening remarks at the festival.

She also praised the Desert Stanzas event for celebrating Emirati heritage, adding, “Literature and art serve as powerful bridges for understanding and unity among nations.”

Dr. Saeed Mubarak Bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, stated during a panel, “Dubai Culture, in collaboration with the festival, has succeeded in creating a conducive environment to enable Emirati writers and intellectuals to interact with their counterparts from around the world, exchange ideas and experiences, as well as empower and support emerging talent by providing them with quality opportunities that encourage them to express their creativity and unique ideas.”

Dubai Art Season 2025 set to get under way

An Emphasis on Children’s Literature

The festival placed a special emphasis on children’s literature, featuring celebrated authors and interactive workshops designed to engage young minds. One of the standout sessions was led by Jeff Kinney, the globally renowned author and illustrator of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

His talk, titled ‘Hot Mess’, offered a humorous and interactive look at his latest book, captivating young audiences with games, readings, and lively discussions.

Dania Droubi, COO of the Emirates Literature Foundation, highlighted the organisation’s dedication to young readers, stating, “Through our children’s programming, we have a full education programme, which caters to children of all ages and university students,” she told Business Recorder.

Javed Akhtar, Mahira Khan to headline Urdu literary festival in Dubai

A Platform for Cultural Exchange

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has long served as a hub for international literary collaborations, offering local and regional writers the opportunity to engage with global audiences.

Droubi explained to Business Recorder, “Authors from around the world come here and meet on the stages, they sit and meet with UAE talent as well, whether that is Emirati or locally based talents. There’s a lot of talks and collaborations that come out of this festival.”

She also underscored the festival’s growing role in fostering international opportunities for UAE-based authors. “The festival is also a platform for international publishers and literary agents to get introduced to local talents. As a result, local talent is being invited to international festivals and panels,” she noted.

A Celebration of Diverse Voices

The 2025 festival featured an impressive lineup of literary heavyweights, including Booker Prize-nominated author Chigozie Obioma, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ creator Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), and Nobel Prize laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah. The festival also welcomes Emmy Award-winning journalist Hala Gorani and acclaimed Egyptian novelist Mohammad Al Mansi Qindeel.

AhlamBolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, in a press conference described this year’s event as a celebration of storytelling’s power to unite communities.

“This edition celebrates not just individual stories, but the power of community. From LitFest Families nurturing curiosity in our future generations to the vibrant energy of LitFest After Hours igniting friendships under the stars, every corner of this event pulses with the magic of storytelling.”

Impact on Education and Creativity

For educators, the festival provides invaluable opportunities to introduce students to new literary influences.

Cheque Dano, a teacher at Al Shohub Private School in Abu Dhabi, told Business Recorder, “This festival is a very good opportunity for us to know about new authors and illustrators. It also gives opportunities to children to attend workshops at the festival, which could inspire a lot of children to pursue writing or illustration.”

Veronica Entrata, another teacher at Al Shohub Private School, told Business Recorder, echoing these sentiments, saying, “It was a lovely experience to get to know authors and their stories about how they became authors and illustrators.”

Shaping Dubai’s Cultural Landscape

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature continues to play a crucial role in shaping Dubai’s cultural and intellectual landscape.

The festival’s ability to bring together a diverse array of voices, from internationally acclaimed authors to local literary talents, underscores Dubai’s growing influence as a hub for culture and creativity.

As it continues to evolve, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature remains a vital platform for fostering a deeper appreciation of literature across generations, ensuring that the written word continues to inspire and unite people from all walks of life.

Across the river from New York, the rapid demise of New Jersey’s Star-Ledger – read by fictional mob boss Tony Soprano – and The Jersey Journal has left locals without a physical paper and some journalists, paperboys and printers without jobs.

“I’m heartbroken,” said Margaret Doman, at the foot of a cluster of mushrooming buildings in Jersey City, within eyesight of Manhattan.

“I use The Jersey Journal for a lot of things – not just to read the news, but to post information, and to get in tune with what’s going on around the town,” said the long-time resident and community activist.

“The Jersey Journal ceasing publication is like losing an old friend,” said one letter to the editor.

In the thick of Journal Square, named for the daily founded in 1867, “Jersey Journal” in giant red letters adorns the building that once housed the newsroom, long since displaced.

With 17 employees and fewer than 15,000 copies sold daily, the Jersey Journal could not withstand the body blow that was the closure of the printworks it shared with The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest daily, which goes all-digital this weekend.

The Star-Ledger’s president Wes Turner pointed to an op-ed on NJ.com that stated the closure was forced by “rising costs, decreasing circulation and reduced demand for print.”

The newspaper, which featured in the iconic New Jersey mafia TV series, won the coveted Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for a series of articles on the political upheavals of then-governor Jim McGreevey.

But the scoops did not save the daily, as sales plummeted and the title went through several rounds of painful buyouts.

With the switch to all-digital, even its editorial board will be abolished, announced one of its members, Tom Moran.

‘Tangible consequences’

The decline of the local press has been a slow, painful death across the United States.

According to the latest report from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, more than one-third of newspapers – 3,300 in all – have gone out of print since 2005.

They have been victims of declining readership and the consolidation of titles into a handful of corporate masters.

“When a newspaper disappears, there’s a number of tangible consequences,” said the report’s director, Zach Metzger.

“Voter participation tends to decline. Split-ticket voting tends to decline. Incumbents are reelected more often. Rates of corruption can increase. Rates of police misconduct can increase.”

Fewer local papers and the domination of major national issues in the news cycle are also often given as reasons for the rampant polarization of American society between left and right.

Steve Alessi, president of NJ Advance Media – which owns The Jersey Journal and The Star-Ledger – wrote on NJ.com that the termination of print “represents the next step into the digital future of journalism in New Jersey” and promised new investment for the website, which claims over 15 million unique monthly visitors.

He touted several flagship investigative projects on political extremism, as well as mismanagement in the region’s private schools, the production of podcasts, and newsletters to attract new readers.

“There is still a digital divide across the country… My concern is for people who are not digitally acclimated, they still go to their public libraries or a newsstand to see a physical copy of the paper,” said Kenneth Burns, president of New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists.

“There are not a whole lot of outlets keeping tabs on local affairs already,” he said, calling The Star-Ledger an “institution.”

AFP  310602 GMT JAN 25

The first session of the Adab Festival, titled “Jinnah’s Vision for Pakistan – A Call for Action,” featured insightful remarks by Barrister Yasser Latif Hamdani, author of the book, and was moderated by Professor Dr Ilhan Niaz.

Barrister Hamdani emphasised Jinnah’s role as a key legislator in Pakistan’s formation, contrasting his inclusive vision with Gandhi’s focus on religion in politics. He clarified that Jinnah envisioned a state, promoting harmony among diverse communities while fostering a modern Muslim society grounded in its religious roots. Hamdani dispelled misconceptions, stressing that Jinnah’s vision was not for a theocracy, but for a progressive Pakistan based on equality, justice, and tolerance. The session highlighted the need to realign contemporary discourse with Jinnah’s ideals, advocating for a more inclusive and harmonious society.

The second session of the Adab Festival, titled, “Leadership and Legacy,” featured an engaging discussion with Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Zahid Hussain, and Arifa Noor, moderated by Dr Salma Malik.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Prominent attendees included Rafia Javed, Additional Director of the Directorate of Inspection and Registration Institutions; Dr. Furkh Raza, SSP East; Manzoor Shah, DSP East Headquarter; and Rehwan Abdul Sami, Chairman of the Jinnah Town Municipal Committee.

The Turkish stall at the fair, which offered free Islamic books to visitors, was a major attraction. Visitors expressed great interest in the Turkish books on display.

Mohammad, the representative of the Turkish stall, praised Pakistan as a "brotherly country" and expressed his admiration for the Pakistani people. He also appreciated the interest shown by young Pakistanis in books, saying it was a source of great joy.

Rafia Javed, Additional Director of the Directorate of Inspection and Registration Institutions, emphasized the importance of books in the modern era. "Books are our foundation, and we must pass this foundation on to our new generation," she said.

Rehwan Abdul Sami, Chairman of the Jinnah Town Municipal Committee, announced plans to bring students from all schools in his town to the book fair on its final day. He also pledged to allocate funds for this purpose.

Visitors to the fair praised the event, saying that books were the most basic and effective means of promoting human awareness and knowledge. They called for the book fair to be held twice a year.

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The jury will be chaired by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, who himself won the literary award for fiction in 1993 with his novel ‘Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha’.

Parker, who played Carrie Bradshaw in the TV series ‘Sex and the City’, will be joined by Nigerian novelist Ayobami Adebayo, British writer and literary critic Chris Power and American author Kiley Reid.

The 59-year-old actress, who has one Emmy and four Golden Globes to her name, has been quietly making a name for herself in the publishing industry in recent years.

British writer Harvey wins Booker Prize for space story ‘Orbital’

She was editorial director of a subsidiary of publishing house Penguin, before launching her own literary imprint, SJP Lit, in 2023, in partnership with an independent publisher.

The chance to be part of the jury is “very daunting” but also “the thrill of a life”, Parker told The New York Times.

“I think of judges as academics, learned, experienced in ways I’m just not. I didn’t pursue higher education. I don’t have any degrees,” the star added.

Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, said Parker “has passionately supported contemporary fiction for many years”.

“The 2025 judges form a jury of creative peers like no other,” Wood added.

Authors and publishers can already send their submissions for the 2025 Bookers. A longlist of 12 or 13 novels in July will be whittled down to the finalists in September, with the winner announced in November 2025.

Created in 1969, the Booker prize is awarded each year to the “best sustained work of fiction written in English”, and is seen as a talent-spotter for lesser known authors.

It has contributed to the success of literary greats including Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and even the 2024 literature Nobel Prize winner Han Kang, who won the Booker in 2016 with ‘The Vegetarian’.

The winner in this year’s women-dominated pool was British writer Samantha Harvey for her novel ‘Orbital’.

The event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, while Sindh Minister for Education, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, will serve as the guest of honor.

Organized by Events and Conferences International, the global event will host 40 organizations from 17 countries, alongside prominent publishers from across Pakistan.

Over 500,000 book enthusiasts are expected to attend this year’s book fair, which will feature publishing houses from countries like Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia, the UK, the UAE and others.

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Renowned poet Iftikhar Arif presided over the session, while Farhana Owais moderated the discussion. Key speakers included: Dr Taqi Abedi, Aziz Ahsan, Sabeeh Rahmani and Tanzeem ul-Firdous

Professor Tanzeem ul-Firdous spoke about influential figures like Ambar Shah Warisi, Dr Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Professor Maulana Muntaqil Haq Qadri, highlighting their contributions to religious poetry and literature. Sabeeh Rahmani shed light on Maulana Mahir ul-Qadri, Manawar Badayuni, Iqbal Azeem, Adeeb Raipuri and Riazuddin Soharwardi's literary contributions.

Dr Taqi Abedi reflected on Marsiya poets like Saba Akbar Abadi, Behzad Lakhnawi, Shahid Ali Shahid Naqvi and Nayyar Ali Asadi, noting Karachi's significance in shaping modern Marsiya literature. Aziz Ahsan introduced poetry and Naat by Baba Zahin Shah Taji, Ijaz Rahmani and Majid Khalil.

Iftikhar Arif emphasised understanding a poet's background to truly appreciate their work. He highlighted Karachi's pivotal role in the evolution of modern Marsiya literature.

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Ghosh “has delved deeply into the question of how to do justice to this existential threat that defies our imagination,” the prize committee said in a statement.

The Erasmus Prize, due to be presented by Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Tuesday, is awarded for an “exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts, in Europe and beyond.”

The winner receives a cash prize of 150,000 euros ($157,000).

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, which awards the prize, noted that Ghosh had described how the effects of climate change have been “inextricably linked” to human destiny on the Indian subcontinent.

It cited his work “The Hungry Tide”, which portrayed how rising sea levels were devastating life in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.

The 68-year-old’s work is also political, with “The Great Derangement” setting climate change in the context of war and trade.

“Through understanding and imagination he creates space for hope, a prerequisite for change,” said the prize committee.

Born in Kolkata, Ghosh has won several literary prizes, including the 2018 Jnanpith Award, India’s top award.

Born on November 24, 1952, in Karachi, Parveen Shakir held a master’s degree in English literature and served in Pakistan’s civil service at a distinguished level. She started writing at a very young age, both in prose and poetry, while contributing her articles both in Urdu and English newspapers.

She was highly educated with two Master’s degrees, one in English literature and one in linguistics. She also held a PhD and another Master’s degree in bank administration.

The novel, Harvey’s fifth, was the top selling book on the shortlist of six finalists and has sold more copies than the past three Booker Prize winners combined, as readers lapped up her depiction of earth’s beauty as seen from space.

Judges of the prize, now in its 55th year, praised her writing for the “intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world”.

Past winners of the prestigious Booker, which is open to works of fiction written in English, include Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Yann Martel.

Harvey said she wrote the novel while stuck at home during the pandemic watching footage of the earth in low orbit on her screen. She likened the experience of her six characters “trapped in a tin can” to that of lockdown.

Set over 24 hours, the astronauts and cosmonauts of her 136 page-story witness sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets as they circle the globe.

“Everyone and no one is the subject,” said Edmund de Waal, chair of the 2024 judges. “With her language of lyricism and acuity Harvey makes our world strange and new for us.”

Harvey walks away with a 50,000 pound prize which she told the BBC she would spend on a new bike.

Atwood, 84, debuted as a poet in 1961 and published her first novel, ‘The Edible Woman’, in 1969. She has since written more than 60 books, including novels, short stories and children’s books.

“I’m not a writer who exists in a state of misery and finds it terribly difficult to write. You can probably guess that by the number of books I’ve actually written,” Atwood said. “I’m having a good time.”

Atwood, spoke with Reuters last week while in Denmark to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, named after the famous 19th-century fairytale writer.

Did a computer write this? Book industry grapples with AI

She was relaxed about the impact that AI could have on her career, drawing a contrast with younger creative people.

“AI is worrying a lot of people. (…) I’m too old to get too worried about this stuff. But if I were 30, I’d be worried,” she said. “If I were a graphic designer, I would be worried.”

Last year, she reviewed poems and literature written by AI in her name.

“So far, AI is a crap poet. Really bad,” she said. “And it’s not a very good fiction writer either.”

Atwood’s dystopian novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, first published in 1985 about a theocratic dictatorship in the United States, saw a surge in sales following the election of Republican Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.

In 2019, she published a sequel, ‘The Testaments’, which was the joint winner of that year’s Booker Prize.

In the interview, Atwood also renewed her previous criticism of Trump, amid his current close presidential race, saying she was very concerned about what she views as his autocratic tendencies.

Her latest book, ‘Old Babes in the Wood’, published in 2021, delves into themes of family, marriage, grief, and loss, written two years after the death of her husband, author Graeme Gibson.

Looking ahead, Atwood says:

“I love people asking me about the future. What do you have in mind? The next two years, the next five years, the next 10 years? We don’t know. Well, I’m writing a great honking big memoir right now, and I’m only putting in stupid things and catastrophes because everything else is boring.”

The battered book and Saint-Exupery’s French Ministry of Culture-issued passport go on sale in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with an asking price of at least $1.25 million.

It was acquired earlier this year for an undisclosed sum by rare books specialist store Peter Harrington.

The typescript also contains numerous drawings by the author as well as his famous phrase “One only sees clearly with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes”.

Sammy Jay, of Peter Harrington Rare Books, said it was one of three known versions of the transcript, one of which is held by the National Library of France (BNF).

“Unlike the other two who were given to people, he kept this one and it was his own working copy of the typescript so that’s what makes it extra special,” Jay said.

In addition to the handwritten corrections, the version due to be sold includes some passages that were later edited out.

Such a book is extremely unusual in the rare books market, where sky-high prices are not the norm.

“You don’t usually get something of this status,” Jay said, citing the example of the scroll typescript for Jack Kerouac’s novel ‘On The Road’, which sold for $2.4 million in 2001.

“The market for rare and ancient books is very different from any other market in the sense that you don’t often sell for millions,” he said.

‘The Little Prince’ remains one of the world’s best-selling books having sold more than the first ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Hobbit’ combined, according to Jay.

The typescript, he said, had generated a lot of interest and was expected to be snapped up by a museum or private collection, possibly in Asia or the Arab world.

Saint-Exupery wrote his tale about an alien prince and his interstellar travels while in exile in the United States in 1942, having fled France after the Nazi invasion.

The pilot-explorer left the United States in 1943 to fight on the north African front and the book was published the same year in the United States only.

Saint-Exupery disappeared during a flying mission over the Mediterranean in July 1944, and never saw his book’s worldwide success.

The prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy and is worth 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million).

“She has a unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead, and in her poetic and experimental style has become an innovator in contemporary prose,” Anders Olsson, chairman of the academy’s Nobel Committee, said in a statement.

Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the literature prize, began her career in 1993 with the publication of a number of poems in the magazine Literature and Society, while her prose debut came in 1995 with the short story collection ‘Love of Yeosu’.

Norwegian author Jon Fosse wins 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature

Born in 1970, she comes from a literary background, her father being a well-regarded novelist.

Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction for her novel ‘The Vegetarian’ in 2016, the first of her novels to be translated into English and regarded as her major international breakthrough.

In ‘The Vegetarian’, after struggling with gruesome recurring nightmares, Yeong-hye, a dutiful wife, rebels against societal norms, forsaking meat and stirring concern among her family that she is mentally ill.

Two of her books have been made into films; ‘The Vegetarian’ in 2009, directed by Lim Woo-Seong, and 2011’s ‘Scars’, by the same director.

Her 2002 novel ‘Your Cold Hands’, which bears obvious traces of Han Kang’s interest in art, reproduces a manuscript left behind by a missing sculptor who is obsessed with making plaster casts of female bodies.

“There is a preoccupation with the human anatomy and the play between persona and experience, where a conflict arises in the work of the sculptor between what the body reveals and what it conceals,” the Academy said in an official biography.

She is the second South Korean to win a Nobel prize ever, after 2000 peace prize winner and former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

‘Ordinary day’

Bookmaker favourites ahead of the announcement included Chinese writer Can Xue and many other perennial possible candidates such as Kenya’s Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Australia’s Gerald Murnane and Canada’s Anne Carson.

“I was able to talk to Han Kang over the phone,” Mats Malm, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy told a press conference. “She was having an ordinary day, it seems, she had just finished supper with her son,” he said.

The literature prize is the most accessible of the Nobels for many and, as such, the Academy’s choices are met with praise and criticism, often in equal measure.

The Academy’s omission of literary giants such as Russia’s Leo Tolstoy, France’s Emile Zola and Ireland’s James Joyce has left many book-lovers scratching their heads over the last century.

The 2016 prize award to American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was hailed as radical rethink about what literature is, but also seen as a snub to authors in more traditional genres.

The prizes, for achievements in science, literature and peace, were created through a bequest in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. They have been awarded since 1901, with the final prize in the line-up - economics - being a later addition.

After peace, the literature award tends to garner the most attention, thrusting authors into the global spotlight and yielding a spike in book sales that can, however, be relatively short-lived for authors who are not household names.

Even so, the prize money and a place on a list that includes luminaries such as Irish poet W.B. Yeats, who won in 1923, American novelist Ernest Hemingway, who took the award in 1954, and Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez, winner in 1982, is an appealing proposition.

Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse won in 2023.

The fourth award to be handed out every year, the literature prize follows those for medicine, physics and chemistry announced earlier this week.

The former model who immigrated from Slovenia and married then-Manhattan-playboy and tycoon Donald Trump in 2005 generated one big headline by using her 182-page book to reveal a strong pro-choice stand on abortion rights.

“A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” the former first lady writes. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body.”

“I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”

It’s a bold statement for the wife of a man who says his signature victory as president was naming the Supreme Court justices who scrapped the longstanding national right to abortion under Roe v Wade.

Why Melania Trump, 54, went public with this right ahead of the November 5 election – in which Democrat Kamala Harris seeks to cast a Trump victory as hellbent on further abortion clampdowns – is unclear.

She has barely appeared publicly during his campaign. So, was she showing independence? Or, instead, was she helping her husband with centrist voters by muddying his anti-abortion policies?

Melania Trump does not answer that or many other questions in the $40 book.

Its publication follows a laundry list of other family products sold in the election run-up – from a gold Donald Trump watch and golden Donald Trump shoes to a Bible and a cryptocurrency announced by the former president and his sons.

Election denial

Melania Trump backs her husband’s unprecedented refusal to acknowledge he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, calling the vote-counting process “a mess” – despite no evidence for this – and saying, “Many Americans still have doubts about the election to this day.”

She also repeats a previous claim that she was unaware a mob of Trump supporters was violently storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to halt certification of Biden’s victory – because she was busy with White House remodeling.

“My team was already behind schedule and focused on the task,” she writes.

The claim contradicts former top aide Stephanie Grisham, who has said she tried to get her boss to issue a statement asking for the insurrection to stop – and received in response a text message reading simply: “no.”

Melania Trump also uses the book to repeat reliably Republican talking points on the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

Failing to mention the name of George Floyd, whose murder by police sparked the unrest, she says the protests against racially charged police abuse “caused widespread destruction and harm to businesses and communities.”

‘I REALLY DON’T CARE’

The book includes a lengthy photo insert, featuring images from her childhood, of her early life with Donald Trump and their family, and their time at the White House, including many from their state travels. The photo spread also features a picture from her 1997 ad campaign for Camel cigarettes.

She calls out media personality and actor Rosie O’Donnell – who has a longstanding feud with Trump – for triggering speculation that her son with Donald, Barron, might be autistic.

The incident left her “furious” and fueled her drive to tackle cyberbullying, the former first lady says.

She entirely leaves out the numerous scandals engulfing her husband, including claims of sexual assault and his conviction this year on fraud charges stemming from a sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006 – when Melania Trump was with their newborn Barron.

She presents herself as an immigrant success story – the tale begins as she leaves her modeling career in Europe and her family in Slovenia for the bright lights of Manhattan.

“My personal experience dealing with the trials of the immigration process opened my eyes to the difficulties faced by all who wish to become US citizens,” she writes.

She touches on the incident that saw her wear a fatigue-style jacket emblazoned with the words “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” on a journey to the Texas border to see detained migrant children.

The jacket was aimed at “the media,” not the kids, she insists.

Speaking to a panel on Fox News Tuesday as part of the book’s promotion, Melania Trump was asked if she would have still married Donald Trump if she’d known then he would become president.

She paused.

“Huh,” she said, as she and the panelists devolved into laughter. “That’s an interesting question.”

She didn’t answer.

“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.” Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her book ‘Interpreter of Maladies.’

The New York Times first reported the news.

Across the world, in protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination.

Anti apartheid South African leader Nelson Mandela was also seen wearing the scarf on many occasions.

Israel’s supporters, on the other hand, say it signals backing extremism. In November, three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont were shot in an attack. Two were wearing the keffiyeh.

Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly everyone there. It followed a deadly attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7.

Last month, the art museum - founded by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi - announced a policy prohibiting employees from wearing anything that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols.” Three employees were sacked.

Other people in the United States have also lost their jobs due to their stance on the Israel-Gaza war.

A New York City hospital fired a Palestinian American nurse in May after she called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” during an acceptance speech for an award. Israel denies genocide charges brought by South Africa at the World Court.

The president approved the conferment upon 104 Pakistani and foreign nationals in recognition of their services, excellence and sacrifice in their respective fields.

The ceremony will take place on March 23, 2025.

Hashwani and Muneer launched Sana Safinaz – their clothing brand – in 1989, and since then have forayed into retail stores, lawn, couture clothing and pret wear.

Writer and columnist Muneeza Shamsie will be honoured for her contribution to the field of literature. She is the author of ‘Hybrid Tapestries: The Development of Pakistani English Literature’, as well as a regular contributor to newspapers and a book editor.

President Zardari also conferred the Nishan-i-Imtiaz posthumously on late Nasir Kazmi for his services in the field of literature.

The president also conferred the Hilal-i-Imtiaz on actor Javed Jabbar, award-winning writer and filmmaker, policy analyst, former senator and federal minister.

He is the author of 19 books, and in 2021 wrote and produced the documentary film ‘Separation of East Pakistan: The Untold Story’.

He announced a Sitara-i-Imtiaz on Salman Awan, Zafar Waqar Taj as well as the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for Syed Jawad Hussain Jafari and Pride of Performance Award for Ambreen Haseeb.

The awards were conferred onto individuals in the fields including science and engineering, education, medicine, arts, literature, sports, social services and philanthropy, entrepreneurs, taxpayers and exporters, public service and gallantry.

From the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets the night of his assassination to early Spiderman sketches, a hundred treasures from the United States and beyond are on display from Thursday.

The library, located in a vast and elegant building in the heart of Washington, will showcase, for example, the first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed and published in America by an American, which was printed in 1784 by engraver Abel Buell.

Also on hand are jaw-dropping photos of the first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert, under the eyes of the “father” of the bomb, Robert Oppenheimer.

“The Library of Congress holds more than 178 million items in its collections, perhaps the most comprehensive collection of human knowledge ever assembled in one place,” said its director, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

The exhibit, officially titled ‘Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress,’ features only a tiny fraction of the institution’s vast troves of millions of books, audio documents and photographs, as well as objects of all kinds, including numerous musical instruments.

The library, opened in 1800, is home to the largest collection of flutes in the world, says Carol Lynn Ward Bamford, who takes care of instrument collections in the library’s music division.

However, only one is a part of the exhibition, a crystal flute that belonged to former US president James Madison, who lived from 1751-1836.

The instrument is particularly symbolic because it was saved from the White House when it was burned by British troops in 1814.

Entrusted to the library by Madison’s family, it was exceptionally taken out of storage in 2022 to be played by US hip hop star and classically trained flautist Lizzo.

Glasses and press clippings

Also on display are another president’s belongings – Abraham Lincoln’s glasses, his handkerchief and his wallet, recovered from him following his assassination at a theater in April 1865.

Stephanie Stillo of the library’s rare book division called the objects “definitely some of the most iconic that we’re going to have in the gallery.”

“There’s kind of a mythology around Abraham Lincoln, and this is all very humanizing, I think in many ways. So we have a glasses case, this little circular object up here is a glasses cleaner,” she went on, enumerating other belongings the 16th president had on him.

He was also carrying glowing press articles about himself, which he always kept with him, Stillo said. These clippings, which are not part of the exhibit for conservation reasons, could be shown in a few months, she explained.

This hodgepodge of objects on display, above all, embodies the lives of ordinary people through the centuries, she said.

From images filmed during a wedding in 1944 to contemporary testimonies about the Covid-19 pandemic to the story of a Japanese professor who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, the library examines how to preserve individual and collective memories.

The Scottish capital attracts lovers of the bespectacled schoolboy from across the world, boosting the UK economy and helping generate billions of pounds in global sales of Potter-related offerings.

“Here you will encounter the tomb of Voldemort,” Thorne tells his tour group, in reference to the villainous dark lord of magic who murdered Potter’s parents when he was a baby.

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The tour, numbering some 20 fans, snakes through Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery where some gravestones bear names similar to several characters, although Rowling – much criticised for her views on transgender rights – has not admitted any link.

American Kate Merson, 43, works in Edinburgh and is on the walk with her husband and two children, seeking to satisfy her nine-year-old’s obsession with Potter – and her desire to explore the magical world of Hogwarts.

‘Busier and crazier’

Rowling wrote seven Potter books which were published between 1997 and 2007, spawning eight blockbuster movies in a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon.

Fans remain captivated by Edinburgh, whose sights and scenes were the inspiration for fantastical characters and locations.

“It’s only gotten busier and busier and crazier and crazier. There’s more people coming in – who are all asking for tours as well,” Thorne, 33, told AFP.

His ‘Potter Trail’ lasts one-and-a-half hours and takes several dozen tourists across the city’s pretty streets. His recommended tour donation is £20 ($26) per person.

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Thorne’s popular guided walk ends on the colourful Instagram-friendly Victoria Street… in front of two heaving Potter merchandise shops thronged by muggles, or non-wizards.

Briya Maru, a 27-year-old Indian who lives in Toronto, queues in the driving rain in front of one of the shops, waiting to splurge cash on Potter souvenirs.

“It was symbolic for me to get them from here, the Harry Potter city,” Maru told AFP, adding she was searching for “exclusive” artefacts.

Manager Monica Alsina says business is brisk at her ‘Enchanted Galaxy’ shop, where punters can buy a “magic wand” for £40 and the most expensive item – a limited-edition character sculpture – costs £650.

‘Tourism engine’

“The shop has been doing great. Harry Potter is just getting more and more popular,” said Alsina.

There have been no new books or films – but the ‘Potterverse’ has in recent years expanded to include a hit video game, a play in London’s West End and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film franchise, while a television series is also in the works.

“Harry Potter is a fantastic engine for tourism in Scotland,” said Jenni Steele, spokeswoman for tourism agency VisitScotland.

Fans of the extremely popular franchise also flock to filming destinations in England, including London and surrounding areas, the Cotswolds and York.

Devotees also tend to visit ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ film-studio park, which has attracted 19 million visitors since it opened in 2012.

Tickets for the attraction close to London cost a minimum of £53 each and total revenues have already passed one billion dollars.

But in recent years, Pottermania has been overshadowed by Rowling’s views, including her belief that biological sex is immutable. She denies being transphobic.

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In Edinburgh, her views have been difficult for some.

“It’s been a tough time to be a Harry Potter fan as a result of her comments, chiefly because one of the reasons why the wizarding world meant so much to so many people is because Harry was seen as being an outsider,” Thorne told AFP.

“For people who really felt that, Harry Potter was a form of escapism for them, a place where they could feel accepted – it does feel like a betrayal.”

Yet the best-selling franchise continues to generate huge sales.

“Adults who grew up with it now show it to their children. It’s a fandom that only gets bigger,” said Alsina

Munro had died at her home in Port Hope, Ontario, said Kristin Cochrane, chief executive officer of McClelland & Stewart.

“Alice’s writing inspired countless writers … and her work leaves an indelible mark on our literary landscape,” she said in a statement.

The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing family members, said Munro had died on Monday after suffering from dementia for at least a decade.

Munro published more than a dozen collections of short stories and was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.

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Her stories explored sex, yearning, discontent, aging, moral conflict and other themes in rural settings with which she was intimately familiar - villages and farms in the Canadian province of Ontario. She was adept at fully developing complex characters within the limited pages of a short story.

“Alice Munro was a Canadian literary icon. For six decades, her short stories captivated hearts around Canada and the world,” Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said on the X social media network.

Munro, who wrote about ordinary people with clarity and realism, was often likened to Anton Chekhov, the 19th century Russian known for his brilliant short stories - a comparison the Swedish Academy cited in honoring her with the Nobel Prize.

Calling her a “master of the contemporary short story,” the Academy also said: “Her texts often feature depictions of everyday but decisive events, epiphanies of a kind, that illuminate the surrounding story and let existential questions appear in a flash of lightning.”

In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after winning the Nobel, Munro said, “I think my stories have gotten around quite remarkably for short stories, and I would really hope that this would make people see the short story as an important art, not just something that you played around with until you’d got a novel written.”

Her works included: ‘Dance of the Happy Shades’ (1968), ‘Lives of Girls and Women’ (1971), ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ (1978), ‘The Moons of Jupiter’ (1982), ‘Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage’ (2001), ‘Runaway’ (2004), ‘The View from Castle Rock’ (2006), ‘Too Much Happiness’ (2009) and ‘Dear Life’ (2012).

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The characters in her stories were often girls and women who lead seemingly unexceptional lives but struggle with tribulations ranging from sexual abuse and stifling marriages to repressed love and the ravages of aging.

“Last month I reread all of Alice Munro’s books. I felt the need to be close to her. Every time I read her is a new experience. Every time changes me. She will live forever,” leading Canadian author Heather O’Neill said in a post on X.

Munro’s story of a woman who starts losing her memory and agrees to enter a nursing home titled ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain,’ from ‘Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage,’ was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2006 film ‘Away From Her,’ directed by fellow Canadian Sarah Polley.

‘Shame and embarrassment’

Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, writing in the Guardian after Munro won the Nobel, summarized her work by saying: “Shame and embarrassment are driving forces for Munro’s characters, just as perfectionism in the writing has been a driving force for her: getting it down, getting it right, but also the impossibility of that. Munro chronicles failure much more often than she chronicles success, because the task of the writer has failure built in.”

American novelist Jonathan Franzen wrote in 2005, “Reading Munro puts me in that state of quiet reflection in which I think about my own life: about the decisions I’ve made, the things I’ve done and haven’t done, the kind of person I am, the prospect of death.”

The short story, a style more popular in the 19th and early 20th century, has long taken a back seat to the novel in popular tastes - and in attracting awards. But Munro was able to infuse her short stories with a richness of plot and depth of detail usually more characteristic of full-length novels.

“For years and years, I thought that stories were just practice, ’til I got time to write a novel. Then I found that they were all I could do and so I faced that. I suppose that my trying to get so much into stories has been a compensation,” Munro told the New Yorker magazine in 2012.

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She was the second Canadian-born writer to win the Nobel literature prize but the first with a distinctly Canadian identity. Saul Bellow, who won in 1976, was born in Quebec but raised in Chicago and was widely seen as an American writer.

Munro also won the Man Booker International Prize in 2009 and the Giller Prize - Canada’s most high-profile literary award - twice.

Alice Laidlaw was born to a hard-pressed family of farmers on July 10, 1931, in Wingham, a small town in the region of southwestern Ontario that serves as the setting for many of her stories, and started writing in her teens.

Munro originally began writing short stories while a stay-at-home mother. She intended to someday write a novel, but said that with three children she was never able to find the time necessary. Munro began building a reputation when her stories started getting published in the New Yorker in the 1970s.

She married James Munro in 1951 and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where the two ran a bookstore.

They had four daughters - one died just hours after being born - before divorcing in 1972. Afterward, Munro moved back to Ontario. Her second husband, geographer Gerald Fremlin, died in April 2013.

Munro in 2009 revealed she had undergone heart bypass surgery and had been treated for cancer.

Radcliffe, who played boy wizard Potter in the wildly successful film adaptations of Rowling’s best-selling books, has found himself at odds with Rowling on the thorny issue of gender identity.

Rowling has faced accusations of transphobia for her stance emphasizing biological sex over gender identity, while Radcliffe has long campaigned for LGBTQ groups that defend the rights of trans women.

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“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” Radcliffe told * The Atlantic*, in an interview published this week.

“Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”

The issue of gender identity has become a polarizing political debate in many countries, including Rowling’s native Scotland, and in the United States, where Radcliffe is currently performing in a Broadway play.

Rowling has been at the forefront, arguing that transgender rights endanger women. She has pointed to claims that transgender women entering female-designated changing rooms, toilets or prisons causes harm.

In 2020, Radcliffe – a longtime supporter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide-prevention hotline – responded to some of Rowling’s comments on the matter with a statement saying “Transgender women are women.”

The public split was pounced upon by the British press, not least as the wildly successful Potter franchise had been embraced by children across the board.

“A lot of people found some solace in those books and films who were dealing with feeling closeted or rejected by their family or living with a secret,” said Radcliffe.

British media tried to portray Radcliffe and co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as “ungrateful brats,” he told the interviewer.

Last month, Rowling appeared to hit out at the film’s actors once again, responding to a comment on social media suggesting she would forgive Radcliffe and Watson if they apologized.

“Celebs who cozied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,” wrote Rowling.

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Asked to respond by The Atlantic, Radcliffe said: “I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.”

Radcliffe, who said he has had no direct contact with Rowling throughout the controversy, also acknowledged that his fame and success would likely never have happened if she had not created the Potter franchise.

“But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life,” he said.

The award of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction was announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

The prize was accepted on Khandaqji’s behalf by Rana Idriss, owner of Dar al-Adab, the book’s Lebanon-based publisher.

Khandaqji was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus in 1983, and wrote short stories until his arrest in 2004 at the age of 21.

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He was convicted and jailed on charges relating to a deadly bombing in Tel Aviv, and completed his university education from inside jail via the internet.

The mask in the novel’s title refers to the blue identity card that Nur, an archaeologist living in a refugee camp in Ramallah, finds in the pocket of an old coat belonging to an Israeli.

Khandaqji’s book was chosen from 133 works submitted to the competition.

Nabil Suleiman, who chaired the jury, said the novel “dissects a complex, bitter reality of family fragmentation, displacement, genocide, and racism”.

Since being jailed Khandaqji has written poetry collections including ‘Rituals of the First Time’ and ‘The Breath of a Nocturnal Poem’.

He has also written three earlier novels.