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.

  • No minister of Religious Affairs as five thousand hajj applications wait to be reviewed

    No minister of Religious Affairs as five thousand hajj applications wait to be reviewed

    There are only four days left for the commencement of Hajj flights, but a permanent minister for Religious Affairs and a Secretary in the ministry, have not been appointed yet.

    No progress could be made on the issue of 5,633 applications that failed in the Hajj lottery due to the non-appointment of a permanent minister and secretary of the department, reports Geo News.

    No request has been sent to the Prime Minister for the pilgrims who failed in the lottery.

    As per statistics, this year about 160,000 pilgrims will go to Hijaz to perform Hajj, while 19,500 Hajj quota is being returned to Saudi Arabia.

    Sources of the Ministry of Religious Affairs further told Geo that the Hajj quota has been returned to Saudi Arabia for two years but if the Hajj quota is returned in the future, Pakistan’s quota may be reduced.

    Federal Foreign Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Religious Affairs on April 3, while Additional Secretary Syed Atta-ul-Rehman was given the additional charge of the Secretary of Religious Affairs on October 30 last year.

  • Japan introduces armpit sweat-infused rice balls

    Japan introduces armpit sweat-infused rice balls

    Sweat-infused rice balls, shaped in the armpits of young pretty girls is a surprising culinary hit in Japan.

    The rice ball snack, locally known as onigiri, is a traditional food item in Japan. The recipe has been given a culinary twist which is making waves locally and said to fetch prices as high as ten times those of regular Onigiri in certain restaurants.

    According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), young women use their armpits to shape the balls in this new bizarre twist to the onigiri. Strict measures are taken to ensure hygiene and safety in the process. Before commencing, all ingredients and body parts that will come into contact with the food undergo thorough disinfection. The chefs then partake in physical activity to induce sweating, using their armpits instead of their hands to shape the rice balls.

    Review of the taste

    As per SCMP, a diner who tried the new version expressed that it is not different or does not have a distinctive flavour from the usual taste of rice balls.

  • Absent teachers in Balochistan dismissed from jobs

    Absent teachers in Balochistan dismissed from jobs

    The Balochistan government has taken action against more than 2,400 absent teachers and employees in more than 8,500 schools in the province, dismissing 68 teachers while 98 have been suspended.

    Up to 33 employees were dismissed in Pishin, 13 in Quetta, six in Washik, five in Kachhi, four in Dera Bugti, reported Geo News.

    Director Monitoring and Evaluation Education has released a report stating that 8646 schools out of 15168 schools of the province were visited in the month of April, in which 2454 employees, including teachers, were found absent.

    That figure includes 238 employees from Quetta, 177 from Kohlu, 173 from Zhob, 164 from Pishin, 133 from Dera Bugti, 123 from Awaran, and 110 from Naseerabad were found to be absent.

    The report states that in April 2024, except for the dismissed and suspended teachers, 913 were issued show cause notices and 778 were asked to explain their absent.

  • Trump and Biden on same page when it comes to student protestors in America

    Trump and Biden on same page when it comes to student protestors in America

    President of the United States of America Joe Biden and his most popular opponent Donald Trump are on the same page when it comes to students protests in America.

    Trump appeared in a rally where he denounced university students protesting to end the genocide in Gaza as “radical left morons”.

    The assumed Republican US presidential candidate described New York police officers brutally raiding a Columbia University building occupied by pro-Palestinian as a “beautiful thing to watch”. He appreciated them for doing a good job against “raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers.”

    On the other hand, Joe Biden insisted that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the country face a wave of violence, outrage, and fear. He largely dismissed protesters’ demands, which have included ending U.S. support for Israeli military operations. Asked after his remarks whether the demonstrations would prompt him to consider changing course, Biden responded with a simple “no”, reported AP News.

    Previously, Biden condemned “antisemitic protests” and “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

  • International Press Freedom Day marked by increased arrests of Pakistani journalists

    International Press Freedom Day marked by increased arrests of Pakistani journalists

    May 3 is celebrated as International Press Freedom Day worldwide, however, Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalism.

    In a report released by Freedom Network, it was revealed that four journalists were killed in the last one year while more than 104 cases were registered while more than 200 journalists were also issued notices in Pakistan.

    Geo’s Asif Bashir Chaudhary lays out that Pakistan is among the three countries in the world where cases are registered under the black law of PICA even for giving an opinion on an online forum, while in the rest of the world, action is taken under the laws of defamation.

  • From England to Pakistan: Foreign bhabhi shares her love for this country

    From England to Pakistan: Foreign bhabhi shares her love for this country

    Many Pakistanis marry foreigners, as do many celebrities. Dil to kissi pay bhee aa sakta hai. We’ve seen foreign bhabhis and foreign behnois adapting to Pakistani society. Recently, there’s been a trend of Pakistani men marrying foreigners, gaining attention on social media as these couples become popular.
    Currently, another Pakistani man is going viral on socal media with his foreigner wife who speaks Urdu fluently and looks desi from her attire.

    A Facebook page called Fatta Fat shared the video. In the video, the husband of the foreign lady explained that he met her in England, and they got married afterwards. They now have two lovely children. His wife expressed her admiration for Pakistani men, citing their pure hearts and personalities as reasons for choosing her husband. She also mentioned her close and caring relationship with her sister-in-law. The foreign sister-in-law shared a message encouraging Pakistanis to live happily.

    She said, “I love everything about Pakistan, especially the Islamic culture, the call to prayer, I also offer prayers, and I also like the closely knit families in Pakistan. I love Pakistan. Tomorrow I will be leaving. I have been here for three months. I will miss Pakistan.”

  • GCU students protest against American band concert

    GCU students protest against American band concert

    Students of Government College University (GCU) held Palestinian flags while protesting against a US Consulate-sponsored concert of the American band Raining Jane in Lahore.

    University administration canceled the concert after the students protested by raising the Palestinian flag at the US Consulate concert.

    In videos that emerged from the protest, it can be seen that students remained undeterred and raised the popular slogan, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

    GCU Vice Chancellor Dr. Shazia Bashir told Dawn that all the demands of the students were accepted and the event was postponed.
    She said no disciplinary action was taken against any of the students.

  • Police say 20 killed in mountain bus accident in Pakistan

    Police say 20 killed in mountain bus accident in Pakistan

    At least 20 people were killed on Friday when a bus plunged into a deep valley in Pakistan’s mountainous northern region, police said.

    The driver lost control of the vehicle on a bend near the city of Chilas, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, around dawn, falling into a rocky ravine where the River Indus flows.

    “The local Ulema (Muslim leader) announced the news of the accident from the loudspeaker of the mosque and urged the people to donate blood for the injured,” Azmat Shah, a police official in the city told AFP.

    “Rescue operations have been completed. Among the 21 injured, the condition of five is very critical.”

    The bus was travelling from the capital Islamabad to Gilgit.

    Road accidents with high fatalities are common in Pakistan, where safety measures are lax, driver training is poor and transport infrastructure often decrepit.

  • Why have PIA flights to UAE been suspended?

    Why have PIA flights to UAE been suspended?

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has issued travel guidelines for passengers planning to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as air operations to Dubai and Sharjah have been severely affected by heavy rains.

    In response to the adverse weather conditions in the UAE, a PIA spokesperson told Samaa News that air operations of various airlines, including PIA, will remain suspended until further notice. Some flights of the national airline are experiencing delays and cancellations due to the inclement weather, he added.
    Passengers booked on affected flights are advised to contact the PIA call centre for updates and information regarding their travel arrangements. PIA remains dedicated to providing timely assistance and support to its passengers during this challenging period, the spokesman said.

    Two-day holiday in Dubai

    In view of the forecast of rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the United Arab Emirates, Thursday and Friday have been declared holidays in the educational institutions of Dubai.

  • Heatwave expected in Punjab soon

    Heatwave expected in Punjab soon

    The Meteorological Department has predicted that Punjab is likely to be hit by a heatwave from May 12 onwards, with temperatures expected to surge past 40 degrees.

    Dr Zulfiqar told Geo News that like Sindh, a heatwave is expected in Punjab from the second week of the ongoing month.

    The expert advised people to avoid stepping outdoors unnecessarily and stay indoors to avoid heatstroke.

    El-Nino effect

    Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its monthly outlook for May stated that the neutral phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is expected to persist during the forecast of this month.

    Considering the climatic outlook, the PMD added, overall a tendency for near-normal rainfall is expected in most parts of the country, however, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Balochistan, northern Punjab, and Azad Kashmir may get slightly above normal rainfall.

    Daytime maximum temperatures are expected to remain slightly above normal over northern and southern parts of the country, however, the central parts comprising most parts of Punjab and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may experience normal to slightly below normal maximum temperature.

    Above-normal precipitation in May is expected to benefit agriculture in Pakistan but precautions should be taken to prevent damage to standing wheat crops during the harvesting stage from hailstorms and windstorms in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Photohar region and Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Anticipated higher temperatures in high-altitude regions are expected to accelerate snowmelt in the northern areas, offering opportunities for irrigation and power generation, it concluded.