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Category: Lifestyle

  • Heavy rains in Chennai flooded airport, leaving 8 dead, thousands affected

    Heavy rains in Chennai flooded airport, leaving 8 dead, thousands affected

    Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh around noon on Tue­sday, the country’s weather office said, with sustained winds of 90-100kph (56-62mph), gusting to 110kph.

    The cyclone was forecast to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh state later Tuesday as a “severe cyclonic storm”, packing winds up to 100 kilometres, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

    In Chennai, cars were seen floating on raging torrents, homes were flooded, and a crocodile was spotted swimming the streets in the city.

    In some parts of the flooded city, people used boats to get out of their flooded neighbourhoods to the safety of government relief shelters.

    The IMD warned of “exceptionally heavy rainfall” in some areas.

    “We are facing the worst storm in recent memory,” Tamil Nadu state chief minister M.K. Stalin said, in a statement late Monday.

    Police said on Tuesday that eight people had been killed in the state capital of Chennai.

    They included some who drowned, as well as one person hit by a falling tree, another electrocuted by live wires in the water, and one crushed by a falling wall.

    Trees were uprooted and vehicles swept away due to the heavy rains, according to images posted on social media.

    Apple iPhone manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron and automaker Hyundai suspended their operations in Tamil Nadu due to the storm, local media reported.

    The cyclone is expected to hit India’s southeast coast near the town of Bapatla, on the 300-kilometre (185-mile) stretch between Nellore and Machilipatnam.

    Hundreds of people from coastal villages in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh have moved inland, with emergency rescue teams deployed to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone’s landfall, according to local media.

    Sea surges of waves up to 1.5 metres (nearly five feet) above normal tide levels are expected when the cyclone makes landfall, the IMD said.

    Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was “braced to provide all the necessary assistance to Andhra Pradesh”, with rescue teams deployed and more “on standby to mobilise as needed”.

    The cyclone is expected to weaken late Tuesday.

    Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.

    Cyclones — the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific — are a regular and deadly menace on coasts in the northern Indian Ocean, where tens of millions of people live.

    Schools, colleges, offices and banks were closed on Monday and Tuesday in at least four districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, because of weather conditions, a government notice said.

  • Driver arrested for running over pigeon

    Driver arrested for running over pigeon

    A Tokyo taxi driver was arrested for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons and killing one, police said Tuesday, reportedly because he was angry that the birds were on the road.

    Atsushi Ozawa, 50, “used his car to kill a common pigeon, which is not a game animal”, in the Japanese capital last month, and was arrested on Sunday for violating wildlife protection laws, a Tokyo police spokesman told AFP.

    Ozawa sped off from a traffic light when it turned green, ploughing his taxi into the bevy of birds at a speed of 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour, local media said.

    The sound of the engine reportedly prompted a surprised passer-by to report the incident.

    Tokyo police had a veterinarian perform a post-mortem on the hapless pigeon and determined its cause of death as traumatic shock, according to local media.

    “Roads belong to humans, so pigeons should have dodged out of the way,” Ozawa was quoted by local media as telling investigators.

    Police called his behaviour “highly malicious” for a professional driver, before deciding to go ahead with the arrest, broadcaster Fuji TV said.

    “Wow, can you get arrested for running over a pigeon?”, one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    “He could’ve just honked his car horn or something. But intentionally killing it? That’s crossing the line,” another posted.

  • More than 250,000 illegal Afghan citizens have returned to their homeland

    More than 250,000 illegal Afghan citizens have returned to their homeland

    The process of repatriating undocumented Afghan citizens to Afghanistan is underway across Pakistan.

    So far, two lacs 55 thousand and 29 illegal residents have returned from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan.

    According to the Interior Department, a total of 250, 814 immigrants have gone back to Afghanistan via Torkham, while 3,516 people have returned to their homeland through Angoot Ada border and 698 people have returned to their homeland from Kharlachi border.

    According to the data of the Immigration Department, 255,029 immigrants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have returned to Afghanistan.

  • ‘Rizz’ charms Oxford wordsmiths to win word of 2023

    ‘Rizz’ charms Oxford wordsmiths to win word of 2023

    “Rizz” — a colloquial term defined as “style, charm, or attractiveness” — has been crowned word of the year for 2023, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced on Monday.

    Its lexicographers chose “rizz”, which also conveys “the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”, from a shortlist of four words and phrases, after help from the public.

    An online vote had whittled down the list from eight finalists, all selected “to reflect the mood, ethos, or preoccupations” of the year.

    “Rizz was chosen by the language experts at OUP as an interesting example of how language can be formed, shaped, and shared within communities, before being picked up more widely,” OUP said.

    “Etymologically, the term is believed to be a shortened form of the word ‘charisma’, taken from the middle part of the word, which is an unusual word formation pattern,” it noted.

    The publisher added that the word shows the growing society-wide impact of Gen Z and how “younger generations create spaces — online or in person — where they own and define the language they use”.

    The term earned mainstream recognition in June after an interviewer asked “Spider-Man” actor Tom Holland about his “rizz”.

    The 27-year-old replied he had “no rizz whatsoever”.

    It is the second consecutive year that the public have played a part in picking Oxford’s word of the year, after an inaugural public vote last year saw “goblin mode” prevail.

    In that instance, the public were given the chance to choose the overall winner.

    An overwhelming 93 percent opted for the slang term describing “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy” behaviour.

    Previous words of the year — chosen by Oxford lexicographers — include “vax” (2021), “climate emergency” (2019) and “selfie” (2013).

    In the 2023 selection process, more than 30,000 word lovers helped decide head-to-head competitions between four different pairs of words or phrases.

    They selected “rizz” over “beige flag” — a character trait indicating that a partner or potential partner is boring.

    The other finalists were “Swiftie” (an enthusiastic Taylor Swift fan), “prompt” (an AI programme or algorithm instruction) and “situationship” (a romantic or sexual relationship not considered formal or established).

    OUP said “rizz” has “boomed on social media” and shows how the internet can propel initially fringe language “into the mainstream”.

    “This is a story as old as language itself, but stories of linguistic evolution and expansion that used to take years can now take weeks or months.”

  • Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    In today’s review of smog prevention in Lahore, Justice Shahid Kareem ordered that smoke-emitting factories be fined Rs10 lac each. Along with that he also warned the Punjab Government to not waste public money on any useless pursuit like artificial rain.


    The Director General Meteorological Department was present in the court to inform the judge that some of the sealed factories had opened themselves. Member water commission informed the court that such factories are working at night and the officers of the meteorological department are paid to stay silent on this. This prompted the court to issue a warning against these officers, reports Geo.


    The court ordered to fine domestic users Rs10,000 for wasting water and Rs20,000 thousand to commercial users for the same.


    The court also inquired about artificial rain and when it will materialize. The public prosecutor replied that the process is underway. The court admonished the government that public money should not get wasted in this pursuit.


    The court adjourned the hearing till December 8.

    As Lahore battles with hazardous levels of smog, Punjab has been planning artificial rain to dispel toxic pollution. The Punjab government has planned to carry out cloud seeding in Lahore to cause artificial rain, estimated to cost a whopping Rs 350 million. This was expected to happen in December.

  • Nine beggars offloaded from Umrah flight

    Nine beggars offloaded from Umrah flight

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested nine alleged beggars at Multan International Airport who were all set to travel to Saudi Arabia under the guise of Umrah pilgrims.


    There were six men and three women in the group that was arrested. Authorities were able to figure out their intentions as they were unable to produce evidence of hotel reservations or other legitimate purposes for their visit to Saudi Arabia.


    As they were subjected to scrutiny, the nine people admitted to engaging in begging activities during their stay in Saudi Arabia.


    Subsequently, they were taken into custody by the anti-human trafficking unit for further investigation.


    The operation marks the latest in a series of efforts by the FIA to stop begging rings that exploit individuals seeking to perform Umrah in Makkah. Earlier in October, FIA aimed at blacklisting people who malign the name of the country.


    Previously, a report was submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis about a shocking percentage of professional beggars who were arrested in the Middle East, 90 per cent of whom are Pakistanis.

  • Buy online Biryani, get ‘Chipkali’ free

    Buy online Biryani, get ‘Chipkali’ free

    An Indian Hyderabad family recently experienced a horrifying dining ordeal that can send shivers down anyone’s spine at the mere thought of accidentally eating a reptile.

    Their Zomato-ordered chicken biryani from Bawarchi Biryani, located at the RTC Crossroads, came with an unexpected and unwelcome addition—a dead lizard.

    The disturbing incident unfolded as a self-indulgent treat turning into a cause for concern, with a lifeless lizard discovered in the online-ordered chicken biryani. The shocking scenes, captured in a video, have since surfaced on the internet, leaving viewers in disbelief.

    Reportedly, Vishwa Aditya from DD Colony, Amberpet, placed an online order for chicken biryani on Zomato. However, upon receiving the parcel, they were greeted with the unpleasant sight of a dead lizard nestled amidst the rice.

    The matter gained attention after Telugu Scribe posted a video and images on X (former ) Twitter, exposing the unsettling incident.

    The tweet stated, “Live Lizard in Chicken Biryani at Loni Bavarchi Hotel Hyderabad RTC Cross Road. Vishwa Aditya from DD Colony, Amberpet ordered chicken biryani online on Zomato. The family members allege that the chicken biryani brought by Zomato Boy got a lizard. The family members got worried as the Bavarchi management gave a negligent reply.”

    Zomato reacted to the video with, ‘We are looking into it immediately – if you would like to share any additional details with us, please reach out via DM.’

  • Hannah Husain becomes first Pakistani to debute at Le Bal des Débutantes, wears diamond necklace worth USD 2.5 million

    Hannah Husain becomes first Pakistani to debute at Le Bal des Débutantes, wears diamond necklace worth USD 2.5 million

    Hannah Husain has become the first ever Pakistani woman to debut at the coveted Le Bal des Debutantes ball in Paris, attended by eligible single ladies from around the world. The ball was organised by Ophélie Renouard to raise funds for the cardiology research unit ARCFA of Neck-Enfants Malades Hospital and for the World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to vulnerable communities around the globe. It was held at the Shangri-La Paris, the former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew.

    Hannah Husain is the great-great granddaughter of Sir Fazli Husain, a barrister from Cambridge, and an Education Minister, while her great grandfather served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Beirut, Lebanon.

    Husain debuted at the ball wearing a pastel gown adorned with roses designed by Georges Hobeika and Elie Saab, and was escorted to the event by her brother Harris.

    It was Hannah’s necklace that caught the attention of social media. The bauble has a history dating back all the way to the 1800s according to Christie’s, and is the estimated to be worth $1.5 to 2.5 million.

    According to royal watcher blog, the necklace was designed for Princess Maria Caroline of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the Duchess of Aumale, later gifted to his god daughter Princess Helene of Orleans when she married the Duke of Aosta.

    The necklace was worn by the Marchioness of Chomondeley, Sybil Sassoon, and later by Lady Churchill in 1953 for the Nobel Prize Ceremony.

    At the 2022 debutante ball in Paris, Princess Helene d’Orelans had loaned the necklace to her namesake.

  • Climate change hitting home once again with wildfire in forests of Balochistan

    Climate change hitting home once again with wildfire in forests of Balochistan

    A fire has broken out over the weekend in the forests of Sherani and Musakhail, divisions close to the border area of Balochistan, reports Geo.

    This is not the first time that these regions have been caught in a wildfire as last year in May, another fire destroyed a vast cultivation of Chilgoza pine plants spread on almost 30 square kilometer area. The fire lingered on for more than 10 days and took the lives of three people.


    Deputy Commissioner Musakhail Zulfiqar Kirar has employed Levies Force and fireballs to curb the fire in the mountainous forests. As cars can not reach the region, the Levies force is heading the firefighting effort on foot. He further said that inmates of the two houses have been relocated due to the fire. The operation will continue all night while the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) will remain in close coordination with the administration.


    Caretaker Chief Minister Balochistan Ali Mardan Domki has also directed officials to stop the spread of the fire.

  • World Health Organization’s annual report highlights growing threat of malaria due to climate change

    World Health Organization’s annual report highlights growing threat of malaria due to climate change

    World Health Organization (WHO) has released an annual malaria report which includes, for the first time, a dedicated chapter focused on the intersection of the disease with climate change. “We are at the crossroads of opportunities and challenges,” says the report.


    As described in the report, climate change is one of many threats to the global response to malaria. Millions of people continue to miss out on the services they need to prevent, detect, and treat the disease. Conflict and humanitarian crises, resource constraints and biological challenges such as drug and insecticide resistance also continue to hamper progress.


    The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted malaria services, leading to a surge in both incidence and mortality rates, exacerbating already stalled progress against the disease. The world is in danger of losing the fight against malaria, as cases of the disease rose by around 5 million year-on-year in 2022, exceeding global targets to contain it, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.


    Pandemic-related disruptions and extreme weather events linked to climate change have hindered the fight against malaria in recent years.
    Cases surged in areas where weather was most extreme.


    Floods in Pakistan last year, for example, led to a five-fold increase in malaria cases in the country, the report showed.
    Two new malaria vaccines, both of which are due to be available next year, provide some hope.


    But the report also showed a significant funding gap in the response. While $4.1 billion was invested in the global effort to tackle malaria in 2022, roughly $7.8 billion was needed, it said.


    Globally there were an additional five million malaria cases in 2022 over the previous year and five countries bore the brunt of these increases. Pakistan saw the largest increase, with about 2.6 million cases in 2022 compared to 500 000 in 2021.