In a strange but fun move, the city of Yamagata in Japan has made laughter a daily requirement. The government has passed a law that says people must laugh at least once a day to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
The law was passed after research from a local university revealed the numerous health benefits of laughter. Companies and offices are also getting in on the action, creating a laughter-friendly environment for their employees. And to top it all off, the eighth day of every month will be celebrated as ‘Laughter Day.’
But not everybody finds it funny. Politicians who disagree with the law say it violates people’s constitutional rights. “Laughter is a fundamental human right, and the government can’t dictate when and how we laugh.” They argue.
But not everyone is happy about it. Some politicians are saying the law is wrong. “Laughter is a fundamental human right, and the government can’t dictate when and how we laugh,” they argue. Yamagata City is firm on making laughter a priority. This unique law might just spark a global trend. Laughter truly is the best medicine, they say.
Following the CCTV footage of three girls beating up a salesman in a shop in Lahore and the widespread criticism over the police’s handling of the alleged harassment case, local police are now actively finding out what happened.
In the viral video, the girls appear to have initiated the assault, with the boy at the receiving end of their blows. However, it was reported that the salesman was arrested on allegations of harassment posed by the girls. This instigated a debate on social media where netizens demanded the arrest of the girls for allegedly using the “woman card.”
DIG Lahore Operations Faisal Kamran, while talking to Dawn, said the CCTV footage was presented in court by the boys in their defence, led to the case being dismissed.
The DIG also stated that the police approached the young man to file a complaint against the girls, if they wish to proceed with legal action.
The Current talked to the Superintendent of Police (SP), Dr. Ayaz, who stated that women’s harassment laws require an immediate response from the police. He said the police responded to the complaint filed by the girls, took the boys to the police station, and booked them instantly. “It was the honourable court’s decision to decide the case,” he stressed. “The police is committed to performing their duties, and as per law, we have a time of 14 days according to which we are conducting our investigation,” he added.
SP Ayaz confirmed that the medical checkup of both the girl and boy has been done, and all aspects of the case are being investigated, including the harassment and assault allegations. This particular case is registered under Article 509-1 and will proceed under charges of ‘insulting modesty or causing sexual harassment’, Ayaz informed.
Addressing social media speculation about the girl being the daughter of a lawyer, DIG Kamran clarified that the girl’s mother informed the police that her husband had passed away.
THE GIRLS
One of the three girls, on condition of anonymity, talked to The Current and explained how she, along with her friends, went to the shop to have coffee and do some shopping. According to her, she was chitchatting with her friends when the salesman started passing lewd comments about them, asking the girls if they were on “night duty,” implying that they were prostitutes. The comments enraged her friend who told him to behave and as the situation escalated, they first got into a verbal brawl with two boys which eventually took the form of a physical fight. She claimed that they hurled curses at them and pulled the hair of the boy. He also struck a girl, causing her nose to bleed and tore her shirt.
She said that they stayed there until they called the police and got the FIR registered, an official copy of which is present with The Current. The man who made their video was asked not to do so because of their vulnerable condition, but he did not comply.
A digital copy of FIR shared by the girl.
The girl said that at the police station, the boy apologised, and a “raazi nama” was signed. She stressed that in police custody, the shopkeeper said that the CCTV footage was not available as it was deleted. However, it surfaced on social media, two days after the incident, in what she described as an effort to defame them. In a traumatised tone, she said that they are under extreme pressure and because of her public profile on Instagram, she has gotten rape and death threats after the video went viral.
The screenshots shared by the girl depict the threatening and abusive language used by men sliding into her DMs.
More than once, she said that the viral video does not present the whole version and lacks the actual audio. She stressed that if the audio was released, it would support her version of the story. “I don’t understand, how can people think that it could have happened without a reason. We are not mad that we just got up and started beating someone. There was a reason, and in all honesty, we are not ashamed of it,” she shared.
She made it a point to mention that she does not belong to an elite background but from an upper-middle-class household, and the criticism that the girls weren’t ‘dressed properly’ is sexist and violates their right to freedom of choice.
THE GUY’S VERSION
The viral footage showed only one boy being assaulted by the girls in the presence of the shop owner and other visitors who eventually intervened. Yasir Shami from Urdu Point was seen talking to the boy, Yousuf, who was beaten up by the girl. Yousuf vehemently denied any allegations of harassment. “I was laughing at something my colleague said, and the ladies misheard and started coming inside the counter area. I told them they couldn’t do that but she still made her way inside and started beating me,” he said. “I did defend myself as much as I could, but not much as she was a woman,” he claimed. He also denied any claim of cursing the girls.
Journalist Ahmed Faraz, while talking on the show Geo Pakistan, explained that only one FIR is registered in any case, and all elements are explored and investigated under that.
242 milliliters of rain were recorded in Lahore, marking heavy rainfall in the city.
According to WASA’s data release on Lahore’s rainfall, the highest amounts were recorded as follows: 242 mm in Tajpura, 130 mm in Lakshmi Chowk, 132 mm in Mughalpura, and 133 mm in Gulshan Ravi. Additionally, 122 mm of rain was recorded at Chowk Nakhda, 128 mm in Iqbal Town, 125 mm at Cordoba Chowk, 135 mm in Sumanabad, 71 mm at the Airport, 123 mm at Upper Mall, 41 mm in Gulberg, 129 mm in Nishtertown, 55 mm on Jail Road, and 119 mm in Farrukhabad, reported by Geo.
The city administration reported ongoing rainfall in the areas of Davis Road, China Chowk, Canal Road, Garhi Shahu, Allama Iqbal Road, Allah Road, Kashmir Road, Egerton Road, Johar Town, Shimla Pahari, and surrounding areas.
This continuous rainfall has led to significant flooding in many important locations due to submerged rainwater.
Flour mills in different cities have stopped grinding wheat and supplying flour across the country today, leading to fears of a shortage.
1500 mill owners have gone on strike along with flour dealers, the Flour Mills Association has said.
Chairman Flour Mills Association Asim Raza said, “We will not collect withholding tax. The price of a bag of flour will rise by Rs 200 after imposing withholding tax.”
Today, 73 flour mills in Gujranwala district are completely closed, and more than 60 flour mills in Multan are also shut down. Meanwhile, all 100 flour mills are closed in the four districts of the division.
A spokesperson of the Flour Mills Association stated that after the closure of flour mills in Faisalabad, the supply of 200,000 bags of flour per day has stopped. In contrast, all ten flour mills in Kamalia city and four in Khushab district are closed.
A strike is also taking place in Peshawar on the appeal of the Flour Mills Association, while in Quetta, a strike is being carried out on the call of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association.
Chairman Flour Mills Association (South Zone) Aamir Abdullah told Geo News that flour mills in Sindh have also stopped the supply of flour. “Tax collection is the job of FBR; we should not be made tax agents. Until our demands are approved, the supply of wheat products will remain closed.”
A few days ago, flour mill owners announced a strike while holding a press conference and said that they had tried to negotiate. They stressed that they have conveyed demands to the government that tax collection is not their job.
A woman was beaten to death by her in-laws when she took a long time to cook food in Kot Sultan village Korywali, Layyah, reports Dawn.
Parveen Bibi’s husband, Muhammad Yusuf, along with his brothers Muhammad Ejaz, Muhammad Younis, and Nadar, allegedly assaulted her for the delay in the preparation of food.
Local police in Kot Sultan have registered a murder case on the complaint of Abdul Majeed, the uncle of the victim, Parveen.
FIR states that the suspects severely beat Parveen Bibi with sticks until she fell unconscious. Seeing the gravity of injuries, she was shifted from the tehsil headquarters hospital to the district headquarters hospital and then to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Complainant Majeed said an autopsy was conducted after her death.
Layyah District Police Officer Asadur Rehman claimed that the suspects would be arrested, saying violence against women will not be tolerated and a special team has been formed to investigate the case.
Unsatisfied with his academic low score, a matriculation student in Lahore committed suicide after the result was released yesterday (July 9).
15-year-old Arsalan, a resident of the border village of Padana in Lahore, took his own life by jumping from the water tank. He suffered multiple head and neck injuries, which proved fatal, reported Dawn.
The police said that the boy was disappointed by his low score. The forensic team and the police collected the evidence.
Results of matriculation examinations have been announced by 9 education boards of Punjab, including the Lahore Board.
Gory grottos with demons impaling sinners on stakes and people drowning in a pool of blood are not part of your average theme park experience.
But at Hell’s Museum in Singapore, the main attraction at the Haw Par Villa Park, visitors are welcomed to a kitschy, air-conditioned hell on Earth.
Inside the sprawling park complex, which features over 1,000 statues and dioramas showcasing Asian culture, faiths, and philosophy, Hell’s Museum exhibits various religious views on the afterlife.
Visitors are encouraged to learn about the 10 Courts of Hell through intense depictions of punishments for earthly sins.
At court number two, for instance, corruption gets you frozen in ice, while rapists at court Seven are thrown in boiling oil.
The 10 Courts of Hell are “the result of the mixing of four different religions and philosophies: Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism”, said Eisen Teo, the chief curator of Hell’s Museum in the multicultural city-state.
“The sculptures and dioramas are a visual dissection of many classics, stories and moral values that many Singaporeans have and are familiar with,” Teo said.
Visitor Gin Goldberg told AFP she wasn’t so surprised to learn that many religions had differing opinions on the afterlife.
“One person’s heaven would be another person’s hell,” the American said.
Party in hell
The odd park stands apart from gleaming Singapore’s mainstream tourist attractions such as the luxury shops of Marina Bay Sands or the towering “supertrees” of Gardens by the Bay.
Haw Par Villa was built in 1937 by entrepreneur Aw Boon Haw, known for co-developing Asia’s much-loved Tiger Balm pain relief rub.
While fondly remembered by older generations, the park has had trouble attracting the Gen Z crowd and younger millenials, according to Journeys, the firm that manages the park.
To broaden appeal, it has held several rave parties and other private events — but not too near to religious exhibits.
“After they came here (for the parties) they fell in love with the quirky, eccentric park, with these cool sculptures. Fell in love with them and they keep doing repeat visits,” said Savita Kashyap, Journeys’ executive director.
While Haw Par Villa isn’t just about the afterlife, and raves — it also displays scenes from Chinese folklore such as “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” — its hellish attraction remains the top draw.
But not for all.
While leaving, one Filipina visitor told AFP that she won’t be returning anytime soon.
Following an invitation extended by the government and the local Bohra community, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual leader of the Bohra community, arrived in Karachi on July 4 to host ‘Ashara Mubaraka’ congregations this year.
Over 80,000 Dawoodi Bohras from Pakistan and around the world are expected to attend the events. He delivered the first sermon of “Ashara Mubaraka” in Taheri Masjid, Saddar, on July 8.
A Dawn report states that Syedna addressed a majlis of “over 80,000 attendees” with Bohra members from diverse areas and professions gathered in Karachi for a single purpose — the remembrance and commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Husain.
Syedna elaborated upon a number of hadith by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which highlight the role of conviction and self-growth in the sermon.
For instance, he quoted the Prophet’s statement regarding the honeybee which “consumes only that which is pure, and gives back only that which is pure”.
Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, 77, is currently serving as the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and present leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community. He is currently as a Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Bohra community trace themselves back to Fatimis who held the caliphate from 10th to 12th century.
The federal government on Tuesday announced two-day public holidays for Muharram 9 and 10.
“[…] the Prime Minister is pleased to declare 16th and 17th July, 2024 (Tuesday and Wednesday) as public holidays on the occasion of Ashura (9th & 10th Moharram 1446 AH),” a notification issued by the Cabinet Division stated.
The government also approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army across the country as a security measure during the Holy Month.
The interior ministry stated that the details of troop deployment, which will be enforced for an indefinite period, will be finalised with the authorities concerned, including the governments of Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad.
Punjab government has requested the federal government to suspend social media platforms for one week.
However, the federal government has not yet taken any decision to suspend internet services during Muharram and any decision in this regard will be taken with the consultation of provinces.
The federal and Balochistan governments are planning to rehabilitate the victims of monsoon rains after two years.
Both the governments have started a project worth 60 billion rupees with the support of the World Bank.
Four project directors have been appointed for the project, which will be supervised by the Federal Department of Planning and Development.
Asfandyar Kakar, the supervisor of flood victims’ rehabilitation project in Balochistan, told Geo News that more than 30 districts were affected by floods that came after the 2022 monsoon rains in the province.
The floods destroyed 350,000 houses as well as damaged highways, bridges and agricultural crops.
In a joint survey of the federal and provincial governments, the damage caused by the floods in the province was estimated at 900 billion rupees, but after two years, last month ECNEC approved the rehabilitation plan for the flood victims of Balochistan.
The 60 billion rupees project focuses on four sectors including irrigation, housing, early hood and meteorology, while the project director of three sectors has been taken from Balochistan and the project director of meteorology sector has been taken from the federal department.
3500 houses will be constructed and given to the victims under the project in the first phase, while work will be done to restore the roads and restore the damage caused to agriculture.
