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Category: Lifestyle

  • Swedish environment activists vandalise Monet painting in protest

    Swedish environment activists vandalise Monet painting in protest

    Environment activists smeared red paint and glued their hands to the protective glass on a Claude Monet painting at Stockholm’s National Museum on Wednesday, June 14.

    The two women, aged 25 and 30, were arrested after the attempted vandalism. The organisation Återställ Våtmarker, meaning “Restore the Wetlands” claimed responsibility for the stunt.

    In a video, the two women can be heard chanting: “The climate situation is urgent” and “our health is threatened”. Spokesperson of Återställ Våtmarker, Helen Wahlgren, explained in an interview with AFP that this was in protest of the Swedish government allegedly not respecting its international climate commitments.

    Wahlgren also pointed out that a climate catastrophe is “also a health crisis” with “millions of people already dying from the climate disaster”.

    Återställ Våtmarker said “gorgeous gardens like those in Monet’s painting will soon be a distant memory”.

    Monet’s “The Artist’s Garden at Giverny” (1900) is currently being examined by the museum’s conservation team to see if it has been damaged.

    The museum said it was “naturally” opposed to actions that risk damaging works of art. The acting Chief Curator, Per Hedstrom, said cultural heritage has great symbolic value, and claimed it was “unacceptable” to attack it regardless of the purpose.

    Climate-Induced Vandalism of Masterpieces:

    Monet is not the first great painter to have his work vandalised by climate change activists. Last year, major paintings by the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer and Gustav Klimt caught the wrath of climate change activists.

    Cans of tomato were splattered over Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”. At another Dutch museum, a man glued his head to Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” In Austria, protestors threw red and brown slime – meant to represent blood and oil – at Klimt’s “Death and Life”.

    Never before have so many purported fine art masterpieces been vandalised in such a short amount of time. It raises the question of whether or not the destruction of art is an effective vehicle for protest.

    All of the paintings involved were undamaged, as reported by the museums that house them.

  • Cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall in Gujarat, 125km from Keti Bandar

    Cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall in Gujarat, 125km from Keti Bandar

    The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall at 7pm on Thursday evening along the coast of western Indian state Gujarat, 125km southwest of Sindhi port Keti Bandar.

    According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Biparjoy was equivalent to a strong tropical storm with winds of 100 kph at landfall.

    However the storm has weakened from a ‘very severe’ category to ‘severe’ as it moved northward in the early hours of Friday. The dangers of winds and storm surge are expected to diminish.

    Experts worry flooding will become the most significant factor for millions of people over the next 48 hours. The Pakistani meteorological department warned of widespread dust storms and thunderstorms in the southern Sindh province, with some very heavy rain and winds of 80-100 kph.

    The Impact of Biparjoy:

    India and Pakistan evacuated more than 170, 000 people along the coast in fear of Biparjoy. No cyclone-related deaths have been reported as yet.

    However, there has been a trail of destruction left behind in the wake of heavy wind and rain. In Gujarat, more than 500 trees have been uprooted and nearly 3500 electric poles collapsed due to Biparjoy.

    The storm is expected to weaken first to a cyclonic storm and then to a depression over Southern Rajasthan by today’s evening.

  • Massive drug bust as ANF seizes 152.64kg of illegal drugs

    Massive drug bust as ANF seizes 152.64kg of illegal drugs

    The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) arrested four drug peddlers during operations in different areas of the country on Wednesday.

    An ANF spokesperson said the operations have been carried out in Gujranwala, Kuchlak Bypass Quetta, Khyber, Mianwali, Karachi and Chaman.

    He said 101.64kg of hashish, 50 kg of heroin, 1.2 kg of opium, 5kg of ice, and 4kg of suspicious materials have been recovered from the suspects.

    Cases have been registered against the peddlers under the Anti-Narcotics Act, he added.

  • CII grants conditional permission to women performing Hajj without a mehram

    CII grants conditional permission to women performing Hajj without a mehram

    The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday gave conditional permission to women to perform Hajj without a mehram under certain conditions, a spokesperson for the body confirmed.

    Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs had sought the views of CII to determine whether or not women would be allowed to perform Hajj without a mehram (close-male relative) or male guardian.  

    In October 2022, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, announced that women all over the world would be able to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mehram or male guardian. The Ministry of Religious Affairs sought clarity on the matter from the CII.

    A CII spokesperson stated it is acceptable, citing the Islamic Jafri, Maliki and Shafi’i schools of thought, which state that women are permitted to perform Hajj without a mehram under Sharia law.

    The Council clarified that according to Hanafi and Hanbali fiqh, a woman is not obligated to perform Hajj if she does not have a mehram.

    However, the CII stressed the permission is dependent on certain conditions.

    What are the conditions?

    Firstly, a woman can only travel sans mehram if granted explicit permission by either her parents or husband. Secondly, if a group of women are to travel for Hajj together, the religious ministry is entitled to a thorough investigation to ensure the group is fit to embark on the pilgrimage.

    The CII spokesperson did note that if a woman wanted to solo travel for Hajj and Umrah, and she did not feel insecure while traveling, she had the right to go (of course dependent on her parents’/husband’s permission).

    Writer and former advisor to the Minister of Hajj, Faten Ibrahim Hussein, praised the new ruling. According to him, allowing women to perform Umrah without a mehram makes the pilgrimage more attainable, as many come from difficult social situations and may not find a mehram.

  • Cyclone Biporjoy: Everything you need to know about its name

    Cyclone Biporjoy: Everything you need to know about its name

    Cyclone Biporjoy is expected to make landfall on the Arabian Sea coastal belt today (Thursday). Authorities in both Pakistan and India are on high alert to avoid any disaster.

    The name of the cyclone has left many curious. The name ‘Biparjoy’ was coined by Bangladesh. It means disaster or calamity in Bengali.

    Why is it important to name cyclones?


    The reasoning behind naming cyclones is pretty simple. The storm is either given a code or a name, and it’s simpler to remember a name than a string of letters, numbers, or technical terminology.

    Who decides the name of the cyclones?


    The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin.
    As a common rule, cyclones formed in different ocean basins across the world are named by those areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs).

  • Cyclone Biparjoy: Karachi spared, Keti Bandar on high alert

    Cyclone Biparjoy: Karachi spared, Keti Bandar on high alert

    Karachi may be spared from the worst of Cyclone Biparjoy, the latest trajectories of the tropical storm seem to suggest.

    “The very severe cyclonic system (VSCS) Biparjoy will not directly hit Karachi; however, it will certainly hit Keti Bandar,” Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday.

    Senator Sherry Rehman warned on a private TV show that there is no other option but evacuation for the residents of Keti Bandar.

    She added that Karachi may experience light rainfall today, but heavy rainfall is expected on Thursday and Friday. Karachi is likely to receive 110mm of rainfall, while Thatta, Badin, and Sajawal are expected to receive 330mm of rain.

    Sherry Rehman said panic is natural, pointing out that it is human psychology to panic when danger is near. However, following safety precautions can help us avoid danger.

    The Ministry of Climate Change has issued a High Alert for the residents of Keti Bandar and initiated the evacuation process.

    The senator urged locals to cooperate with the government and emphasized that the government did not want to resort to force, but if residents did not follow the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), necessary action would be taken.

    “We have a red alert in place until June 18 and will issue a new advisory at 11 or 12 o’clock on the day the storm is expected to make landfall,” she added.

    In a separate tweet, she stated: “Panic is understandable, human nature; but it’s important to move with caution and calm.”

    “Evacuations are painful, stressful, and hard to embark on, but we must insist on them in areas where we see #CycloneBiparjoy making landfall. For coastal areas like Keti Bandar, evacuations are not optional.”

    During the same appearance on Geo News’ ‘Aj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath,’ Pakistan Meteorologist Department (PMD) Sindh Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said the storm’s intensity had somewhat decreased.

    “There is no dangerous situation in Karachi; the cyclone will exit from the city’s south,” he said.

    He further added that the storm was heading toward the north.

    “It will then move northeast, where it will hit or pass Keti Bandar and Indian Gujarat,” he said, commenting on the cyclone’s trajectory.

  • Dolphin police officer shot dead by PUBG addict in Lahore

    Dolphin police officer shot dead by PUBG addict in Lahore

    A man influenced by the popular online game PUBG shot dead a young Dolphin Police officer and critically injured another at Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Y Block, Lahore.

    The deceased officer, Hafiz Nauman, got married a year go.

    According to initial investigation reports, an armed man fired at Nauman, hitting him in the chest, from a distance of two feet. He fired three bullets when Nauman and his constable rounded him up in the busy commercial area. One of the bullets pierced Nauman’s lungs, leading to his death.

    The gunman also attacked Constable Mohsin and fired at him, hitting him on the chest and leg, leaving him critically injured.

    An official stated later that a gunman named Asif alias Asu was traced to Patoki, where he was killed by the firing of his companions while in an encounter with police.

    A police official added that Asu was addicted to PUBG games and influenced by its violence. He also said that it is not the first time that the game has been the cause of violent crime.

    Last year, a 14-year-old PUBG fan in Kahna shot his entire family, including his mother and two minor sisters.

  • Pakistani Twitter supports woman who publicly shared profile of man who sent her unsolicited dick pic

    Pakistani Twitter supports woman who publicly shared profile of man who sent her unsolicited dick pic

    A twitter user shared a picture and the Instagram profile of a man who sent her an unsolicited picture of his penis.

    “Was having a very normal Monday morning until a random guy on Instagram decided to send me a d++k pic. My heartbeat is racing and I am unable to regulate my anger now,’ she wrote while sharing the screenshots of the profile.

    She further wrote that she has informed the man’s employer, leading to some people criticising her for putting the man’s career at risk.

    However, most people came out in support of the woman. In addition, many women came forward to tell their traumatizing experiences of receiving unsolicited dick pictures.

    Have a look at the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/daza1maniac/status/1668533889583947776
  • ‘Mission Majnu agaya’: Pakistani Twitter users roast economics professor for spreading fake news

    ‘Mission Majnu agaya’: Pakistani Twitter users roast economics professor for spreading fake news

    Mission Majnu Part 2 shuru?

    Yehi tou lagta hai Steve Hanke babu ko, who took to Twitter to share a video of smoke rising from a building, claiming that it was a nuclear power plant in Karachi, and then proceeded to blame authorities for not taking the matter seriously.

    We would also like to point out that Steve Hank is a professor of Economics at the very prestigious John Hopkins. A professor of his stature is expected to share only the truth.

    https://twitter.com/steve_hanke/status/1668329656087629824?s=20

    Except, its not true. The video, from 12th June, is not of a nuclear power plant blast but its from a fire at a grid station in DHA, which left residents without light for hours.

    But if Pakistanis are good at anything, it is making memes to roast others. And we got some hilarious responses.

    Quick someone fly Sidharth Malhotra to Karachi!

    Mission Majnu say fact checking seekhien sir!

    https://twitter.com/legsidehack/status/1668497941256888327?s=20
    https://twitter.com/SeaweeedBrain_/status/1668353773326983180?s=20
  • TW: After posting complaint, Chicago man finds three severed heads on desk

    TW: After posting complaint, Chicago man finds three severed heads on desk

    Dale Wheatley, a transportation coordinator at the Anatomical Gift Association in Illinois that distributes human body parts for medical research, revealed to People Magazine that after he filed a complaint about the condition of donor bodies, he found three severed heads sitting on his desk.

    In the last five years of working at this place, Wheatley had never found body parts placed so casually at his desk. He said that they are safely transported to storage areas, and then shipped of to medical students where students dissect and study them. Afterwards, they are cremated, and the ashes are sent to family members.

    “At first I was confused,” Wheatley tells PEOPLE. “My boss walked by, and I asked him why the heads were at my desk. He said they need to get back with their bodies so we can send them to cremation.”

    Wheatley said he asked his boss about why the heads were lying on his desk. His boss said he did not know.

    Wheatley had earlier complained that donated bodies were not kept in proper conditions or stored, leading to decomposition and mold, rendering them unsuitable for studying. Wheatley’s lawyer David Fish said that rats had chewed through the bags, which made the bodies unusable.

    “The body goes to waste if it’s not properly cared for,” Fish told PEOPLE.

    The president of the company, William O’Connor, denied Wheatley’s complaint that bodies were being mishandled.