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.

  • ‘Saaf Bath’ initiative to set up portable public toilets with focus on facilitating women

    ‘Saaf Bath’ initiative to set up portable public toilets with focus on facilitating women

    The Salman Sufi Foundation (SSF) has launched a new project ‘Saaf Bath’ to benefit pedestrians, especially women, who do not have access to clean public toilets in Pakistan.

    According to a press release, the foundation will set up portable public toilets in Lahore and Karachi during the first stage of the project expected to complete by February 2020. The project aims to facilitate women, who are vulnerable to major diseases due to the lack of availability of clean and hygienic bathrooms.

    The SSF is partnering with numerous corporate companies to install portable toilets in all major cities of the country, especially those areas with a large number of female pedestrians. These toilets will set a standard for a public toilet and there will be a proper model that everybody would be asked to follow.

    The restrooms will also be made accessible for the aged and the differently-abled and will be maintained by the foundation’s coordinating officers daily. The foundation will also ensure that sufficient hand sanitizer and water is available for the public. In addition, there will also be a diaper station as well as the availability of sanitary pads.

    “Many women in Pakistan face severe issues in their menstrual cycle because of the lack of sanitized products and clean places,” said Sufi.

    Shedding light on the project, Salman Sufi told The Current: “Initially, we will be launching two to three toilets in Lahore and Karachi. After that, the foundation plans to expand this to the female schools and colleges in Sindh and Punjab. We are working with LDA in Lahore and the commissioner officer in Karachi regarding these.

    “We have requested the Sindh government to give us access to female colleges where we can install portable washrooms”, he added.

    Sharing further details, Sufi said, “We will be setting a standard for a public toilet and there will be a proper model that everybody would be asked to follow. The toilets will be equipped properly, there will be a diaper station as well as sanitary pads available. Many women in Pakistan face severe issues in their menstrual cycle because of the lack of sanitized products and clean places”.

    The project is in line with the foundation’s plan of starting an overall health and sanitation campaign exclusively for women. According to a 2015 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan was the third-largest country where over 43 million people defecate openly.

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Lahore Music Meet

    Date and Time: Feb 1 at 12 PM – Feb 2 at 10 PM

    Venue: Alhamra Arts Council, Mall68-Shahra-e-Quaid-eAzam.

    Haryali Market

    Date: Feb 1 – 2 (Saturday, Sunday)

    Time: 1 – 8 PM

    Islamabad

    Millennial Food Fest

    Date: Feb 1, Saturday

    Time:  9 AM – 4 PM

    Venue: Roots Millennium Schools One World Campus.

    Craft Bazaar

    Date: Feb 1, Saturday

    Time: 3 PM – 8 PM

    Venue: HangoutNISTE, Faiz Ahmed Faiz Road, H-8/1, Islamabad.

    Karachi

    Qaul E Rooh

    Date: Jan31, Friday.

    Time:  7:30 PM – 11 PM

    Venue: Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 13-A, Karachi.

    Forest Fish

    Date: Feb 1, Saturday.

    Time: 4 PM – 6 PM

    Venue: Candy Club, 251-A, Block 6, P.E.C.H.S., Karachi.

  • UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced to give $200 million in financial aid to the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme.

    UAE ambassador has made this announcement while meeting PM’s Special Assistant to Youth Affairs, Usman Dar. The financial assistance had been assured by the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his recent visit to Pakistan.

    The ambassador said Pakistani youth are talented and capable and UAE will cooperate for the development of the youth. He said practical steps will be taken soon for the Pakistani youth.

    He also announced to start a youth exchange programme between UAE and Pakistan. A delegation of Pakistani youth will be sent to UAE where they will be trained with skills of entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. Moreover, the UAE government has offered to Pakistani youth to partner in Dubai Expo 2020.

    The ambassador admired the federal government’s practical steps for its young generation and UAE will provide opportunities to the skilled youth in the future.

    Dar welcomed the financial assistance of UAE in the Kamyab Jawan programme. He said ‘PM Imran Khan has an aim to uplift the young generation. He added that a huge investment is being made on youth for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The young generation will play an important role in the national economy.’

  • India promotes traditional remedies to fight the new coronavirus

    India promotes traditional remedies to fight the new coronavirus

    As all are paranoid after the deadly coronavirus and scientists are trying to find a cure for the virus, the Indian government said that the cure could be found in ancient homeopathy and Ayurveda remedies.

    Ayurvedic medicine that means the ‘science of life’ in Sanskrit, treats the physical and mental sources of illness through herbs in combination with yoga or massage.

    The Indian ministry that promotes the country’s growing Ayurveda, yoga, and homeopathy sectors released an advisory listing herbal oils to be rubbed into the scalp to hypothetically ease the symptoms. It also suggested ingesting Arsenicum album-30, a homeopathic treatment.

    The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule in case coronavirus infections prevail,” the ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) said in a statement.

    The ministry also advised on maintaining personal hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus. The advisory came as the Dalai Lama, in exile in Dharamsala in India, said on Facebook that followers concerned about the virus should chant a mantra that would help them in dealing with the situation.

    India claims to have natural remedies for everything from cancer to the common cold. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he wants the world to make Ayurveda ‘a way of life’.

  • Groom’s father and bride’s mother, who ‘eloped’, appear before police

    Groom’s father and bride’s mother, who ‘eloped’, appear before police

    Days after an Indian textile businessman, whose son’s marriage was fixed on February 13, allegedly eloped with the bride’s mother, the couple has appeared before the police to clarify the situation.

    According to The Indian Express, husband of the woman didn’t allow her back at home, following which, she went to her parents’ house. The marriage of son and daughter of the eloped couple was cancelled.

    The report quoted the family of the couple as saying that the marriage of the groom from Surat city was fixed with a bride from Vejalpore village in Navsari district. Preparations were on in full swing when the groom’s father allegedly eloped with the bride’s mother.

    Over 20 years ago, the groom’s father, now 43, who was from a poor economic background, had an affair with a woman from a rich family. The woman’s family was against the relationship and she was married off to a youngster from Navsari. The man got married to a woman from Surat.

    The family said the man met the woman, now 41, again at a funeral almost a year ago. By then their children were grownups and the man sent a marriage proposal of his son to the daughter of the woman. The girl and boy met and got engaged around eight months ago, following which the families agreed to the marriage.

    Both the families used to visit each other’s house and the couple met regularly. They were also in touch on social media, the family said.

    A few days before their elopement, the woman’s husband learnt about their relationship and had warned her, said Navsari police. Seeing no way out, the businessman, father of two sons, eloped with the woman on January 10, police said. The woman’s husband filed a missing complaint with Vejalpore police station, while another missing complaint was filed by family members of the businessman with Katargam police station and later with Kadodara police station in Surat.

    Before leaving Surat, the businessman called up his friend Raju and informed him about the same and requested him to take his bike home from Kadodadara. Raju reached Kadodara and informed the police. However, police failed to trace the couple.

    On Sunday night, the couple appeared before the police and clarified how they had left willingly.

  • Wearing lipstick can cost you Rs 100 now

    Wearing lipstick can cost you Rs 100 now

    Wearing lipstick could cost female students at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Rs 100. 

    According to a notification issued by the university management, “Female students are not allowed to put on lipstick. If seen, they will be fined Rs100 on the spot”.

    After the ban, students took to social media to protest against it.

    https://twitter.com/RubabAZ/status/1221438830861017088

    As per reports, the notification was limited to the Institute of Education Department and was issued as a part of the department’s “dress code policy”.

    However, the decision was taken back on Monday. A notification regarding this has already been issued and copies of it have been dispersed on-campus.  

    Last year in November, the university had instructed female students to wear abayas on campus.

  • Makeup artist Shoaib Khan honours acid attack survivors, recreates Deepika’s character from ‘Chhappak’

    Makeup artist Shoaib Khan honours acid attack survivors, recreates Deepika’s character from ‘Chhappak’

    Makeup artist  Shoaib Khan paid tribute to acid attack survivors after recreating Deepika Padukone’s look from her latest film ‘Chhapaak’ that is based on the true story of a woman who tries to reconstruct her life after a man throws acid on her face.

    The artist shared the pictures on Instagram with the caption: “After recreating this look: I have only one thing to say to all the acid attack survivors around the globe: Glisten your face with ruby lipstick. Gather your hair to one side so the details of your face become more visible. And SMILE! No one can maim or embarrass you! Don’t hide your scars, instead, flaunt them like a superpower! You’re beautiful and you’ll always be beautiful.”

    In the long post on his Instagram handle, he further wrote that it was hard for him to look in the mirror after the look was complete because he could feel the pain and trauma of the survivors.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7yp4nDlXem/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Talking about Deepika Padukone, he wrote that after Chhappak, his respect for her had increased. “I love you Deepika for raising awareness on this issue through Chhappak and giving motivation to all these survivors to shine through their grit and determination and move forward in life! You’re my true star.”

    Last year, Khan recreated Padukone’s character in ‘Bajirao Mastani’ by transforming himself in the starlet. He has also done makeovers such as the queen of melody, Noor Jehan, as Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6YtWQAlBgO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5x75yPFN3N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B3UrueAFSdM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • ‘Follow me for more recipes’ memes are hilarious

    ‘Follow me for more recipes’ memes are hilarious

    Who does not like memes? Memes not only lightens up our mood but also make us all go LOL and we wish this meme culture never dies at least as long as the internet exists. We all have seen these ‘follow me for more recipes’ memes on social media and they are hilarious.

  • Man put behind bars for illegally hunting ibex cubs

    Man put behind bars for illegally hunting ibex cubs

    A man was sentenced to jail for eight months by the Hunza wildlife magistrate for illegally hunting two Himalayan ibex cubs.

    According to Dawn, the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department had discovered the carcasses of ibex cubs during the inspection of a vehicle at Ganish bridge on the Karakoram Highway in Hunza area. The officials seized the carcasses and arrested Rehmat Khan of Altit area.

    The DFO of the area shared that the poacher hunted the ibex cubs in the surroundings of Attabad Lake before attempting to transport their carcasses to Gilgit. He revealed that the wildlife department with the help of police seized the carcasses and hunting gear. The poacher was handed eight months imprisonment under the Wildlife Preservation Act, 1975.

    Meanwhile, the Khunjerab Village Organisation has accused personnel of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to have hunted three Himalayan ibexes in Khunjerab National Park in upper Hunza. They claimed that the FWO personnel killed ibexes after cordoning off the area, and took away the carcasses, adding that they have substantial evidence to prove their claims.

  • US imposes strict visa rules for pregnant women to control ‘birth tourism’

    US imposes strict visa rules for pregnant women to control ‘birth tourism’

    The Trump administration on Thursday announced new visa rules to restrict birth tourism, in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can get US citizenship.

    According to the rules in the Federal Register, applicants will not be given tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US only to give birth.

    It is a bigger hurdle to overcome, proving they are travelling to the US because they have a medical need and not just because they want to give birth here. Those with medical needs will be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment and must prove they have the money to pay for it including transportation and living expenses.

    “Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice,” White House press secretary Step­hanie Grisham said in a statement.

    While the new rules deal specifically with birth tourism, the Trump administration also has turned away pregnant women coming over the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Those women were initially part of a vulnerable group that included others like small children who were allowed in, while tens of thousands of other asylum seekers have been returned to Mexico to wait out their cases.

    While President Trump’s administration has been confining all forms of immigration, Trump has been particularly worried by the issue of birthright citizenship anyone born in the US is considered a citizen, under the Constitution.

    The Republican president has criticized the practice and threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration have said it’s not so easy to do.

    Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine whether a woman is pregnant, to begin with and whether a woman could get turned away by border officers who suspect she maybe just by looking at her. Critics of the new policy say it could put pregnant women at risk.