Category: Lifestyle

The lifestyle of millennials is underreported in our mainstream media. The Current’s lifestyle news covers social events and issues that are unique.

  • More than 90,000 Afghan refugees leave Pakistan via Torkham

    More than 90,000 Afghan refugees leave Pakistan via Torkham

    Following the federal government’s decision to send undocumented foreigners back to their countries, more than 90,000 Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned home via the Torkham border.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Interior Department has set up temporary camps in Peshawar, Haripur and Khyber district for repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees.

    From November 1, illegal foreigners will be arrested and transferred to camps, after which they will be sent to Afghanistan via Torkham.

    The temporary camp in Peshawar reportedly has a capacity of housing 2,000 people, while food and water will be provided along with medical aid. Special security arrangements have also been made in the temporary camp.

    On the other hand, the Department of Home Affairs has also established a ‘control room’ from where the process of return is being monitored. A helpline has also been launched, on which guidance can be provided in case of other problems besides identification of illegal foreigners.

    The number of Afghan refugees residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is more than 900,000, while visas were issued to 116,418 Afghans this year.

  • New Australian scholarship alert

    New Australian scholarship alert

    Good news if you are planning to apply for a scholarship!

    Australia’s University of Wollongong (UOW) has announced the commencement of Vice-Chancellor’s Leadership Scholarships for students in Pakistan.

    Sources in the Punjab Higher Education Commission spoke with APP, revealing that it is the first time that a reputable Australian university has introduced scholarships for Pakistan.

    Two Pakistani students will be awarded the scholarship every year, HEC sources have disclosed.

    Currently, more than 27,000 Pakistani students are studying in Australian universities, with approximately 1,000 of them studying at the UOW, HEC disclosed.

  • Pakistani-American doctor stabbed to death in front of 17 people

    Pakistani-American doctor stabbed to death in front of 17 people

    52-year-old Pakistani American paediatrician Dr. Talat Khan was stabbed to death in a park in her apartment complex on Saturday afternoon, in front of 17 people.

    The suspected murderer is 24-year-old Miles Joseph Fridrich, and is a white male.
    One of the witnesses, Mathew Amador explained what he saw when he got to the scene of the crime. He said that Fridrich stabbed Khan in broad daylight over and over again, checking to see if she was alive. “When I got there, he was checking her pulse to make sure she was alive,” Amador said, “and then stabbed her three more times.” Amador also yelled out the description of the suspect as the police arrived and they quickly took him into custody. The relationship of the suspect with the victim is unclear and witnesses declared that they have not seen him in the locality before. “I’ve never seen evil like that in my life,” Amador said.

    The Council on American Islamic Relation (CAIR) stated that, “police have not released a motive for the killing. We want to assure everyone that we are in conversation with law enforcement agencies. We are unsure at this moment if this was a hate crime; however, given the tragic circumstances, we are paying very close attention to the investigation.”

    Khan’s brother Wajahat Nyaz said his sister was a kind soul. “Talat’s life revolved around those two things, her kids — her son and daughter — and her kids [patients] she looked after as a paediatrician,” he said.

    The Associate Director of the Al Ansaar Mosque, Mohammad Ayubi said that Khan was a regular visitor and the whole community of 300 to 400 families are grieving. The security around the complex has also been increased.

  • Here are the celebrities who are hackers’ hot favourites

    Here are the celebrities who are hackers’ hot favourites

    A study by McAfee reveals a list of 10 celebrities which are used by hackers as bait while searching for them online may lead to malware and risky websites. The list includes celebrities spotted in deepfake and other AI driven content as well.

    ‘Barbenheimer’ fever is not over yet as the two movies were not just huge hits at the box office but for cybercriminals as well. Internet searches of the two films have got consumers in a rash of ticket scams, download scams and other attacks that were capitalising on these summer hits.

    Who made it to the list?

    In that context, our very own Ken, Ryan Gosling, is the hacker’s favourite celebrity, making it to number one. His co-star Margot Robbie and the titular character of the film Barbie makes it to number eight on the list.
    Emily Blunt, the leading lady of Oppenheimer, is at number two.
    Pop culture icon, actor, singer and producer Jennifer Lopez, known as JLO, is the third most malware attracting celebrity.
    Zendaya, famous for her portrayal of nerdy MJ in Spiderman, makes it to the fourth spot.
    Notoriously popular Elon Musk, owner of X (former Twitter) is unsurprisingly standing on number six.
    Among others are academy award winning actor Kevin Costner on number five, American weather presenter Al Roker on number seven, singer Bad Bunny on number nine and Barbie’s guide Gloria, played by America Ferrera, makes it to the tenth position.
    Football superstar Lionel Messi is also on the list, standing at number 18. Taylor Swift, singer with a huge fan following, made it to number 25.

    The plethora of crimes that can be committed and how?

    The hackers commit crimes with these searches as they pair celebrity names with terms like audiobook, lyrics, deepfake, free ringtone, free movie, free download, MP4, among others—which generate results that lead to shady sites. They carry out fraudulent activities with that because they understand people’s liking for the free celebrity content.

    The study finds out that between 25 to 135 deepfake URLs were celebrity searches. These could be malicious, recreational or cases of false advertising.

    A word of caution:

    Using trusted websites, sticking to legitimate streaming and downloading services and using antivirus softwares may help keep your devices protected and enable safe internet search. Searching about your favourite celebrities is not wrong because their names are used by hackers to attract more traffic. This just needs to be done with a sharp eye.

  • Hassan Minhaj says New Yorker lied and he has the receipts

    Hassan Minhaj says New Yorker lied and he has the receipts

    American Comedian of Indian origin Hasan Minhaj, most famous for his Netflix standup special “Patriot Act” has lately found himself in a heated controversy post a New Yorker article which questioned the authenticity of anecdotes he has shared over the time in his performances.

    Hasan’s comedy is mostly centred around the racism faced by the diaspora and his quintessential ‘desi’ upbringing in a country like America. He has jokingly called himself ABCD (American Born Confused Desi). The article, titled Hasan Minhaj’s “Emotional Truths” criticised him for exaggeration of some of the incidents he has told, specifically his high school prom experience, an encounter with an FBI informant and a fictionalised anthrax scare.

    The writer of the article related his experience of seeing Hasan at a comedy club where he had said that “Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth,” he reportedly has acknowledged that his comedy is seventy percent emotional truth-this happened-and then thirty percent hyperbole, exaggeration and fiction. He was further accused of using racism and islamophobia as a medium to establish his career.

    Minhaj has released a video on his YouTube channel and Instagram handle in response to this article. “With everything happening in the world, I’m aware that even talking about this now feels so trivial, but being accused of faking racism is not trivial. It is very serious and demands an explanation” he stated in the beginning. Treading on the safe side, he further acknowledges that “I made artistic choices to express myself and drive home larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel horrible that I let people down.”

    However, he goes on to explain his side of the story for he felt that the article painted him in a negative light and a “con artist” who uses racism and Islamophobia to “advance his career”.

    While relating the prom story he referred to the doxed girl as Bethany Reed to protect her identity. Messages from the girl after a show displayed appreciation for his support and protection.

    He appreciated the creative liberty he has taken with the story of FBI informant in his show The King’s Jester but the underlying objective was to highlight the issue of FBI infiltration in Muslim communities. Using humour and presenting the story in an engaging manner is his forte and part of a job as a comedian. His intention was not deceive but to convey a tint of truth that comes with it.

    Lastly, Minhaj responded to the allegation of fabrication in his story of anthrax scare where he framed it in a way as to let audiences feel the shock he and his wife went through. The character of the investigator was certainly introduced to balance it out.

    He delineated in detail about his two roles. One of the storyteller comedian and the other of a political comedian. “In my work as a storytelling comedian I assumed that the lines between truth and fiction were allowed to be a bit blurrier and I totally get why a journalist would be interested to know where that line sits,”

    Minhaj reasserted, “If the reporter was genuinely curious about the idea of truth in standup, they would have had to report that the majority of my stories are true. But their article led with the opposite.”

  • Iranian teen has expired after allegedly being beaten up over violation of hijab laws

    Iranian teen has expired after allegedly being beaten up over violation of hijab laws

    Update : “Armita Garawand, a student in Tehran, died an hour ago after intensive medical treatment and 28 days of hospitalisation in intensive care,” reported the Borna news agency affiliated with the youth ministry.

    The 17-year-old ethnic Kurd, who was declared “brain dead” a week ago, had been hospitalised at Fajr Hospital in Tehran since October 1 after she fell unconscious on the metro.

    In September, lawmakers voted in favour of toughening the penalties, which include jail sentences of up to 10 years for women who violate the dress code.

    The reformist daily Ham Mihan called on the authorities to “allow independent media to investigate” the incident in order to persuade the public.

    Previously it was reported that Armita Geravand, a 16 year old in Tehran, is allegedly the latest victim of Iranian morality police. In a controversial incident that took place in a metro station, she is likely to be “brain-dead” as reported by state-media. 

    Iranian authorities have vehemently denied any such claims of altercation on the Tehran Metro station with the female policers. They say that the girl collapsed due to low blood pressure. 

    Humanitarians such as Kurdish-Iranian Hengaw groups have claimed otherwise of the reason behind the teenager’s collapse. They made her hospitalisation public, showing her pictures in an unconscious state and alleging that the teen had not undergone any operations owing to her fragile health condition. She was admitted to the hospital on October 1 and since then she has been in a critical condition under a tight security presence. Her mother was also reportedly arrested around the hospital but was released afterwards. Her father has told the Hengaw group that he has been informed by the medical team that “her brain is no longer functioning and there is no hope of recovery.”

    As for the footage published by Iranian  Media it can be seen that an unconscious body has been dragged out of the train by the female officers. Amnesty International has opined that there is “mounting evidence of a cover-up” because the analysis shows that the footage has been edited with the frame rate increased and over three minutes of footage is missing. They believe that the family and friends affirming state narrative are saying this under duress. They have not been allowed to visit her and even the journalist who went in to report was detained briefly. 

    The stringent hijab laws in Iran became a point of controversy with the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, last year in September 2022. The extremely controversial and unfortunate near-dead condition of this young girl has further raised concerns. 

    Just a couple of days ago, two Iranian Journalists were sentenced to long periods of imprisonment on charges of covering the protests held all across the country after Amini’s death. 

    To read more: https://thecurrent.pk/iran-sentences-two-women-journalists-for-covering-mahsa-aminis-protests/

  • History will judge us all, warns UN Secretary-General

    History will judge us all, warns UN Secretary-General

    The Secretary-General UN Antonio Guterres has said “Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is the moment of truth. History will judge us all,” as Israel imposed a total blockade of the internet on the Gaza Strip before the heaviest bombardment of the area has ever seen.

    He reasserted his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war-torn Middle East, the release of hostages, and that aid be delivered at the scale needed.

    Earlier on Friday, the UN voted for a humanitarian truce in Gaza and adopted a non-binding resolution where 120 countries voted in favor, 14 were against and 45 abstained. The Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour emphasized, “Enough is enough, the carnage against our people needs to stop and humanitarian assistance should begin to enter the Gaza Strip.”

    It is important to note that Gaza has now no communication access and there is a complete blackout in the besieged area while the Israeli Ambassador in the UN has demanded the resignation of the Secretary-General. Gilad Erdan believes, “understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN.”

  • Protesting railway workers bring trains to halt

    Protesting railway workers bring trains to halt

    Railway employees are protesting against the delays of salaries by limiting the trains on the tracks after rounds of negotiations failed because the state institute has not been able to pay the staff.

    The situation got worse on Friday when several intercity trains from Lahore to Karachi – including the Karakoram Express, Pak Business Express, and Karachi Express – could not depart on their scheduled routes as the employees staged protests on the tracks.

    Amidst all this is the protest of passengers for being stranded for hours at the platform and being punished for the crime of relying on the national railway.

    Some of the protesting employees are claiming to have not been paid for the months of August and September while the others have experienced significant delays. They halted the washing line before proceeding to block the track. They also stopped by the Business Express train from Karachi to Lahore and forced the passengers to disembark. They were reportedly chanting slogans against the management and expressed their anger over the difficulties they are experiencing due to this crisis. Some even complained about the electricity and gas supply being cut off due to this crisis.

    Owing to Pakistan’s plummeting economy and the growing financial crisis of different institutions the employees are frustrated. The outgoing Chief Executive Officer Shahid Aziz highlighted the adversity of the circumstances by stating that a bailout package of Rs 35 billion is awaited to save the struggling institution.

  • More than 1000 Pakistani doctors volunteer to help in Gaza

    More than 1000 Pakistani doctors volunteer to help in Gaza

    Alkhidmat Health Foundation has announced that over 1000 doctors from Pakistan, including 400 females, have volunteered their services to provide treatment to the critically wounded and injured in Gaza. Currently, the death toll has hit 7000 dead civilians and right now there is fear of further genocide as Israel has cut off all communication services, leaving media organisations and human rights organisations completely in the dark. The few videos that have released so far show intense bombing and vicious attacks on refugee camps.

    Speaking to ‘The News’, the chairman of Al-Khidmat Health Foundation Dr Zahid Latif, said: “Since Saturday when we launched an online appeal for healthcare volunteers to serve in the Gaza strip, over 1,000 medical specialists including orthopedic, vascular and general surgeons, anesthetists, pediatric surgeons, emergency and critical care specialists and gynaecologists have registered with us to help their injured and sick brethren in Gaza.”

    Gaza is undergoing a healthcare crisis, tethering on the brink of collapse as they overpile with civilians and children wounded and critically injured from the ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Al-Shifa hospital currently holds 62,000 displaced Gazans, and more than 600 babies are in incubators out of which 120 are on critical life-or-death situations, according to Dr. Amr.

    Dr Zahid said among the 40 per cent health care specialists who have volunteered to go to Gaza, there were female specialists including genealogists, pediatricians, surgeons, including nurses who expressed their desire to go and help the wounded in Gaza.

    He further added the organisation has approached the World Health Organisation (WHO) office in Islamabad, as well as the office of Cairo, Egypt to let them know about how Pakistani health professionals are willing to provide services in Gaza, despite how difficult it is to enter the region at this moment.

    “We very well know that at the moment, it is almost impossible to go to Gaza due to ongoing war but we are under tremendous pressure from Pakistani healthcare fraternity to make arrangements for them to go to Gaza. At the moment, the WHO and our partner organisations have not given us any green signal to send the healthcare professionals to any neighbouring country of Israel for serving in Gaza,” Dr Latif said.

    Currently, Al-Khidmat organisation is sending medicines, medical supplies, hygiene facilities and safe delivery kits to aid hospitals in Gaza through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), while their Turkish-based partner is providing food and other facilities to the reigion.

    “There are around 50,000 pregnant ladies in Gaza, who need medical assistance for safe deliveries and at a time when most of the health facilities have been destroyed by the Israeli forces, safe deliveries can only be carried out at homes where they would need safe delivery kits and proper awareness,” Dr Latif said.

  • New York police arrest hundreds at Jewish protest urging Gaza ceasefire

    New York police arrest hundreds at Jewish protest urging Gaza ceasefire

    Hundreds of people were arrested Friday when police broke up a large demonstration of mostly Jewish New Yorkers who had taken over the main hall of Grand Central station in protest of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, police and organizers said.

    The New York Police Department said at least 200 people had been arrested, while protest organizers put the number at more than 300.

    Photos from the scene showed long lines of young people standing in handcuffs and wearing black sweatshirts with the words “Not In Our Name” and “Cease Fire Now” printed in white.

    The massive sit-in was called by the group Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City, which said thousands of its members had attended the protest, blocking the main concourse of the city’s central rail station.

    Pictures showed the terminal packed with protesters who held up banners reading “Palestinians should be free” and “Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living.”

    Organizers called the peaceful sit-in “the largest civil disobedience New York City has seen in 20 years.”

    Rabbis launched the event by lighting Shabbat candles and reciting the Jewish prayer for the dead, known as the kaddish.

    “While Shabbat is typically a day of rest, we cannot afford to rest while genocide is unfolding in our names,” said Rabbi May Ye, in a statement released by organizers.

    “The lives of Palestinians and Israelis are intertwined, and safety can only come from justice, equality, and freedom for all,” the rabbi said.

    Israel launched its bombardment of Gaza after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on 7 October, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 220 others, according to Israeli officials.

    The Hamas-run health ministry said Friday that Israeli strikes on Gaza had now killed 7,326 people, more than 3,000 of them children.