Following a cabinet decision, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has opened several government-owned guest houses for the public. However, the per-night charges of staying in these lavish mansions are a little steeper than expected and are in line with some of the highest rates charged by the best private hotels in the province.
Some 49 government-owned buildings which have been opened include official residences such as Chief Minister House, Governor House, K-P Assembly Speaker and Police House. The aim of the decision was to allow the public to enjoy these buildings and generate much-needed revenue for the government.
Here’s an overview of the prices:
Building
Price (per night)
No of Rooms available
Governor House, Nathia Gali
Rs 40,000
8
CM House
Rs 24,000
4
KP Assembly Speaker House, Abbottabad
Rs 16,000
8
KP Police House
Rs 12,000
8
Speaking to the media, KP Senior Tourism Minister Atif Khan said that online bookings for these facilities will begin after Eid ul Azha. Further details on the services offered have not been shared as yet.
The only thing worse than extreme heat is hot weather with high humidity. Hot, muggy air makes you sweaty and exhausts you to no extent. Here are a few tips which might help you stay fresh, cool and comfortable on the warmest and most humid days.
Drink
plenty of water
Excess of everything is bad except water. One must drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Hot, humid weather makes you sweat more, which means you’ll need to increase your hydration. Drinking lots of water also helps keep your body temperature down, which keeps you more comfortable overall.
Take a cool shower on your pulse points
Taking a cold shower is a fast and effective way to cool down. If you’re not at home, you can splash cold water on your neck, forehead, and armpits. You can also use ice packs or cool, wet towels for more sustained relief.
Set air conditioner’s temperature
Air conditioning is the best way to keep your house cool, setting it too low can make your utility bill cost more. Try to set your AC to 26 °C when you’re at home and awake. Increase it to 28 °C when you are going for sleep.
Eat cool foods like salads and fresh fruit
Eating hot foods when it’s hot and humid will only raise your body temperature. Instead, wash fresh vegetables and make a salad or fruit chaat with all the seasonal fruits. For dessert, try popsicles and ice cream. For a healthier alternative, go with fresh fruit, plain or paired with yogurt.
Wear loose and light-colored clothes
Hot, humid days call for loose, cotton clothing in light colours. Avoid tight jeans and synthetic fabrics like Rayon or spandex, and go with sandals or canvas shoes to keep your feet cool.
Use
cotton bedsheets
Make sure your sheets are made of light fabric, like cotton, rather than fleece. Cotton bed covers will stay cooler at night, making for a more comfortable night’s sleep in this hot and humid weather.
An Indian television anchor reporting on Karnataka floods drowned.
Well, not really. A clip of an anchor of a Kannada TV channel has gone viral where the anchor drowns in water graphics reporting on the recent floods in Karnataka.
While some people found the clip funny, others thought it was an insensitive way to report on floods that actually take lives and causes mayhem.
Well, India cannot outdo Pakistan when it comes to flood reporting. A reporter of GTV News actually reported on floods while he was neck-deep in the water. Now, this is called reporting!
A man in India was arrested for posting a video on
TikTok of himself firing in the air with a pistol.
As per reports, Faizan is addicted to TikTok and he was celebrating his 32nd birthday with his friends and wanted to make it memorable. So he fired some shots in the air from a pistol, recorded it and later uploaded the video on TikTok.
The video went viral on Facebook and Whatsapp sending the Delhi Police a security alert. The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police tracked the exact location of the video after which the police arrested Faizan from his residence.
Faizan’s father is a popular caterer in old Delhi. He
helps his father in his business. He confessed to his crime. The weapon and the
mobile phone used in the crime were also seized from him.
In 1996, farmers in the United States asked that the label of goat meat be changed to mutton since people were confusing it with sheep meat. That’s how underrated the goat was – and still is – in the United States. To promote the great goat in Europe, certain cities celebrate the month of October as Goatober. But the goat is still second, third, fourth-best to other animals. Even though it’s lower in fat than chicken and has more protein than beef. Basically, it’s pretty darn special but underrated.
In the Middle East, special takes time but minimal effort. An age-old way to cook goat meat, a method that involves underground ovens and whole goats, still practiced in Arab countries, especially Jordan and Palestine. A skinned goat, with its head intact, is made to sit on a bed of potatoes and vegetables on a large silver platter and slowly lowered into the ground, into an oven with hot coals.
The Goat is skinned and lowered into an underground oven with hot coals
The oven is then closed with a lid and covered with the earth. Five hours later, it is slowly raised out, its meat divinely falling off the bone, its eyes, small black dots. In Jordanian and Palestinian culture, its tradition for the guest of honor to get the first bite of the goat tongue.
Five hours later
With a steaming goat, proudly displayed in the middle of the dining table, the host breaks open the jaws of the goat, rips out the tongue and tears out a piece. It is then presented to the guest of honor who has to eat it, with pleasure. Tradition also states that if the host presents a guest with the black eye of the goat, he is declaring enmity and showing his disdain towards the guest.
In the modern version, using a goat leg, make cuts in the leg and stuff the grooves with garlic cloves. In meat, you can never have enough garlic so use as many as you can fit in. Rub salt and pepper. Using a large, oven safe pot, put the leg in with carrots, whole garlic heads, onions and potatoes. Add as much as six potatoes, three large onions cut in portions like the aloos in a biryani. Cook it in the oven on low heat, around 190 C for five hours. Keep checking to see if it’s drying out, and if it is, add water or better yet, add vegetable or chicken broth. Cook it until the meat fall off the bone. Tongue and black eye optional.
Five women drowned in the River Indus near Gilgit on Thursday. While local residents in Jaglot managed to recover the bodies of two women, the search for the remaining three is underway.
According to the police, the women were washing clothes alongside the river when one of them slipped on the wet bank. The other four women, in their efforts to pull her out, were carried away by the current.
However, locals and relatives of the women claim that “djinns” are behind the tragedy.
Speaking to the media, a local man said that everyone in the family knew that one of the women was “possessed by a djinn.” and it was the djinn “who forced her to jump into the river.”
The man further went onto say that people in the area were of the view that the women wouldn’t have died without any role of supernatural forces.
Even at the funeral prayers of the two women, local clerics asked people to recite more verses from the Holy Quran to seek God’s forgiveness and save themselves from paranormal forces and the wrath of the djinns.
Meanwhile, police officials dismissed the superstitions and said that “there is no such thing in the law.”
Belief in supernatural powers is a common concept in Gilgit-Baltistan where families often seek help from Aamils (exorcists) in matters relating to health, marriage, etc.
Eid ul Azha is just around the corner and everyone is gearing up for the four days of meaty dawats. But there always is a risk of overeating which can cause uneasiness and nausea. Here are a few tips that can help you maintain your health and stomach this Eid.
Avoid fried meat
Try to consume meat which has boiled or grilled and avoid taking it in fried form as this increases the calories and leaves you feeling heavy. Barbequed tikkas and kebabs are an excellent choice of food on Eid.
Go for a light walk
Dieticians and doctors suggest eating your last meal 2 hours before sleeping. After some time, you can go for a long walk for almost 30 minutes to make sure that the food is digested. So you can go to bed feeling light and healthy.
Take green tea after your meals
Take a cup of green tea after every heavy meal. Green tea can helps to increase the metabolism rate. You can also take tea but without sugar.
No fizzy drinks
While it may seem a great idea to have fizzy drinks with your meal for digestion, the reality is the opposite. Fizzy drinks are full of sugar and do more harm to your body than good. Rather than having a soft drink, have a glass of lassi with mint leaves in it for better digestion. Buttermilk will not only improve the digestion process but will also make you feel fuller so you eat less.
Add veggies to your meat
Veggies are packed with vital nutrients and fiber which would make you feel full so that you can abide yourself by eating less high calorie and fats. Eat your meat with a side of vegetables or start your meal with a bowl of salad or stir fry veggies because then your belly would ask for very little malai boti or nihari.
The son of a landlord in Haryana, India pushed his brand new BMW car into a river after his father rejected his request of buying a new Jaguar car.
As per reports, the boy also made a video of himself pushing the high-end BMW car into the river and later posted the video on social media. The car got stuck in the middle of the river due to a patch of tall grass.
Later, the youth was seen trying to get the car out of the river with the help of local divers. Local police have registered a case in the matter.
It seems like the car is either a BMW 3-Series or a 5-Series meaning the cost of the drowned BMW is no less than 35 Lakh Indian Rupees which translates to more than 70 lakh Pakistani Rupees.
A heated debate about market stalls was disturbed by a foul smell caused by a member of a Kenyan assembly after which members started blaming each other.
“Honourable Speaker, one of us has polluted the air and I know who it is,” Julius Gaya, a member reportedly told Homa Bay county assembly.
The member he accused of farting denied the allegations saying that he “cannot do such a thing in front of my colleagues.”
Hoping to make things better, the assembly’s Speaker instructed the members to step outside and take a break from the chamber. Reports also suggest that he asked officials to get the air freshener “to make it pleasant.“
“Get whatever flavour you will find in any office, whether it’s vanilla or strawberry. We cannot continue sitting in an environment that smells bad,” the Speaker is reported to have remarked.
We all make grand plans to read more often. But time is never on our side. With the long weekend and holidays coming up, and today being Book Lovers Day, here are five must-read books The Current recommends:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison – the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winner and one of the most celebrated African-American authors, died at the age of 88 recently. Beloved is Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-known work. Set after the American Civil War (1861–65), it is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in Kentucky late January 1856 by fleeing to Ohio, a free state.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, this one is a delightful read with all the perfect ingredients: glamour and adventure!
Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer
After India’s recent move in Kashmir, we feel you should read this book by renowned journalist Basharat Peer. The book is an intimate account of growing up in the 1990s in Occupied Kashmir. A powerful and haunting book written beautifully.
Mr And Mrs Jinnah by Sheela Reddy
Prime Minister Imran Khan read this book in 2017. If you still haven’t read it, you must. According to Fatima Bhutto, anyone who has read this book will have “admiration for the young Mrs Jinnah who—with great moxie—yearned and fought the entirety of her short, troubled life, for freedom”.
Unmarriageable: A Novel by Soniah Kamal
Described by NPR as “a fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society”, this book is a Pakistani version of Pride and Prejudice. A must-read!
