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.

  • TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    A government contractor in Rawalpindi refused to pay the demanded ransom of Rs 15 million to a member of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mohammad Asghar reports for Dawn. The terrorist then allegedly assaulted his home with a cracker at Dhoke Lakhan in the Dhamial neighbourhood.

    Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) joined the police in their investigation of the incident after a first information report (FIR) was filed with them on Tuesday.
    Mohammad Nisar, a government contractor and inhabitant of Dhoke Lakhan Chakri Road, filed a police report claiming that on October 7, 2022, he received a voicemail identifying the caller as a TTP official and demanding a ransom of Rs15 million.

    Nisar had been working as a government contractor for the last 20 years.

    He claimed that after the man failed to respond to his message, he resorted to his brother Mushtaq Ali’s cellphone and left him a voicemail asking him to show it to his brother.

    He continued by saying that on December 28, 2022, at 4am, he heard an explosion outside his house while sleeping inside, while his wife and kids had left for their village.

    He said in the FIR that he went to his house’s rooftop to investigate the incident but was unable to see anything because of the darkness. He went back to sleep. The suspect was heard telling his brother that he had given him a glimpse the previous night in a second voice message that was left for him the next day.
    After that, he proceeded to his home’s rooftop where he discovered cracker fragments that had exploded on the compound wall of the roof.

  • No new subvariant of Covid-19 spreading in Pakistan: NIH

    No new subvariant of Covid-19 spreading in Pakistan: NIH

    The Ministry of National Health Services has refuted news reports that said a new subvariant of Covid-19 is spreading in Pakistan.

    “NCOC-NIH refutes the news of any new COVID-19 subvariant. Currently, XBB Omicron sub-variant is already the dominant variant for the last 3 months. NCOC is closely monitoring the situation,” the ministry wrote in a tweet.
    According to the spokesperson of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan has had a total of 29 cases of XBB (Omicron) since it first appeared, but no cases of BF.7 have been reported as yet.

    A review meeting was held on tuesday to review prevalence of the virus in the country under the chairmanship of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif .
    The Premier commended the efforts put in by all the relevant officials and NCOC to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

    The meeting was informed in detail about the current situation of Covid in the world including the region and in Pakistan, new variants of the pandemic, measures taken to prevent them and status of vaccinations.

  • Saudi women allowed to drive trains between Makkah and Madina

    Saudi women allowed to drive trains between Makkah and Madina

    Saudi women have begun driving the Makkah-Madinah Haramain train.

    Saudi Railways also released a video of women driving trains and receiving training while sitting in the driver’s seat.

    Saudi Railways announced that 31 indigenous women have completed training to drive high-speed trains. The Mecca-Medina Haramain high-speed train is one of the fastest in the world.

    Saudi woman, Sara Al Shehri said, “I and my colleagues have been the first to have the honor of running a high-speed train in the Middle East, which I am proud of.”

    Noorah Hisham, another Saudi woman who completed the training, says that it is a job of great responsibility. The safety of those who come for Hajj, Umrah, and Ziarat is the responsibility of the Haramain Express driver.

    Saudi female train driver Shajin al-Mursi said that it is a matter of great pride to be part of the first group to receive train driving training.

    The Saudi Railway Company qualified more than 30 Saudi women as female drivers of the Haramain Express Train, according to Saudi Gazette.

    The women train captains have expressed their pride in having this opportunity to become the first female train drivers in the Middle East. They confirmed that transporting pilgrims and visitors gives them motivation to work with great care.

  • Traders reject govt’s early market closure plan

    Traders reject govt’s early market closure plan

    The federal government’s proposal to close all markets and restaurants by 8:30 pm. as part of a new energy conservation plan has been opposed by traders across the nation, who claim that such measures cannot be used to save energy.

    The chief of Markazi Tanzeem-e-Tajran Pakistan (MTTP), Kashif Chaudhry, said that the government had developed the policy without consulting the business community and had failed to adhere to the energy conservation plan.

    “It is not possible to save energy by such measures,” Kashif Chaudhry said, warning of “strong resistance” if the government tried to forcefully close the market.

    He regretted the fact that the administration opted to enact its “unilateral” action despite loud protests and assurances from the authorities.

    In an effort to conserve energy, he urged that the government forbid its employees from using heaters and air conditioners in their workplaces. He said that since we buy the most expensive electricity, advantageous plans should be developed for us.

    Meanwhile, the president of the Karachi Electronics Dealers Association, Rizwan Irfan, disclosed that the Sindh government has met with owners of wedding venues and restaurants over the energy-saving strategy.

    During the meetings, he claimed, all parties involved agreed that markets and malls should be permitted to stay open until 9 or 10 pm., while eateries and wedding venues should be permitted to stay open until 11 or 12 pm.

    “However, despite the Sindh government’s assurance, they imposed a unilateral decision,” Irfan lamented, asking the government to bear their expenses.

    Additionally, Ilyas Memon, president of the Saddar Traders Association, claimed that the decision to close markets early amounted to the destruction of enterprises.

    “The police and the administration should not harass the businessmen,” he said, adding that the Sindh government should not file an FIR as per the decisions taken in the consultation meeting.

  • Women must wear mandatory headscarves in cars: Iranian police issues warning

    Women must wear mandatory headscarves in cars: Iranian police issues warning

    Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves, including in cars.

    “The removal of hijab has been observed in your vehicle: It is necessary to respect the norms of the society and make sure this action is not repeated,” read a message reportedly sent by police and posted on social media, AFP reported.

    Iran’s morality police — known as Gasht-e Ershad, or “Guidance Patrol” — have a mandate to enter public areas to check on the implementation of the country’s strict dress code.

    Widespread demonstrations have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini in 2022 after she was arrested in Tehran. She was taken into custody for not wearing the hijab properly, thus, breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women.

  • Markets to close at 08:30pm across the country: Khawaja Asif

    The federal government on Tuesday announced its energy saving plan, applicable across the country. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that markets in all the province’sr and federal areas will be shut down at 8pm. Furthermore, wedding halls will close at 10pm across the country.

    Asif said that if these timings are implemented then the country will save Rs 62 billion.

    Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, and Federal Minister for Housing and Works Abdul Wasay were also present at the media briefing.

    The minister further elaborated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed all federal government entities to reduce their energy usage by 30% and to stop using unneeded lighting and other appliances.

    He said that a strategy to save energy provided by the power division had been approved for implementation by the federal cabinet.

  • Man stabs woman with screwdriver for refusing to talk to him

    A man in India killed a woman with a screwdriver for refusing to talk to him, Khaleej Times has reported. The girl was murdered with a screwdriver in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district after refusing to talk to one of the two suspects detained by the police on Sunday.

    The accused, identified as Shahbaan Khan, was arrested along with his aide Tarbez Khan.

    The police said that the matter was that of a ‘love triangle’.

    According to the police, Shahbaan stabbed Kusum with a screwdriver after she refused to talk to him.

    “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused had befriended the victim three years ago and later moved to Ahmedabad (Gujarat) for work. The duo stayed in touch for some time. Later, the girl stopped talking to him.”

    “The accused tried to approach the victim, but she refused to entertain him. Following this, the accused attacked her with a screwdriver and killed her,” the police said.

  • Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.

    The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.

    Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.

    According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.

    Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.

    The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.

  • Hot and toasty chor: Designers Dolce and Gabbana criticised for stealing Pakistani art

    Hot and toasty chor: Designers Dolce and Gabbana criticised for stealing Pakistani art

    We may have progressed to a new year, but international brands continue with their decades-old, regressive mindset of stealing artwork from third world artists for cheap products. Writer Rafia Zakaria brought this to attention today when she shared a screenshot of a Dolce and Gabbana toaster which had designs copied from Pakistani truck art on it. The toaster is retailing for $850.
    Is it still ethical to steal art that holds a lot of significance within a particular culture, especially while knowing that this country was recently devastated by floods.

    ‘Dolce and Gabbana Pakistani Truck Art limited edition toaster a mere $850 People in Pakistan still starving. Perhaps send a few extra dollars their way.’

    Social media users sided with Zakaria’s criticism by sharing how unethical it is for international brands to steal art and profiting from it without giving credit to artists.

    https://twitter.com/amna_mir/status/1609779503844171776?s=20&t=bmGIgxNjOYxmmR6RjxDDog

  • 32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    Pakistan is facing serious financial troubles, and rising unemployment is just making matters worse for the country. Thousands of applicants can be seen seated on a stadium field to take a written test to be hired as constables by the Islamabad Police in a video that has recently surfaced on social media.

    For the written exam, which was held on Saturday at the Sports Complex in Islamabad, at least 32,000 applicants were forced to sit outside in the cold.

    For the 1,667 openings for police constables that were announced, more than 30,000 male and female applicants from all over Pakistan, according to Islamabad police, took the written test.

    The positions of police constables have been unfilled for the past five years.

    A new debate on how to increase employment in the nation has been ignited by the massive turnout at the Islamabad Police recruitment. Pakistan’s unemployment rate has peaked. The number of unemployed people is also steadily rising because there is so little hiring for government positions. Despite this, thousands of applicants are vying for open positions in the public sector.

    Over 31 per cent of the country’s youth are unemployed, according to a report published by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in 2022. There are 51 per cent girls and 16 per cent of boys among them, and many of them have professional degrees.

    Pakistan has approximately 60 per cent of its population under the age of 30, and its unemployment rate is currently 6.9 per cent.