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Category: Lifestyle

  • Gaza women taking period-delaying pills amidst lack of privacy, water: Al Jazeera exclusive

    Gaza women taking period-delaying pills amidst lack of privacy, water: Al Jazeera exclusive

    Linah Alsaafin and Ruwaida Amer from Al Jazeera have reported from Gaza on Palestinian women who have been struggling to cope with menses at a time when medical supplies have been cut and the region is under heavy military attacks by Israel.

    Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, Gazans have been internally displaced, living in poor conditions among a large number of people with no privacy, and no access to water or menstrual hygiene products like sanitary napkins and/or tampons. To counter this major problem, women are resorting to norethisterone tablets that are usually prescribed in times of severe menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and painful periods.

    While these pills have side effects like irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, changes to the menstrual cycle, dizziness and mood swings, Palestinian women do not have any choice for now.

    Al Jazeera spoke to 41-year-old Salma who fled her hometown, Tel al-Hawa, and is now at a relative’s place in Deir el-Balah refugee camp. She is in a “constant state of fear, discomfort and depression, which has taken a toll on her menstrual cycle”.

    “I am experiencing the most difficult days of my life during this war,” Salma says. “I got my period twice this month so far – which is very irregular for me – and suffered heavy bleeding.”

    Nevin Adnan, a psychologist and social worker based in Gaza City, explained to Al Jazeera that while normally, women may experience psychological and physical symptoms before and during periods (changes in mood and lower abdominal, back pain); these symptoms, however, can worsen under stress.

    “Displacement causes extreme stress and that affects the woman’s body and her hormones,” she said.

    “There can also be an increase of the physical symptoms associated with menstruation, such as abdominal and back pain, constipation and bloating,” she said, adding that they may also experience insomnia, constant nervousness and extreme tension.

    This is why, Adnan asserts, more women are taking period-delaying pills “to avoid embarrassment and shame due to the lack of hygiene, privacy, and available health products”.

    “In war, we are forced to do everything we can,” says Salma.

    “There is never a choice.”

    Read full story: No privacy, no water: Gaza women use period-delaying pills amid war

  • Post-deadline crackdown on ‘illegal aliens’ to begin from tomorrow

    Post-deadline crackdown on ‘illegal aliens’ to begin from tomorrow

    Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has declared that the operation against illegal foreigners will start from November 2 as the deadline given to them is ending today. The deportation will take place in different phases from here on.

    According to the Afghan Commission, as many as 104,000 Afghan refugees living illegally in Pakistan have returned to Afghanistan so far. The undocumented refugees included 28,000 men and 19,000 women and 56,000 thousand children.

    The caretaker federal cabinet approved that provinces will bear the expenses of the logistics. Caretaker Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar gave his nod to allocating Rs.4.5 billion to carry out the Repatriation plan from Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana divisions.

    49 holding centres have been established all over the country.These illegal foreigners are being brought to holding centres after registration. A huge number has already reached the Chaman border to leave whereas the ones in the centers will be sent gradually according to the plan.

    However, there are reports of a crackdown in different cities of the country like Karachi, Hyderabad, Sargodha, Mianwali and Khushab. Caretaker Information Minister Barrister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel told the media that, “We’ve identified and mapped 52,000 illegal residents in various districts of our province for action.” “These [undocumented] foreigners will be temporarily kept in designated processing zones from where they will be deported to their respective countries,” he added on.
    Mr Kakakhel said that under the plans, the exercise would be executed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday and Saturday in Punjab, and on Wednesday and Thursday in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    He also announced that from Nov 1, the federal government would begin a “single-document” policy welcoming those entering Pakistan on passport and visas only.

    Read more: All you need to know about Afghans being sent from Pakistan

  • 6 more deaths despite the ceasefire in Kurram Agency

    6 more deaths despite the ceasefire in Kurram Agency

    The sectarian clashes between the two groups in Kurram have claimed six more lives taking the death toll to 55 in nine days. A total of 105 people are injured. 

    Despite the efforts made by the local jirgas of the ceasefire the clashes between different other groups have erupted, pushing the region to be blocked from the rest of the world with no services of communication and internet along with lack of law and order.

    A ceasefire has been made between Sadda and Balish Khel while the fights between eight other group is still going on.  

    Read more: Kurram Agency’s sectarian clashes leave 50 dead before peace-deal

  • Taliban Calls For More Time For Afghans To Leave Pakistan

    Afghanistan’s Taliban government has urged Pakistan to allow undocumented Afghans in the country more time to leave as pressure mounts at border posts swarmed by thousands of returnees fleeing the threat of deportation.

    Islamabad has given 1.7 million Afghans it says are living illegally in the country until November 1 to leave voluntarily or be forcibly removed.

    More than 130,000 people have left Pakistan since the order was given at the start of October, according to border officials in the towns of Torkham and Chaman, creating bottlenecks at either sides of crossings.

    In a statement late Tuesday, Taliban authorities thanked Pakistan and other countries that have hosted millions of Afghans who fled their country during decades of conflict, but “asked them to not forcibly deport Afghans with little notice but to give them time to prepare”.

    Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban government has urged Afghans to return home, but has also condemned Pakistan’s actions, saying nationals are being punished for tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, and calling for people to be given more time to depart.

    Read more: All you need to know about Afghans being sent from Pakistan

  • Markhor hunting permit auctioned for $212,000

    Markhor hunting permit auctioned for $212,000

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s departments of Climate Change, Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department on Monday auctioned four liscences for the hunting of Kashmir Markhor in Chitral and Kohistan districts with the highest ever bid recorded at $212,000. The bids for the second, third and fourth were $185,000, $135,900 and $135,000 respectively.

    A week ago, on October 26, the bid for hunting the prized Astore Markhor was conducted in Gilgit Baltistanunder GB Forest, Park and Wildlife Department, which fetched a record $186,000. This was followed by $181,000 for second, $177,000 for the third and $171,000 for the fourth.

    The national animal of Pakistan, Markhor, found in the Northern Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, is a species at near risk of extinction. Trophy hunting programs are conducted to help the local communities preserve the species and it’s habitat.

    80 per cent of the proceeds go to the development of local communities, their education and healthcare while the remaining is deposited into government’s treasury.

    However, Wildlife and Climate experts are extremely critical of these trophies for they believe that this is worsening the already dreadful condition of rare species. Even though the Hunting Guidelines specify that only old Markhors are to be hunted to make room for younger ones to procreate, violations of these rules are often observed in the form of killing of young species and the use of inappropriate weaponry.

  • Afghan kids’ sentimental reactions on leaving Pakistan

    Amidst the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, a large number of children born and raised in Pakistan, not ready to leave their friends and schools, are being forced to leave too. Videos featuring the children bidding farewells are going viral on the internet.

    In one, a young Afghani boy can be seen saying goodbye to his classmates.

    In another one, little Afghan girls can be seen singing the National Anthem and expressing their disappointment on leaving since all they know is that Pakistan is their home.

    Worrisome pictures have also emerged on X (formerly Twitter) with claims that some of the Afghan children are being presented in court after being arrested from their madrassahs and schools in Karachi. Afghan refugee advocate Moniza Kakkar has said, “This raises serious concerns about their legal rights as refugees”.

  • British Home Secretary slammed for calling pro-Palestine demonstrations ‘hate marches’

    British Home Secretary slammed for calling pro-Palestine demonstrations ‘hate marches’

    Suella Braveman, Home Secretary of UK, has said that the thousands of people taking to the streets after the largest massacre of Jews post holocaust are, “chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map,” emphasizing that they are “hate marches”.

    She was speaking to the media after an emergency meeting called by Rishi Sunak over growing terror fears in the region. She reiterated her demand for “police to show zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism.”

    The shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called out her statement as irresponsible citing, “use of careless rhetoric makes the job of the police much harder”.
    Previously, she urged the police to clamp down on any attempts to use flags, songs or swastikas to harass or intimidate the Jewish community. Her statement was also seen as a harsh response to the most famous chant of these marches, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”


    Former Cabinet Minister Saeeda Warsi lambasted the home secretary by saying that “she never misses the opportunity to create a culture war”.

    Braveman is being widely criticised over her remarks. Left-wing politician David Osland posted on X, writing, “British National Party’s protest as hate march or is this word reserve for those demanding peach for Palestine?”


    Netizen, Howard Beckett, reminded the world that she called a “protest against the ongoing murder of over 3000 children a hate march”.

    UK has seen massive protests and marches in support of Palestine but the stance of the Government is hostile and provocative against the marchers. Nearly a hundred arrests have already been made while five have also been charged with offences.

  • ‘Brain-eating’ amoeba causes two deaths in a week in Karachi

    ‘Brain-eating’ amoeba causes two deaths in a week in Karachi

    Sindh Health Authorities have reported two deaths within a week from Naegleria Fowleri, also known as brain-eating amoeba, in Karachi. The death toll has reached 10 victims this year.

    The latest victim is a 22-years-old student of North Karachi. Earlier in the week, a 45-year-old succumbed to the amoeba in the same locality. The two deaths have raised alarm bells both in the locality and the city.

    The student fell ill with high fever, headache and vomitting. His condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to hospitalisation in ICU. He tested positive for Naegleria, dying within four days on October 29.

    The symptoms of the two patients were similar but both had no history of swimming to suggest that they contracted the germs via nasal passage, as reported by the health department. The surveillance coordinator of the town has asked to collect samples from the area to detect the presence of the amoeba.
    Health Services Karachi Director Dr Abdul Hamid Jumani has however stressed the importance of chlorination at different levels in the water supply system. Not just that, the seepage in the pipelines should be corrected at once to avoid contamination of water.

    Water tanks at home need to be cleaned regularly and hygiene should be maintained. Experts suggest that water tanks should be cleaned once a year and a 20-gramme tablet is enough for a 100-gallon tank for 15 days.

    The infection caused by Naeglaria Fowleri is fatal in 98 per cent of cases. Contaminated water is its natural habitat. The medical term used for the disease is Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis. Among the 100 cases reported in 11, years only two survived; one for three months and the other is alive till date.

  • Four labourers from South Punjab were killed in Turbat Balochistan

    Four labourers from South Punjab were killed in Turbat Balochistan

    Four labourers, along with a police official, have been killed while one has been injured in the Nasirabad area of Turbat, Balochistan, in an attack on a police station by unidentified persons on Tuesday. The authorities have declared the attack terrorist activity.

    All the labourers killed in the attack were from district Muzaffargarh, South Punjab.

    According to police, dead bodies were transferred to the Teaching Hospital in Turbat.

    Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai condemned the incident and said that it was a terrorist attack.

    The killing marks the second incident of targeted attacks on labourers from South Punjab in Balochistan.

    Earlier this month, at least six laborers  from Shujabaad were killed in Turbat city. The labourers were sleeping in an under-construction building when they were attacked.

  • More than 90,000 Afghan refugees leave Pakistan via Torkham

    More than 90,000 Afghan refugees leave Pakistan via Torkham

    Following the federal government’s decision to send undocumented foreigners back to their countries, more than 90,000 Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned home via the Torkham border.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Interior Department has set up temporary camps in Peshawar, Haripur and Khyber district for repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees.

    From November 1, illegal foreigners will be arrested and transferred to camps, after which they will be sent to Afghanistan via Torkham.

    The temporary camp in Peshawar reportedly has a capacity of housing 2,000 people, while food and water will be provided along with medical aid. Special security arrangements have also been made in the temporary camp.

    On the other hand, the Department of Home Affairs has also established a ‘control room’ from where the process of return is being monitored. A helpline has also been launched, on which guidance can be provided in case of other problems besides identification of illegal foreigners.

    The number of Afghan refugees residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is more than 900,000, while visas were issued to 116,418 Afghans this year.