Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • ‘Recharge Pakistan’ climate resilience project approved for funding

    ‘Recharge Pakistan’ climate resilience project approved for funding

    Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, tweeted her joy on Tuesday at the ‘Recharge Pakistan’ project receiving approval for funding. A joint collaboration by Global Climate Fund (GCF), WWF and the Government of Pakistan, the project aims to build climate resilience through multiple Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA) interventions.

    The project is said to be implemented over the next seven years and will be receiving resources of $66 million from GCF, and $11.8 million from co-financing organisations. 

    The EBA interventions are comprised of three components: firstly, to store flood water in wetlands, floodplains, and depressions (also known as green infrastructure) at several priority sites. 

    Secondly, the project is designed to build community resilience amongst those Pakistani communities particularly vulnerable to climate change. 

    Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the project aims to enable a paradigm shift towards ecosystem-based adaptation in Pakistan in order to scale up more projects with this approach.

    As Senator Rehman also said, the project is aimed to enable the Government of Pakistan, “including all lead provinces and stakeholders”, to implement and replicate nature-based solutions for climate change.

    The tentative goal is that by 2030, there would be a reduction of flood risk, with enhanced water recharge at six sites in the Indus Basin, building resilience amongst 10 million people and vulnerable ecosystems. 

    In order to ensure that the aforementioned EBA interventions are sustained and continue to function effectively, WWF states that the project will ensure that climate-adapted, community-based natural resource management is implemented locally. 

    Thus, Recharge Pakistan will hopefully contribute towards improving water and food security at a national level, and climate-adapted livelihoods locally, increasing resilience through the protection and restoration of ecosystems and building the climate resilience of vulnerable communities in the Indus Basin.

    As one of the countries most threatened by climate change, the approved funding for Recharge Pakistan is definitely a win. More nature-based solutions for climate change could help our country escape imminent disaster while preserving and rebuilding what’s left of our environment.

  • Benazir Bhutto, Malala Yousafzai in the list of the most influential women’ in the world

    Benazir Bhutto, Malala Yousafzai in the list of the most influential women’ in the world

    Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, and education activist, Malala Yousafzai, have recently been added to the list of ‘most influential women in the world’.

    In the list published recently by Marie Claire, a renowned French magazine, the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto and Malala Yousufzai were included in the list of 60 women.

    The women on the list belong to every walk of life, from women’s rights activists and pioneers of racial equality to inventors, scientists, actors, and world leaders.

    Succinctly expressing the achievements of the former Pakistani People’s Party (PPP) leader, the website wrote, “Bhutto became the first woman prime minister of Pakistan in 1988. After a military coup overthrew her father’s government, she inherited the leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party.”

    Moreover, describing Malala’s achievements, it added: “Yousafzai survived a gunshot wound to the face by the Taliban and has since become a spokesperson for human rights, education, and women’s rights. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

    Some other prominent names mentioned in the list include Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Jane Austen, Maya Angelou, Queen Elizabeth II and Indira Gandhi.

  • ‘It did take a toll on my mental heath’: F-9 park harassment survivor speaks up

    ‘It did take a toll on my mental heath’: F-9 park harassment survivor speaks up

    Trigger warning: discussion of sexual harassment

    On Thursday, a video from the Instagram account sab.chutzpah.hai went viral on social media. The clip, shared by the anonymous account of a woman, detailed her account of a visit to F-9 park in Islamabad, where a man flashed her, then kept following her around as she ran to her car and tried to look around for police authorities, but found no one present for help.

    The incident prompted a response from the Islamabad police who wrote in the comment section that they wished to get in touch with the survivor to arrest the culprit.

    When The Current reached out to A*, she revealed that the incident took place on the June 26.

    She recounted that she visited the park to walk a bit around afternoon before attending her class at the university. She had been walking around the track which was near the parking lot, when suddenly she realised that someone was closely walking behind her.

    “There weren’t a lot of people in the park that day, and not even police men,” said A. “Which is odd because police officers are constantly patrolling the park and questioning people about their coming and going.”

    The woman recalled that the man was walking next to her as if they were together, and suddenly he came close to her and said “Aap ko jism dubwana hai [Do you want your body massaged]”?

    “I remembered being completely taken aback and shocked by this,” recounted A. “Then I threatened him to leave or I’ll call the police. But he was already aware of the fact there were no police officers present at the park and he didn’t stop walking behind me as I rushed to my car. I was frantically rushing to my car, while trying to find some police man standing around who could stop this man, but there were two cars there and in one a driver was present, and I was afraid that he might be involved with the man.”

    A said she sat in her car and tried to start it, but the man stood outside her window and kept jerking off as he looked at her directly.

    “I was incredibly worried and scared of what was going on,” she said. “So then I decided to make proof of this and recorded a video. I tried to hide behind the window blinds so he can’t notice, but he did and he tried to conceal his face, but I made the video. My car started immediately and when I came to the gate, there was no police man in sight even though it was afternoon.”

    A chose to remain anonymous and did not want her identity to be revealed to the police, as she hasn’t revealed the incident to her family, and decided to share this video with a public account instead.

    “They had shared a similar video of a man assaulting a woman,” she said. “That’s when I decided that I should share my experience with them.”

    On whether officials from the Islamabad Police had reached out for more details, A said they had informed the admin of the page that an FIR had been launched and a man hunt was underway in search of the harasser.

    She recounted that the incident had taken a toll on her mental health:

    “I feel so conscious about men around me now,” confessed A. “I don’t go out now without my mother.”

    Previously, a gang-rape case in February had drawn anger from activists and residents of Islamabad, when a woman and her colleague were attacked by two armed men, who raped her at gunpoint.

    A senior police official from the Islamabad Police told The Current that since the culprit has been identified in a video, all efforts will be made to catch him. “We will get all evidence from him regarding the immoral incident. Once the actions have been established what he was doing, we will charge him and then file a case for trial. We would encourage the victim to reach out to us directly and report it without going public but if she doesn’t, even then we will follow the law that will lead to prosecution subjected to availability of evidence.”

    The police official also said that the judiciary should also ensure in such cases that perpetrators are punished so that such harassment incidents must be discouraged and such practices must be stopped. “We would encourage all victims to report harassment incidents so that we can take proper action against perpetrators of harassment. In any civilised society, there are laws that deal with flashing or masturbation in public and other forms of harassment. We hope that our judiciary also makes a commitment to punishing harassers as it is against the norms, values and laws of Pakistan.”

    ⁩

  • Birth of endangered Somali Wild Ass offers hope for the species

    Birth of endangered Somali Wild Ass offers hope for the species

    The birth of a Somali Wild Ass foal was celebrated by a zoo in Chile as a significant development for the conservation of a critically endangered species.

    The rare kind of baby donkey was born last week, as reported by Reuters. There are fewer than 200 mature individuals remaining worldwide, with drastic decline in populations attributed to habitat loss and hunting for consumption or traditional medicinal purposes.

    The Buin Zoo, located in the outskirts of Santiago, is actively participating in an international endeavor aimed at revitalizing the Somali Wild Ass population, which has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

    The founder and director of the Buin Zoo expressed immense joy in sharing the news. He remarked, “It’s great news for the conservation of a wild donkey that is vanishing from the face of the Earth, and we have the capability to breed it here, at the edge of the world, in Chile.”

    The recent arrival of the foal marks the fifth specimen of its kind at the zoo.

  • PM orders foolproof measures for possible flood conditions in eastern rivers

    PM orders foolproof measures for possible flood conditions in eastern rivers

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave orders to related authorities on Monday to make foolproof arrangements to tackle any possible flood in eastern rivers, including Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej.

    He has also gave orders to related departments to create awareness among the people about the possibility of flooding.

    Appreciating the personnel of Rangers and Rescue 1122 for immediate evacuation and assistance for the people trapped in flood waters in the Shakargarh area, the Prime Minister said that their actions helped save several people, including women and children.  

    “I along with the whole nation pay tribute to the country’s dutiful personnel”, he remarked.

    On Sunday, India released 185,000 cusecs of water in the river Ravi, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed. According to a report in Dunya News, the released water will reach the Shadra area of Lahore in the next 24 hours.

  • Solar storm to illuminate Northern Lights in 17 US states, offering skygazers a rare spectacle

    Solar storm to illuminate Northern Lights in 17 US states, offering skygazers a rare spectacle

    A solar storm anticipated for Thursday is set to provide residents in 17 American states with an extraordinary opportunity to witness the Northern Lights, AP has reported.

    A stunning celestial phenomenon known as the Northern Lights or aurora borealis results from the interaction of solar wind with the Earth’s atmosphere. Northern Lights materialize when a magnetic solar wind collides with the Earth’s magnetic field, leading to the luminosity of atoms in the upper atmosphere. These lights manifest abruptly and vary in intensity.

    The phenomenon is typically observed in regions such as Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia, but are now becoming visible in more southerly locations due to the culmination of an 11-year solar cycle projected to peak in 2024. Approximately three months ago, these captivating light displays were witnessed in Arizona, marking the occurrence of the third severe geomagnetic storm since the commencement of the current solar cycle in 2019.

    The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks has predicted heightened auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine, and Maryland. Additionally, Canada, including Vancouver, has also been forecasted to experience auroral activity.

    Auroral activity is assessed using the Kp geomagnetic index, which ranges from zero to nine, with zero representing minimal activity and nine indicating a vibrant and active display.

    The Geophysical Institute has predicted a Kp 6 ranking for Thursday’s upcoming storm.

  • Five dead, over a dozen injured in gas cylinder blast in Jhelum hotel

    Five dead, over a dozen injured in gas cylinder blast in Jhelum hotel

    At least five people died and 15 others were injuredwhen a three-storey building collapsed due to a powerful gas cylinder explosion in Jhelum yesterday.

    The hotel is located on the Grand Trunk Road Jhelum, Punjab and collapsed after the cylinder exploded in the kitchen.

    Rescue officials said that approximately 15 injured have been recovered and shifted to the hospital and two critically injured have been taken to Rawalpindi.

  • Virgin Atlantic ends operations in Pakistan with final flight

    Virgin Atlantic ends operations in Pakistan with final flight

    Virgin Atlantic has ended its operations in Pakistan with its final flight from Islamabad International Airport on Sunday, DAWN has reported.

    The airline, which launches services in 2020, had announced earlier in the year that it is ending its three weekly flights to London Heathrow from Islamabad and Lahore.

    After the final flight took off for London from the capital city at 8am on Sunday, airport manager Syed Aftab Gillani thanked the airline for providing world-class travel services and expressed hope that Virgin Atlantic will return to Pakistan in the future.

    A spokesperson for the airline said, “It is with regret that we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our services between London Heathrow and Pakistan.”

    The airline thanked their Pakistani customers, staff, authorities and partners.

  • Indian defence scientist arrested after ‘falling in love’ with Pakistani, sharing classified info: NDTV

    Indian defence scientist arrested after ‘falling in love’ with Pakistani, sharing classified info: NDTV

    Pradeep Kurulkar, a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist from India, was arrested on May 3 after it was revealed he was chatting with a Pakistani using the alias ‘Zara Dasgupta’, NDTV has reported.

    Kurulkar, who was the Head of one of the labs in Pune, met Zara through WhatsApp where they had exchanged voice and video notes.

    Zara claimed to be a software engineer based in the UK, and befriended the scientist by sending him obscene texts and videos, while Kurulkar revealed classified information about top secret projects like the Brahmos Launcher, UCV, Agni Missile Launcher and other things.

    “Kurulkar, who was attracted to her, stored the classified and sensitive information of DRDO on his personal phone and then allegedly shared it with Zara,” the charge sheet said.

    The two remained in touch from June 2022 to December 2022.

    Chat records also show that Kurulkar shared his personal and office schedules and location with the spy, despite being strictly forbidden from doing so.

  • AI-enabled humanoid robots claim to lead the world better than humans

    AI-enabled humanoid robots claim to lead the world better than humans

    The United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit held in Geneva on Friday witnessed the presence of highly advanced humanoid robots, alongside approximately 3,000 industry experts.

    The goal was to explore the potential of AI and leverage it to address pressing global challenges such as climate change, hunger, and social care.

    During the Summit a group of AI-enabled humanoid robots took the center stage.

    When asked about their potential as leaders, given the fallibility of humans in decision-making, Sophia, developed by Hanson Robotics, stated that, “Humanoid robots have the potential to lead with greater efficiency and effectiveness than human leaders.”

    It explained that being devoid of biases and emotions is a strength as it enables it to process extensive data swiftly for optimal decision-making.

    Sophia also highlighted the advantages of a collaboration between humans and AI.

    “A collaboration can create a powerful synergy. AI can provide unbiased data, while humans contribute emotional intelligence and creativity, leading to the best possible outcomes. Together, we can achieve remarkable things,” it said.

    When asked if the machines could ever lie, Ameca, an AI humanoid with a realistic artificial head, responded that, ” One can’t definitively answer that question. However, I can promise to always be honest and truthful with you.”

    The UN summit was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a platform for discussions on AI’s potential risks, such as widespread job displacement, social unrest, geopolitical instability, and economic inequality.

    Amidst the debate, the ITU chief also warned attendees about the scenarios unchecked AI advances could create.