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.

  • McDonald’s re-opens in Russia with a different name

    McDonald’s re-opens in Russia with a different name

    McDonald’s restaurants in Russia have reopened under a new identity. The name of the restaurant is now Vkusno & tochka (“Tasty and that’s it”). The first 15 locations of the new Russian fast-food business that bought out McDonald’s opened in Moscow on Sunday.

    “Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience,” said Oleg Paroev, chief executive of Vkusno & tochka.

    “We had to remove some products from the menu because they refer directly to McDonald’s, such as the McFlurry and Big Mac,” Paroyev said.

    Prices have risen “slightly” due to the inflation that has hit Russia hard after Western countries imposed sanctions, but they remain “reasonable”, he added.

    The menu items are similar to what McDonald’s sells – including chicken nuggets, fish burgers, and fruit pies, but with different packaging.

    McDonald’s in May announced that after more than 30 years of operations in the country, it will exit the Russian market. The decision was taken due to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

  • Expansion plan for Lahore airport discussed

    Expansion plan for Lahore airport discussed

    Specifics of the Lahore Airport expansion project were recently discussed at a meeting of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) management, and Nespak.

    According to The News, the runway that is now being constructed was also discussed. The discussion went over the operational issues at Lahore Airport, as well as the concerns that travellers confront, and offered remedies.

    Additionally, the attendees discussed the airport’s security status and the importance of developing a comprehensive security policy. The minister was approached with a suggestion to divide the international and domestic lounges at Lahore Airport.

    Lahore Airport’s expansion is urgently needed, according to Federal Minister for Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, since the confluence of flights is causing passengers complications. The presence of birds within airport boundaries threatens aviation safety.

    The meeting was attended by Civil Aviation Authority Director General Khaqan Murtaza, ASF Director General Major General Abid Latif Khan, Nespak Managing Director Dr Tahir Masood, PIA General Manager Syed Zulqarnain Mehdi, General Manager Technical Support Agha Sami, and government officials.

  • Pakistan Railways will help train gang-rape survivor get a job

    Pakistan Railways will help train gang-rape survivor get a job

    The Pakistan Railways (PR) has announced arranging employment for a 25-year-old woman who was gang-raped last month while travelling on the Bahauddin Zakaria Express.

    The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique.

    “We will also arrange employment for this woman. We will keep following up her case besides providing her with financial assistance,” said Khawaja Saad.

    He has also ordered the train’s private operator to reimburse the woman for all legal costs paid by her.

    Pakistan Railways has also appointed a senior lady officer as a focal person to deal with the case.

    Read more- Lady Railway Police Force to be deployed in trains after woman was gang-raped

    After the gang-rape, the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit (SRIU) directed Pakistan Railways to tighten security protocols for the safety of ladies travelling by train.

    SRIU has also directed Pakistan Railways to deploy a Lady Railway Police Force (LRPF) in trains to ensure the safety of female passengers. A lady sub-inspector and two lady constables will be deployed at the railway stations for long journeys. 

    A woman was gang-raped by three train workers while travelling from Multan to Karachi. The incident took place on May 27.

  • House of female Indian Muslim activist demolished for allegedly protesting against BJP

    House of female Indian Muslim activist demolished for allegedly protesting against BJP

    Authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh demolished the homes of numerous people accused of being involved in protesting against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons who made derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

    One of the houses that was demolished belonged to activist Javed Mohammed. The police accused Mohammed of being ‘one of the main conspirators of violence’ on Friday but others say that his house was bulldozed because he is the father of 22-year-old Muslim activist Afreen Fatima. According to The Quint, “The action against the student activist and her family is being widely criticised as another instance of the ‘bulldozer politics’ being perpetrated in BJP-ruled states.”

    Two protesters were also killed by the Indian police on Friday for protesting.

    The police opened fire on protesters on Friday.

    Read more- ‘World should severely reprimand India’: Muslim countries condemn BJP’s derogatory remarks about Holy Prophet (PBUH)

    “Police were forced to open fire to disperse protesters… resulting in the death of two,” a police officer in Ranchi told AFP.

    A local resident, Shabnam Ara, told AFP that the authorities cut internet connections in the city and imposed a curfew.

    “We are praying for peace and harmony,” she said.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the Indian state’s “apparatus to browbeat Indian Muslims into submission.”

    “The reality of India’s “democratic face” is before the world to see,” he added.

    The derogatory remarks were made by BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal. India’s ruling party suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal. The two also issued public apologies.

  • Court orders police to stop harassing The Minor’s mother-in-law

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the police on Friday to not harass The Minor’s mother-in-law.

    The hearing was headed by Justice Tariq Saleem. A petition was filed by The Minor’s alleged husband Zaheer Ahmed’s mother Noor Munir and brother, seeking LHC to stop the police from harassing them.

    The Inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Station House Officer (SHO) were made respondents in the petition.

    Munir said that the police is harassing her and their family. She requested the court to put an end to it.

    During the hearing today (Friday), both The Minor and her husband were produced before the LHC.

    Earlier, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had allowed The Minor to decide her fate. The court said that its The Minor’s choice to go with her husband or her parents.

    In a three-page written order, the court stated: “In light of all the evidence, this is not a case of kidnapping.”

    The Minor along with her alleged husband Zaheer was produced in the Sindh High Court on June 6.

    The Minor went missing on April 16 from Karachi. Three videos of The Minor also surfaced in which the girl can be heard saying that she married out of her own free will, and claimed that she is 18 years of age. However, her father claims that she is not 18.

    A medical report revealed that The Minor’s age is between 16-17 years old.

  • Donkey population in Pakistan increases to 5.7 million: Research

    Donkey population in Pakistan increases to 5.7 million: Research

    Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2021-22 revealed that the number of horses in Pakistan climbed by 0.4 million, while donkey population increased to 5.7 million in the preceding fiscal year.

    The number of donkeys has been rapidly expanding in recent years, with 5.5 million in 2019-2020 and 5.6 million in 2020-21, Geo reported.

    Pakistan’s cow population remained at the top as it surged to 53.4 million, with buffalo at 43.7 million, sheep at 31.9 million, and goats at 31.9 million, as per the estimated figures provided by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

    Pakistan had 1.1 million camels, 0.4 million horses, and 0.2 million mules. It should be noted that these figures have remained unchanged since 2017-18.

    From 2021 to 2022, livestock provided around 61.9 per cent of agriculture value addition and 14.0 per cent of national GDP.

    Animal farming is the most important source of income for Pakistanis living in rural areas. More than 8 million rural families are involved in livestock farming, and this industry accounts for 35-40 per cent of their income.

    The gross value addition of livestock has increased by 3.26 per cent from Rs5,269 billion in 2020-21 to Rs5,441 billion in 2021-22.

    The government has refocused on livestock in order to boost economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation in the country.

  • ‘Radical Mindset’: No Pakistani female official going to Hajj

    Pakistan’s Hajj mission would have no female Hajj aides for the first time in history to assist women pilgrims performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia, Zahid Gishkori reports for Samaa News.

    This year, approximately 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims, including over 8,000 women, will perform Hajj. Federal Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Maulana Abdul Shakoor has decided not to send women officials with the pilgrims.

    Women officers who were barred from accompanying pilgrims have written to Federal Ombudsperson for Harassment Kashmala Tariq, calling the minister’s action “misogynistic” and “discriminatory”.

    “The illogical ground of this policy is depriving us from our constitutional right of equality, which resulted in discrimination [and] caused ridicule to all women officers and officials of the ministry,” reads the letter. The letter has signatures of seven officials.

    Officials also criticised the secretary, who serves as the ministry’s administrative head, for his “lack of opposition”.

    They went on to say that the secretary is normally obligated to carry with the minister’s decision under the ministry’s Rule of Business, 1973.

    Read more- 200 officials to reportedly fly for Hajj on govt expenses, PM takes notice

    The women have accused ministry officials of surrendering to the ‘radical mindset’ of the minister.

  • ‘First time in history’: Rectal cancer cured for every patient in drug trial

    ‘First time in history’: Rectal cancer cured for every patient in drug trial

    In a very small clinical trial conducted in the US, every patient with rectal cancer went into remission.

    According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, all patients who were given the new drug — Dostarlimab — had no trace of cancer after six months.

    The trial was conducted by doctors at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which resulted in every single one of their tumors disappearing. NPR reports that some scientists say these kinds of results have never been seen in the history of cancer research. Most people had no severe adverse side effects at all.

    “Every single patient is now in remission,” Andrea Cercek, an oncologist who helped with the study told CNN.

  • Boy kills mother for not allowing PUBG, hides body, calls friends over for party

    Boy kills mother for not allowing PUBG, hides body, calls friends over for party

    A 16-year-old boy in India allegedly shot dead his mother with his father’s pistol because she stopped him from playing PUBG. After murdering his mother, the boy called his friends over for a party. He kept the body of his mother in another room, turned on the AC and sprayed air-freshener to keep the smell out.

    As per the police, the boy killed his mother when she was asleep with her 10-year-old daughter lying next to her. He then allegedly threatened to kill his sister if she told anybody about the murder. They have both been placed in a juvenile detention centre.

    “The incident took place in Yamunapuram Colony under PGI police station area. The deceased used to live with her two children at the house. Her husband, who is a JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer), is currently posted in West Bengal. The 16-year-old boy was addicted to online game PUBG. He told us that his mother used to stop him from playing the game, this is why he killed her. The minor used the registered firearm of his father to kill the mother,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Qasim Abidi.

    The police said they found the woman’s half decomposed body and submitted it for a post-mortem.

  • LUMS grad Foodpanda employee shot dead in federal capital

    LUMS grad Foodpanda employee shot dead in federal capital

    Qasim Awan, a graduate from LUMS and a Foodpanda employee, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. He was shot on Sunday.

    Awan was shot in a mobile snatching incident near F-9 park in the capital city. The robbers opened gunfire after Qasim resisted, reports suggest. Qasim remained in the hospital after the incident took place.

    Twitter users were quick to question the current government and its failure to protect citizens.

    https://twitter.com/cereal_twit/status/1534727163684995074?s=24&t=QhstoMvDn2ccUyOUy91n1Q

    The fact that the incident took place in the federal capital was also alarming, with many pointing out the widespread increase in crimes in allegedly safe cities like Islamabad.

    JusticeforQasimAwan trended as users mourned the loss of life.

    Qasim was the only son and brother of his grieving parents and two sisters.