Harvard returns skulls of likely enslaved people to Brazil
One is believed to be a rebel from the 1835 Malê revolt. Taken for racist eugenics studies, the remains will be buried, not displayed.
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Today
Caine Prize clears Zimbabwean winner of using AI to write his story
A forensic check of Simbarashe Kundizeza’s drafts found The Blue Fighter was human-written, the prize says, after detection software was said to have flagged it.
Escitalopram best at keeping depression away, major study finds
A review of 115 trials found escitalopram, agomelatine, and duloxetine beat fluoxetine at preventing relapse. Experts say no one should switch medicine without a doctor.
BMI alone misdiagnoses obesity in millions, global study finds
A new test adds waist size and organ health to BMI. It found only about a quarter of people labelled obese are actually ill from their weight.
Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, starts 42-day countdown
All seven survivors have recovered and 135 contacts have finished isolation, the health minister says. Congo’s outbreak has now passed 11,000 cases.
US could lose measles-free status as WHO regional panel meets
The country has recorded 5,182 cases this year, its worst outbreak since 1991. Experts are deciding whether the disease has spread continuously for 12 months.
Yesterday
M John Harrison, 81, becomes oldest Booker winner with The End of Everything
The sci-fi cult writer’s novel of a Britain after an unexplained collapse won the £50,000 prize. Judges’ chair Mary Beard called it challenging but optimistic.
Dua Lipa, Tame Impala, and SZA to headline Coachella 2027
Dua Lipa becomes the first British woman to headline the festival. Madonna takes the dance tent, and Diljit Dosanjh returns.
Stacy Keach, Mike Hammer star and Shakespearean actor, dies at 85
The American actor, best known as TV’s hard-boiled private eye, died at his home in Poland after a long battle with heart failure, his wife said.
Karachi’s new blue plaques honour Sadequain, Amjad Sabri, and Umer Sharif
Borrowing a London idea, District Central is marking the homes of artists, performers, and sportsmen, with QR codes to come.
Sonia Gandhi memoir ‘Belonging’ recalls love, cancer, and a dynasty, stirs row
The 544-page book traces her journey from an Italian village to the head of Congress. The BJP says she could have called it ‘Whitewashing’.
Monday 9 November 2026
US rock band Burn the Ballroom makes new music with Pakistani artists
The American band played for students in Islamabad and headlined a concert for the United States’ 250th anniversary, the US Embassy says
Meet Robia and Jojo, the Pakistani-built robots serving pizza in Karachi
An engineer from Multan built two robot waitresses in his own workshop, mostly from local parts. Now families are crossing the city to watch them bring food to the table
Diwali lights up Pakistan, from Karachi’s bazaars to Mithi’s streets
Hindus across Sindh and Punjab marked the festival of lights with diyas, sweets and fireworks, often joined by Muslim neighbours, as the country’s leaders sent their greetings
Sunday 8 November 2026
Zohran Mamdani wishes New York a happy Diwali with a film of diyas
The city’s first Muslim mayor marked the festival with a wordless two-minute short of New Yorkers building a rangoli and lighting clay lamps, ending on a single line: ‘Happy Diwali, New York!’
NADRA stops flu and meningitis jab bookings for Umrah travellers
Pilgrims can no longer register or pay for the vaccines Saudi Arabia requires through Pak ID or e-Sahulat, and are being told to go to Border Health Services directly
The Lahore sound: why the world’s biggest DJs are chasing Pakistani pop
Alan Walker flew in. Fred again.. and Lost Frequencies reworked hits made after office hours. Inside the bedroom-studio boom that has put Pakistani songs on the world’s decks, and across the border
Saturday 7 November 2026
Lamps, sweets and a long weekend: how Pakistan’s Hindus are getting ready for Diwali
From temple courtyards in Karachi to Tharparkar, families are preparing for the festival of lights on Sunday, with a holiday in Sindh on Monday and state celebrations in Punjab
Power cuts this weekend in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi: check your area
Feeders across Islamabad and Rawalpindi go off on Sunday, and parts of Lahore and nearby districts from Sunday to Tuesday, for maintenance. Here is who is affected and how to prepare
The Golden Temple glows on the eve of Diwali
Thousands of lights were reflected in the sacred pool at Amritsar as Sikhs prepared for Bandi Chhor Divas and Hindus for the festival of lights, which falls on Sunday
Breakfast with the blind dolphins: a new Indus resort opens at Taunsa
The Punjab tourism corporation’s 120-kanal resort at Taunsa Barrage near Kot Addu puts visitors on the bank of one of the best places to see the endangered Indus river dolphin
Friday 6 November 2026
Saami family wins Mozilla backing to map its 800-year-old khayal
Infinite Raag will pair hours-long recordings of Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and his sons with biometric data and a pitch tracker built for the family’s 49-note scale
First Fred again.., now Alan Walker: the world’s DJs have found Pakistani pop
Walker is in Lahore with the ‘Alfaaz’ singers, months after the Grammy-winning British producer started playing his own edit of Afusic and Ali Soomro’s ‘Pal Pal’
Alan Walker is in Lahore, and the ‘Alfaaz’ singers are the reason
The Norwegian DJ flew in after spotting a masked ‘Walker’ in the viral song’s video, and has been in the studio with Hamza Malik and Zain Zohaib
Misbah Arshad leaves for Miss Universe ‘draped in Pakistani fabric’
Pakistan’s Miss Universe 2026 set off for Puerto Rico in a custom look, three months after winning her crown in a white gown with royal blue crystals
27 bottled water brands failed safety tests. Check yours against the list
The government’s water research council tested 223 brands from 20 cities between July and September. Most failures were bacterial, and several have names close to big brands that passed
Seven in 10 Karachi buildings failed fire checks this year. Is yours safe?
Rescue 1122 audited about 1,900 buildings and more than 70 per cent fell short. Here is what to check in your own block, and what to do if fire breaks out
Direct Peshawar-Lahore flights start on November 9
South Air will fly the route four times a week at first, with the first flight leaving Peshawar at about 1pm on Iqbal Day. Fares are not out yet
Martine Rose named Balenciaga creative director after Piccioli exit
The British designer, who worked with Demna on the house’s menswear, starts on November 16
Yasmeen Lari’s bamboo community centre stars in Doha architecture show
The Pakistani architect’s disaster-ready design is on show until May 2027 in a Doha palace opened to the public for the first time
Thursday 5 November 2026
Pierpaolo Piccioli leaves Balenciaga after just 16 months
Kering says a new creative direction will be announced shortly, after mixed reviews of his collections
Formula milk packs in Pakistan must now say ‘Mother’s milk is best’
The drug regulator’s order covers local and imported formula, in Urdu and English
Lahore Fort’s Akbari Gate restored after being shut since British rule
The gate is to reconnect the fort with the Walled City once a ticket office is in place
Preservation work finished at Islamabad’s Shah Allah Ditta Buddhist caves
Officials hope the ancient site in the Margalla foothills will draw families and foreign visitors
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Iqbal Day long weekend: banks shut for three days, so sort your cash early
Monday is a public holiday. Here is what closes, what to get done by Friday and when things reopen
Blood cancer patients in Punjab wait for free medicines: what to do
About 5,000 patients have faced a three-month gap in supplies, and the health minister says five hospitals can now buy the drugs locally
Gas only at meal times from today: your new winter hours
The same three slots now apply across Pakistan, so here is how to plan your cooking and stay safe at home
Tuesday 3 November 2026
Snow in Kaghan: you can reach Naran, but not Babusar Top
Police have stopped traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. Here is what to know if you are heading up the valley
Imported wheat has arrived, so why is your roti still Rs20?
Grain is cheaper and mills have cut their rates, but the tandoor and the corner shop have not. Here is what you are paying, why, and which cities pay the most.
Mamdani shaves his famous beard for a Movember moustache
New York’s mayor says the new look is to raise awareness of men’s health, and that it comes with $4 million for a prostate cancer centre in Brooklyn.
