The Straits Times World
중도
기타
In a first, scientists precisely edit human embryo genes
Despite some failures, the method was promising to some experts.
"PRECISELY" · 총 28건
필터 보기현재 지수
50.3
0 = 부정 우세
50 = 중립
100 = 긍정 우세
최근 7일 기준 82,601건을 분석한 결과, 뉴스 심리지수는 50.3(균형)입니다. 긍정 4,278건(5.2%)·중립 76,218건(92.3%)·부정 2,105건(2.5%)이며, 중립 비중이 뚜렷하게 높습니다. 성향 지수는 종합 14.8(중도 균형)입니다.
Despite some failures, the method was promising to some experts.
Researchers relied on a newer gene-editing technique that may make it possible to engineer embryos, a prospect that has long alarmed bioethicists.
Pink reveals what she is ‘afraid' of, but does anyway Pink has revealed that she is genuinely afraid of heights, and that this is precisely why she keeps launching herself into the air at her concerts. The singer, 46, appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, 2 June, where...
Chief Executive John Lee on Wednesday said memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between education institutions in Hong Kong and Kazakhstan lay the foundation for further cooperation between the two sides in the long run. He witnessed the exchange of MoUs between Nazarbayev University and Education University of Hong Kong as well as the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during a visit to the institution in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on the final day of his trip to the Central Asia country. “These agreements will deepen academic and research collaboration. They will strengthen people-to-people ties between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan,” Lee said in a speech. “This growing network of institutional partnerships is precisely how we build enduring foundations for long-term cooperation and mutual rewards." The CE noted that some 500 students from Kazakhstan are currently studying in universities in Hong Kong, and he invited more people from the country to pursue career opportunities in the SAR. “The Kazakh community in Hong Kong is growing, and I invite you to look to Hong Kong for your future. To students here, we welcome talented youth and entrepreneurs with open arms. The opportunities are wide open too.” Lee also pointed out that Nazarbayev University was where President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative back in 2013. "Since its inception, the Belt and Road has developed a comprehensive framework for global partnership. It's anchored in policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, free and unfettered trade, financial integration, and critically, people-to-people bonds. More than a decade on, the foundations laid here are delivering rewarding results," he said. Professor Waqar Ahmad, president of Nazarbayev University, said his institution, which opened in 2010, has a lot to learn from universities in the SAR. Last year, Nazarbayev University launched a partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to establish a joint Bachelor of Business Administration programme under which students spend two years at each institution. “One of the inspiring examples for us is the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” Ahmad said. “35-year-old doesn't behave like a 35-year-old institution, behaves like a fantastic, mature institution which competes with universities which are 200, 300, 400 years old, fantastic in everything that it does, and that's the kind of inspiration that we get excited by. “We are a university which is still in the making. You've got well-established universities with a global reputation. We need to learn from you to get there.” Before the exchange ceremony, Lee and his delegation toured the university and visited its teaching facilities on artificial intelligence, new materials and energy technologies. Lee will head to Uzbekistan on Wednesday afternoon to continue his trip in Central Asia. Edited by Edmond Fong
SXSW London Wolf’s novel about a headstrong young Edwardian woman takes flight under Tina Gharavi’s direction, with Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders among the ensemble cast Here is an adaptation, written by Justine Waddell, of Virginia Woolf’s peculiar and tonally elusive work that is all about the quarterlife crisis of a headstrong, well-born young woman in Edwardian London faced with the necessity of getting married. What emerges is a wayward, unworldly fantasia, a four-leaf clover of a film – or even five-leaf; rather beautifully designed and photographed, flavoured with a wistful, unexpectedly Germanic kind of romanticism. Waddell and Iranian-born director and Bafta nominee Tina Gharavi have creatively gone against the grain of the novel, amplifying Woolf’s single glancing reference to astronomy and making that the centre of the heroine’s yearning, perhaps playfully implanting a subconscious memory of Cole Porter’s lyrics to the song of the same title: “You are the one, only you beneath the moon, under the sun ….” And – thankfully, in my view – the film removes Woolf’s supercilious condescension towards the self-betterment of newly educated lower and middle classes, and instead focuses on a sweet-natured story, performed with conviction by its all-star ensemble cast, interspersed with dreamlike set pieces. The result is not precisely Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day; maybe more EM Forster’s Night and Day or even Ronald Firbank’s Night and Day. Continue reading...
The Kospi's historic rally may have changed the way investors talk about the Korea Discount, but it has not erased the deeper valuation gap that still weighs on Korean equities, according to Kim Hak-kyun, head of research at Shinyoung Securities. "(The) Korea Discount has been fully resolved if you are talking about whether stock prices failed to rise," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Yeouido, Seoul, on Monday. "But if the term refers more precisely to how undervalued Korean co
Country: Philippines Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. Description of the Event Date of event 30-09-2025 What happened, where and when? On the 30 of September 2025, at precisely 9:59 PM, a strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Bogo City, marking it as the strongest recorded earthquake in Cebu province to date. The epicentre was located near Bogo City in northern Cebu, with an estimated shallow depth of about five kilometres, where intense ground shaking led to the collapse of buildings, destruction of roads, and power outages. Neighbouring municipalities, including Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio, and even parts of Cebu City also felt the severe impact of the earthquake. The event’s aftermath affected two regions, Central Visayas (Region VII) and Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), with Northern Cebu in Region VII bearing the brunt of the impact and damages. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the quake was tectonic and was caused by an offshore fault that had remained dormant for over 400 years, which has now been identified as the Bogo Bay Fault. PHIVOLCS issued a tsunami advisory for coastal communities exposed to the risks of abnormal sea level disturbances following the main shock, but this was later lifted after monitoring confirmed that no significant tsunami threat remained. Within the first 48 hours of the event, PHIVOLCS recorded over 7,000 aftershocks, and at the time of reporting, aftershocks continue to be recorded, with the strongest recent aftershock measuring 5.1-magnitude on 06 April 2026.
Technology minister Sun Dong on Sunday said the government was in talks with mainland authorities to arrange a real-time chat between Hong Kong students and Shenzhou-23 astronauts in space, including the city's first-ever payload specialist Lai Ka-ying. The government also hopes the astronauts can visit the SAR after their return, he said, adding the trip could take place in the first half of next year at the earliest. Speaking on a TVB programme, Sun said Lai’s selection to the mission was inspiring to Hong Kong people. “I think Ka-ying’s selection has given Hong Kong a very good start,” he said. “Her appointment has been praised by everyone – besides her professional background, she is also a mother of three and is friendly ... people feel that she is just an ordinary person like us, and I think this is inspiring for many people.” Sun added that Lai was selected because of her outstanding academic ability, exceptional physical condition and mental toughness, as well as her hardworking attitude. The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry hopes Hong Kong can nurture more astronauts in the future with the development of the aerospace industry. “We need to begin cultivating a group of outstanding young scientists who are passionate about aerospace and willing to strive for its advancement,” Sun said. “We must accelerate the construction of our international innovation and technology hub, so that the country can gain a better understanding and confidence in Hong Kong’s innovation and technology capabilities.” Sun went on to say that Hong Kong would allocate resources precisely to facilitate national space missions. The SAR could also help the country in international exchanges and collaboration, he added. Edited by Tony Sabine
"Gyotaku," or fish printing, originated in the 19th century as a way for fishermen in Japan to document their catch precisely.
As its third season ends, Sam Levinson’s HBO show reflects the grim future that gen Z faces. Its rage-bait is precisely the point The third season of Euphoria has been almost impossible to ignore for anyone with a smartphone. The HBO drama, which started off in 2019 following a group of hedonistic, privileged teens, has evolved into television’s answer to rage-bait, creating moments that are specifically designed to dominate the news feed with memes and outrage. Even before we reach the season finale, we’ve seen OnlyFans storylines, pup play, sugar daddies, mummification fetishes, a disastrous wedding, fingers and toes being sliced off, venomous snake attacks, cockatoo assassinations (RIP Paladin), gangster shootouts and (several) characters being buried alive. In season three, Euphoria picked up its story five years after the characters graduated from high school. At times, the show has felt lost outside of the high school setting, exploring a confusing mishmash of genres and plots, some of which have been called out for glamorising misogyny and violence. Yet despite these criticisms, the show has a track record of taking bold artistic risks, which is becoming rarer in a content landscape that values quantity over quality. It turned Sam Levinson, its creator, into one of Hollywood’s most exciting (and polarising) visionaries, and catapulted a new generation of actors into the A-list to the point where it now seems like they have outgrown the show). As season three concludes, Euphoria represents a strange – and very “2026” – contradiction, where it feels both ridiculous and undeniably influential. Continue reading...
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has ruled that a case of ‘kidnapping for ransom’ was triable by the anti-terrorism court because of its inclusion in the Schedule of the anti-terrorism law. A bench consisting of Justice Mudassir Ameer and Justice Aurangzeb rejected pleas of four of the accused in the high-profile Dr Warda Mushtaq murder case from Abbottabad, seeking deletion of Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, from the FIR of the occurrence and transferring of the case to an ordinary court. It upheld an order of the ATC Hazara region of April 13, 2026, whereby the present petitioners had moved an application for transferring their case to a regular court. The petitioners included a central character in the case, Ms Rida Waheed Jadoon, her husband Waheed Ahmad and two others Nadeem and Pervez. Rejects accused’s plea to transfer Dr Warda murder case to regular court The bench, in its 16-page detailed judgement, decided the question: “Whether the learned Anti-Terrorism Court, Hazara Division, Abbottabad possesses lawful jurisdiction under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 to try the petitioners for the offence under Section 365-A (kidnapping for ransom), P.P.C., notwithstanding the contention that the ingredients constituting ‘terrorism’ within the meaning of Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 are not attracted to the facts of the case?” On December 4, 2025, Dr Warda was allegedly taken from the hospital by her friend, Rida Waheed, to her house on the pretext of returning the 67 tolas of gold jewelry she had taken from her. However, the medic’s body was later recovered from the Leli Banuta forest on December 8. The FIR of the incident was initially registered on Dec 5, 2025, at Abbottabad’s Cantt Police Station, by the father of the deceased, under different provisions of the PPC (Pakistan Penal Code) and Section 7 of the ATA. After the confirmation of the doctor’s death, Section 302 (intentional murder) PPC was also included in the FIR. The complainant’s counsel, Atif Ali Khan Jadoon, and additional advocate general Sardar Basharat opposed the petitions, contending that the ATC had the jurisdiction to try the accused in the instant case. The bench observed that it was an admitted position that initially, Section 7(1)(a) of the ATA was incorporated in the FIR but later, the charge under Section 365-A PPC was framed against the accused by the trial court. “It is equally undisputed that offence under Section 365-A, PPC falls within Entry No. 4 of the Third schedule appended to the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997,” it observed. The bench discussed in detail several provisions of the ATA and ruled: “A bare reading of the above provisions unmistakably demonstrates that the Anti-Terrorism Court derives jurisdiction not only in respect of offences which strictly fall within the definition of ‘terrorism’ under Section 6 of the Act but also in respect of ‘scheduled offences’ specifically incorporated in the Third Schedule to the Act. Thus, the jurisdiction of the Anti-Terrorism Court is not confined merely to offences punishable under Section 7 of the Act; rather, it extends independently to all scheduled offences by virtue of Section 12 of the Act.” The court added that it was by now a settled principle of law that an ordinary case of kidnapping for ransom committed for personal motive, monetary gain or private vendetta might not amount to ‘terrorism’ unless accompanied by the requisite design or purpose envisaged under Section 6(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. It, however, declared that such an offence nonetheless remained triable by the Anti-Terrorism Court because of its inclusion in the Third Schedule to the Act. In the judgement authored by Justice Aurangzeb, the bench ruled that in such cases, the Anti-Terrorism Court might ultimately convict an accused under Section 365-A of the PPC simpliciter and not under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, unless the prosecution independently established the necessary ingredients constituting an act of terrorism. It added that the ATC, Hazara Division, at Abbottabad had rightly assumed jurisdiction in the matter and had committed no illegality in dismissing the application filed by the petitioners under Section 23 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Referring to the preamble of the ATA, the bench pointed out that it unequivocally declared that the Act was promulgated not only for the prevention of terrorism and sectarian violence but also for the speedy trial of heinous offences. “Kidnapping for ransom is undeniably one of the gravest offences affecting public safety, human liberty and societal order. It was precisely because of the alarming increase and heinous nature of such offence that the Legislature consciously brought Section 365-A of PPC within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Anti-Terrorism Court by incorporating the same in Entry No. 4 of the Third Schedule,” it observed. Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2026
The virus spreads from direct person-to-person contact. But here's what makes it especially lethal: it persists in corpses, and funeral practices often take place precisely when bodies are most infectious.
This tale of a horny bear on a quest of sexual exploration after his partner leaves him during hibernation is certainly shocking. But can it match the sweetness of its predecessor? In the first minute of Netflix’s animated comedy Mating Season, a bear wakes up, urinates uncontrollably across his cave, stumbles outside, sees two horny raccoons banging away, then spirals into a deep well of shame about it. At this stage, it is barely worth pointing out that Mating Season is the spiritual successor to the outrageous, witty comedy Big Mouth, so completely does it inhabit that show’s DNA. And at this point, you will already know if the show is for you or not. Because Big Mouth, as popular as it was, polarised audiences like little else. That show was about the horrors of puberty and sexual awakening, and it was tailored with absolute precision to its target audience of hormone-battered adolescent boys. You could argue that it did this a little too precisely, because its juvenilia was so relentlessly nuclear-powered that plenty of people found themselves turned off by all the sex and farts and swearing. Continue reading...
AS Muslims across the world observe Eidul Azha, this year’s festival arrives while war engulfs large parts of the Muslim world. The US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, launched earlier this year and continuing despite ceasefire negotiations, has deepened fears of a wider regional conflagration. Even as Pakistan, Qatar and Oman work frantically to broker a settlement, tensions remain high. Meanwhile, the devastation in Gaza continues. Families that once gathered for Eid meals now search for food and shelter amid shattered neighbourhoods and mounting civilian deaths. In Sudan, millions displaced by civil war face another Eid in overcrowded camps dependent on dwindling humanitarian aid. Across parts of Lebanon and Yemen, conflict and economic collapse have robbed countless families of the peace and togetherness the festival aims to bring. For many Muslims this year, Eid will pass not in celebration, but in grief, fear and hardship. Yet perhaps this is precisely when Eid’s deeper meaning matters most. Eidul Azha commemorates sacrifice not merely as ritual, but as an expression of faith and compassion for others. It reminds Muslims that devotion cannot be separated from empathy for those enduring hardship. In times such as these, the obligation to help those less fortunate becomes even more urgent. Donations to relief efforts, support for struggling families and acts of kindness within communities reflect the essence of the occasion far more meaningfully than displays of extravagance. Pakistan celebrates Eid while grappling with economic strain that continues to weigh heavily on ordinary households. Still, Eid remains a time of shared humanity. Communities often come together during hardship with a generosity that transcends financial circumstances. This spirit deserves strengthening. At the same time, one unfortunate pattern continues to mar the festival every year: neglect of cleanliness after animal sacrifice. In many cities, animal waste and remains are left exposed on streets and in drains for hours — sometimes days — creating serious health and environmental hazards. The Pakistan Air Force has issued an especially important warning this year: “We fly to protect our motherland. Safeguard our aircraft and pilots from dangerous bird strikes by ensuring proper disposal of slaughtered animal waste this Eid.” Improper disposal attracts birds near flight paths, increasing the risk of potentially catastrophic accidents. Let us honour the spirit of Eid through humanity, restraint and respect for the public good. Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026
Country: World Source: UN Women Crises are not gender-neutral. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to pre-existing gender inequalities and discriminatory social norms, which limit their access to humanitarian aid, services, resources, and decision-making power. It is not surprising that the 30-year review of progress on the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action found that progress for women and girls is slowest in conflict and crisis-affected countries. The review raised the alarm about how ongoing trends may further thwart progress. The data is stark: Women and girls in extremely fragile contexts are 7.7 times more likely to live in households below the poverty line of USD 2.15 per day than those in non-fragile contexts. Under a worst-case climate scenario, up to 158.3 million additional women and girls could be pushed into poverty by 2050 as a direct result of climate change, surpassing the number of men and boys by 16 million. The number of food-insecure women and girls could rise by as much as 236 million, compared with an additional 131 million men and boys. The average incidence of child marriage in conflict-affected countries is 14.4 percentage points higher than in non-conflict settings. More than a third of maternal deaths occurred in 48 fragile and conflict-affected countries. Sexual violence in conflict zones has risen sharply in recent years, while impunity for these violations has remained the norm. Girls’ educational attainment continues to lag in conflict-affected countries. Behind these numbers are women and girls who have lost their lives, had their safety and health shattered, their rights eroded, their dignity compromised, and their potential squandered. From Gaza and Sudan to Haiti, Lebanon, and elsewhere, the gendered impacts are both immediate and long term, affecting individuals and societies. They are also not contained within borders. For example, according to a UN Women gender alert on the military escalation in the Middle East, rising food and fuel prices and supply disruptions risk deepening food insecurity and livelihood erosion and increasing unpaid care burdens for women and girls across the Arab region, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and beyond. A humanitarian system under pressure The unfolding tragedy of escalating and protracted conflicts and crises and growing humanitarian needs is taking place against a backdrop of several important global trends. First, recent years have seen a rising backlash against gender equality taking place within the wider context of democratic erosion and shrinking civic space in various countries and regions. This is influencing government policies as well as mainstream opinions and attitudes – and threatening hard-won gains for women and girls. Second, the world is experiencing a severe contraction of international aid precisely when it is needed the most. Recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows that international aid fell in 2025 by 23.1 per cent in real terms compared with 2024, representing the largest annual drop in the history of official development assistance. This brings aid back to 2015 levels – the year the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development began. As the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 lays bare, the massive cuts to aid have forced the humanitarian system to do the “cruel math of doing less with less” and “hyper-prioritize” assistance toward those assessed to be in the direst need. The Humanitarian Reset, launched through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in March 2025, aims to make the system faster, lighter, more accountable, and more impactful. Against this backdrop, the international community needs to take bold and urgent action based on ample evidence of what works and rooted in existing commitments to gender equality and women’s rights. Put gender equality at the center of the reset First, gender equality needs to be a cornerstone of the ongoing Humanitarian Reset and not seen as a peripheral issue. In the drive for efficiency, simplification, and focus on strictly defined and hyper-prioritized life-saving assistance, there is a risk that implementation of the IASC’s commitments to gender equality may fall short. As funding contracts and established universal norms are under attack, now is the time to double down and prioritize interventions led by women and in support of their lives, dignity, and rights. Under the reset, there is a commitment that the humanitarian system will “defend” norms and principles, including on gender equality. The reset’s outcomes will depend on how consistently and concretely this is done at different levels – globally and in countries. A critical pillar is to recognize women’s vital and rich contributions in crisis-affected settings and enable their full and equal participation and leadership in decision-making processes. Women and girls are not passive victims or mere recipients of aid – they are responders on the front lines and are shaping the outcomes of crises, as community leaders and organizers, primary caregivers, educators, economic contributors, and peacebuilders. There is plenty of evidence that their leadership is a precondition for effective humanitarian responses, as well as for addressing the root causes of conflicts and for building sustainable recovery and peace. And yet we are far from achieving longstanding commitments to women’s participation and leadership as per the Sustainable Development Goals and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. All too often, participation remains tokenistic and women may have seats but no real influence over decisions made. Whether in internationally led mediation processes, in country-level humanitarian teams and cluster coordination groups, in funding allocation advisory boards, or in other decision-making forums – women need to be equally present and heard, and their perspectives recognized and heeded. They need to be able to exercise this fundamental right safely and without negative repercussions. Fund women-led and women’s rights organizations Second, women-led and women’s rights organizations working in conflict and crisis-affected countries need urgent funding. They were already underfunded and overstretched prior to recent funding cuts. UN Women’s report, At a breaking point, warns that these cuts have placed enormous additional strain on their vital work and even their very existence. Both the quantity and the quality of funding matter. Funding needs to be flexible, multi-year, and reflective of the holistic and transformative nature of their work, which is not only life-saving and life-sustaining but also often encompasses longer-term development, peace, democracy building, human rights, and gender-equality objectives. Both funding and broader political support need to take into account the significant, often overlooked, risks faced in crisis settings by women, girls, gender-diverse leaders, and human rights defenders. Work across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus Finally, it is critical that humanitarian, development, and peace actors work more closely and effectively together to address the complex challenges of today’s protracted and multifaceted crises. Meeting immediate needs should go hand in hand with building community resilience to disasters, strengthening governance systems, and addressing the root causes of conflict. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls need to be embedded throughout this nexus and its various components – from defining collective gender outcomes, to conducting joint gender analysis and assessments, to harmonizing funding streams with gender markers and ambitious targets for funding projects and interventions that address women’s specific needs, advance gender equality, or empower women. The stakes could not be higher. As the international community navigates an era of shrinking resources, eroding norms, and multiplying crises, the choices made now will determine whether women and girls are left further behind or emerge as the architects of more just and resilient societies. Delivering on commitments to gender equality in crisis settings is not a matter of idealism – it is a prerequisite for effective, sustainable, and principled responses. The evidence is clear and the commitments exist. The world cannot afford the cost of inaction. This article is reprinted with permission from SDG Action. About the author Asya Varbanova has 20 years of experience advancing sustainable development and gender equality in complex political, post-conflict and crisis contexts, across Europe, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. Currently serving as Head of Humanitarian Section/Deputy Chief. She has led Country Offices of UN Women in Turkiye, Moldova, Serbia and North Macedonia. She has managed development programmes and humanitarian responses in diverse settings, translating normative commitments on women’s rights and empowerment into operational results and spearheading multi-stakeholder partnerships across the UN, government institutions, civil society and private sector to advance impact at scale and institutional and systemic change.
"In today's turbulent geopolitical landscape, Russia-China ties have been tempered over time and have had deep bonds. Their friendly relations stand precisely as the bedrock of stability that the global arena needs most," said Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Angel Georgiev said that Bulgaria could have cheaper electricity, but the prices are much higher "precisely because of the European Commission’s so-called green policy and anti-Russian sanctions"
Country: World Source: Global Polio Eradication Initiative At this year’s World Health Assembly in Geneva, delegates debated some of the world’s most difficult and divisive issues. Discussions touched on conflict, humanitarian crises, geopolitical tensions and the growing pressures facing global health systems. At times, the debates reflected a world that feels increasingly fragmented. And yet, amid all these differences, one thing stood out with remarkable clarity: every Member State remained united behind one common goal — the eradication of polio. Countries that disagree profoundly on many political issues nevertheless continue to stand shoulder to shoulder when it comes to protecting children from lifelong paralysis. Iran and Israel. Russia and Ukraine. Countries from every region, every political system and every level of development all reaffirmed their commitment to achieving and sustaining a polio-free world. One colleague observing the Assembly discussions described this as a “Lichtblick” — a German word meaning a “ray of hope”. It is a fitting description. Because in today’s world, polio eradication represents something much greater than a disease programme alone. It is one of the few remaining examples of a truly universal humanitarian cause — one capable of uniting governments, civil society, health workers and communities around a shared human objective. That unity matters. And perhaps there are lessons in it for the broader future of global cooperation. Throughout the Assembly, delegates also repeatedly returned to another important question: what should the future global health architecture look like in an increasingly complex and fragmented world? One message emerged particularly clearly from those discussions: global health cannot be driven by governments alone. Member States repeatedly emphasized that civil society, communities and local actors must remain central to both decision-making and implementation. In many ways, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) already represents one of the strongest examples of this model in practice. For more than three decades, governments, multilateral organizations, scientists, frontline health workers and civil society partners such as Rotary International have worked side by side toward a shared humanitarian goal. The result has been not only extraordinary progress toward eradication, but also the creation of one of the largest and most effective public-private partnerships in global health history. At a time when the world is actively reflecting on how to strengthen multilateral cooperation and global health systems, there may be important lessons to learn from the GPEI experience — particularly the recognition that lasting progress depends not only on institutions, but also on communities, trust and shared ownership. This spirit of cooperation was also reflected in broader Assembly discussions on climate change, air pollution and energy poverty, where Member States and partners emphasized the need for coordinated global action and stronger community-centred health systems. While these challenges differ in nature, they share an important lesson with polio eradication: no country can solve them alone, and lasting progress depends on trust, partnership and collective responsibility. Together, GPEI partners have reduced wild poliovirus cases globally by more than 99.9%. In doing so, they have also built something much larger: surveillance systems, laboratories, emergency operations centres, community trust networks and outbreak response capacities that today support broader health security efforts worldwide. But perhaps most importantly, they have built trust and common ground. History has shown repeatedly that polio eradication efforts can create space for dialogue even in the most difficult environments. During the civil conflict in Côte d’Ivoire in the early 2000s, local Rotary members helped bring together government and opposition forces to negotiate temporary ceasefires so vaccination teams could safely respond to a polio outbreak in the north of the country. Those humanitarian discussions later helped open channels for broader peace negotiations. More recently, synchronized vaccination campaigns have continued across parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan despite periods of heightened political tension. In Gaza, extraordinary humanitarian coordination helped enable vaccination campaigns that successfully interrupted outbreak transmission. Again and again, the effort to protect children from polio has demonstrated that even where politics divides, humanity can still unite. Of course, the world faces many urgent challenges. Financing pressures, conflicts, competing priorities and humanitarian crises all place strain on global health systems and international cooperation alike. But perhaps that is precisely why polio eradication matters so much today. Because it reminds us that multilateralism can still work. That collective action remains possible. And that even in a divided world, there are still causes capable of bringing humanity together around a shared purpose. The world is now closer than ever to eradicating polio forever. But the final phase matters precisely because every remaining case is not simply a statistic — it is a child whose life will be permanently affected by paralysis. That is why this effort continues to matter so deeply. If we succeed, the achievement will not belong to one country, one organization or one generation alone. It will belong to all of humanity.
Pakistan’s obsession with everything Bakra Eid is hard to overstate. Whether it’s young boys heading to the mandi every other night to size up animals, uncles asking the price outside your house, or families having barbecues for the entire week — the festival generates a level of commercial and cultural energy that few other events in the country can match. And all of that energy translates into an enormous amount of money changing hands; almost entirely cash. More than seven million animals were sacrificed nationally in 2025, according to the Pakistan Tanneries Association, with total estimated sales of roughly Rs600 billion. Few other segments of the economy concentrate this much money in so few places over such a short period. The activity clusters around a small number of large mandis, often at city outskirts, where buyers and sellers carry large sums across distances with real risks of theft and counterfeit notes. It is precisely the kind of environment where digital payments should, in theory, take off. No wonder the State Bank has been trying to do exactly that since 2024, through its “Go Cashless in Cattle Markets” campaign, which has now entered its third year. In 2024, the campaign facilitated around 13,000 digital transactions worth Rs560 million across its initial set of markets. Last year, the coverage expanded to 54 markets with 24 participating banks, and the numbers jumped to 64,553 transactions valued at Rs4.65bn ie roughly an eightfold increase in throughput and a fivefold rise in volume. Similarly, the average ticket size climbed from approximately Rs43,000 to Rs72,000. While the growth is promising, the base is still too small. Going by the estimates above, not even one per cent of the mandi economy is routing via digital payments. For context, almost 65pc of the banking transactions are going through an online channel. So why has the uptake remained low? In 2025, the campaign’s coverage increased fivefold in volume over 2024; this year nearly double that number of markets are covered One major, and perhaps underappreciated, part of the problem remains data reporting. Monitoring digital transactions for a specific use is tricky, as the overwhelming majority prefers the regular fund transfers, which are technically not meant for commercial purposes but have a massive organic pull. But that makes it difficult to attribute to a specific campaign. In fact, background conversations with sellers for this piece suggest a real shift towards digital payments, even though not necessarily attributable to the Go Cashless campaign. One middleman, who sources animals from rural parts of Sindh and usually sells them to buyers in Karachi, said that almost half of their transactional value is now going through online channels, both inflows and outflows. Another farm owner, Jameel Memon, shared a somewhat similar mix, saying that around 60pc of the inflows come through digital channels. While not exactly a significant hindrance for relatively wealthier clients, a majority of financial services app users in Pakistan happen to have m-wallets, whose limits are often not enough to purchase even a goat, let alone a cow, based on the current market prices. In the latest scheme, the SBP has introduced temporary relaxations on transaction and account balance limits, effective May 14 through June 5, to accommodate the higher values typical of livestock purchases. On the demand side, a recurring complaint remains network connectivity, which makes the whole digital payment experience clunky and unreliable. Despite these challenges, there is good reason to believe the transaction numbers will shoot up as campaign coverage has nearly doubled to 96 cattle markets. The campaign has also expanded beyond mandis to include institutions involved in collective sacrifice arrangements ie ijtemai qurbani, potentially capturing a segment that involves larger, more structured payments, according to Ahson Saeed, the CEO of Raast Payments Pakistan, the State Bank-owned entity responsible for operating and proliferating the national instant payment scheme in the country. This initiative needs to be looked at as part of the broader cashless economy drive from the Prime Minister’s office. To push QR codes, the government, last year, announced a subsidy to cover the merchant discount rate on transactions, covering 0.5pc or Rs100 — whichever is lower. Though the Go Cashless campaign comprises both person-to-person and person-to-merchant, the regulator is naturally pushing towards the latter. In fact, one major move this season is that of QR transactions; financial institutions have been instructed to ensure settlement on the merchant leg instantly. Such payments require instant credit to the payee by the payor, as delays can cause disputes which are difficult to manage, considering the nature of trade in the mandis, according to Mr Saeed. Meanwhile, financial institutions seem to have significantly amped up their efforts and deployed a field force across key cattle markets. “Our representatives are guiding both merchants and buyers to drive adoption,” said Suhail Jan, Head of Channels at JazzCash, which is active across 85 markets this season. But what do the early results show? Well, it is too early to say. “The data is still preliminary, as around 60pc of transactions happen in the last three to four days before Eid ul Azha. However, we are seeing a noticeable increase in QR transactions as the State Bank of Pakistan and financial institutions have ramped up awareness campaigns,” he continued. Pakistan is not the only country trying to crack this. Bangladesh, which is believed to be the largest market in terms of Bakra Eid economy, launched a similar central bank-led pilot at cattle markets in 2022. It’s not exactly clear if the objectives were achieved or not, since there have been few monitoring updates ever since. For us, that could be the biggest takeaway: measuring performance the right way is almost as important as the campaign itself. Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, May 25th, 2026
In Lahore, food is never merely food. It is memory, migration, performance, class, longing and history carried on the tongue. Few places embody this truth more vividly than Gawalmandi, the dense and storied neighbourhood in central Lahore whose narrow streets, smoky grills, old facades and crowded eateries became inseparable from the cultural imagination of the city. To speak of Gawalmandi is to speak of Lahore itself: a city built through displacement, improvisation, coexistence and reinvention. Until recently, Gawalmandi has been celebrated primarily for its famous Food Street, for sizzling kebabs, fragrant hareesa, fried fish, doodh-jalebi and late-night crowds that gather under strings of lights. Yet reducing Gawalmandi to a culinary destination alone would flatten its layered historical significance. The neighbourhood is also a site through which one can understand urban modernity in South Asia, the social consequences of Partition, and the transformation of everyday life in postcolonial cities. Through the writings of historians and theorists such as Gyan Prakash, Ash Amin and Arjun Appadurai, Gawalmandi can be read not simply as a neighborhood but as an urban text — a space where memory, mobility, intimacy and commerce converge. The literary recollections of A. Hameed, Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Pran Neville further illuminate how Lahore’s cultural worlds were built through ordinary people, shared spaces and everyday encounters. The name “Gawalmandi” itself reveals much about its origins. Derived from the wordsgawala (milkman) andmandi (market), the locality emerged as one of the largest buffalo milk production and distribution hubs in Punjab. Before it became associated with restaurants and food culture, it was a working neighbourhood shaped by cattle, dairy trade and the rhythms of everyday commerce. The area developed substantially after 1911, during the late colonial period, when Lahore was expanding beyond the Walled City. Its roads — Nisbet Road, Chamberlain Road and McLeod Road — reflected the imprint of British colonial urban planning, while its architecture retained distinctly subcontinental sensibilities. Buildings such as the 19th century Bajaj House and the 1914 Amrit Dhara structure demonstrate this hybrid aesthetic: colonial facades adapted to local climate, craft traditions and social life. Unlike the grand imperial spaces of colonial Lahore, however, Gawalmandi evolved through dense habitation and informal economies. It was a neighbourhood of wrestlers, traders, craftsmen and working families. It possessed a rough vitality that distinguished it from elite colonial enclaves. Over time, it also became associated with the Gujjar community, many of whom trace their ancestry and social roots to the area. Yet the decisive transformation of Gawalmandi came after 1947. The Indian Partition altered Lahore irreversibly. Entire populations moved across borders in conditions of trauma and uncertainty. Muslims from Amritsar, Jalandhar and other cities migrated into Lahore, while many Hindu and Sikh residents departed. Gawalmandi became one of the first major post-Partition residential settlements outside the Walled City. The neighbourhood’s post-Partition story reflects what Gyan Prakash describes as the making of the “modern city” through rupture, improvisation and uneven urban experience. In Mumbai Fables, Prakash argues that South Asian cities are not merely planned spaces but are continuously produced through the aspirations and survival strategies of ordinary people. Gawalmandi embodies this process perfectly. Many of the migrants who settled there arrived with little capital but considerable skill. Craftsmen opened workshops in front of their homes. Small vendors transformed domestic thresholds into commercial spaces. Families carried recipes, techniques and food traditions from their ancestral cities and adapted them to the new urban environment. As local accounts suggest, the food stalls gradually multiplied until every lane offered something distinctive. The migrants from Amritsar popularised gram flour-coated fried fish that eventually became known throughout Lahore as “Lahore fish.” Kashmiri families introduced hareesa. Wrestler families brought specialised barbecue techniques and falooda traditions. Doodh-jalebi emerged as another iconic local specialty. Thus, it offered a perfect ambience for politician like Nawaz Sharif to spend his impressionable years at Gawalmandi which remained his political support base throughout. This culinary evolution was not accidental. It was a social response to displacement. Partition migrants reconstructed belonging through food. In doing so, they transformed Gawalmandi into a sensory archive of memory. Recipes became repositories of lost homes, vanished cities and inherited skills. Arjun Appadurai’s influential work on globalisation and everyday life helps illuminate this phenomenon. Appadurai argues that locality is not fixed geographically but is continually produced through social practice, memory and performance. Food, in this sense, is one of the most powerful ways communities reproduce identity. Gawalmandi’s cuisine thus became more than commerce. It became a way of rebuilding the self after historical rupture. One of the most striking aspects of Gawalmandi is the way public life unfolds in the street itself. The neighbourhood’s food culture depends on density, proximity and collective presence. Families eat outdoors late into the night. Vendors cook in open view. Children move through crowds. Strangers share tables. Ash Amin’s writings on “urban conviviality” are especially useful here. Amin argues that cities create forms of everyday coexistence that are not necessarily based on formal political unity but on repeated encounters, shared spaces and practical negotiation. Gawalmandi exemplifies such convivial urbanism. Historically, the area brought together Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities. Even after Partition altered its demographic structure, the neighbourhood retained traces of plural cultural memory. The architecture, culinary practices and urban rhythms continued to carry echoes of mixed histories. This coexistence was not utopian. Like many dense urban neighbourhoods, Gawalmandi also experienced conflict, class tensions and political contestation. Yet its streets enabled forms of interaction rarely found in segregated modern urban developments. In contemporary Lahore, where gated communities increasingly dominate elite aspirations, Gawalmandi offers a radically different model of urban life. It remains noisy, porous, crowded and unpredictable. Its vitality depends precisely on this openness. The neighbourhood therefore challenges sanitised notions of urban modernity. For Gyan Prakash, South Asian cities are often marked by contradiction: aspiration exists alongside decay; modernity coexists with informality. Gawalmandi reflects these tensions vividly. It has long been described simultaneously as chaotic and authentic, deteriorating and alive. Much of its emotional resonance emerges through literary and nostalgic writing about Lahore. A. Hameed often portrayed Lahore not as a monumental city but as a lived emotional landscape built through tea houses, conversations, alleyways, smells and fleeting encounters. In his recollections, old Lahore possessed a human intimacy increasingly threatened by modern development. Gawalmandi belongs precisely to this disappearing urban sensibility. Similarly, Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s writings on Lahore captured the social texture of the city’s neighborhoods — the humour, eccentricity and performative culture of ordinary Lahoris. Pasha understood that Lahore’s identity resided less in official histories than in everyday public life. Gawalmandi’s crowded streets, wrestling culture, food traditions and neighbourhood politics all reflect this performative urban ethos. Pran Neville also provides crucial insight into the city’s cosmopolitan past. Neville repeatedly emphasised Lahore’s composite culture, where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs participated in overlapping social worlds. Thus Gawalmandi is not merely a site of consumption. It is a repository of layered memory. Walking through Gawalmandi today reveals another dimension of its significance: its fragile architectural heritage. Many structures in the area still retain pre-Partition features — wooden balconies, carved facades, ornamental windows and mixed colonial-subcontinental designs. Yet these structures exist under immense pressure from commercialisation, neglect and unregulated development. The transformation of Gawalmandi into an official Food Street around 2000 reflected both preservation and commodification. Local activists, food enthusiasts and government authorities attempted to conserve historical structures while branding the area as a tourist destination. Residents were initially hesitant. The idea of converting everyday streets into curated cultural space was unfamiliar. Eventually, however, buildings were restored, commercial signage regulated and restaurants expanded into formerly residential spaces. The initiative gained international attention after visits by diplomats and foreign officials who viewed the street as evidence of Lahore’s cultural richness and public vibrancy. Yet heritage-making in South Asia is always political. In 2011, the Punjab government shut down the Food Street, arguing that it obstructed roads and created inconvenience. Historic gates associated with pre-Partition families were demolished. Thousands connected to the local food economy reportedly lost livelihoods. The closure revealed the uneasy relationship between bureaucracy and organic urban culture. (to be continued) Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026