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.

  • Developed world should do more to reduce emissions: Sherry Rehman

    Developed world should do more to reduce emissions: Sherry Rehman

    Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman has stated that the developed world is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases and that the developed world should do more to reduce emissions rather than putting pressure on the most vulnerable countries.

    She made these views during a session titled “The Future of Democracy” at the World Economic Forum 2022 in Davos, which is held every year.

    Sherry said big international companies causing more pollution should show more responsibility to avoid environmental hazards.   

    She said democracy is the only solution to the problems of a multicultural country like Pakistan as it represents and protects the weaker sections of society and involves consensus, transparency and accountability.                         

    She said dictatorships receive more aid, but they are not based on consensus.

    Sherry Rehman took charge of the Climate Change Ministry on April 20.

  • Beggar gifts PKR 234,000 motorbike to wife, both continue begging together

    Beggar gifts PKR 234,000 motorbike to wife, both continue begging together

    A beggar from Madhya Pradesh begged for four years and purchased a motorcycle worth Rs234,000 (INR90,000) for his wife.

    He spent all of his savings on the bike as his wife complained about a backache from sitting on the tricycle he owned earlier. This story is from Amarwara village, where the beggar, Santosh Sahu, expressed his love for his wife by purchasing a small motorcycle.

    Sahu is a disabled man who rides a tricycle and begs for money with his wife, Munni Sahu. Munni drags Sahu’s tricycle forward while the two beg.

    Munni would occasionally fall while attempting to push the tricycle due to the poor road conditions. As a result, Santosh decided to purchase her a moped.

    The pair begs for money at different spots from bus stops to mosques and temples, earning up to Rs1,000 (400 INR) per day. Santosh began saving money every day in order to purchase his wife’s dream bike. The couple is now back to their regular practise of begging in their freshly purchased motorcycle.

  • Tourists stranded at Babusar Top after heavy snowfall

    Tourists stranded at Babusar Top after heavy snowfall

    Heavy snowfall in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Babusar Top area has trapped many tourists including their vehicles.

    According to the government, up to 3 inches of snow have fallen on the Babusar Top and emergency teams have been sent to the area to evacuate tourists who have got stuck in their vehicles. Passengers and visitors are advised to avoid using the highway until further notice.

    Heavy snowfall is continuing at Babusar Top, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan chief secretary, and the Babusar-Naran National Highway has been momentarily closed for all kinds of traffic.

    More than 50 vehicles, carrying lots of passengers and visitors, were evacuated at Babusar Top due to snowfall and harsh weather, as per rescue personnel. The rescued tourists were taken to Babusar Centre.

    Periodic snowfall is continuing at Babusar Top, according to rescue officials, while the mercury has fallen below freezing.

  • 85 percent of Balochistan is without clean drinking water: report

    85 percent of Balochistan is without clean drinking water: report

    According to the provincial health department, the first case of cholera was identified in Balochistan on April 17th and since then 2,856 cases and six deaths have been reported so far in the province.

    A report, released by Geo News‘ Muhummad Ejaz Khan on the current crisis faced by Balochistan suggests that due to infection of cholera in the region, local health sources are rubbishing the official tally. They claim that at least two dozen people are dead due to the disease.

    Senator Sarfraz Bugti shared a video of locals in which they can be seen protesting in the scorching heat. In the tweet, he urged the concerned authorities to take action.

    It has been reported by the media outlet that residents of Dera Bugti (a district in Balochistan) are being forced to drink dirty water because of the unavailability of clean water. Last week, in the district six people, including women and very young children, died within hours of being infected with cholera.

    Dr Muhammad Azam Bugti, the district health officer in Dera Bugti, revealed to the media outlet that local people and animals use the same water ponds for drinking, which has become a major cause of the epidemic.

    “Over 85% of Balochistan’s population is deprived of clean drinking water,” he said. “This at a time when billions of rupees are being allocated every year for water supply schemes in the province”, he added.

    Chief Minister (CM) Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has directed the department of public health and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has also ordered emergency relief measures.

    Several demonstrations this month were also held in Quetta and other areas of Dera Bugti to demand that the government provide clean drinking water. According to Geo, in the long run, the provincial government will need to set up a research cell to study the epidemic which has now firmly rooted itself in the province.

  • Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban authorities issued a decree on Wednesday, ordering female Afghan TV presenters and other women on screen to cover their faces while appearing on air.

    The Afghan spokesman of the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue announced that it will be mandatory for all women in the country to cover their faces in public, including those who appear on the screen. The new decree will take effect from 21 May, reports Reuters.

    One female Afghan journalist working for a local TV station in Kabul told BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV.”

    “How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now but I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family,” she added.

    The spokesman referred to the ruling as “advice” as it is not clear what will happen to anyone who fails to comply. “Based on information received by Tolo news, the order has been issued to all media outlets in Afghanistan.”

    The decision is being widely criticised on Twitter, many people calling it another step by the Taliban to promote extremism.

    https://twitter.com/GirlFrmKandahar/status/1527314957603586048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ
    https://twitter.com/Zhalsarmast/status/1527575760705204225?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ

    https://twitter.com/GaheezSaapai/status/1527434149362946048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ

    It is pertinent to mention that this recent ruling has come two weeks after all women were ordered to cover themselves from head to toe in public.

  • Rs4.5 per unit increase expected in electricity prices

    Rs4.5 per unit increase expected in electricity prices

    The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will hold a hearing on a petition on May 31 to raise electricity prices in conjunction with April’s monthly fuel adjustment. The price of power is projected to rise by Rs4.5, reports ARY.

    The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has requested an increase in the power price due to a fuel adjustment for the month of April. The final decision on the rate hike will be taken by the authority after the hearing.

    According to reports, the petition will overburden the masses by Rs59.45 billion.

    According to the CPPA, in April, 18.55% of electricity was generated from water, 16.74% from coal and 12.07% from furnace oil. The cost per unit of electricity generated from furnace oil was Rs28 to 19 per unit, 9.85% from domestic gas and 19.42% from imported LNG in April. 17.37% of electricity was generated from nuclear fuel and 3.59% from wind.

    The increase will not apply to electricity and lifeline customers.

  • UET Peshawar secures top spot in Times Higher Education listing

    UET Peshawar secures top spot in Times Higher Education listing

    The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Peshawar was ranked first in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the ultimate ranking for SDG-17, ‘Partnerships for Goals’.

    This is an outstanding achievement for UET Peshawar, demonstrating the institution’s determination for maintaining pristine educational standards.

    In the fourth edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, 2022, UET Peshawar ranks first in Pakistan under the ‘Engineering and Technology’ table and second in the league for SDG-8, ‘Decent work for economic progress’.

    THE is a British journal that monitors worldwide higher education and ranks universities based on their performance in four key areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching, as well as their assessment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

    THE impact ratings highlight an institution’s dedication towards delivering the UN SDGs by considering SDG-17 (Partnership for the Goals) mandatory for listing in the overall standings.

    Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussain, the Vice-Chancellor, commended the employees and faculty on their achievement and noted that the university’s objective is to build meaningful collaborations with local industry, government, and academics for the benefit of society. He lauded ORIC’s and affiliated departments’ efforts in providing frequent updates on the impact rankings through 2022.

    The UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015 established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda), a set of worldwide development goals for the years 2016 to 2030 that builds on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

  • ‘Her choice’, Social media defends girl dancing on Islamabad street

    ‘Her choice’, Social media defends girl dancing on Islamabad street

    A video of a girl dancing on the streets of Islamabad went viral two days ago. In the video, the girl is fully clothed. can be seen dancing around a parking sign and people passing her are least bothered.

    However, someone made the video of her and uploaded it on social media, after which the girl started facing a lot of backlash.

    Islamabad Police has said the girl was not “sound-minded.”

    “Dear citizen, As per the initial enquiry, The above video is three days old and eyewitnesses said that she wasn’t of sound mind,” Islamabad police wrote in a tweet.

    While some people on social media are criticising the girl, many others are of the view that there is nothing wrong with it. Social media users are asking Islamabad police to take action against those who made video with out the consent of the girl.

    https://twitter.com/7kayhan/status/1526854676787908608

    https://twitter.com/urswagymf/status/1526948391095259136?s=20&t=wX5HbJi5V-i9khrJ4Q3T7w

  • Fact Check: TikToker Dolly did not set fire to the forest in Margalla Hills

    Fact Check: TikToker Dolly did not set fire to the forest in Margalla Hills

    Claim: TikToker Dolly set the Margalla Hills on fire leading to a forest fire lasting several days

    Fact: TikToker Dolly on her way back from Haripur came across an already lit fire and shot her TikTok

    On May 15th 2022, TikToker Dolly uploaded an 11 second video of her performing to a song with a forest fire in the background. On May 17th 2022, this video was viral on Twitter, being shared and condemned by Twitter users with hundreds of thousands of followers. It was widely believed that she lit the fire in order to shoot her video.

    Surfing through Dolly’s TikTok account @dollyofficiall, it became clear that 6 days ago, on Thursday, May 12th, 2022 Dolly was attending an event in Haripur where she was specially invited as a TikTok star and influencer. It is the same outfit in which she shot her video with the forest fire in the background. Team Current reached Dolly’s Signature Salon in Gulberg on May 17th, where although we were unable to meet the celebrity herself, we met Usman who is her personal assistant and often appears in her TikToks as well. Usman informed us that the viral 11 second TikTok was shot as an afterthought. Usman later also shared a video with us, embedded below, which was shot when Dolly and Usman found the fire while on the motorway back from Haripur and made a video with a local who claimed to have set the fire himself to protect his children from snakes.

    Video shared by Usman from Dolly’s Signature Salon: Dolly explains that while on her way back from Haripur she saw this fire on the side of the motorway and chose to record a TikTok. She also introduces the man who claims to have the set fire himself.

    This video conclusively proves that the fire was set before Dolly reached the location. Mainstream news channels such as ARY, GEO, Bol have all covered this event quoting an FIR that was lodged against her and teammates in Kohsar Police Station. Social media users as well as TV channels are connecting this instance of forest fire with another video in which two men are seen setting fire in Margalla Hills. This video was recorded two days after Dolly recorded her own TikTok on May 15th.

    Several Twitter users openly condemned Dolly, called for her arrest and shamed her. Eventually the collective internet action led to the registration of an FIR against her at the Kohsar Police, Islamabad. However, it is clear that even though Dolly made a TikTok with a forest fire that has ranged over an expansive region by this point, she did not cause it. Dawn reports that the fire started out in the Chinari area of the Margalla Hills, another fire was also reported in forest 16 of the Saidpur Range earlier on Sunday.

    These yearly occurring forest fires are continuously increasing and the blame for these is often misdirected while local authorities such as Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) display negligence and disregard towards establishing a system of pre-emptive mechanisms to deal with this consequence of climate change

    VERDCIT: FALSE

  • Woman lost during partition in 1947, meets Sikh brothers at Kartarpur

    Woman lost during partition in 1947, meets Sikh brothers at Kartarpur

    A woman who was separated from her family during the partition of the Indian subcontinent met her Sikh brothers at Kartarpur, reports Dawn.

    In 1947, Mumtaz Bibi was an infant who was lying on the dead body of her mother who was killed by violent mobs. Muhammad Iqbal and his wife, Allah Rakhi, adopted Mumtaz Bibi during the time of partition and raised her as their own daughter.

    Iqbal and his wife did not tell Mumtaz that she was not their daughter. Two years ago, Iqbal’s health suddenly deteriorated and he told Mumtaz that she was not his real daughter and that her real family was Sikh.

    After Iqbal’s death, Mumtaz and her son Shahbaz started searching for her family through social media. They knew the name of Mumtaz’s real father and the village (Sidrana) in Patiala district of Indian Punjab where they settled after being forced to leave their native home.

    The families once lost through violence got connected through social media. Mumtaz, along with her other family members, reached Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur and met her lost brothers after 75 years. Mumtaz’s brothers Sardar Gurumeet Singh, Sardar Narendra Singh, and Sardar Amrinder Singh, accompanied by family members, also reached Kartarpur to meet their lost sister.