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.

  • Saudi Arabia launches first-ever women’s football league

    Saudi Arabia launches first-ever women’s football league

    The Saudi football federation has announced the launching of the first edition of a women’s football league at the end of this month.

    The launch of the league is a part of a programme set up by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation in 2017 to support women’s football as women’s sport was long frowned upon in the country.

    Federation chairman Yasser Almisehal said the creation of a women’s league was “an important moment” for the federation.

    Sixteen teams will take part and the matches will take place in three cities — the capital Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.

    Those who qualify will be able to play in a knockout competition which will be held early next year in Jeddah.

  • Bosses to face fine if they contact their staff after work hours, Portugal passes law

    Bosses to face fine if they contact their staff after work hours, Portugal passes law

    The Portuguese parliament passed a law on Friday and banned bosses from text messaging and e-mailing employees after working hours in order to improve work-life balance, reports BBC.

    Companies with more than 10 staff members can face fine if they contact their employees outside their contracted hours.

    The new law “right to rest” was introduced in response to an expansion of working from home in the country.

    Under this, companies will allow staff with children to work remotely, the companies also may have to contribute to higher household bills.

    Portugal’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, hoped that the enhanced labour protections would attract more foreigners to the country.

    Portugal already has a temporary resident visa scheme to attract entrepreneurs and freelancers.

    In parliament, there were some elements in the bill, for instance, the “right to disconnect”, which allows staff to turn off all work devices out of hours. However, it didn’t get approved.

  • ‘Haan hum tu annay hai jaise’: Twitter reacts to ‘no smog in Lahore’ comment by provincial minister

    ‘Haan hum tu annay hai jaise’: Twitter reacts to ‘no smog in Lahore’ comment by provincial minister

    Provincial Minister of Punjab for Environment Protection Muhammad Rizwan in a show aired on City 42 News claimed that there has been no smog in Punjab, including Lahore, for the last two years.

    He said that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore which is being observed nowadays is different.

    Twitterati couldn’t control their emotions as Lahore frequently topped the chart of the world’s most polluted cities.

    Some lashed out while others had hilarious reactions to the minister’s statement.

    https://twitter.com/Adambeazar/status/1459485906302287877?s=20

  • Who made Malala’s Nikkah clothes?

    Who made Malala’s Nikkah clothes?

    Pakistani Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai tied the knot with Asser Malik in a small intimate nikkah ceremony in Birmingham.

    Malala looked radiant in a mauve shalwar kameez on her big day. The ceremony was attended by Malala’s parents and close friends.

    Malala’s dress was from Pakistani fashion brand Zaaviay. She opted for a raw-silk shalwar kameez, which is available for Rs Rs20,250 with detailed embroidery of kora, dabka, and zari, pairing it with a mauve organza dupatta.

    Malala shared the pictures from the event with the caption, “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life.”

    “We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead,” she added.

  • NCOC approves Chinese vaccine for children aged 12 and older

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced on Thursday that its committee of health experts has approved two Chinese vaccines to be administered to children aged 12 years and older from November 15.

    The Chinese vaccines approved by the committee are Sinopharm and Sinovac.

    “Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac have been approved by NCOC Health Expert Committee for administration to children above 12 years of age from 15 November onwards,” NCOC tweeted.

    “Now, these vaccines will also be available in addition to already approved Pfizer for children above 12 yrs,” tweeted NCOC.

    Earlier, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, who also heads NCOC, said more than 50 per cent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine across the country.

  • ‘I believe that I can enjoy friendship, love and equality in marriage’: Malala

    ‘I believe that I can enjoy friendship, love and equality in marriage’: Malala

    In a personal essay written for British Vogue Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai talks about her marriage with Asser Malik, her comments about partnership vs. marriage and how she met the guy she married this week.

    “In the summer of 2018, Asser was visiting friends at Oxford and we crossed paths. He worked in cricket, so I immediately had a lot to discuss with him. He liked my sense of humour. We became best friends. We found we had common values and enjoyed each other’s company. We stood by each other in moments of happiness and disappointment. Through our individual ups and downs, we talked and listened to each other. And when words failed, I sent him a link to our horoscope compatibility, hoping the stars could help reinforce our connection,” Malala writes in the article.

    RELATED: Sign up for The Current’s daily newsletter to get your daily horoscope

    Addressing the controversy in an interview where Malala talks about a partnership instead of marriage, Malala says, “Knowing the dark reality many of my sisters face, I found it hard to think of the concept of marriage. I said what I had so often said before – that maybe it was possible that marriage was not for me.”

    Malala Yousafzai at her Nikkah. Image Courtesy: British Vogue

    Finding friendship and love in Asser, Malala, who says she did not expect to be married before she was 35-years-old, changed her mind. “With education, awareness and empowerment, we can start to redefine the concept of marriage and the structure of relationships, along with many other social norms and practices. Culture is made by people – and people can change it too. My conversations with my friends, mentors and my now partner Asser helped me consider how I could have a relationship – a marriage – and remain true to my values of equality, fairness and integrity.”

    Discussing how the Nikkah took place, Malala says it was a wholly family affair. “It was a small affair and group effort. My mother and her friend got my wedding clothes from Lahore, Pakistan. Asser’s mother and sister gave me the jewellery I wore. My father booked the food and decorations. My assistants organised photographers and a make-up artist. My three best girlfriends from school and Oxford took off work and travelled to be there. I put henna on my hands myself, after discovering I was the only one of my family and friends who had the talent! Asser spent several hours in the mall with me the day before the ceremony, buying his pink tie and pocket square and my sandals. My little brothers even wore suits.”

    Malala did her own mehndi for the event

    And how does she feel about her future? Malala writes that, “In Asser, I found a best friend and companion. I still don’t have all the answers for the challenges facing women – but I believe that I can enjoy friendship, love and equality in marriage. “

  • Lahore tops the worst air quality list, again

    Lahore tops the worst air quality list, again

    Lahore on Wednesday topped the list of the most polluted cities in the world with the worst air quality levels.

    India’s Delhi is second on the list, Poland’s Krakow and Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek are placed in third and fourth spot respectively while Bangladesh’s Dhaka is on number five according to the air pollution data released by the US Air Quality Index (AQI).

    Screengrab of air quality and pollution city ranking

    Lahore recorded a particulate matter (PM) rating of 364 that classifies the city under the “hazardous” category of air quality.

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency regards air quality as satisfactory if the AQI is under 50.

  • Two escaped crocodiles found in Bahawalpur’s national park

    Bahawalpur National Park administration captured two crocodiles that escaped from the lake, Geo News reported.

    According to Deputy Director Wildlife Muhammad Zahid, crocodiles were experimentally transferred to the lake at Lal Sohanra National Park in Bahawalpur, out of which two crocodiles suddenly went missing.

    Read More: Seven rare deer die mysteriously at Bahawalpur Zoo

    According to Deputy Director Wildlife, 15 days later, the two crocodiles were found in an empty canal in the park premises.

  • WHO looking forward to oral, nasal Covid-19 vaccines

    The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist said Tuesday she was looking forward to the “second generation” of Covid-19 vaccines, which could comprise nasal sprays and oral versions, AFP reported.

    Soumya Swaminathan said such vaccines could have benefits over the current crop as they would be easier to deliver than injections and could even be self-administered.

    Swaminathan said there were 129 different candidate vaccines that have got as far as clinical trials and are being tested on humans — while a further 194 are not yet in the phase in their development and are still being worked on in laboratories.

    “This covers the entire range of technologies,” she told a live interaction on WHO social media channels.

    “They’re still in development. I’m sure some of them will prove to be very safe and efficacious and others may not.”

    “There could be advantages to some of the second-generation vaccines… clearly if you have an oral vaccine or an intra-nasal vaccine this is easier to deliver than an injectable.”

    Soumya Swaminathan added, “Ultimately we’ll be able to choose the ones that are most appropriate. If not for Covid-19, we’re going to use these platforms for other infections in the future.”

    “If there’s a local immune response then it will take care of the virus before it even goes and establishes itself in the lungs and starts causing a problem,” she said.

    WHO has only given emergency use authorisation to seven Covid-19 vaccines: those created by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac and last week Bharat Biotech.

    “None of the vaccines are 100%. Nobody has ever claimed that the vaccines are going to be 100% protective. But 90% is a wonderful amount of protection to have, compared to zero,” Swaminathan said.

    “Till now, with the vaccines that we have approved, there has not been any signal which has been so worrying that we need to say, well, we need to re-think this vaccine.”

    More than 7.25 billion vaccine doses have been administered around the world, according to an AFP count

  • Pakistan Covid positivity rate drops to 0.94%, lowest since March 2020

    Pakistan Covid positivity rate drops to 0.94%, lowest since March 2020

    Pakistan’s Covid-19 positivity rate on Tuesday dropped to 0.94 per cent, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The recorded positivity rate is the lowest since March 2020, Geo News has reported. During the last 24 hours, 42,373 tests were conducted across the country of which 400 returned positive.

    The country has administered at least 113,188,078 doses of COVID vaccines so far.