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.

  • Google launches dedicated suicide helpline for Pakistanis

    Google launches dedicated suicide helpline for Pakistanis

    The internet giant, Google has introduced a suicide hotline one box for Pakistan, which allows users to connect immediately with a suicide helpline at the top of the search results page.

    The hotline termed ‘Umang Pakistan’ will now be displayed to anyone in Pakistan seeking suicide-related queries such as “suicide-support” and “how can I commit suicide”.

    The implementation of this special service will aid worried Pakistanis in recovering from whatsoever hardship they are enduring. The hotline will assist stressed individuals and provide solutions to alleviate the anxiety that they are currently encountering.

    Suicide ratio in Pakistan

    Umang is a mental health helpline recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides support to Pakistanis who are contemplating or planning suicide due to any reason.

    The relationship between Umang and Google, according to Google, intends to help address Pakistan’s growing suicide rate. Keeping in view WHO estimates, Pakistan has between 130,000 and 270,000 attempted suicide cases per year.

    Meanwhile, Google Trends shows that topics like “anxiety,” “depression,” and “suicide” all spiked in the 2020-21 era in the country, according to the internet company.

    This search update is currently available on both desktop and mobile devices, including Android and iOS, and here’s how it appears in the google search:

  • Turkey officially changes name at UN to Türkiye

    Turkey officially changes name at UN to Türkiye

    The Republic of Turkey’s national name at the United Nations has been changed from ‘Turkey’ to ‘Türkiye.’

    According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, demanding that ‘Türkiye’ be used instead of ‘Turkey’ in all matters.

    According to the spokeswoman, the country name change took effect as soon as the letter was received. On Tuesday, Cavusoglu said that the letter had been officially submitted to the UN and other international organisations.

    The Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has pushed for the internationally recognised name Turkey to be changed to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY), as it is spelled and spoken in Turkish.

  • Netizens want ‘tangas’ back on roads as petrol hits Rs209.86

    Netizens want ‘tangas’ back on roads as petrol hits Rs209.86

    To meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions, the government has unleashed another big gasoline bomb on the country after another hike of Rs30. In less than a month, the price of petrol has risen by Rs60 to Rs209.86.

    The latest petrol price hike came just hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a power tariff hike of Rs7.91 per unit.

    In an attempt to save money, a large number of people rushed to nearby petrol pumps to fill up their tanks before midnight. Numerous two-wheelers, as well as sedans and full-fledged SUVs, formed long lines outside gas stations.

    Several traffic bottlenecks were observed in key areas of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad due to long queues of automobiles.

    Netizens expressed their displeasure on social media platforms, alleging that petrol had become out of reach for the general public.

    Despite hefty price increases that would unleash a strong wave of inflation, Pakistan is still far from reaching an agreement with the IMF which requires a budget agreement for fiscal year 2022-23.

    Petrol now costs Rs209.86 per litre, high-speed diesel (HSD) costs Rs204.15, kerosene oil costs Rs181.94 and light diesel oil costs Rs178.31, thanks to the rise.

    The Finance Minister, Miftah Ismail went on to say that the government is holding talk with the IMF on a daily basis. “We cannot accede to all of their requests, but we must agree on certain aspects”.

    He insisted that the petroleum subsidy announced by former Prime Minister Imran Khan had to be rescinded to avoid financial losses.

    Journalist Kazmi Wajahat described the chaotic scene outside gas stations just before the higher rates went into effect at 12 am.

    The decision to remove the gasoline subsidy should have been made sooner, according to economists, who also warned that the worst is still to come.

    One-unit price of electricity has increased from Rs16.91 to Rs24.82 as a result of the new raise. The hike has been reported to the federal government by Nepra. According to a statement, the increased tariffs will take effect after the government issues its final notification. Recent hike in tariffs has been attributed to the rupee’s depreciation and increased oil prices on the foreign market.

  • Oxford announces scholarships for Pakistani students

    The prestigious University of Oxford has launched the Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) to address the underrepresentation of Pakistani and British-Pakistani students at Oxford and to promote an academic exchange between Pakistani students and Oxford.

    The OPP launched the programme at Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), which is in Oxford, where both former Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai studied.

    Dr Talha J Pirzada, a co-founder of the OPP, announced that the programme would be offering up to three scholarships in its initial round, allowing Pakistani students to take advantage of Oxford’s world-class facilities and teaching programme of Oxford.

    He also announced the launch of the OPP’s Visiting Fellow Programmes, including a programme developed in partnership with the Malala Fund, the Government of Sindh and non-profit Durbeen, to provide opportunities for Pakistani academics to take advantage of Oxford’s research facilities.

  • Lady Railway Police Force to be deployed in trains after woman was gang raped

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

    On Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit (SRIU) directed Pakistan Railways to tighten security protocols for the safety of ladies travelling by train, after a woman was gang raped by train staff while travelling from Multan to Karachi.

    The following measures are being taken:
    Safar Saheeli App

    For the guidance of female passengers, a ‘Safar Saheli’ mobile app will be launched. It will have emergency phone numbers for women to call if they are in trouble.

    Lady Railway Police Force (LRPF) 

    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. 

    Emergency ‘SOS’ buttons to be installed in all trains

    On addition, SOS buttons will be installed in all trains to allow women to request assistance in the event of sexual harassment or a rape attempt.

    Read more- Woman travelling from Multan to Karachi raped by train staff

    Video Surveillance System (VSS) to be installed at vulnerable locations:

    Video Surveillance System (VSS) will be installed at ‘vulnerable railway stations’. In addition, two CCTV cameras, one in each bogie and corridor will be installed.

    Face Recognition Camera (FRS) App

    A Face Recognition Camera (FRS) App would also be created to track down criminals and check their criminal history.

    On May 27, a woman was gang-raped by train workers while travelling from Multan to Karachi on the Bahauddin Zakariya Express. According to details, the victim was raped by three men.

  • Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    On May 27, the Government of Pakistan issued a press release on the Pakistan Polio Erradication Programme’s website. In this report, it was confirmed that on May 26, two new cases of polio were confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

    This marks the 5th and 6th cases of polio, reported in Pakistan this year. The two news cases are associated with two 18 months old children born in Mir Ali Tehsil, a girl and a boy, who both started experiencing the onset of paralysis as early as May 10 and May 11, respectively.

    All six children who have contracted polio are from North Waziristan, where more cases are expected through the year due to a high rate of refusal to give the vaccine and the illegal but process of finger-marking without vaccinations. Considering that the only endemic countries at this point in the whole world are Pakistan and Afghanistan, it must be noted that there is great significance to exploring the causes of this reoccurrence of the disease in the context of polio campaigns and their efficacy in KPK and FATA.

    Polio scam

    The problems with Pakistan’s polio vaccination programme are complex and multifold. On May 28, The News reported that only recently around 8,000 children from 22 union councils, up to the age of five have been identified as never been vaccinated with the oral dose of the polio vaccine. Vaccinators, refusing parents and area incharges colluded to carry out the scam. This was immediately revealed after the two new cases in North Waziristan were registered. Reportedly, so far the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has been relying on fake reports which claimed that 95% children were being vaccinated during each campaign. This leads to a gross underestimation of the number of children still unvaccinated.

    Abduction of Dr Zeeshan

    Journalists working on Waziristan also tweeted on May 26, reported the abduction of Dr Zeeshan, who was serving as a Polio N-STOP officer in Waziristan, who had been working effortlessly on the polio campaign there. He was kidnapped while still on duty. Dawn reported that Dr Zeeshan had come from Swat to specially oversee an anti-polio drive. After involving the law enforcement alongside jirga negotiations, Bannu commissioner Arshad Khan managed to recover Dr Zeeshan.

    The political atmosphere in Waziristan actively creates the strongest hurdle in Pakistan’s journey towards a polio-free nation. 260,000 workers are deployed across the nation to vaccinate children under the age of five. Considering the perceptual concerns of people of Waziristan, it seems unlikely that the situation would improve radically unless some really necessary steps are taken to tackle the perception regarding the vaccine. Access to children in security-compromised areas, attacks on health care workers coupled with governance and operational failures continues to elongate this problem for Pakistan.

    KPK govt failure

    In 2014, Imran Khan government launched the Sehat ka Insaf campaign in KPK where the aim was to target all 9 vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. This program was restricted to the provincial government and sought to undo completely any international involvement. Although it may seem like this is a good strategy to gain people’s trust to vaccinate, this utter lack of oversight has heavily contributed to the fake markings. This is apparent from the fact that the kids who developed polio were marked in the national record as having been vaccinated six or even seven times.

  • Maggi case: Man divorces woman for serving him noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner

    Maggi case: Man divorces woman for serving him noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner

    A unique divorce case has made news in the Indian media, in which a husband divorced his wife for cooking noodles every day. The principal district and sessions court judge in Mysuru, ML Raghunath, shared the details of the case while recalling his time as district judge at Ballari.

    He termed the case as “Maggi case”.

    An Indian judge of the chief district and session court while quoting the husband said, “It was noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He complained that his wife went to the provision store and brought only instant noodles.”

    “Divorce cases are increasing drastically over the years. Couples have to stay together for at least a year before seeking divorce,” he added. According to him, if there was no such rule, the divorce petitions would be filed directly from wedding halls.

  • Orange line metro surpasses 11,000 daily ridership

    Orange line metro surpasses 11,000 daily ridership

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is satisfied with the average daily ridership on the Orange Line Metro Bus route.

    The data on average ridership on the Orange Line Metro Bus route was reviewed during a session at the headquarters of CDA. The average daily passenger load for 15 buses was 11,464 passengers per day, resulting in 30 passengers every bus journey.

    It was also shown that the Faiz Ahmed Faiz junction for the Orange and Red lines was the busiest, with 1,746 passengers per day, while the Police Foundation-Mauve Area Stop was the least used.

    Additionally, May 23, with over 16,000 passengers, was the busiest day of the year. It has been observed that as time passes, the ridership on this route improves.

    The CDA administration expressed their delight that a big number of people are taking advantage of this service, and expressed their optimism that with the upcoming inauguration of the green and blue lines, the connection between various districts of the city will improve, as well as the number of ridership.

    The administration expressed the hope that not only would this reduce traffic congestion, but that it would also assist to reduce air pollution in the city.

    It is important to note that buses are expected to arrive in Islamabad from Karachi by the end of this week; in the first phase, buses for the orange, blue, and green lines are also arriving in the federal capital.

  • A new visa scheme allows graduates from world’s top universities to come to UK

    A new visa scheme allows graduates from world’s top universities to come to UK

    Under a new visa scheme, graduates from the world’s finest universities will be able to apply to come to the United Kingdom. The “high-potential individual” path, as per the government, will attract the “brightest and greatest” early in their careers.

    According to BBC, alumni of major non-UK universities who graduated within the last five years will be eligible for the scheme. Graduates will be eligible regardless of where they were born, and they will not be required to apply if they have a job offer.

    If you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, you will be awarded a two-year work visa, and if you have a Ph.D., you will be given a three-year work visa. If they achieve certain standards, they will be eligible to switch to other long-term employment visas.

    There will be no limit on the number of graduates that are eligible.

    A person must have graduated from a university that was ranked in the top 50 of at least two of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, or The Academic Ranking of World Universities in the year they graduated to be eligible.

    The government produced an online list of qualified colleges for 2021 that included 20 US universities, including Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

    The University of Hong Kong, the University of Melbourne, and the Paris Sciences et Lettres University were among the other 17 qualified universities.

    Some scholars, on the other side, have expressed displeasure that no universities from South Asia, Latin America, or Africa have been featured on the list.

    It’s a deeply inequitable method, according to Christopher Trisos, director and senior researcher at the University of Cape Town.

    “They need to be recognised and including varied skills and in-depth knowledge held by many graduates from institutions in developing nations,” he said, if the UK wants to play a part in addressing the century’s big challenges, such as energy access, climate change, and pandemics.

    The visa will cost £715 plus an immigration health premium, which permits migrants to use the NHS in the United Kingdom.

    Graduates will be able to bring their families, but they must have a minimum of £1,270 in maintenance funds. They must also pass a security and criminality check and have at least a B1 intermediate level of English proficiency, which is characterised as having the “fluency to communicate with native speakers without effort.”

    Changes to the plan allow international students studying in the UK to stay and work for up to two years.

    The student visa scheme, which was reintroduced two years ago, overturned a 2012 decision by then-Home Secretary Theresa May, which required international students to leave four months after completing their degree.

    The combination of university lists used by the Home Office “provides independent validation for institutions and opens up the option for new foreign universities to progress up the ranks and join this list in the future,” according to a spokesman for the department.

    They went on to say that each of the qualified universities attracts students from all over the world, and that there are “many alternative paths eligible for graduates from other universities, including the Graduate, Skilled Worker, and Global Talent routes” for graduates from other universities.

    “The approach implies that the UK will grow as a major international hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship,” stated Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

    Via: BBC

  • Excise, Taxation Department intensifies action against tax defaulting vehicle owners

    Excise, Taxation Department intensifies action against tax defaulting vehicle owners

    The Sindh government has issued a warning to car owners who have not paid their taxes. The Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control (ET&NC) Department has been conducting a road inspection for more than a week now. Authorities have inspected a total of 21,303 vehicles across the province.

    A total of 1,358 automobiles were seized for various reasons, with the paperwork of 1,958 vehicles also being confiscated during the road check, according to The News.

    Mukesh Kumar Chawla, the provincial minister in charge of (ET&NC), has planned a tax-collecting campaign. He went on to say that the campaign will run until June 3, after which the government will take action against automobiles that have not paid their taxes.

    Kumar issued a statement urging citizens to pay their taxes as soon as possible. Meanwhile, authorities claim to have recovered over Rs252 million in taxes from non-compliant car owners.

    The authorities had collected about Rs21.4 million in taxes from the car owners by the fourth day. Chawla has directed that non-compliant car owners be dealt with harshly by the authorities.