Tag: life-stories

  • Chilgoza heist proves that pine nuts are Pakistan’s Bitcoin

    Chilgoza heist proves that pine nuts are Pakistan’s Bitcoin

    If you have seen memes regarding chilghozaas (pine nuts) recently, it shouldn’t surprise you. Pine nuts cost a whopping Rs 8,000 per kg now. Can you imagine that?!

    No wonder then that in South Waziristan, a gang of robbers stole 23 sacks of pine nuts worth over Rs 12 million.

    According to news reports, a group of robbers sneaked into a warehouse in Wana and held workers and security guards hostage at gunpoint.

    Now that’s what you can a ‘Chilghoza Heist!’

    Meanwhile, Twitter is having a field day with the news.

    https://twitter.com/arbab_idrees/status/1192519063756562434?s=21

  • Fawad Chaudhry offers to help India handle smog

    Fawad Chaudhry offers to help India handle smog

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has offered to help India combat the smog problem engulfing both countries.

    Taking to Twitter, the minister suggested using a scientific solution to handle the smog.

    Fawad in his tweet said that the burning of crops in the Indian city of Jalandhar was causing chaos on both sides of the border adding to the toxicity in the air making it difficult to breathe in.

    He then offered a machine-based solution to turn the crop residue into a source of energy rather than burning it.

    A thick layer of smog has descended again on Punjab, especially hitting Lahore.

    According to the Air Visual, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore is hazardous. The toxic smog in Lahore also forced the government and private schools to remain closed on Thursday.

    Meanwhile, experts in India argue that current levels of air pollution represent a public health emergency requiring full emergency mode response from local and national authorities.

  • Lahore restaurant management thrashes family for asking Sales Tax Number

    Lahore restaurant management thrashes family for asking Sales Tax Number

    A restaurant, located in Lahore, thrashed a man and his family when they asked the restaurant management for the Sales Tax Number (STN) number. 

    According to reports, a family’s dinner at Bashir Dar ul Mahi, Hussain Chowk, turned into a nightmare when they asked the restaurant’s management for the STN number to confirm if they pay their taxes. Not only did the restaurant manager deny the request, but he also turned to humiliate the family by beating up a male member while harassing the rest of the family.

    The management reportedly admitted to not paying taxes which is why they couldn’t entertain the request of the family. They allegedly further added that law enforcement agencies cannot bring them accountable.

    The victim family has demanded immediate action against the restaurant management.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that a branch of Bashir Dar ul Mahi in Mozang was previously sealed by the Punjab Food Authority for having ‘a record-breaking level of unhygienic conditions’.

  • BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    Pakistani authors Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie have made it to BBC’s 100 novels that shaped our world list. The list features renowned authors from across the world making it a great honour for both the authors to be featured on the list.

    BBC, as part of their year-long celebration of literature, shared a list of ‘100 novels that shaped our world,’ which have been written over the last 300 years.

    An expert panel consisting of six leading British writers, curators and critics were part of the compilation that featured books that have made a large cultural and personal impact on a global scale.

    The list features work ranging from classics to contemporary writers from around the world and has been organised into themes which are: Identity, Love, Sex and Romance, Adventure, Life, Death and Other Worlds, Politics, Power and Protest, Class and Society, Coming of Age, Family and Friendship, Crime and Conflict and Rule Breakers.

    While Kamila’s Home Fire was listed in the ‘Politics, Power & Protest’ category, Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist was part of the ‘Crime & Conflict’ category.

    BBC’s list ranges from classics to contemporary, with works like Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series making it in their own genres.

  • PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a mobile application to facilitate passengers in online bookings and confirmation of seats.

    The PIA app features a user-friendly interface. It allows the user to perform several functions, including booking their flight directly from their mobile phones, checking their booking status, and monitoring the status of their flight.

    “The application has recently been launched and now the air passengers will enjoy improved services. The airline’s overall seat factor has improved and reached nearly 84 percent while on some sectors, the seat factor is at 90 percent,” a PIA spokesman told state-run wire service.

    As per reports, significant improvement was obvious in different pointers like seat occupancy ratio, aircraft utilization, cargo load factor and customer service.

    The mobile app even generates a digital boarding pass for an easier check-in experience.

  • School children file petition in Lahore High Court against toxic smog

    School children file petition in Lahore High Court against toxic smog

    School children from Lahore have lodged an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the hazardous level of smog and air pollution in the Punjab province.

    Leila Alam and her class fellows through their appeal aim to draw the acting Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh’s attention towards the worsening air quality in Lahore and its surrounding areas.

    The children’s lawyer, Rafay Alam, told the court that the Environment Protection Department, Punjab, measured the air quality index (AQI) of 182 as safe to breathe when by international standards the index should not cross 50.

    Last week, the city’s air quality index crossed safe limits and was recorded at well over 400. The city also has continued to be engulfed by a toxic blanket of smog since October.

    Health
    experts say that children and the elderly are most vulnerable to toxic air. The
    LHC has directed the Punjab government to submit its reply in the next hearing.

  • Four-day workweek increases productivity by 40%, reveals Microsoft experiment

    One of the world’s leading technology company Microsoft tested out a four-day workweek in its Japan offices and discovered that employees were not only happier – but significantly more productive.

    According to The Guardian, Microsoft experimented with a new project called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019 in the month of August. Under the program, the company’s entire 2,300-person workforce were given five Fridays off in a row without decreasing pay.

    The shortened weeks led to more efficient meetings, happier workers and boosted productivity by a whopping 40%.

    In addition to the increased productivity, employees took 25% less time off during the trial and electricity use was down 23% in the office. Employees printed 59% fewer pages of paper during the trial. The vast majority of employees – 92% – said they liked the shorter week as it led to a better work-life balance.

    Read more: ‘Burn-out’ is real, WHO recognises it as a medical condition

    This is not the first time long weekends have been experimented with in the corporate world. Previously in 2018, a New Zealand trust management company also trialled a four-day workweek over two months for its 240 staff members. Employees reported experiencing better work-life balance and improved focus in the office while staff stress levels decreased by 7%.

    Meanwhile, an experiment published by the Harvard Business Review shows that shorter workdays, a decrease from the average 8-hour workday to a 6-hour workday, increased productivity.

  • Men dig up woman’s body from grave, say area only reserved for feudal lords

    Men dig up woman’s body from grave, say area only reserved for feudal lords

    Influential men dig up and removed a woman’s body from her grave allegedly annoyed that she was buried near their local feudal landlords.

    As per reports, men also attacked the
    deceased woman’s relatives in the Sakhi Hassan Graveyard of Rahim Yar Khan’s
    Khan Bela neighborhood, hurting at least three of them.

    The men had reserved graves for feudal landlords without the local administration’s permission. They were upset that a woman who was not related to the landlords had been buried near their self-allocated graves and, therefore, desecrated the burial area.

    Read More: Men dig up grave to rape woman’s dead body

    Rahim Yar Khan police said they have
    registered a first information report (FIR) over the incident and made sure
    that the woman whose body had been removed was buried again.

    The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital whereas the other relatives of the family protested against the injustice. FIR was registered against more than 15
    suspects. Authorities arrested at least two of the men suspects.

  • How to apply for Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship programme?

    How to apply for Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship programme?

    Prime Minister, Imran Khan has launched a needs-based undergraduate scholarships under the Ehsaas programme. 

    Under the programme, 50,000 scholarships will be given to deserving students with a special focus on disadvantaged areas of the country. The scholarships awarded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) will be valid in both public and participating private sector universities and colleges.

    Who can apply?

    The eligibility criteria for the scholarship programme is:

    These undergraduate scholarships apply to the public sector and the participating non-profit private sector colleges and universities.

    Students admitted on merit at any public sector university.

    Family income should be below the poverty threshold.

    How to Apply?

    Follow the following steps to apply for Ehsaas Scholarship Programme

    Apply online at HEC’s portal of Ehsaas Programme. Here is the link of the website:

    https://ehsaas.hec.gov.pk/hec-portal-web/auth/login.jsf

     Submit properly filled forms at the Financial Aid Office of the respective university

    Applications sent directly to HEC or BISP will not be entertained

  • Kate and William’s Pakistan tour in-flight menu revealed

    Kate and William’s Pakistan tour in-flight menu revealed

    The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook a whirlwind tour of Pakistan late October. While it has been a couple of days since they left, the couple is still sneaking into our conversations as we reminiscence the days they spent here.

    Little details of their trip continue to excite us and a chef has now revealed what Kate and William ate on their flights as they travelled to different places within Pakistan.

    Read more: Royal Visit Day 2 – Kate & William explore the mountainous North

    Chef Samina Gul, a former Professional Cookery student at University College Birmingham, shared pictures of the food the royal couple ate while in-flight during their recent five-day tour of Pakistan.

    Fresh salad with beetroot and quinoa

    Samina Gul, a product development chef with Pakistan’s KC Flight Catering, made elevenses, afternoon tea and dinner for Prince William and Kate on two of their Royal Air Force flights during their visit. KC Flight Catering is the largest private in-flight catering operator in Pakistan.

    Samina shared pictures of her delicious delicacies on Facebook and we have to say they look mouth-watering.

    And it appears that the people on the flight loved the food because Samina’s company received a letter from the catering manager of 101 Squadron Royal Air Force, Sgt Steve Roberts, expressing his appreciation of the in-flight chefs’ services and hard work.

    EXCLUSIVE: What did Mehwish Hayat & Prince William talk about and other inside details from the grand royal reception

    Previously, Samina also got to cook for Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during one of his visits to the country.