In an Instagram post on Friday, BDS said it was still encouraging a boycott of Disney products after Marvel chose to revive the pro-Israel comic book character Sabra in Captain America: Brave New World.

The movement called the character “racist” and “anti-Palestinian”, noting that the original version from 1980s comic books was an agent of the Mossad and that “Sabra has long glorified settler-colonial violence against Palestinians”.

The post from BDS also mentioned how the actor who played Sabra in the movie, Shira Haas, was not only Israeli, but also a former member of the Israeli military. In fact, Haas was exempted from mandatory military service on medical grounds, but chose to enlist in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) anyway.

The movement said Disney had suspended its operations in Russia when the country invaded neighbouring Ukraine in light of the “humanitarian crisis”, but continued to run a subsidiary and two TV channels in Israel three years after the country launched its brutal invasion of Palestine — which experts around the world have concluded is a genocide.

The post said the boycott call against Captain America: Brave New World and Snow White — which starred Israeli cultural ambassador Gal Gadot — led to both films being commercially unsuccessful and proved that BDS’ strategy of economic pressure can yield results.

The movement called for followers to stop buying Marvel merchandise and cancel their Disney+ subscriptions until Disney drops Sabra from its line-up of heroes.

This follows another boycott call from pro-Palestine activists against Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which was produced by former IDF member Avi Arad.

A Lebanese organisation aimed at placing economic pressure on Israel termed financially supporting projects associated with pro-Israel people — like Arad — as amounting to “cultural normalisation” and urged supporters not to pay to watch the movie.

The report looks at the so-called manosphere, which it defines as the collection of online communities united by shared beliefs about “masculinity, misogyny, and male victimisation”.

It details the health impacts of the manosphere – which blames feminism for disadvantaging men and a masculinity crisis – including on men’s mental health and violence against women.

It also says the movement “delegitimises” men and boys seeking help.

“By reframing the manosphere as a public health issue rather than just a regulatory issue, we open up a number of additional policy levers that public health approaches can provide,” author Sarah J Hawkes told BBC Radio 4.

The University College London global public health professor called for a coordinated government response to the crisis, including better access to skills and jobs as well as to mental health services.

She also pointed out that people make “a lot of money” through such messaging, including by encouraging boys and men to invest in financial schemes and buy unregulated supplements and hormones.

Co-author Kent Buse, health policy professor at Monash University Malaysia, said the manosphere thrived on online platforms deploying a similar playbook to the tobacco industry: “blame the individual, and call regulation an attack on freedom.”

“Boys and men are not the problem,” said Buse. “The problem is the conditions that leave them isolated and without a secure future, and the companies that profit from their anger and insecurity.”

Brand’s trial in London on seven counts of rape, sexual assault and attempted indecent assault is now in the final stages, with the jury likely to retire to consider a verdict on Tuesday.

The London court has heard details from six women of alleged offences, including a rape between 1999 and 2009 when Brand rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and television presenter.

If found guilty, the 51-year-old could face up to life in prison. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, saying that although he used to be promiscuous, he always had consensual sex. His wife Laura Gallacher, who has attended most hearings, sounded confident and calm, as she was questioned by Brand’s lawyer and the prosecution as a character witness.

“Russell, my husband, is caring, he is kind, he is a wonderful father to our children. He is an amazing, attentive husband,” the 39-year-old said, watched by Brand from the dock. Gallacher and Brand married in 2017 and have three children.

Originally published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026

The court also banned Panahi from leaving the country for two years and from any social media activity, the report said.

Panahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Panahi, whose film It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes film festival, has been arrested several times in the past for his filmmaking.

Despite having been sentenced to a one-year prison sentence in absentia in 2025 for propaganda activities against the system, Panahi returned to the country in March.

Later, he was buried in Kakakhel Town, Peshawar.

The renowned Pashto folk singer, who served as an authentic and enduring voice of traditional music across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was born in Mardan in 1950.

He launched his singing career from Radio Pakistan Peshawar, later expanding his reach through PTV Peshawar Centre, vibrant stage performances and Pashto cinema. Known for his poignant vocal style and deep connection to classical Pakhtun folk traditions, Gulrez Tabassum earned widespread fame among regional listeners for preserving the acoustic essence of rural music.

His career flourished across local hujra gatherings, television broadcasts and regional audio recordings. He remained steadfastly committed to authentic Pashto musical heritage, prioritising classical folk instruments like rubab and acoustic percussion over modern synthetic beats.

His repertoire was celebrated for its emotional depth, focusing on iconic tappay — the two-line folk couplets that express the joy, grief, and romance of Pakhtun life — alongside traditional badala and narrative qissa ballads passed down through generations.

Through featured broadcasts and film playback, Gulrez Tabassum brought traditional folk literature to a wider audience, solidifying his role as a vital custodian of Pashto culture.

However, he had long quit singing and called it a day more than a decade ago owing to ailing health. During his last few years, he remained bedridden as his medical condition worsened. According to family sources, he passed away in a local hospital.

Gulrez Tabassum will be remembered as a soulful icon whose vocal mastery helped to sustain the rich poetic tradition of the borderlands. His artistic legacy endures through his preserved recordings, film tracks and the lasting footprint he left on the cultural memory of Pashto folk music.

Originally published in Dawn, October 29th, 2026

The Dutch withdrawal is the latest in a series of boycotts from countries unhappy with Israel’s inclusion in the annual music festival, given its military campaign in Gaza.

“We have known for some time that Israel’s participation elicits various reactions in society and causes discussion and division,” said Jurre Bosman, NPO’s media director, in a statement.

“Therefore, after consultation with the Board of Broadcasters, the NPO has decided to forgo participation in 2027,” added Bosman.

The Dutch decision brings to an end a series of flip-flops over its participation, highlighting the divisive nature of the debate in the country and more broadly.

In August, the AVROTROS broadcaster, which selects the Dutch entry and broadcasts the show, had pulled out, saying the event can “no longer be considered neutral” given divisions over the Gaza war.

But a month later, NPO stepped in to replace AVROTROS, saying it would take on the responsibility, only to reverse course with its decision on Tuesday.

Jet de Ranitz, NPO’s executive chairman, acknowledged their decision would disappoint many Dutch Eurovision fans and stressed that the contest would still be aired on the public channels.

However, De Ranitz said: “We must conclude that it is currently too early to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027.”

“Due to the sensitivities surrounding the themes currently at play, we have decided to take a step back for the time being,” added De Ranitz.

In August, organisers announced they were excluding any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition. But that has not prevented withdrawals, with Ireland already announcing they will not take part and the head of the Spanish public broadcaster also coming out in favour of a boycott.

Earlier this month, the Czech public broadcaster pulled out, but cited spending cuts as the reason.

Next year’s contest, the world’s biggest live televised music event, will take place on May 15 in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas. It will be the first time the Balkan nation has hosted the contest, coming after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy floor-filler ‘Bangaranga’.

Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.

The 2026 competition was watched by 131 million viewers, down 35 million from the year before after five countries boycotted it over Israel’s participation. The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of the 2026 contest – with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.

The Dutch took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956, and have won on five occasions. Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally.

It became the first Eurovision entry to reach one billion streams on Spotify, according to the Eurovision website.

The head of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the show, said he was “deeply sorry” that the Netherlands would not be taking part.

“We understand their decision, and we respect the strength of feeling behind it in the Netherlands,” said Martin Green in a statement.

“At the same time, we believe the Eurovision Song Contest matters in a divided world.”

NPO’s Bosman said the broadcaster was still talking with the EBU about the future of the contest.

“We are convinced that the event can once again become a place of music and connection, where there is room to make societal themes open for discussion,” said Bosman.

Cover photo: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced the new feature by sharing a six-minute video of himself with Instagram’s Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons.

The new video format is aimed at podcasters, comedians and other long-form creators and has been rolled out to some US creators. “Instagram is all about connecting people over creativity. And creativity is so much more than just short-form video or posting carousels,” Lyons said.

Features will operate alongside Reels and creators will be able to post shorter promos as Reels. Viewers will be able to access the full Feature from the promo, a feature also demonstrated by Mosseri on his account.

“What you’re now going to be able to do is, you see a clip of a podcast that you love, you can just click and continue watching or watch the full video, and you’ll be able to dive in and see the whole thing because creators are going to be able to link these Reels to their overall feature,” Lyons told viewers.

This is just one of a few features announced by the pair, with Instagram set to bring in a multi-episode form of video content called Series. These have been introduced to some creators in the US, India and Mexico, with more countries expected to get the feature soon.

The platform will also be integrating Lives into the Reels feed, making it possible for live streams to be recommended to non-followers.

Instagram for TV is also coming to Apple TV, after being introduced to Samsung and Amazon Fire TVs. Additional functionality is expected soon, with users being able to use their phones as remotes and being able to see what their friends are watching on TV.

After all, the suffix has attached itself to almost everything these days, be it sleep, protein, gym and, in a somewhat alarming case, lethality (in March when the US Department of Defence boasted about its killing capabilities). It was only a matter of time before it went mainstream.

A lot of people attribute maxxing’s popularity to the highly controversial influencer Clavicular, who was charged with raping a 17-year-old girl last month. He used to promote ‘looksmaxxing’, an online subculture focused on maximising people’s physical attractiveness, on his social media platforms frequently. But the term maxxing itself is older than its current ubiquity suggests, dating back to the 90s when gamers used to ‘min-max’ (balance good and bad) character traits.

Where it once belonged to niche communities, it now clings to everything: people, these days are sleepmaxxing, cosymaxxing, even tokenmaxxing the AI tools they use at work.

Other words that landed on Dictionary.com’s shortlist for 2026 Word of the Year are affordability, data centre, odyssey, and unc.

Affordability and data centre made it to the list due to obvious reasons, as the former is a global concern and the latter is in the process of becoming one.

Dictionary.com credited the popularity behind odyssey to Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan. And it makes sense because The Odyssey crossed the much-coveted $1 billion mark at the global box office in August (less than a month after its release).

As for unc, it’s the new ‘OK Boomer’ equivalent for Gen Zs and Alphas.

So, in case you’re unable to wrap your head around the words that made it to Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year list, maybe don’t say it in front of anybody in their early 20s or teens if you don’t want them to say you’re unc-maxxing. Just a thought.

Brown, 37, was given an eight-month suspended sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court after he admitted a charge of affray over the attack on Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in February 2023.

The R&B star and his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, 40, pleaded guilty in July, having denied more serious charges of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Judge Tony Baumgartner said: “This was serious, public violence. In your case, Brown, it involved the repeated use … of a bottle, including twice striking Diaw to his head.”

Brown’s suspended sentence means he does not immediately go to prison unless he commits another offence.

Some of Brown’s fans queued outside court from around 7am GMT, about an hour before the building opened, and Brown thanked the judge before leaving the dock and nodding towards his supporters in the public gallery.

Brown, a two-time Grammy winner, was arrested in May 2025 having returned to Britain for the first time since the incident and was initially denied bail, throwing his worldwide Breezy Bowl XX tour into doubt.

But Brown was eventually released after promising to pay a £5 million ($6.68 million) security fee, allowing the tour to go ahead.

This court case is the latest involving Brown since he was charged with assaulting his then-partner Rihanna in 2009, with a photo of her bruised face making headlines around the world.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said Brown pleaded guilty to the 2009 assault of Rihanna and was sentenced to five years probation. He also admitted a 2013 assault on a fan he was accused of punching when he asked for a photograph.

This was stated by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb while presiding over the maiden meeting of the Punjab Film Authority in Lahore.

The proposed royalty law for the film industry will be presented at the next meeting of the authority, Ms Aurangzeb was quoted as saying in a press release on Sunday.

The rebate for the films made in Punjab will be 35pc for the Punjabi and 20pc for the Urdu films, it said.

The rebate policy is expected to provide financial support to filmmakers, encourage quality film production and attract investment to the industry.

The meeting also decided to introduce an online one-window facility to help filmmakers identify suitable shooting locations.

Other key decisions aimed at reviving the film industry, promoting modern filmmaking and restoring Lahore’s position as a centre of the country’s film industry were also taken at the meeting.

Being dubbed as the biggest-ever provincial intervention to revive the cinematic heritage and establish it as a hub of film, drama, culture and tourism, a Film City is also set to be inaugurated on December 15 in Lahore.

The proposed Film City will feature a film and music school, a film museum, a film trading house, a post-production facility, a studio complex, state-of-the-art film studios and Pakistan’s largest convention centre.

The Film City Authority’s budget of over Rs589 million for the financial year 2026-27 was referred to the financing committee for review.

Approval was granted to recruit 26 employees for the film authority in the first phase against 53 sanctioned posts. The authority’s board will have the power to make appointments and dismissals.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the establishment of six committees, including the Punjab Film Fund Committee.

It also approved measures for the restoration of old cinemas, installation of solar systems and provision of affordable entertainment facilities to the public. The meeting decided to introduce an online booking system for cinemas.

A training programme was also approved to enhance the skills of young filmmakers, with international experts to provide training in modern filmmaking techniques.

Ms Aurangzeb said the chief minister wanted Punjab to become a global-standard screen tourism destination within five years.

She said Punjab’s unique culture and heritage would be showcased to the world through the camera lens.

“Film City will be a complete ecosystem for reviving the local film industry, attracting investment, creating employment opportunities and providing quality and affordable entertainment to the public,” she said.

Originally published in Dawn, October 26th, 2026

A two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed also overturned an earlier decision of the board to remove various expressions and scenes from the film.

British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul and one of the associate producers Muhammad Yousuf Rehman, through their counsel Moiz Baig and others, have petitioned the SHC impugning the decision of the board.

The counsel submitted that Ghost School was a fictional narrative of a 10-year-old girl discovering that the only school in her village has closed owing to rumours of its being haunted.

They argued that the Sindh Board of Film Censors had subjected the film to eight excisions for the purpose of a certificate for public exhibition under the Universal (U) category as per the Sindh Motion Pictures Act 2011 read with the Sindh Censorship of Film Rules 2014.

They submitted that the film had been cleared for unrestricted exhibition without any excision by the Central Board of Film Censors and Punjab Board of Film Censors, but the Sindh board had declined certification.

In August, the SHC had ordered the board to decide the matter afresh strictly in accordance with relevant law and rules after providing petitioners a meaningful opportunity of hearing.

However, they maintained that as per the decision of the board communicated to the petitioners on Sept 11, they were directed to delete the expressions Biradri ka wadera, Wadera, Kameene, Haram khor and Manhoos siyasatdan wherever they appeared as well as a child’s abusive remark in the school and book and school burning scenes in the closing sequence.

In its order, the bench noted: “A term of social description such as “wadera”, a mild political epithet, mildly abusive words such as “kameene” or “haram khor”, and the depiction of a school’s burning in a film condemning such acts, do not all stand on the same footing and no single unexplained direction can justify them all.”

The bench further said that in its earlier order, the SHC had directed the board to record cogent and intelligible reasons for whatever conclusion it reached, but neither the decision in question nor respondents’ comments reflected anything of the sort and in the absence of any stated ground, the excisions, other than the one pertaining to the child’s abusive remarks, cannot stand.

The court directed the board to reconsider within 10 days the certification of the film and either issue a certificate sanctioning the film for unrestricted public exhibition without requiring any further excision.

It said if the “board is of the view that retaining any one or more of the other identified excisions warrants the film being awarded a certification in a category higher than U, shall afford the petitioners a personal hearing and pass a speaking order relating to its specific concern in each instance”.

Originally published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has reportedly claimed responsibility for firing at the actor’s car, according to The Statesman.

Anil Pandit, described as a notorious member of the gang, stated he carried out the attack along with an accomplice, Harman Sandhu.

Around five rounds were fired at Shroff’s BMW car. The incident occurred outside the Juhu home of filmmaker Rohit Shetty.

“A firing incident has been reported under Juhu police station. Actor Tiger Shroff is safe and has not sustained any gunshot injuries. Further investigation is underway,” a Mumbai police statement said, according to ANI.

The gang linked to the shooting has been tied to a series of high-profile incidents in India, most notably the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, the 2024 murder of politician Baba Siddique in Mumbai, and a firing incident outside Salman Khan’s Bandra residence in April the same year.

The same network has also been associated with attacks on figures perceived as close to Khan, including opening fire at a Delhi gym linked to singer Guru Randhawa in June. In 2025, the gang was linked to multiple firing incidents outside Indian comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Canada.

American prosecutors have described Lawrence Bishnoi as a transnational organised crime syndicate using public claims of violence to intimidate targets and fuel extortion operations.

A statement issued by her publicist repeated comments from earlier this week that Blair, who has ​multiple sclerosis, suffered a medical emergency on the flight from Los ​Angeles to New York. Blair did not try to open ⁠a door on the plane as some media outlets reported, the statement ​said.

“There was no attempt to open the door of the aircraft. Selma ​did not intend to harm anyone,” the statement said.

Blair pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of assaulting a police officer involved in her arrest at New York’s ​John F Kennedy Airport and a nurse at the hospital where she ​was taken afterwards.

Police met the plane when it landed after reports of a “physically abusive passenger” ⁠who was identified as Blair, according to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s police department. Two flight attendants reported injuries and one of them was taken to a hospital, police said.

Blair, ​54, is known ​for roles in Cruel ⁠Intentions and Hellboy. She has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.

The statement by Blair’s representative ​said Blair has a neurological condition known as pseudobulbar ​affect, “which bears ⁠directly on how a medical episode presents to people who do not know her”.

“There is much more to this story than has been reported, and ⁠we ask ​to consider the entirety of the facts ​before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion,” ​Blair’s representatives said.

FRRO issues notice to Imran Khan

A police officer confirmed that the FRRO had issued a notice to the actor. “The FRRO has taken the action and a notice was served to the actor Imran Khan who is on an OCI card. The actor nephew of Bollywood star Amir Khan stays in Khar and was served the notice,” the officer said, according to ANI.

According to the information provided, action has been initiated against Khan under Sections 29 and 7 of the Immigration Act over allegations that he participated in the protest despite not being an Indian citizen.

Actor, family members detained during protest

Khan, his girlfriend Lekha Washington, his mother Nusrat and his niece Zayn (Marie) were among around 400 people detained by police during the protest at August Kranti Maidan.

The demonstrators were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

After her detention, Zayn claimed in a video that police personnel had assaulted and manhandled her. She also showed bruises that she said she had sustained during the incident.

Kirit Somaiya seeks deportation, questions OCI status

Somaiya had approached Gamdevi police station with a complaint seeking action against Khan. The complaint was subsequently forwarded to the FRRO by the local police.

The BJP leader demanded Khan’s immediate arrest and deportation, alleging that the actor had violated OCI provisions and visa conditions by participating in what he described as an illegal political agitation.

Somaiya said he had submitted evidence to the police concerning Khan’s speeches at the protest and his earlier remarks. He also urged the Mumbai Police to verify the actor’s citizenship and questioned whether a foreign national holding an OCI card should participate in a political agitation.

Speaking to the media, Somaiya accused Khan of displaying what he described as “political extremism” and alleged that the actor had misused his OCI status.

“The citizens of India cannot tolerate the political extremism that Imran Khan has been displaying during his recent stay in the country. He is an American citizen holding an OCI card, yet he has attempted to misuse his status. Today, we submitted all proofs and evidence to the police regarding his conduct-specifically the speeches he delivered during the protest and his earlier comments,” Somaiya said.

This story was originally published on The Statesman, an ANN partner of Dawn

The bestselling author, known for novels including Normal People and Conversations with Friends, has been a vocal supporter of Palestine Action, including after it was proscribed by ​the British government under terrorism laws last year.

Rooney previously said in ​a witness statement submitted to London’s High Court, in support of ⁠a legal challenge over the ban on Palestine Action, that her plans ​could lead to her books being withdrawn from sale in Britain.

Her publisher Faber ​said on Wednesday that it had agreed with Rooney that “we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format”, though it would sell her works elsewhere.

“Current ​legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass ​on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work,” Faber said in a statement.

“To sell a ⁠writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.”

Rooney said in a statement: “I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions and I ​am wholly prepared to ​accept the ⁠consequences.”

Palestine Action, which had increasingly targeted Israel-linked defence companies, was banned shortly after a June 2025 break-in at the ​Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton base.

Last year, Palestine Action’s co-founder ​Huda Ammori ⁠challenged the ban and the High Court ruled in her favour in February, before the Court of Appeal overturned that decision in June. The Supreme Court is due ⁠to ​hear an appeal next month.

More than 3,000 people ​have since been arrested for holding signs in support of Palestine Action and its proscription has ​been criticised by civil liberties groups.

The one-time left-wing personality, who shot to fame as a television and radio presenter, faces seven sexual offence charges involving six women. He denies all the alleged offences.

Brand, 51, looked straight ahead as the charges against him were read to the jury.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said the alleged offences took place between 1999 and 2009, a decade when Brand’s career was beginning to flourish.

Some of the women he targeted said no, others did not have the opportunity to react, she said, adding that Brand was “not deterred”.

His desire for sexual contact was “indiscriminate and voracious”, she said.

He used charm and comic talents when he wanted something but would then be “demanding and entitled … childlike in his expectation that his every desire should be met,” Karmy-Jones told the jury of eight men and four women.

“He was ruthless, calculated and manipulative, and the prosecution say — a sexual predator,” she added.

The identities of the women will not be revealed during the trial.

Brand, dressed in a dark suit, black and white striped shirt and long white tie, arrived for the start of the case at London’s Southwark Crown Court in a black Mercedes-Benz van accompanied by his wife Laura.

Karmy-Jones said acquaintances of Brand recalled him bragging that he wanted to “bed 5,000 women in his lifetime”, adding that “you have to tell them what they need to hear”.

This, the prosecutor said, was a clear indication of “how manipulative the defendant could be”.

Brand has in recent years reinvented himself as a conservative and faith-based guru for millions of social media followers.

He has pleaded not guilty to all seven of the charges — three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one charge of indecent assault.

The trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court should last around six weeks but could stretch into December.

The trial is attracting intense media scrutiny, with numerous British outlets launching dedicated podcasts and US channels reporting from outside the court.

Born to working-class parents in Essex in eastern England, Brand launched a successful stand-up comedy career as a teenager.

He became a household name as a television presenter on MTV, Channel 4 and the BBC, also penning newspaper columns and two autobiographies.

He then made a foray into Hollywood, starring in several hit films, and was in a brief, but high-profile, marriage to US pop star Katy Perry.

Now remarried and living in Florida with his young family, he has gained a new following as an influencer, with six million subscribers on YouTube, 10.1 million on X and 4.9 million on Instagram.

The measure is the strongest reaction yet from Cornell’s leadership to a lawsuit filed by a former undergraduate, Jane Doe, alleging seven men sexually assaulted her during a party.

Over the last several weeks, the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, and its president, Michael Kotlikoff, have come under heavy criticism from students, faculty and donors over its response to the allegations.

The suspension of parties and social events will apply to Interfraternity Council houses. The council website says Cornell currently has 34 fraternity houses.

“These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,” Kotlikoff said in the statement.

The Cornell Interfraternity Council did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Prosecutors reopened the investigation into the alleged gang rape after the lawsuit was filed. New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as an independent special prosecutor in the case, citing the earlier failure to protect the alleged victim.

President Donald Trump repeated on Tuesday his call to take James, his longtime critic and an elected Democrat, off the case.

“The Governor should take James off this case, immediately,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump first questioned James’ appointment in early October, but his comments did not prompt any action by officials. The offices of Hochul and the attorney general did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Since the lawsuit against seven fraternity members, the university and others was filed in September, the Cornell administration has faced student protests, a pending no-confidence resolution from faculty, criticism by alumni and a public assembly where students blamed university officials for tolerating what they described as a culture of sexual violence.

None of the men named in the lawsuit have been criminally charged.

“I have spent the past weeks listening to students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and trustees, who have shared their feelings of deep connection and sympathy with Jane Doe, anger and frustration that this could happen at Cornell,” Kotlikoff said.

“Women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe,” he said, adding that additional staff would be hired to support survivors of sexual assault.

Cornell will also work with New York State Police to investigate incidents, he said, and accelerate previous recommendations put forward by a task force on sexual violence.

Thirty-five per cent of undergraduate women reported experiencing non-consensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation since entering Cornell, according to a university survey conducted in 2025 and published on its website.

“We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action,” Kotlikoff said.

The agreement to establish the institute’s first campus outside Karachi was signed by Syed Javed Iqbal, the chairman of Napa’s board of governors, and Balochistan Culture Secretary Hamidullah Nasir.

Also present at the signing were Napa board member and former senator Roshan Khursheed Bharucha and Dawood Tareen, the director of the culture department. They were joined by a number of artists, representatives of the media and members of civil society.

Speaking at the ceremony, Iqbal and Bharucha described the partnership as a significant step towards promoting art and culture in Balochistan.

Nasir and Tareen termed the MoU an important step to promote the province’s culture and heritage. They expressed hope that the initiative would help enhance the skills of local artists.

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, 63, found guilty by a jury in August of first-degree murder, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 20 years to life — one for murder, one for use of a deadly weapon — during an hour-long proceeding in a Las Vegas courtroom.

Shackled at the waist and dressed in blue prison garb, he argued briefly with the judge over how much credit he was due for time already served but said little else during the hearing.

When given the opportunity to formally address the court for the last time, he said: “I just want my stuff back ​that they took out of my house,” referring to evidence removed from his residence by investigators.

Pressed by Judge Carli Kierny if he had anything more to add before she pronounced sentence, Davis ​replied, “I’m good. I’m going to appeal this case, for sure.” His lawyer, Michael Sanft, also vowed an appeal.

Legacy of violence

Until Davis’ 2023 arrest, the killing of Tupac, ⁠shot in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by his record executive, Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, had stood for nearly three decades as one of America’s most notorious cold cases.

The murder, which silenced one of rap’s most ​commercially successful and influential artists, heightened the image of violence permeating 1990s hip-hop culture while stoking the infamous East Coast-West Coast “gangsta” rap feud of the era.

Despite the murder conviction of Davis, the only person ever charged in connection ​with Tupac’s killing, the question of who pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting of the 25-year-old rap legend has never been conclusively decided.

Tupac, who became arguably more popular in death than in life, was best known for raw lyrics laced with violence, sex and profanity describing life in the ghetto. His fourth studio album All Eyez on Me, released months before his murder, celebrated his own outlaw image. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

In a tearful victim-impact ​statement delivered in court on Tuesday, the slain rapper’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, 51, said their mother “raised him to be a human rights activist” and tried to instil in him a belief that he could change the ​world for the better.

“He believed her,” Sekyiwa, dressed in black, told the judge. “He went out in the world to do that. And I believe he would have done it.”

The world never forgot

Davis was tried and convicted for masterminding the murder to ⁠avenge the beating of his nephew by Tupac and members of the rapper’s entourage inside the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996.

Authorities said they long believed Davis was involved in Tupac’s killing but lacked sufficient evidence to charge him.

That changed when he went public with his story in media appearances and a memoir that, along with tapes of his secret meetings with investigators, formed the bulk of the prosecution’s murder case.

In his book, Compton Street Legend, Davis himself wrote he was considered a suspect in the murders of both Tupac and Christopher Wallace, a rival rapper.

Addressing Davis on Tuesday, Kierny said his assertions that he had changed since the 1990s and ​moved on fell short.

“You don’t get to take a man ​from his family,” Kierny said, referring to Tupac. “The ⁠world never forgot about him.”

Fatal shooting sparked by casino brawl

The clash at the casino stemmed from hostility between two Los Angeles-area street gangs — the South Side Compton Crips, of which Davis was the self-described leader, and Mob Piru, which was associated with Tupac, Knight, and their music label, Death Row Records.

Members of both groups were ​in Las Vegas to see a world heavyweight title boxing match that night between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon.

Within hours of the casino brawl, Davis ​ushered his nephew and two other ⁠associates into a white Cadillac and went looking for Tupac and Knight, determined to settle scores, according to an account Davis later gave police in an unrelated investigation and that prosecutors cited during his murder trial.

Davis said he passed a gun to the two men seated behind him in the Cadillac, one of whom opened fire through the window when they caught up with, and pulled alongside, Knight and Tupac’s vehicle in traffic.

Tupac was struck four times ⁠and died in ​a hospital six days later. Knight, who suffered a minor injury from a bullet fragment that grazed his head, is now serving ​a 28-year prison term on an unrelated voluntary manslaughter conviction.

While Davis was never accused of actually firing the shots that killed Tupac — Nevada law allows someone to be charged with murder as a participant in the crime — prosecutors have never named a suspected gunman.

All three ​other men in the Cadillac with Davis that night have since died.

Thieves had broken into the grounds of the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer early in the morning of September 8 through a hole cut in a garden fence and entered through a window.

The two paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an Impressionist whose works have fetched tens of millions of dollars at auction, were ‘Madame Colonna Romano’ and ‘Young Woman at the Well’. Both belong to Paris’ Orsay Museum and were on loan.

“This news is a source of immense joy and a great relief for the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer and its residents,” Mayor Bryan Masson said in a statement.

The Marseille public prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to questions about how the paintings had been recovered. The mayor scheduled a press conference on Thursday afternoon then cancelled it so as not to interfere with the investigation.

The thieves had also snatched two other paintings, ‘Madame Pichon’ and ‘Coco Reading’, a portrayal of Claude, Renoir’s young son. But they dropped them in the gardens as police, alerted by alarms, arrived and gave chase.

Okay, let us explain. Larsson has launched a special smoothie in partnership with California-based organic goods store Erewhon called Midnight Sun and the proceeds from the sale of the drink will be donated to the Malala Fund to help support its mission of providing girls around the world access to 12 years of education.

The pink-purple concoction contains a mix of organic ingredients including coconut milk, blueberries, banana, whey protein, strawberries, pineapple, mango, coconut water, carrot juice and vanilla.

Midnight Sun is inspired by the singer’s latest album, with which it shares a name and is available at most Erewhon locations, on the chain’s mobile app and in New York with Uber Eats Postmates.

The Malala Fund, co-founded by Yousafzai and her father, has made substantial contributions to education for girls in underdeveloped parts of the world, including her native Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The fund’s more recent charitable endeavours in Pakistan include Rs95 million in grants for organisations working to promote education in Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan and providing free transportation to students in 10 districts in KP in collaboration with local partners.

Internationally, the fund pledged $300,000 towards girls education and emergency relief for Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in January. This was after the organisation pledged $100,000 to support Gazan refugees in Egypt in September 2025.

Yousafzai also committed $3m to funding the restoration of girls education in Afghanistan, where it has been banned by the Taliban-led government.

Sheikh, whose work has ​explored conflict in his native Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK), was detained by ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while coming off ​a plane from California at the Washington Dulles International Airport, the campaign said.

It said Sheikh’s bond was granted on Tuesday and he was released on Thursday, adding that the deportation case against him continues.

The campaign said Sheikh, who lived in Alexandria, Virginia, entered the US in 2019 on a student visa to pursue graduate studies in film at Georgia State University and filed for asylum in 2020. The campaign said he had a ​pending immigration application and was authorised to work and live in the US.

DHS said on Wednesday that Sheikh was arrested on September 24. It said ​Sheikh “legally entered the US on a temporary basis and illegally overstayed his lawful admittance.”

A pending ​application does not confer legal status in the US, DHS said, adding he ⁠will receive due process.

US President Donald Trump’s administration said in August it was working “to identify ⁠and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the US claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently”.

Trump has pursued an immigration crackdown and deportation drive that he says aims to improve domestic security.

Rights advocates say the crackdown has violated due process and ​free speech rights and created an unsafe ⁠environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

Sheikh’s first feature film, 2024’s Saffron Kingdom, won Best Feature Film at the Chicago Filmmakers Awards, ​the LA Film and Documentary Awards, the Melbourne Independent Film Festival and the ​Wake Forest ⁠Film Festival. He also won the Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award at the Teaneck International Film Festival.

The film explored conflict in Kashmir through the journey of a family from Srinagar in IIOK ⁠in ​the 1990s, to Atlanta in 2019.

The celebrities who took part in the mission — which ran from September 29 to October 3 — included Jawed Shaikh, Khaled Anam, Saba Hamid, Shagufta Ejaz, Kubra Khan, Gohar Rasheed, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Ally Khan and Nabeel Zafar.

Working alongside local teams, the delegation packed food cartons at SKT Welfare’s warehouse before distributing 500 essential food parcels directly to Palestinian families.

The team also visited injured patients in hospitals and at their homes, offering emotional support and care.

The delegation dedicated a special afternoon to the children of Gaza, coming together to share bright smiles and warm, comforting meals.

For patients evacuated from the war torn territory, the road to recovery requires more than just medicine. It also calls for a safe place to stay, nourishing meals and a reliable transport network that facilitates critical medical appointments quickly. SKT Welfare provides this support year-round, covering accommodation, meals and transport.

This latest mission follows a similar effort in 2025, when the charity’s volunteers distributed food parcels and hygiene kits across Jordan’s refugee camps, reaching around 76,000 people.

“Humanitarian response means staying connected to people as their circumstances change,” Asif Hussain, the CEO of SKT Welfare, said as per a press release.

“For some families that means support inside Gaza. For others it means support in Jordan, where they have come for treatment. This week our team met families directly, heard what they needed and acted on it.”

The Jordan deployment forms part of SKT Welfare’s wider international programme that comprises bringing food, care and comfort to communities enduring conflict, displacement and poverty.

Yet the charity’s work doesn’t end at the Jordanian border.

Within Gaza, local teams continue to deliver life-saving aid — food distributions, hot meals, clean water, medical assistance, hygiene supplies and emergency shelter. In 2025, these programmes reached more than 350,000 people, including 225,450 supported through the delivery of clean water.

The meeting was held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi. The major discussion was on the motion by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt against PIFD Vice Chancellor Hina Tayyaba Khalil for failure to attend a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training.

Senator Bushra alleged that the VC’s contractual tenure had expired in Dec 2025 but she continued to hold office. She also pointed out a conflict of interest as the VC’s sister was among candidates for the new VC, for which a search committee had been constituted, and alleged the federal education minister had supported the incumbent for years.

The PIFD representatives gave their version.

The chairman directed Deepak Perwani and Sehyr Saigol, members of the Senate of the PIFD, to appear in person in the next meeting instead of attending it through video link. He expressed serious reservations over PIFD affairs, saying appointments and promotions based on nepotism and personal preferences were affecting performance. He said the committee would examine all matters strictly on merit and would soon apprise the president of Pakistan, with a formal letter to the secretary to the president. He sought clarification on the legal status of any extension to the VC and directed the ministry to produce all documents relating to the appointment and extension.

The committee also directed that 13 individuals who signed the response submitted to the privileges committee be summoned.The chairman noted correspondence between the committee and the PIFD had been shared by the institute on other platforms, terming it highly inappropriate and unprofessional.

Senators Saadia Abbasi, Jan Muhammad, Hafiz Abdul Karim, Dost Ali Jaisar, Asad Qasim and Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan attended the meeting. The next meeting will be attended by the minister for parliamentary affairs, the minister for federal education, relevant ministry officials and Higher Education Commission representatives.

Originally published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026

Photo: PIFD/Instagram

In a case that has drawn national attention, the woman is suing seven fraternity members and the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, among others.

And although New York law allows ‘Jane Doe’ anonymity for sexual assault lawsuits, the Cornell student has become distressed at attempts by some online skeptics of her account to discover her name and publish it, her lawyer said.

“I want us to support Jane Doe in coming to her own way of identifying herself in her own time,” said Twanna LaTrice Hill, a writer and actor in Denver who has declared IamJaneDoe on social media in recent days. “And if she never does, that’s fine. But the flip side of that is that the people like me need to speak up if we are able to.”

Efforts to identify accuser draw backlash

The woman, who was 20 at the time of the alleged 2024 gang rape, filed suit on September 16, prompting prosecutors to reopen a criminal investigation they had initially closed without charges. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state’s attorney general as special prosecutor in the case and on Friday faulted police and prosecutors, saying they had not fully investigated the woman’s allegations.

The accused men have denied all wrongdoing, the New York Times reported. Cornell has defended its handling of the matter.

Since the woman filed her lawsuit, some commentators have sought to learn and publish the accuser’s identity online, efforts that her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, called an attempt to shame her.

“She’s not doing well,” Giuffra told CNN. “She’s under siege on social media.”

He said some women have been incorrectly identified as his client. “That’s been really difficult,” he said. “And she’s gone through a lot.”

Much of the online support for her has criticised independent journalist and commentator Michael Tracey, who has expressed sympathy for the accused men over what he says is the harassment they have since faced. Tracey has also questioned the accounts of victims of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Tracey, who did not respond to a Reuters request for an interview, describes his effort to identify the Cornell student as journalistic diligence protected by constitutional free speech protections.

“Let’s see if anyone has the ‘balls’ to name this Jane Doe so we can all evaluate her veracity, and that of her lawyers, since her lawsuit didn’t hesitate to name & shame 7 of her peers as gang-rapists,” Tracey posted on social media on Monday, one of multiple messages on the case.

Early on Friday, he posted what he believed to be the accuser’s name, which Reuters was unable to verify, before quickly deleting it, saying his point had been made.

“But please do not harass her, her family, or anyone else associated with her,” he wrote after deleting the name. “I’m serious. I wish her no harm. I feel bad for her in a way.”

‘You feel like you’re on an island’

A post by Amee Vanderpool, who publishes an online newsletter on Substack, was typical of a number of messages and videos shared by those outraged at Tracey’s efforts.

“To anyone who is looking to find out the identity of Jane Doe in the Cornell rape case, look no further, because it’s Amee Vanderpool,” she wrote. “I am Jane Doe.”

Hill, 62, the writer in Denver, posted on Facebook this week about speaking publicly in 1990 about being raped when she was a teen by a youth minister who had counseled her.

“I was in absolutely no way trying to get other survivors to come forward or to go public if they did not feel ready,” she wrote. “But I had hoped that as more of us coming forward, the stigma would be reduced. Perhaps it has in some small way, but not nearly enough. So I stand before you today simply to say: IamJaneDoe.”

Katy Jacobson, a 35-year-old San Diegan who works with children with disabilities, said the hashtag can help survivors of sexual assault feel less alone.

“Because oftentimes you feel like you’re on an island,” said Jacobson, who added she felt fortunate to find support on campus when she was raped during college by a former boyfriend.

Some 21 per cent of women in the US report being survivors of completed or attempted rape, according to the most recent figures from the US CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

At Cornell, 35 per cent of undergraduate women reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation since arriving on campus, according to a university survey conducted in 2025 and published on its website. That was up from 20pc in 2021.

Jacobson’s posts direct people to organisations such as RAINN, which operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

“Even today, if you looked at my story, it has resources,” Jacobson said. “I’m not posting about the men. I’m posting about Jane Doe.”

The New York Muslim Film Festival (NYMFF) is launching on October 11 at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre, positioning itself as a platform for up-and-coming Muslim artists whose voices and perspectives deserve greater visibility.

“This festival is rooted in joy,” said the festival’s co-founder, Nawal Mubin, on the NYMFF’s website.

Mubin is a New York-based director and producer, currently working as an associate producer at Lost in Space, a boutique production and post-production company.

“At its core, our mission is to foster joy, dialogue, and belonging through storytelling. Muslims are a global and diverse community, shaped by countless cultures, identities, and lived experiences. There is no single Muslim story. Every Muslim story is worthy of being told, and every perspective adds to the vibrant tapestry of who we are,” she added.

Mubin co-founded the event with Giuseppe de Matteis, who is also a New York-based filmmaker and post-production professional, serving as media manager and lead assistant editor at Lost in Space.

The one-day event will screen 12 shorts, mixing documentaries, dramas, comedies, animation and experimental pieces.

The programme starts with a reception for filmmakers and industry guests. From there, two hour-long blocks of six films each lead into the awards and jury announcement.

Variety reports there will be a six-member jury, including Emmy winner Aasif Mandvi, who is best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show, and producer Abubakar Khan, whose credits include The Glassworker, Pakistan’s 2025 Oscar submission.

The lineup

$17.74 by Justin Mashouf

This documentary centres on a former gang member who has spent decades in prison, jailed since the 1980s. A small act of kindness he extends to the people of Gaza from behind bars ends up igniting an unexpected viral wave of solidarity and hope.

Baba is Melting by Karim Emara

In this Qatar-US dramedy, a single phone call carries the story. A son calls his father while parked outside before Friday prayer in Doha to confront him about a secret second marriage. Against the city’s scorching heat, their exchange stirs up long-suppressed feelings, pushing both to face masculinity, vulnerability and the frailty of their relationship.

Bukra by Alex Aljouni

A young Syrian refugee wins a football in a sweepstakes and must race to pick it up before her best friend leaves for good, so they can play one last match together.

Ghusl by Zaid Ahmed Hassan

This film follows a son tasked by his dying father with learning Islamic burial rites, a request that brings him face to face with the end of their time together.

Haram Salami by Negine Jasmine Sekandari and Ayda Rojhantalab

Old rifts reopen among three generations of Afghan women in this comedy as each weighs her own identity and desires against the pull of tradition.

Henna by Basma Khalifa

This experimental UK film charts the henna plant’s life cycle and a woman’s journey through generations of ritual, memory and womanhood, weaving personal reflection into ancestral tradition.

Malika by Maram Taibah

This Saudi fantasy rests on the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter, pondering what it means to be a wild girl in a world that expects girls to be obedient, told through a magical-realist world of a child’s imagination.

My Friend in the Jingle Truck by Sima Naseem

This Canadian-Pakistani animation takes a young girl from Karachi into a brightly painted jingle truck, where a magical bird transports her into its colourful world. Through stop-motion and 2D animation, the film brings Pakistani culture to life as its lead character learns about friendship and letting go.

Sabr O Shukr by Bilal Shams Khan

In this film, 10-year-old Akram’s dream of owning a bicycle becomes his first true lesson in patience and gratitude.

The Boy with the Dinosaur Head by Imran J Khan

A troubled boy convinced he is a dinosaur goes head to head with a teacher set on bringing him back to reality.

Unqualified by Ilhan Abdullahi and Sherry Rashidan

This Canadian comedy follows Warsan, the lone Muslim at her office, who is tasked with spiritually cleansing a lunchroom rumoured to be haunted. The plot: she must clear out the spirits before she loses her job.

Ya Hanouni by Lyna Tadount and Sofian Chouaib

In this French drama, two parents compete to hear their baby say ‘Mama’ or ‘Baba’ first. Their playful rivalry is cut short by an unexpected event that upends their lives.

For a city that has never had a Muslim film festival until now, this is a significant beginning.

“We seek to uplift thoughtful, heartwarming, and life-affirming stories that reflect the richness of Muslim life, from love and humour to resilience, tenderness, and community,“ Mubin said according to the website.

“Through a welcoming and celebratory environment, we hope filmmakers and audiences alike feel seen, connected, and inspired,” she added.

His funeral prayers were offered in his native village, attended by a large number of literati, spiritual disciples, fans and prominent people from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was later laid to rest at his native graveyard in Swabi district amid tears and mourning.

Born into a family deeply rooted in spiritual and literary traditions, Syed Tahir Bukhari Bacha devoted nearly eight decades of his life to the promotion of Pashto literature, mystic philosophy and regional culture. As a close associate and designated spiritual heir to Hamza Baba, he played a central role in maintaining the shrine’s traditions and disseminating the mystical humanism that characterised the late maestro’s works.

Tahir Bukhari was a versatile man of letters whose literary career spanned short story writing, prose and critical essays. His fiction often blended local cultural nuances with profound Sufi principles, reflecting the lived reality, resilience and spiritual depth of the Pakhtun society.

Beyond his creative writings, he authored and edited key texts explaining the philosophical underpinnings of modern Pashto ghazal and classical Sufi thought.

Throughout his long life, he remained an approachable mentor to generations of young writers and researchers. He was a regular presence at literary symposia, academic seminars and annual poetry recitation sessions across Peshawar, Landi Kotal and tribal districts, consistently advocating for literary preservation, intercultural harmony and peace.

Literary and cultural organisations across the province expressed deep grief over his demise. In their condolence messages, literary figures termed his death an irreparable loss to Pashto literature and Sufi heritage, noting that his contributions would continue to guide scholars and readers for decades to come.

He left behind a rich legacy of literary works, numerous disciples and an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Originally published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

In a lengthy statement, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten confirmed that his office would present the case against seven alleged perpetrators to a grand jury for a possible indictment.

He also sought to explain why prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges two years ago, saying that the lawsuit’s allegations differed from the alleged victim’s original account in 2024. The woman, who prosecutors have not named, gave a statement to campus police at the time, according to Van Houten, that “described her drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious and consensual”.

The alleged victim’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for a comment. He told CNN in a statement that the police report was “not materially different” from the civil lawsuit’s claims and criticised the district attorney’s office for not pursuing a more thorough investigation sooner, the network reported.

The lawsuit, filed against the seven Chi Phi fraternity members, Cornell University and several other defendants, asserted that the woman, then a 20-year-old student at Cornell, was “plied with alcohol and drugs to the point of intoxication” by fraternity members, leaving her unable to consent before she was sexually assaulted.

Members of the fraternity used a Snapchat group chat to encourage others to join in, according to the lawsuit, which included a photo of some messages as well as details about the alleged assault itself.

In a statement, a Cornell spokesperson said the school supports Van Houten’s decision and noted that the chapter of Chi Phi involved in the case has remained barred from campus since 2024. Cornell previously conducted an investigation into the allegations that resulted in “a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell”.

“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” said the spokesperson, Kyle Kimball.

It was not immediately clear if all of the fraternity members named in the lawsuit have legal representation. Jeremy Saland, a defence lawyer who represents one of the members, said in a statement that his client had done nothing more than respond to the chat with an immature comment and that his client “welcomes any further investigation by the district attorney”.

In the US, fraternities are college-based clubs for male students, often sharing a house together. The national Chi Phi fraternity, which was founded more than two centuries ago, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The case has received national attention following the alleged victim’s lawsuit and the announcement the case would be reopened. Several celebrities, including actor Florence Pugh, and US lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have spoken out about it.

On campus there is a mix of shock and outrage along with “a humongous wave of solidarity” from people across the US, Sophia Dasser, editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, told the BBC.

Her newspaper published the names of the men named in the lawsuit and called for an independent, third-party review of the reporting and resolution processes.

“Much of the frustration, in my opinion, does stem from how little students really were told over the last two years regarding this case and how opaque the Title IX process — which bars sex discrimination in schools that receive funding from the federal government, including most universities — is,” Dasser said.

She said that other universities publicise anonymous outcome, sanction and process results of sexual assaults on campus, but Cornell University does not.

In a letter posted to its website on Thursday, the IDA condemned the Israeli government’s “public campaign of intimidation” against Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, both Israeli, who have been accused of treason.

The move comes almost a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government would seek legislation to revoke the citizenship of anyone who ‘slanders’ or ‘defames’ Israeli soldiers or the state.

“Since NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, senior Israeli officials have moved against its directors. The culture minister has accused them of treason and sought to revoke their citizenship. The prime minister has announced bills to revoke the citizenship of anyone who ‘slanders IDF soldiers’ and to raise defamation damages twentyfold,” the letter read.

It noted that this rhetoric has led to wider public backlash against the filmmakers. They have been labelled ‘traitors’ in graffiti, while people have protested outside the home of Szor’s parents.

The IDA stressed that holding a different view of a film should never put its creators at risk.

The letter continues: “The Israeli military disputes the film’s account, and it is entitled to do so. But as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Israel is bound by Article 19, under which restrictions on expression must be provided by law and be necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim. Revoking citizenship, imposing punitive damages, or opening security investigations in response to a documentary does not meet that test.”

The IDA called on the Israeli goverment to withdraw the threats to revoke Abraham’s and Szor’s citizenship, to respect the filmmakers’ journalistic right to refuse to disclose the identities of confidential sources and to reject changes to public film funding that penalise filmmakers for critical work.

At the time of writing this article, the IDA’s letter has been signed by nearly 300 people, including Hollywood actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, who are known for their vocal activism against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli military. Several Oscar-winning filmmakers such as Alex Gibney (who recently made headlines for his new documentary Musk) and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also signed the letter.

NAZA takes its name from a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to indicate how many civilians are expected to be killed in an airstrike. The documentary received a 25-minute ovation at its Venice premiere.

After its run in cinemas, the film will stream on The Guardian’s website for free in November, as part of the news organisation’s commitment to the dissemination of independent journalism.

The music that used to flow constantly out of restaurants, cafes and shops in the capital Kabul has been muted for five years, replaced only by religious or patriotic songs supported by the Taliban authorities in power since 2021.

But taxi drivers such as Roeen have started playing Afghan and regional folk or pop music, which they quickly turn off when security forces may be around.

“At every checkpoint we pass, we lower the volume of the music or even turn it off completely… so I don’t get into trouble with them,” said Roeen, who gave only his first name for security reasons.

The ban on music in public places is imposed by the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) Ministry, whose morality police roam the city wearing long white coats.

PVPV regulations state that “since music is forbidden and causes annoyance to passengers, drivers must refrain from playing or listening to it”.

The ministry did not respond when asked to comment on punishments Afghans face for playing music, but those breaching their various other rules risk being jailed.

Roeen said PVPV officials have “a lot of authority”.

“We’re definitely too afraid of them to be able to listen to music at a higher volume,” he told AFP in his sky blue-and-white taxi.

Driving through the heavy traffic and noisy roads of Kabul, Roeen said he has “become 10 times more interested in music” since the ban.

“I have to make sure that even if I can’t listen in the early morning, by eight o’clock my music is on,” he said.

In a country where various forms of entertainment including cinema are outlawed, listening to music constantly is a “form of protest” for the 28-year-old driver.

‘Stress’ and no headphones

Another taxi driver, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told AFP he only listens to music when he is alone in his car and surrounded by the noise of other vehicles.

“Before, whenever a person wanted, they could listen without any worry or stress. But now… personally I listen — but with some stress,” he said in his car that had a radio player with a USB slot.

The 32-year-old has been stopped twice at checkpoints for having a USB stick and a memory card.

“I didn’t lie — I said it has music, and they broke it,” he said.

“Afghan culture should not vanish, and music is one of the cultures of our people. Personally, I don’t want this culture to disappear.”

As part of their crackdown on banned music, the PVPV’s provincial departments occasionally report burning instruments. No figures are available on how many they have seized, according to ministry spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber.

Across the capital, residents use shared taxis as an affordable way to get around a city which lacks a proper public transport system.

Often, two passengers sit alongside the driver in the front, three are in the back, and sometimes someone rides in the open boot.

Shamsullah Ahmad, a master’s student, spoke to AFP while waiting for a taxi near his university.

“I prefer to listen to music every day; whenever I go to any destination, I try to check if the taxi has a music player,” said the 29-year-old.

“I prefer music in the car, because wearing headphones would be noticed, but in the car, even with lower volume is better than nothing,” Ahmad said.

The morality police have been known to take headphones out of Afghans’ ears to check if they are listening to music.

Roeen, the driver, misses the days when “we could listen to songs, dance, and celebrate, and no one would stop us”.

But now the city is “shrouded in darkness — a darkness devoid of any light”, he said, above the din of growling engines.