The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, the stage play “Wah Tera Kya Kehna” was presented on the sixth day of the Awami Theatre Festival 2026 at Auditorium II. The play was written by Shaukat Uttarkail and directed by Shabbir Bhatti. The cast included Abdullah Lala, Junaid Memon, Kamal Idris, Mehak Noor, Shahbaz Sanam, and Shanzay.

The play portrays the deep love of two brothers, Shamim and Qurban, for their late parents, depicting them as emotionally devoted to their memory. Each brother sees the reflection of their parents in the other, which is why they affectionately address one another as Ammi and Abbu.

The story also features their younger sister, Naik Parveen, who is a popular social media star. The two brothers lovingly fulfill her wishes and, keeping her passion for dance in mind, even arrange a dance choreographer for her.

Both brothers are married, and their wives wish to arrange Naik Parveen’s marriage with their brothers so that the family wealth remains within the household. However, the brothers strongly oppose this idea.

The timeless love story presented in “Wah Tera Kya Kehna” deeply moved the audience present in the hall. The play was highly appreciated by the spectators, who applauded enthusiastically and praised the performances of the artists.

During the festival, the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi is offering a month-long programme of free performances across Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Seraiki, Balochi and Memon. The festival had opened on Tuesday with the Urdu play Seedhi Jaleebi, which tells the story of a Khawaja Sira who sacrifices everything to help a young boy become an actor.

Sindh’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, had attended the opening ceremony as chief guest, alongside Arts Council President Mohammad Ahmed Shah, Chairman of the Drama Committee Shehzad Raza Naqvi, Secretary Ejaz Farooqi, and other members of the arts community.

The festival is featuring 29 productions staged daily at 8pm at Arts Council Auditorium II, with additional shows on Saturdays and Sundays. The festival will continue until February 15, concluding before Ramazan, and entry to all performances is free.

Addressing the audience, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah had spoken about the legacy of senior stage performers, noting that artists such as Umar Sharif continued to be remembered decades later.

He encouraged Karachi residents to attend the festival regularly and advised young performers to learn from senior artists. The minister said the Sindh government would continue to support artists and that announcements for performers would be made at the closing ceremony.

He also highlighted efforts to promote cultural activities across Sindh, including reviving traditional community gatherings.

Arts Council President Mohammad Ahmed Shah said the festival involves between 400 and 500 people, including actors, directors, writers, set designers and technical staff. He emphasised that the festival’s free-entry policy ensures that theatre is accessible to all, noting that nearly 90 per cent of Arts Council programmes are offered without tickets.

Over the course of the festival, productions by a mix of established and emerging directors and writers are being staged, reflecting the diversity of Pakistan’s contemporary theatre scene.

Scheduled productions include Mirza Ghalib in Karachi, Hota Hai Shab-o-Roz Tamasha Mere Aage, Bohat Ho Gayi Begum, Yeh Kaisa Daur Hai?, Rab Diyan Rehmatan (Punjabi), Panjo Thino Karo (Memon), Pardes (Seraiki), Kandana Biaay (Balochi), Dil Ji Duniya (Sindhi) and Mujh Mein Tu Maujood, among others.

After a 2025 marked by sweeping changes in some labels’ top positions, this season will be more stable, with many newly appointed designers bedding into their new jobs and looking to showcase their vision.

In October, what industry experts dubbed the “Fashion Week of the century” saw the debut of numerous new directors, including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and Jonathan Anderson for Dior womenswear.

However, uncertain economic conditions will continue to weigh on the minds of many labels following several years of weak sales, notably in China.

“We’re in the midst of an economic crisis and that has repercussions on creation,” according to Marie Ottavi, fashion journalist at France’s Liberation newspaper, who predicted “very pragmatic collections” to meet “the imperative of selling”.

For several seasons now, “it has been less about creativity and more about predictability”, agreed Franck Nauerz, head of menswear at Paris fashion stores Le Bon Marche and La Samaritaine.

Hermes finale

On Saturday evening, French designer Veronique Nichanian will present her final collection for Hermes, after 37 years at the helm of the men’s line.

The 71-year-old Parisian — one of few women designing in menswear — announced her departure in October.

She will leave behind a brand in tremendous financial shape with an image of timeless, refined masculinity that she has helped shape.

Her successor has already been announced: London designer Grace Wales Bonner, who will take up the hotseat in her mid 30s.

Wales Bonner, who is of English and Jamaican heritage, founded her own label and is known for including African influences including handcrafted fabrics or jewellery in her work.

She will unveil her first collection in January 2027.

Jonathan Anderson

On Wednesday afternoon, Dior will unveil the second menswear collection by Jonathan Anderson, one of the most anticipated events of this Fashion Week.

His debut show of summer menswear in June last year won widespread praise, but his women’s collection in October elicited a more ambivalent reception.

The 41-year-old Northern Irish designer is considered one of the leading talents of his generation, but now needs to convince and cement the new identity he’s sketching out for Dior Homme.

“There’s a lot of anticipation,” noted Alice Feillard, men’s buying director at Paris department store Galeries Lafayette.

A rising figure in French fashion, designer Jeanne Friot will stage her first show on the official calendar after two years of presentations.

Known for her inclusive, socially engaged fashion, Friot will kick off fashion week on Tuesday at 3 pm (1400 GMT), ahead of Pharrell Williams’s highly anticipated Louis Vuitton show in the evening.

Among the newcomers, Italian designer Luca Magliano will also make his runway debut after winning the Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2023, while ERL, KML, Sonia Carrasco, and Ssstein join the calendar for the first time in the “presentation” category.

Spanish brand Loewe, expected to stage its first menswear show under the guidance of US designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, will present a unisex collection during Women’s Fashion Week in March.

Saint Laurent, which returned to the official men’s calendar in June, has opted out again.

These absences allow “other, more independent brands — smaller but well-established — to gain greater visibility on the calendar”, Feillard pointed out, citing French labels Lemaire and AMI as well as US designer Rick Owens.

Pillars of the calendar, Japanese houses Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto will also be present, along with French labels 3.Paradis and Egonlab.

Much-hyped French designer Simon Jacquemus will close out the week with a show at the Picasso Museum that is expected to draw numerous celebrities.

Paris Fashion Week is part of the global “Big 4” fashion weeks, the others being London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. The schedule begins with New York, followed by London, and then Milan and ends in Paris. New York was the first city to hold a “fashion week”.

Nicki Minaj publicly reaffirmed her support for President Donald Trump while speaking at the Trump Accounts Summit held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, January 28.

The rapper praised the administration’s newly introduced investment initiative aimed at US-born children and announced plans to contribute significant personal funds to the program.

During her remarks, Minaj described herself as Trump’s “No. 1 fan,” stating that criticism over her political views has not deterred her. Instead, she said the backlash has strengthened her resolve to continue supporting the president and his initiatives. Minaj also criticized what she described as public “bullying” directed at Trump, emphasizing her belief that he remains resilient amid controversy.

According to reports, Minaj plans to donate between $150,000 and $300,000 to the Trump Accounts program. The initiative, introduced under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” provides a one-time $1,000 government contribution into investment accounts for children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. Families may add up to $5,000 annually, with funds invested in a broad stock market index.

Minaj previously promoted her participation in the program on social media, highlighting the importance of early financial literacy and long-term economic planning for children. She described the accounts as a way to “pay it forward” and help future generations build financial independence.

The program has also attracted major donations from prominent Trump-aligned supporters, including Michael and Susan Dell, who pledged over $6 billion in December 2025. Trump has described the initiative as a transformative step toward expanding financial opportunity for American families.

Minaj’s appearance marked her latest high-profile involvement with Trump-affiliated events, following recent appearances at conservative gatherings and policy-focused forums.

Minaj’s debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), opened with the largest female rap album sales week of the 21st century, topped the US Billboard 200, and spawned the single “Super Bass”. She explored dance-pop on her second US number-one album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), which produced the top-five single, “Starships”. She returned to her hip-hop roots with The Pinkprint (2014) and Queen (2018), which yielded the singles “Anaconda” and “Chun-Li”. Minaj achieved her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles with the 2020 duets “Say So” and “Trollz”; the former was the first female rap collaboration to top the chart. Her fifth album, Pink Friday 2 (2023), made her the female rapper with the most US number-one albums (three) and spawned her first solo US number-one single, “Super Freaky Girl”. Its concert tour became the highest-grossing by a female rapper.

Minaj is one of the world’s best-selling music artists and the best-selling female rapper, with over 100 million records sold. She has over 54 million certified singles sold in the US, three diamond-certified singles, and in 2024 became the first female rapper with multiple diamond-certified solo songs (two) by the RIAA. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked Minaj as the greatest female rapper of all time. Her various accolades include a Brit Award, five Billboard Music Awards, nine American Music Awards, eight MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), eleven BET Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and three Guinness World Records. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, and she was honored with the Billboard Women in Music Game Changer Award in 2019.

Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie drew attention to the human toll of ongoing protests in Iran by sharing a poignant photo of a seven-year-old girl at her mother’s grave. The girl’s mother, Parisa Lashkari, 30, was reportedly killed during demonstrations in Noorabad, Fars province, Iran, on January 10.

In her Instagram post, Jolie wrote, “No child should have to carry this kind of grief. May her mother’s memory be honored and may the truth be established, with protection for civilians, accountability for those responsible, and greater freedom for all those who are seeking it.”

The post comes amid widespread protests in Iran, sparked by political and social unrest. Demonstrations have intensified over the past year in response to issues ranging from restrictions on personal freedoms to government crackdowns on dissent. Many protesters have called for greater human rights protections and accountability for the deaths of civilians during clashes with authorities.

Jolie, an Academy Award-winning actress and long-time advocate for human rights, has frequently used her platform to draw attention to humanitarian crises, refugee rights, and the protection of civilians in conflict zones. She has previously served as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and has campaigned globally for the protection of vulnerable populations affected by war, displacement, and political violence.

By sharing the photo and highlighting the tragedy, Jolie’s post emphasizes the personal cost of political repression and calls for international attention to protect civilians in Iran. Her advocacy reinforces a global conversation about accountability, justice, and the need for greater freedoms for citizens in countries experiencing political unrest.