Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • 11.11 sales you wouldn’t want to miss

    11.11 sales you wouldn’t want to miss

    The end-of-the-year sales, popularly known as 11.11 sales, are about to commence, with outlets and brands offering high-end products at cheaper prices.

    Here, we will share with you some of the best deals being offered by the biggest names in the retail business:

    Daraz 11. 11

    Daraz is offering discounts on various products, from electronic devices to beauty products. There are products of daily use, mobile phones, fashion, health, home appliances, and various accessories at cheaper prices.
    The discounts they claim to offer are of a combined total of one billion rupees as the tagline says, “1 Arab k discounts”. There are no delivery charges and mega deals are available, offering up to 75 percent off.

    The sale will start on November 11 and will last till November 21.

    AliExpress 11.11

    AliExpress is also hosting a grand sale on all the products on its app and website with a discount of up to 50 percent. It is also offering Rs. 1,140 off every Rs.5,702 worth of shopping.
    Products include cosmetics, gadgets, and everything in between, with more than 80 percent discounts on bestselling products.

    With a warm-up on November 8, the sale will officially begin on November 11 and will last for the next seven days.

    Laam.pk Mega deals11.11

    Laam.pk has announced huge sales on all the high-end luxurious brands on its website. It is offering discounts ranging from 30 percent to more than 70 percent on all its collections. There are discounts available on bags, jewelry, and footwear as well. It’s a golden opportunity for all those preparing for the shadi season ahead.
    The sale will be live from November 8 to 12.

    Edenrobe 40 percent sales

    Edenrobe, a high street clothing brand, is offering an alluring 40 percent discount on its winter products and an end-of-the-season sale on summer products. The brand has an affordable range for students and those with lower budgets.
    The offer is available both in stores and online.

    Gul Ahmed Ideas 11.11

    Gul Ahmed Ideas 11.11 Sale is offering discounts on men’s, children’s, and women’s collections from unstitched to pret. There are 40-50 percent discounts available on all the collections including bedsheets, bathrobes, and footwear as well.

    One.pk 11.11

    One.pk is a brand to look out for. The glam brand is offering 30-50 percent discounts on men, women and kids’ wear. The products are all chic, high-quality winter wardrobes of both luxurious and street fashion. Shoes, denim, shirts, shorts, and trousers are calling all the western wear lovers.

    Heels 11.11 Blockbuster Sales

    Heels are offering excellent discounts on classical winter footwear while there is a flat 50 percent off for a number of products including heels, flats, shoes, and sandals.
    However, from November 8-12, there is 23 percent off on the entire stock.

    Diners 11.11

    Known for comfy clothes for men, women, and kids, Diners.pk is also offering a flat 25 percent off on all products. The products, western and traditional, are available in all sizes while children’s items are at a 50 percent discount.

  • NED University issues show cause notice to students for collecting funds for Gaza

    NED University issues show cause notice to students for collecting funds for Gaza

    A show cause notice issued by NED University of Engineering and Technology has surfaced online, which censures students for collecting funds for Palestine, terming it an act “tantamount to misconduct”, and asking the students to give an explanation within seven days.

    The official notice explains that a body of engineering students, assumed to be representing a political party, was collecting donations for Palestine funds without permission from a competent authority on October 25. This is seen as a violation of Discipline, Conduct, Welfare, and Code of Honour. The students now have to present their case before a university committee to provide an explanation as to why they should not be punished.

  • ‘Painful to watch’: social media horrified after Congress votes to censure Palestinian-American politician Rashida Tlaib

    ‘Painful to watch’: social media horrified after Congress votes to censure Palestinian-American politician Rashida Tlaib

    On Tuesday night, the US House voted to censure Palestinian-American Representative Rashida Tlaib over comments she made on the situation in Gaza.

    Among the voters were 22 Democrats who backed a resolution saying Tlaib has been “Promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for destruction of the state of Israel.”

    The death toll of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes has soared to 10,000 civilians. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder has called Gaza “a graveyard for thousands of children”, urging world leaders to call for a ceasefire.

    Tlaib provoked ire by using the slogan ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, which Republican politicians claimed was anti-Semitic.

    Speaking on the House floor, Rashida defended her stance and urged fellow lawmakers to end USA’s complicity in the genocide of Gaza.

    “I will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words,” Tlaib responded. “No government is beyond criticism. The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”

    Social media users were horrified by the censure, hailing Rashida as the bravest politician for having the courage to speak truth during a time of censorship.

  • Child domestic worker, 9, found dead at employer’s home

    Child domestic worker, 9, found dead at employer’s home

    Ehsan, a 9-year-old domestic worker, was allegedly sodomized and then murdered by his employer Shan Ali, an estate agent, in Lahore. The employer claims that the boy committed suicide by hanging himself.

    The incident occurred in Baghbanpura, Lahore on Tuesday as per the police. A murder case has been lodged while Shan has been nominated in the FIR on the complaint of the child’s mother, Nawab Bibi.

    The child, a resident of Kasur, was sent to work as a house help at Shan’s residence some five years ago. According to the mother, her brother-in-law, Imran, used to collect wages from the employer while family members were not allowed to meet the boy. They met him only once in five years. The suspect himself called the family to inform them that the boy has taken his own life. Reportedly, the alleged killer shifted the body to the morgue before the boy’s parents arrived at his home. She told the police that her son was sodomized and then hanged by Shan.

    The alleged murderer has already fled the scene, while the police is in search of the suspect.

  • Husband and wife about to be separated amidst Afghan deportation

    Husband and wife about to be separated amidst Afghan deportation

    Amidst the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the media is uncovering instances of families getting ripped apart.

    One such story is that of Bilal and Rabia in Karachi, who are now facing the risk of separation after 15 years of marriage, Geo has reported.

    Bilal, born to immigrant Afghan parents in 1988, has lived all his life in Karachi. Rabia, originally from DG Khan, used to live in the same locality as Bilal. The two fell in love.

    Bilal talked to his parents to ask for her hand in marriage, however, his brothers threatened to cut all ties with him if he married a Pakistani girl. Unfazed by their sentiments, he married Rabia. Bilal’s brothers left for Afghanistan and Rabia’s family gave them their consent and blessings.

    Fifteen years on, the two are happy and Bilal is also taking care of his widowed mother-in-law and a divorced sister-in-law. In the wake of Afghan expulsion from the country, fear is looming over the couple’s minds constantly. Despite every effort to get Bilal a CNIC, he has not got one in all these years and the couple is determined to get it through a legal route.

    Addressing this predicament, Bilal said, “I heard about the directive from the Peshawar High Court to grant identity cards to Afghan nationals married to Pakistani citizens. I joined the struggle in light of this landmark judgment. Unfortunately, it did not yield results. I regret not taking this matter more seriously at first. I was unaware that lacking an identity card in Pakistan could lead to separation from our families. My roots are in this country, and I have a deep affection for it. Regardless of legal decisions, our financial commitments are in Pakistan, and even if we are deported, our homeland will remain Pakistan.”

    Rabia said, “My husband’s brothers have not accepted us in the fifteen years of our marriage. They even threatened us, saying if you return, we will harm you. I am worried for my husband because he is my only support. As for myself, why should I go anywhere? I am a Pakistani. They are not my people, and neither is Afghanistan my homeland.”

    The couple, parents to five children, urged the government to review its decision or reconsider its policies regarding cases like their own.

  • ‘I swear it smelled like the Kaaba’: Palestinian journalist’s wife remembers him on baby’s first birthday

    ‘I swear it smelled like the Kaaba’: Palestinian journalist’s wife remembers him on baby’s first birthday

    The world mourned the loss of Palestinian journalist Roshdie Sarraj who was killed after an Israeli airstrike hit his home in Gaza, leaving behind his wife and newborn daughter Dania.

    Social media was moved to tears yesterday when the late journalist’s wife Shrouq posted a loving note for her husband on their baby’s birthday, honouring Roshdie as a devoted father and husband who died defending the truth.

    “Habibi Roshdi,

    Exactly one year ago today, you were holding my hand, comforting me during labor. Having you by my side made it so much easier. We chose the name Dania for our daughter, which means “close” in Arabic, so she would forever remain close to our hearts.

    Today marks her first birthday, and we had planned a grand celebration, envisioning the memories we would create for her.

    Habibi, it has been two weeks since you were tragically killed while eating breakfast together, and I still hold onto the hope that you will be here to help her blow out her first candle.

    I am devastated by the idea of how she will remain “close” to Daddy’s heart without remembering his face. She is far too young to be orphaned, and I am far too young to be a widow. You were too young to lose your life simply for being a journalist.

    Never forgive,

    Yours.”

    Social media users expressed their grief in the comments and prayed Roshdie is resting in peace.

    In another post, Shrouq shared a picture of her and Sorraj at the Holy Kaaba in Makkah. In the caption she asked her followers to pray for her husband:

    “Pray for my beloved.. Pray for him a lot.. I swear it smelled like the smell of Kaaba.. Martyr my baby martyr”

  • Bangladesh Garment Workers Reject 56% Pay Rise

    Bangladesh Garment Workers Reject 56% Pay Rise

    Bangladesh raised the minimum monthly pay for the country’s four million garment workers by 56.25 percent on Tuesday, a decision immediately rejected by unions seeking a near-tripling of the figure.

    The South Asian country’s 3,500 garment factories account for around 85 percent of its $55 billion in annual exports, supplying many of the world’s top fashion names including Levi’s, Zara and H&M.

    But conditions are dire for many of the sector’s four million workers, the vast majority of whom are women whose monthly pay starts at 8,300 taka ($75).

    Workers have gone on strike to demand a near-tripling of their wages, with violent scenes in recent days, while employers offered 25 percent.

    The minimum wage is fixed by a state-appointed board that includes representatives from the manufacturers, unions and wage experts.

    “The new minimum monthly wage for garment factory workers has been fixed at 12,500 taka ($113),” Raisha Afroz, the board secretary, told AFP.

    The figure was immediately rejected by unions, which have been demanding a 23,000 taka minimum.

    Unions say their members have been hard hit by persistent inflation, which in October reached nearly 10 percent, and a cost of living crisis partly triggered by the taka depreciating about 30 percent against the US dollar since early last year.

    “This is unacceptable. This is below our expectations,” said Kalpona Akter, head of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation.

    Hundreds of workers staged an angry protest just yards from the labour ministry after the announcement.

    “I reject this new monthly minimum wage,” said garment worker Sajal Mia, 21.

    “It is an injustice to us. The authorities didn’t take the situation of the market into the account. They’re only concerned about their own interests,” he added.

    The panel normally sits every five years and in 2018 raised the basic minimum from 5,000 taka to 8,000. Garment workers also get at least 300 taka per month as an attendance fee.

    Earlier Tuesday, police fired tear gas at thousands of workers who set a bus on fire outside Dhaka, as tensions rose ahead of the announcement.

    Police said violence broke out in the industrial city of Gazipur as about 6,000 workers walked out of their plants and staged protests.

    “They torched a bus. We fired tear gas to disperse them,” Gazipur industrial police unit chief Sarwar Alam told AFP.

    Police said around 600 factories that make clothing for many major Western brands were shuttered last week and scores were ransacked as the worst wage protest in a decade hit major industrial areas and a suburb of the capital.

    Four factories were torched and at least two workers were killed in the violence, with tens of thousands of workers blocking highways and attacking factories.

    There was no comment from top brands who source tens of billions of dollars of clothing from Bangladesh and for whom South Asian factories are a vital part of their supply chains.

    But last month brands including Gap, Levi Strauss, Lululemon, and Patagonia wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calling for a “successful conclusion” to wage negotiations.

    “The consultations should seek to raise the minimum wage to a level that corresponds with a wage level and benefits that are sufficient to cover workers’ basic needs and some discretionary income,” they said.

    The protests have coincided with separate violent demonstrations by opposition parties demanding the resignation of Hasina ahead of elections due in January.

  • All you need to know about ‘Just looking like a wow’

    All you need to know about ‘Just looking like a wow’

    The catchphrase, “just looking like a wow” trending nowadays is actually a very interesting sales pitch by Jasmeen Kaur, the owner of “Design Machine Suits” in Delhi with a total of 649K followers on Instagram. In her jubilant and enthusiastic style, she presents her really colourful, traditional dresses in live sessions and reels.

    Jasmeen runs a small business in Delhi. She jumped on the bandwagon of live streaming and using social media for growing sales. In one of those live streams, she was seen wearing a flamboyant yellow dress, pitching it to be the best ever choice for girls to wear by saying, “…so beautiful, so elegant, just looking like a wow” as she goes on to explain the sizes and colours available. The phrase was picked up by celebrities around the world and has become a pop-culture reference for netizens since then.

    Ms Kaur has since then become a social media personality, giving interviews and boosting her business to the fullest. She sees this stroke of luck as an outcome of her long struggle of 23 years.

    On Instagram, the audio clip has been recreated 477K times reaching millions of views especially created by celebrities. From Deepika to Ranveer, celebrities are using the phrase. The numbers are no less on TikTok. Thousands of videos have been created solely because it feels good and relatable. Yashraj Mukhate famous for his own musical stints, also posted his version of looking like a wow which has been liked by more than half a million until now.

    Videos are trending on social media with the audio of, “so toxic, so negative, just looking like a jao,” amassing thousands of views on Instagram and TikTok but nothing beats the simplicity with which Jasmeen carries herself. There is innovation in her style as she comes up with unique colours’ names like laddu peela, mouse grey and bengani purple.

  • Emergency declared amidst Congo fever outbreak in Quetta

    Emergency declared amidst Congo fever outbreak in Quetta

    Authorities in Balochistan have declared a health emergency in the province amidst an outbreak of the deadly Congo fever. An outbreak of the viral disease has claimed the life of one doctor while 44 cases have been reported.

    The decision was made by Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki in Quetta to prevent the further spread of the disease. Local administration has been asked to stay alert, a ban has been imposed on private slaughterhouses in Quetta under section 144 and a directive has been issued to the livestock department to immediately spray disinfectants in cattle markets.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Congo fever is caused by a tick-borne virus called “Nairovirus”, transmitted via tick bites or through infected animals’ blood. It causes Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a severe viral haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of 10 to 40 percent.

    Dr Shukrullah Langove, who got infected with the virus, died on Sunday while he was being moved to Karachi by road. It was claimed by the Young Doctor’s Association that his life could have been saved, had swift action been taken. About 11 more healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, have also tested positive. The caretaker setup has declared the deceased doctor a martyr and announced benefits for his family. As for the other patients, it has been decided that they will be shifted to Karachi via air ambulance.

  • ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    In a series of video documents and reports released by the organization’s Lahore Chapter, a number of Pakistani Pashtuns are seen talking about how they are being taken in to deportation centres because they ‘look Afghan’. Their minor children, and in one case an Afghan’s wife and a two-month-old baby, been taken to holding centres in multiple raids conducted by the police.

    The victims, visibly distressed, are complaining about the lack of information and resources as they do not know where the detainees are being taken and why. Some of them are being told that they will be taken to the borders for deportation because they do not hold registration cards and are assumed illegal by the government, even though their guardians hold the required documents.

    There are incidents of minor legal document holders being deported too. One such example is 16-year-old Mansour, brother of Yaseen who holds a PoR card but he says the police have confiscated it from him putting him at further risk. The child is being sent on a bus to the border.

    Aurat March is claiming that there is a large number of poor Pakistani Pashtuns running from one police station to the other, trying to prove with their CNICs and birth certificates of their detained children, that they are legal citizens and not illegal immigrants.

    Unfortunately, as confirmed by Aurat March, a video of a man doing rounds on social media where he is being told by the authorities that his son, a 17-year-old has been sent to Afghanistan after being picked up in a raid in Karachi, is true.

    In another video, a man from Waziristan, a Pakistani citizen is showing his child’s birth certificate, which was missing a day ago and has received a call from his son who is now sent to Chaman for deportation. He goes on to prove his citizenship by showing his Watan card and the ID cards of his deceased father and brother too. He alleges that the money and the photocopy of the father’s ID card had been snatched away from the kid by the police.

    Activist Mehrub Awan posted on X a video of a police officer outside the Sultanabad detention centre stating that “The Pakistanis deported accidentally can’t be brought back”.

    Lawyer Moniza Kakar, while talking to The Current, explains that the number of 1.7 million as stated by the government is a vague one, and the number is not definite since registration of Afghans stopped when the Taliban took over. All those who entered Pakistan after that were given a token which has no legal status. Consequently, they also can’t have access to any legal shelter. Even then, petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court where Lawyers Umer Gilani and Sara Malkani will be representing.
    Many, including women and children, are being confused by authorities, allegedly for having an accent or looking similar to Afghans, said Kakar.

    The government, however, is silent, raising questions over the transparency of the system and the very rushed way in which the process is being conducted. We have reached out to the interior ministry for a comment but they have not responded.