Current Final

Author: Hafiz Usman Aftab

  • Big Bash League to be shortened in 2023-24

    Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) will be shortened to a 44-game season from 2023-24, Cricket Australia announced on Friday as it brought forward changes in the tournament structure set to be implemented under the new broadcast deal.

    The Twenty20 competition will be cut by 17 matches, featuring 40 home-and-away matches plus four finals from the next edition.

    The changes come 12 months in advance of a seven-year broadcast deal agreed between Cricket Australia and media partners Seven Network and Foxtel.

    Cricket Australia’s general manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, said a shorter BBL would allow the league “greater flexibility” to deliver the “best possible fixture for clubs and fans”.

    The Women’s Big Bash will remain unchanged from its 59-game season.

  • Man makes replica of $100,000 Hermes bag for his girlfriend in just $400

    Man makes replica of $100,000 Hermes bag for his girlfriend in just $400

    A video posted on TikTok, featuring a man making a replica of a Hermes Birkin bag for his girlfriend has gone viral.

    Alexander Sway, a realtor from Washington, decided to make the famous bag himself after realising he couldn’t afford the real one to gift to his girlfriend on their anniversary.

    The two videos, titled Handmaking A Birkin For My Girlfriend, have been viewed more than 36 million times. Sway, 32, says he used templates he found online and leather from a local store.

    “My girlfriend always jokes that she wants a luxury bag from Hermes as an anniversary gift,” he said in the first video. “When I looked online at the price of a Birkin, I couldn’t believe it. $100,000 for a bag is crazy, but what was even crazier was instead of paying, I decided to surprise her and make my own.”


    Saying that he thought making the bag was “going to be pretty simple”, Sway spent 60 hours putting together the gift using blueprints he found online.

    He bought the materials from a local leather store, spending $60 on a sheet of black-dyed crocodile leather after admitting he “was not able to find leather that luxury companies use”, and $360 on tools.

    “I thought it was going to be as simple as cutting shapes out and assembling pieces, but right off the bat I made some rookie mistakes and wasted a bunch of good leather,” Sway said. “I finally understand why luxury companies charge so much for these handbags.”

    Sway said the hardest part of making the bag was the sewing.

    “This is very challenging,” he said, “because every hole had to be hand-punched and sometimes the holes had to be punched twice because of how thick the leather was.” He said his fingers went numb during the process.


    What is Hermes Birkin Bag?


    The Hermes Birkin bag is a highly coveted luxury handbag that was created by the French fashion house Hermes. It was named after the actress and singer Jane Birkin and was first introduced in 1984. The Birkin bag is known for its exquisite craftsmanship, high-quality materials, and iconic design.

    The price of a Birkin bag varies depending on factors such as the size, material, and rarity of the bag. The starting price for a basic Birkin bag in the United States was around $9,000 to $10,000. However, it’s important to note that Birkin bags often have long waiting lists, and the most sought-after designs or limited editions can command much higher prices in the secondary market due to their exclusivity and rarity.

  • Exclusive: ‘I am not against the film’: Actor Shaan Shahid defends his viral comment about Money Back Guarantee

    Exclusive: ‘I am not against the film’: Actor Shaan Shahid defends his viral comment about Money Back Guarantee

    Veteran actor Shaan Shahid has been criticised by social media users when his Facebook comment went viral where he had slammed the director of ‘Money Back Guarantee’ Faisal Qureshi, saying that Ufone commerical directors should not be allowed to direct films:

    “Ufone commercials are 45 seconds… producers should be held responsible for getting directors who have no experience when it comes to films.”

    The Current spoke to the ‘Waar’ actor about the controversy. He defended his comment by saying that it was not directed targeted towards anyone, in particular, towards Pakistani films because he supports them.

    “This was an exchange between two colleagues. I had made this comment under a Facebook post by Rashid Khawaja, who is the CEO of Entertainment Pakistan.”

    Shahid added that he hoped that the film did well, adding that this was his own personal comment which everyone is allowed to express.

    The central argument made by most social media users was that with an industry that already has limited support, veteran actors like Shahid were further harming it by making such comments about ‘Money Back Guarantee’.

    When we asked Shahid about this, he responded:

    “My comment wouldn’t come across as degrading, because the film is already playing in cinemas and people are watching it. I feel that as a professional actor, you have to be good at executing what you are doing.”

    He further added that this was not only his sole opinion, but the cinema reviews coming out show people also have mixed responses to the film.

    The ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ actor further added that the filmmakers did not make a wise choice to release the film in these timings due to ongoing political instability, especially due to the curfew imposed by the government because of which cinemas shut down at 10 pm, calling it a ‘poor choice’.

  • Former UK PM Liz Truss refuses to pay £12,000 back to govt for bathrobes, wine, slippers

    Former UK PM Liz Truss refuses to pay £12,000 back to govt for bathrobes, wine, slippers


    Liz Truss, the United Kingdom’s shortest-serving prime minister, has declined to reimburse the British government for a sum of £12,000 ($15,000) for her stay at Chevening House while she was Foreign Secretary.

    The bill mostly covered hospitality expenditure but also included missing items, such as bathrobes and slippers.

    According to a Daily Mail source, officials have informed Liz Truss that she must cover the expenses for items that went missing during her stat at the Chevening estate, which also includes food and wine charges.

    A spokesman for Ms Truss said: “Liz always paid for the costs of her personal guests at Chevening.”

    The latest invoice contains a mixture of costs for her personal business and costs for official government business with civil servants including [Cabinet Secretary] Simon Case and senior officials from other departments who met at Chevening during the transition preparations.”

    “The latter constitutes the majority of the bill. It would be inappropriate for her to pay the costs for officials as it would have breached the Civil Service Code for civil servants to accept hospitality during the leadership campaign. She has therefore asked for this to be billed separately.”

    Liz Truss’s tenure as prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 6 September 2022 when she accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, succeeding Boris Johnson, and ended 49 days later on 25 October upon her resignation.


  • PML-N ministers almost hit each other, use abusive language during National Assembly session

    PML-N ministers almost hit each other, use abusive language during National Assembly session

    Two leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)- federal ministers Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Mian Javed Latif — almost came to blows in a heated debate on Wednesday during the National Assembly (NA) session.

    The debate led to a point where the two senior members tried to hit each other and used abusive language, dismantling the decorum of the House.

    However, witnessing the tense situation several lawmakers including Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Qamar Zaman Kaira intervened.

    After the matter settled down, Azam Tarar made Murtaza sit with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

    Some media reports have suggested that the altercation began when Latif was not allowed to speak in the House. But there is no official confirmation of what led to the argument.

    Both ministers haven’t commented on the situation as of yet. However, Murtaza Javed’s official Twitter account posted his pictures inside the National Assembly in which Javed Latif is also present. Both of them can be seen talking to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  • 85-year-old man performs Umrah after saving for 15 years

    A video of an elderly man wandering in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina has gone viral on social media. The video gained attention from high-profile figures such as Turki Alalshikh, advisor to the Saudi Crown Prince, who tweeted about finding him.


    The 82-year-old Baloch Abdul Qadir Bakhsh, has returned to his home in the village of Goth Hajji Rahim in Hub, Balochistan on Saturday after performing Umrah. Baksh, who doesn’t own a phone, said that he had been saving for 15 years to make the pilgrimage, and the first time he saw his viral video was during an Arab News interview.


    “I feel like all my worries have vanished. My heart is content. I am not even short of sustenance, I am happy. My wish to visit the shrine of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Makkah have been granted,” Bakhsh told Arab News.

    “At the Kaaba, I prayed: ‘Allah, I don’t know this place, so you are my guide. I have no guide here. If I’m not healthy then this place is better for me; I’m not a learned person and I have weak eye sight. Guide me as you’re my only guide… guide me to your secrets,’” he added.
    He stated that his prayers had been answered.



  • Heist at Toronto Airport: thieves swipe $15 million worth of gold and valuables

    Heist at Toronto Airport: thieves swipe $15 million worth of gold and valuables

    In a theft of an unusually big scale, thieves have managed to steal CA $20 million (USD $15m) worth of gold from a cargo terminal at Toronto’s main international airport on Monday.


    This is the biggest gold heist since July 2019, when a theft of $30 million occurred at an airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn, the container carrying the gold arrived on a flight on Monday evening, but he did not disclose its origin.
    The cargo of the plane carrying the gold, was transferred to a holding facility. However, according to Inspector Duivesteyn, the container carrying the gold was unlawfully taken and reported as missing right after the unloading process.


    “An aircraft arrived here at the airport in the early evening. As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility,” he said.

    It is uncertain whether the stolen gold is still within the country’s borders. According to The Ottawa Sun, the gold may have been transported from a mine in Northern Ontario to Toronto on behalf of one of the banks. The authorities have not confirmed whether the perpetrators were professional criminals or not, but the investigation is continuing.


    The Toronto Sun claimed that organized criminal gangs are suspected of being responsible for the heist.

  • ‘Even as a cricketer, you’re an actor’: Wasim Akram talks to The Current about why he chose to act in ‘Money Back Guarantee’

    ‘Even as a cricketer, you’re an actor’: Wasim Akram talks to The Current about why he chose to act in ‘Money Back Guarantee’

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, cricket great and commentator Wasim Akram along with his wife, philanthropist Shaniera Akram, discussed their upcoming film ‘Money Back Guarantee’.

    The film plays host to a star-studded cast with the names of actors like Fawad Khan, Ali Safina, Ayesha Omar and Mikaal Zulfiqaar on the marquee.

    When asked about why he chose to venture into acting after 25 years in cricket and commentary, Akram opened up about his decision:

    “I have been acting for 25 years not just for television commercial or brands. And before that, even during the time I was a cricketer”, the 56-year-old former captain of the Pakistan team said. “When you’re on the field you have to be mindful about where you have to be angry, where you want to be excited, where you have to have a go at one of your fielders when they have dropped a catch.”

    Akram revealed that he had always enjoyed watching movies and television shows, and was grateful for the opportunity writer and director Faisal Quraishi gave him by casting him in ‘Money Back Guarantee’.

    “I enjoy watching movies…especially on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stand TV in Australia. I watch very different movies too, so credit goes to Faisal who convinced me to give it a go,” the former pacer told us.

    Akram also shared that this was not something he was making a career out of at this stage, but thought, “Why not, let’s give it a go?”

    The complete interview with Wasim Akram and Shaniera Akram will be released on The Current’s YouTube channel on the first day of Eid.

  • Teen dies after cardiac arrest, comes back to life two hours later

    Sammy Berko, a teenager from Missouri City in Texas, was declared dead after suffering cardiac arrest at a rock climbing gym. However, two hours later, the boy revived, coming back to life in front of his parents.

    Despite administering two hours of CPR after his heart stopped, medical professionals were unable to save Sammy’s life and ultimately declared him deceased.

    “He climbed to the top of the wall, rang the bell, as we were told, and then his body went limp, and it looked like he was either playing around or passed out. They weren’t quite sure and when they realized he was unresponsive, they lowered him slowly,” said Jennifer, the mother of the young boy.

    After doctors told the parents that Sammy was “gone”, the mother and father sat with their sons to say goodbye.

    “I started talking to him, just telling him how much I love him and sorry that we didn’t know how to save him. Suddenly, as I started praying, my husband said, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s moving,’” Jennifer recalled to a local news station.

    Medical personnel came back to the room and administered aid, reviving Sammy fully.

    “I don’t remember anything about the day it happened. The last thing I remember is the night before we had to sign waivers online (for the rock climbing gym), and then I woke up, not even in the pediatric ICU. I woke up in the transitional ICU and that’s the first thing I remember. Then I remember my dad telling me, this is what happened and you better remember this time, because he said it so many times,” said Sammy while talking about his experience.

    Although he went two hours without oxygen, the boy has no significant brain damage.

  • It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo, is critically ill after the 17-year-old fell in a pond in a small enclosure. She has since been lying visibly weak with limited motion on a mound of sand, propped up against the only tree inside the enclosure. Noor Jehan’s condition is a reminder that we have imprisoned animals in cages for the entertainment of the people. We humans are the reason that the animals suffer and bear so much torture and pain.

    Wild animals are unlikely to survive or live happily in an artificial environment like the ones we provide them at the zoos. Moving them from their natural habitat and from their community puts them under great stress. It is no secret that animals in Pakistani zoos are kept in poor conditions.

    The wildlife parks and zoos of Pakistan are characterised by a weak governance system. The animals lying in the zoos and wildlife parks of Pakistan are ignored with regard to their physical and mental well-being. They are not properly provided with adequate nutritional food and are seldom treated effectively for their physical ailments. There are about 10 public zoos, 25 private zoos and 28 wildlife parks in Pakistan. Neither of these are authorised by any recognised association of zoos and aquariums. The animals kept in these zoos are often neglected. Not only is their food and nutrition ignored but several other environmental issues thwart their well-being. Several zoos lack veterinary professionals, owing to which the animals do not get ample medical help whenever required. Some animals die due to lack of adequate required treatment adding to the plight of the zoos of Pakistan.

    This brutality towards animals has been there because of continuous negligence being directed towards them. This isn’t the first time we are witnessing the suffering of animals at zoos and this definitely doesn’t seem to be the last time either. In 2020, American singer Cher arrived in Pakistan to send off Kaavan, an elephant in Islamabad Zoo she had spent years trying to free, before his move to a Cambodian sanctuary. Animal rights advocates had campaigned for the 36-year-old Asian elephant to be rescued from grim conditions.

    Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, has said that there is a no-zoo Islamabad model of rescue and rehab centre and transition sanctuary, in the federal capital. The Islamabad zoo where the bears and the elephant were kept have now been closed. Pakistan should stand firmly against any kind of animal cruelty and take timely action to stop it.

    We all need to stand up for the animals and treat them right. It took one Noor Jehan to make us realise that zoo animals suffer from continued neglect and will continue to die and go through pain if our policies don’t change. So if, we cannot take care of our animals, we should close the zoos and free the animals. We Pakistanis don’t deserve them.