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.

  • Covid-19: Positivity rate in Pakistan jumps to 3.85%

    Covid-19: Positivity rate in Pakistan jumps to 3.85%

    According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Covid-19 positivity rate in Pakistan has reached 3.85 per cent.

    In addition, 806 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Pakistan on August 2 and nine people have lost their lives to the deadly virus. A total of 20,949 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

    According to the NIH data, 160 Covid-19 patients are in critical care.

    In March this year, the government announced the closure of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The body was set up in March 2020 to deal with Covid-19.

    Read more- Surge in Covid-19 cases: PM urges nation to follow SOPs

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in June urged Pakistanis to follow Covid-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

  • Masjid Nikkah, no fireworks, no dancing: Swat Jirga issues code of conduct for weddings

    Masjid Nikkah, no fireworks, no dancing: Swat Jirga issues code of conduct for weddings

    A code of conduct has been made for wedding celebrations in Swat’s Mangalore village after a jirga on Sunday decided to eliminate unnecessary wedding customs.

    The jirga decision says that weddings would be simple and nikkah would be performed only in mosques. In addition, the ‘haq mehr’ (dower) from the husband’s family would be only seven tola gold. The bride’s father will not provide money or food to the groom’s family and the dowry list would be modest and brief.

    Chairman Qaumi Jirga Fazal Ghaffar stated that his own daughter’s wedding was simple and convenient for both families.

    As per the new code of conduct, the wedding ceremony attendees would only be given dates; bridal gowns would not be overly expensive, and the groom would only provide the bride with 10 suits.

    Walima or other marriage functions would be simple and will be held according to the financial resources of both families.

    Fireworks and dances would not be permitted at weddings or other celebrations.

  • Dubai crown prince calls Dubai-based Pakistani rider to thank him for his ‘act of goodness’

    Dubai crown prince calls Dubai-based Pakistani rider to thank him for his ‘act of goodness’

    A Pakistani delivery rider won the heart of Dubai’s crown prince after a video of him removing concrete blocks from a busy street went viral. He was seen in the viral video removing two fallen concrete bricks from busy traffic.

    Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum then shared the video on his official Twitter account in an attempt to locate the man.

    “An act of goodness in Dubai to be praised. Can someone point me to this man?”

    Later, he commented on his own tweet saying that the “good man” has been found.

    The crown prince called Abdul Ghafoor to thank him.

    “Hello, this is Sheikh Hamdan,” were the first words when he called Pakistani expat Abdul Ghafoor on Sunday.

    “I could not believe my ears,” an elated Abdul Ghafoor told Khaleej Times. He was out for a delivery when the call came. “The Dubai Crown Prince thanked me for what I had done. He also said that he was out of the country right now and promised he would meet me as soon as he was back.”

    “To be honest, I’m still in disbelief that the Sheikh wanted to speak to a common man like me,” said Abdul Ghafoor. “He is really a great leader.”

  • ‘More power to her’: Inspiring story of female rider delivering food

    ‘More power to her’: Inspiring story of female rider delivering food

    A LinkedIn user named Fizza Ijaz recently posted about receiving her order from a female KFC rider, Meerab.

    Meerab belongs to Lahore and is currently pursuing a degree in fashion designing.

    “Today I ordered KFC in Lahore and received a call from a female saying: ‘Hello, I am your rider speaking’,” the post read.

    “I got so excited that I stood outside the gate to receive her and we (my friends and I) spoke to her for a good 10 minutes about many things including her pursuits, passion and bike riding skills. Meet Meerab from Youhanabad, Lahore.”

    “She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Fashion Designing and does her night duty as a KFC rider to cover her fees. She intends to remain a rider for another 3 years until she graduates post which she plans to launch her own Fashion Brand!”

    The post has received over 50,000 likes and over 1,500 comments.

    Meerab’s university fees are paid by the KFC Female Higher Education Scholarship Programme.

    Asma Yusuf, KFC Pakistan’s Cheif People Officer (CPO), commented, “Thank you so much for the shoutout Fizza Ijaz Meerab makes us so proud! She’s not only a KFC Pakistan Dame Rider but is also continuing her education journey with the KFC Female Higher Education Scholarship Program. Indeed, there’s no force stronger than a woman who has decided to rise.”

  • Asia’s first monkeypox death reported in India

    Asia’s first monkeypox death reported in India

    India confirmed the death of a 22-year-old man from monkeypox in the southern state of Kerala. The death is India’s as well as Asia’s first death from the disease, reports Reuters. This is the world’s fourth known fatality from the disease.

    Kerala’s revenue minister K Rajan said that the government isolated 21 people who had come in contact with the young man. He further said that the deceased displayed fatigue and fever.

    According to the state’s Health Minister Veena George, the man’s family told the authorities that he had tested positive for monkeypox in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before returning to India.

    The Indian federal health ministry stated that they had formed a task force to monitor monkeypox cases across the country.

    Last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of monkeypox a global health emergency. No case of monkeypox has been reported in Pakistan. However, 78 countries had reported more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox.

  • ‘90% of fish consumed in Pakistan is unfit for human consumption’: WWF

    ‘90% of fish consumed in Pakistan is unfit for human consumption’: WWF

    An official at World Wide Fund (WWF) has revealed that approximately 90 per cent of the fish consumed in Pakistan is contaminated and unfit for human consumption.

    Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF’s technical advisor on marine fisheries, made the statement at a seminar titled “Blue Economy: An Avenue for Development in Pakistan” held at the Pakistan Institute of International affairs.

    He said that most of the fish sold on roadside carts is unhealthy for health because of lack of proper processing. He suggested that fish should be stored between 0 to 5 degrees Celsius to keep it from rotting.

    “Fish are very delicate protein items and putrefy very quickly if not iced or frozen as soon as possible,” said Khan. “It is usually kept at room temperature and sometimes at above 40 degrees Celsius and vendors sprinkle water on them to make them look fresher and keep them from decaying. But they have already become unfit for consumption, yet people buy and consequently, fall sick.”

    He also mentioned that the export of seafood was increasing but due to a lack of processing facilities and low-quality control, we were unable to achieve higher numbers. Pakistan exported around 10 per cent of the produce and the rest was degraded or damaged as most boats lacked deep freezers and other storage facilities.

  • ‘No restriction on Pakistani doctors and students to work, train in US’: PMC clarifies

    ‘No restriction on Pakistani doctors and students to work, train in US’: PMC clarifies

    The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has denied media reports claiming doctors who attended medical schools in Pakistan might not be permitted to practice in the United States (US) after January 2024.

    “Unfortunately over the last few days a malicious and false campaign in the media and social media has been initiated falsely claiming that PMC has failed to meet the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) criteria while referring to the decision of the US medical regulators requiring that foreign doctors entering the US in 2024 onward would be those graduating from or licensed by regulatory authorities recognised by WFME,” says the PMC statement.

    “Currently all Pakistani doctors and graduates are able to work and train in the USA without any hindrance. PMC has been working in close coordination with the US regulatory authorities including ECFMG and the Federal State Medical Boards (FSMB) ensuring that there is no hindrance in Pakistani doctors and medical graduates being recognized in the USA. In addition to ECFMG and FSMB, the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-descent of North American (APPNA) are also supporting PMC’s recognition by WFME as evidenced by their recent communications with the Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Minister for Health,” it added.

    “PMC has initiated the recognition process for WFME after exhaustive preparations and fulfilling all requirements over the last 18 months. WFME will be over the next 6 to 12 months evaluating the PMC and its recognized medical colleges to complete the recognition process, on completion of which Pakistan will be able to obtain the WFME recognition in 2023, well before the 2024 deadline. The WFME process is a phase wise process of evaluation which culminates in a physical assessment expected during the first half of 2023.”

    Media reports claimed that Pakistan has until January 2024 to finish the accreditation process and obtain recognition for its medical programmes, but officials with the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) are concerned that Pakistan may miss the deadline.

    It is being reported that the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) is concerned that Pakistan may miss the deadline. Though the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) initiated the process, it was eventually replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) through a presidential ordinance.

    The PMC Act does not meet the criteria to get recognition from the WFME. However, as per the PMC, it has “formally initiated the application process for the recognition”. The entire process, including the on-site visit by the WFME, is expected to take 12 to 15 months.

    “It is not going to be easy to get accreditation by 2024 as there is a long list of conditions which include quality of education, criteria for inspections of colleges, rules, faculty and many other things,” PMA Secretary General Dr Qaiser Sajjad told Dawn.

  • Hitler’s watch sold for $1.1m

    Hitler’s watch sold for $1.1m

    A wristwatch that is believed to belong to Adlof Hitler has been sold for $1.1m (Rs264 million) to an anonymous bidder at an auction in the United States.

    The watch is believed to have been given to Hitler in 1933. It bears a swastika, Nazi eagle and has initials AH engraved on it. The product catalogue mentioned that this watch was presented to Adlof Hitler possibly as a birthday present in 1933, the year he became the chancellor of Germany.

    Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 and orchestrated the systematic mass murder of nearly 11 million people – six million of whom were killed because they were Jewish.

    Jewish leaders condemned the auction ahead of the sale at Alexander Historical Auction in Maryland. The Chairman of the European Jewish Association said that it helped those who idealise the Nazi Party.

    However, the Alexander Historical Auctions said that its aim was to preserve history.

  • Signing of declaration of finality of Prophethood (PBUH) for nikkah made mandatory in Punjab

    Signing of declaration of finality of Prophethood (PBUH) for nikkah made mandatory in Punjab

    The Punjab local government and community development department has issued updated Form-II of nikkahnama that makes it mandatory for the bride and groom to sign declaration on the belief of finality of Prophethood (PBUH) with immediate effect.

    The notification directs all the secretaries of union councils to provide the amended nikkahnama containing the declaration of finality of Prophethood (PBUH) to all nikkah registrars.

    The law states, “If any person to whom a licence has been granted under this rule contravenes any of the conditions of such license, he shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees or with both.”

    If a nikkah registrar does not use the updated Form-II, a disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned UC secretary.

    The Punjab cabinet approved the amendment in March this year. The amendment was approved in the 51st provincial meeting of former chief minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar’s cabinet.

  • Eight models raped during a music video shoot

    Eight models raped during a music video shoot

    A group of armed men stormed a music video shoot and raped eight models in Johannesburg, South Africa. The horrific incident took place in a small town called Krugersdorp, situated in the West of Johannesburg.

    Out of the 20 suspects, three have been arrested by the police so far.

    The group attacked the models as they were setting up the set for the shoot.

    According to the police, the women were aged between 18 and 35. One of the survivors was raped by 10 men and another by eight.

    “It appears that they (the suspects) are foreign nationals,” said the police, adding that they are illegal miners in South Africa.

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had ordered the police minister to make sure the perpetrators were “apprehended and dealt with”.