Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • Relief for workers as Punjab govt raises minimum wage to Rs32,000 per month

    Relief for workers as Punjab govt raises minimum wage to Rs32,000 per month

    The Punjab government has announced an increase in the minimum wage for unskilled workers from Rs25,000 to Rs32,000 per month, providing some relief to workers during a period of skyrocketing inflation.

    This increase of Rs7,000 was made official through a notification issued by the interim government on Thursday. It is worth noting that in April of last year, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced a minimum wage increase for government employees to Rs25,000 and a 10 per cent increase in civil and military pensions for retired employees.

    Following this announcement, the Punjab government set the minimum wage at Rs25,000. On January 31, 2023, Asif Ali Zardari, the former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson, proposed to the coalition government that the minimum wage should be raised to Rs35,000.

    Zardari emphasised that the government should take responsibility for providing relief to workers and take far-reaching measures to address the problems faced by the masses.

  • You can now get garma garam biryani from vending machines

    You can now get garma garam biryani from vending machines

    Biryani is one of the most popular dishes, not just in the subcontinent, but in the world. And now we have another way of accessing it.

    An Indian outlet, named ‘The BVK Biryani’ has implemented the concept of takeaway biryanis that can be bought from vending machines.

    After placing the order, a timer appears on the screen showing that the food is being prepared and you can get a warm box of biryani ready in under four minutes.

    The restaurant with the vending machine is located in Chennai’s Somanathapuram, Kolathur.

    The machine offers different types of biryani as well as vegetarian dishes, starters or beverages.

    The place is also known for its unique “manless takeaway” service as there are four to five vending machines at the restaurant where customers can place their orders.

  • Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter on suspicion of spying for Washington

    Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter on suspicion of spying for Washington

    On Thursday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced that it had detained Evan Gershkovich, a US national who works as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, on suspicion of espionage on behalf of the United States.

    The FSB has initiated a criminal investigation against Gershkovich, alleging that he gathered information classified as state secrets about a military factory. The FSB did not disclose the name or location of the factory but stated that Gershkovich was apprehended in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals, while attempting to obtain secret information. No evidence was provided to support the charges.

    The FSB asserted in a statement that Gershkovich was acting on behalf of the American side and had been collecting sensitive information on one of Russia’s military-industrial complexes. The detention of Gershkovich marks the most serious public move against a foreign journalist since Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.

    Russia has implemented tighter censorship laws since its military operation in Ukraine began in February 2022. The Wall Street Journal and the US Embassy in Moscow did not respond immediately to requests for comment from Reuters. A US diplomatic source stated that the embassy had not been notified of the incident and was seeking information from Russian authorities about the case.

    Foreign journalists covering Russia expressed their support for Gershkovich online, contending that he was a professional journalist and not a spy. Andrei Soldatov, an author and an expert in Russia’s security agencies, who is currently outside the country, stated on social media that Gershkovich was an excellent and courageous journalist and not a spy. He further noted that the detention of Gershkovich represented a frontal attack on all foreign correspondents still working in Russia and that the FSB was off the leash.

    According to Russia’s Kommersant newspaper, Gershkovich will be transported to Moscow and detained in the Lefortovo prison, an FSB pre-trial detention facility. Gershkovich, who has covered Russia since 2017, previously worked at The Moscow Times and France’s Agence-France Presse news agency.

    In recent months, he had primarily reported on Russian politics and the Ukraine conflict. On Thursday, his mobile phone was unreachable, and according to the Telegram messenger service, he was last online on Wednesday at 1:28 pm Moscow time.

  • Teach boys to be better: here are some hot takes Twitter has on desi culture

    Everyone can agree that desi culture may have the finest food or the grandest weddings, but will also have the biggest closet full of family secrets and important discussions we need to talk about.

    It’s incredibly important that adults and children in the family learn to keep their communication open with each other and discuss things that we often prevent opening up about.

    So when a Twitter user asked their followers tat if given an opportunity, what are the things they wished desi culture would change?

    And it turns out, there are a lot of them. We’re happy to share them with our followers.

    A little louder for the people in the back.

    https://twitter.com/seriqiqi/status/1641335652955598849?s=20

    If you’re grumbling about disrespectful children, maybe some adults should reflect if it is them who are being disrespectful.

    https://twitter.com/Wali_LFC/status/1641312637030920193?s=20

    We completely agree. Getting divorced is not a shameful thing.

    https://twitter.com/yixewoah/status/1641306625972527106?s=20

    We should encourage more people to be respectful at funerals and stop treating it like a meet-and-greet moment

    https://twitter.com/artemis8799/status/1641243936596402178?s=20

    YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT YOUR PROPERTY!

    Choose yourself over toxic relationships

  • Footage shows unidentified men breaking into Jemima Khan’s house

    Footage shows unidentified men breaking into Jemima Khan’s house

    Activist, screenwriter and producer Jemima Khan has shared a picture of two unidentified men who were caught trying to break into her London flat a few days ago. Khan asked her followers to identify the men so they could be reported to the police.

    Speaking to Geo News, Khan said that she had immediately called the police and a report was registered with Scotland Yard.

    “And then these two guys captured on camera trespassing a few weeks later in the day,” Khan revealed about the men whose pictures she had shared online.

    This is not the first time Khan’s house has been targeted by critics, as last year she shared a picture of the protests organized by PMLN supporters outside her home, who were targeting her and two children, Suleiman and Kasim, with anti-semitic slurs.

  • No sweet, all sour: India sarr gaya as Pakistan owns Chicken Manchurian

    How will World War III break out? If Twitter had its way, then not because if water shortage or land dispute; but because of a plate of chicken manchurian.

    You’re probably wondering kya zalzala agaya tha TL pay. So let us breakdown the latest beef between Pakistan and India for you, since Pak Studies ka entire chapter is par anay walay talib-e-ilm ko rata marna parey ga.

    So basically the instigator was a Western source, like it always has been: The New York Times. The newspaper published a piece on the famous Chinese dish, Chicken Manchurian, and called it ‘a stalwart of Pakistani cooking’ that is widely served in Chinese restaurants across South Asia. The article never said that the dish was owned and created by Pakistanis.

    But dear students, this is where the Twitter feud exploded because Indians flooded the comments underneath the tweet pointing out that the dish was actually Indian, since it was invented by a third generation Chinese chef Nelson Wang, who lived in Calcutta. And Pakistanis retaliated as they do best- with hilarious memes. The dispute over the sweet n sour dish turned into the most hilarious Twitter exchange we have ever witnessed in our lives.

    Even Ali Gul Pir couldn’t hesitate to spread some fahashi

  • Prisoners in Pakistan exposed to diseases in overcrowded jails: HRW

    Prisoners in Pakistan exposed to diseases in overcrowded jails: HRW

    According to a report released by Human Rights Watch, Pakistani authorities have systematically deprived prisoners of adequate health care, leaving thousands at risk of disease and death.

    The report, titled “A Nightmare for Everyone: The Health Care Crisis in Pakistan’s Prisons,” highlights the widespread deficiencies in prison health care in Pakistan and the impact on a total prison population of over 88,000 people. Outdated and discriminatory bail laws have contributed to severe overcrowding, with most prisoners still awaiting trial or conviction.

    Pakistan’s prison system is one of the world’s most overcrowded, with cells designed for a maximum of three people holding up to 15. This overcrowding has compounded existing healthcare deficiencies, leaving inmates vulnerable to communicable diseases and unable to obtain even basic health care, let alone emergency medical treatment.

    Human Rights Watch interviewed 54 people, including former inmates, lawyers, prison health officials, and advocacy organizations working on prisoner rights, and found that the principal cause of overcrowding is the dysfunctional criminal justice system itself. Most inmates are under trial and have yet to be convicted, and the majority facing criminal trials are poor and lack access to legal aid.

    The crisis in prison health care reflects deeper failures in access to health care across Pakistan, exacerbated most recently by an economic crisis. Corruption among prison officials and impunity for abusive conduct contribute to serious human rights abuses.

    The report calls for urgent, systemic reform of Pakistan’s prison system, including changing bail laws, expediting the trial process, and prioritizing noncustodial sentences to reduce overcrowding. Pakistani governments at the federal and provincial levels should urgently adopt measures to bring health care in its jails and prisons in line with international standards, such as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

  • Islamabad Police appoints Haris Rauf as honorary Deputy Superintendent

    Islamabad Police appoints Haris Rauf as honorary Deputy Superintendent

    The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, commonly known as the Islamabad Police, have conferred the honorary title of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) upon the celebrated Pakistani fast bowler, Haris Rauf.

    The appointment was marked by a ceremony held by the ICT in Islamabad, during which Rauf was attired in police uniform and the title was bestowed upon him by the IG of the Islamabad Police, Dr Akbar Nasir Khan.

    Rauf expressed his enthusiasm at being appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the ICT Police on Twitter.

    Rauf has made significant contributions to the Pakistani cricket team by claiming 72 T20I wickets and 30 ODI wickets. Recently, he was also spotted at the Wagah Border with the PSL 8 Trophy, which he won with the Lahore Qalandars.

    It is noteworthy that this trend of police departments appointing Pakistani pacers as goodwill ambassadors seems to be gaining traction, as earlier this year, Naseem Shah was also conferred with the DSP rank and appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the Balochistan Police. The event was marked by a function held at the IG Balochistan Police Office in Quetta.

  • Love, honour and respect: Pakistani Sikh community arranges iftar for Muslims

    Love, honour and respect: Pakistani Sikh community arranges iftar for Muslims

    In the spirit of Ramzan, the Sikh community in Peshawar has continued its tradition to serve Iftar to fasting Muslims with the objective of promoting love, fraternity, respect, and honour among people of different faiths.

    Sikh families living in the Mohalla Jogan Shah area of the walled city take turns to arrange food; as a result these ‘dastarkhawans’ work round the month.

    The community not only makes arrangements for Muslim brothers but also distributed rations among the needy and poor. Each of the ration packs consists of essential items including cooking oil, rice, pulses, chickpeas, beans, sugar, and tea.

    Chairman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of the National Peace Council for Interfaith Harmony Jatinder Singh said that the objective behind this practice by Sikhs is “to promote love, fraternity, respect, and honour among people of different”. Pointing out that his community had lived in the country for generations, he said they wanted to convey a message of mutual coexistence among its citizens.

    Sikh traders also announce special discounts in their shops during Ramzan besides donating money to the needy.

  • 20 Umrah pilgrims dead, dozens injured in the bus accident in Saudi Arabia

    At least 20 Umrah pilgrims died and 29 were injured on Monday in a bus accident in southern Saudi Arabia.

    Local media has reported that the pilgrims, all of the different nationalities, were heading towards Masjid ul Haram in Mecca to perform Umrah.
    The accident, which occurred as a result of brake failure, took place on a road linking Asir province and the city of Abha.


    Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the death of the pilgrims.


    In a statement released on Tuesday, he commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

    Saudi civil defence and Red Crescent Authority teams rushed to the site of the accident and cordoned off the area.


    The deceased and the injured have reportedly been transferred to nearby hospitals.