Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • Turkey officially changes name at UN to Türkiye

    Turkey officially changes name at UN to Türkiye

    The Republic of Turkey’s national name at the United Nations has been changed from ‘Turkey’ to ‘Türkiye.’

    According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, demanding that ‘Türkiye’ be used instead of ‘Turkey’ in all matters.

    According to the spokeswoman, the country name change took effect as soon as the letter was received. On Tuesday, Cavusoglu said that the letter had been officially submitted to the UN and other international organisations.

    The Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has pushed for the internationally recognised name Turkey to be changed to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY), as it is spelled and spoken in Turkish.

  • Netizens want ‘tangas’ back on roads as petrol hits Rs209.86

    Netizens want ‘tangas’ back on roads as petrol hits Rs209.86

    To meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions, the government has unleashed another big gasoline bomb on the country after another hike of Rs30. In less than a month, the price of petrol has risen by Rs60 to Rs209.86.

    The latest petrol price hike came just hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a power tariff hike of Rs7.91 per unit.

    In an attempt to save money, a large number of people rushed to nearby petrol pumps to fill up their tanks before midnight. Numerous two-wheelers, as well as sedans and full-fledged SUVs, formed long lines outside gas stations.

    Several traffic bottlenecks were observed in key areas of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad due to long queues of automobiles.

    Netizens expressed their displeasure on social media platforms, alleging that petrol had become out of reach for the general public.

    Despite hefty price increases that would unleash a strong wave of inflation, Pakistan is still far from reaching an agreement with the IMF which requires a budget agreement for fiscal year 2022-23.

    Petrol now costs Rs209.86 per litre, high-speed diesel (HSD) costs Rs204.15, kerosene oil costs Rs181.94 and light diesel oil costs Rs178.31, thanks to the rise.

    The Finance Minister, Miftah Ismail went on to say that the government is holding talk with the IMF on a daily basis. “We cannot accede to all of their requests, but we must agree on certain aspects”.

    He insisted that the petroleum subsidy announced by former Prime Minister Imran Khan had to be rescinded to avoid financial losses.

    Journalist Kazmi Wajahat described the chaotic scene outside gas stations just before the higher rates went into effect at 12 am.

    The decision to remove the gasoline subsidy should have been made sooner, according to economists, who also warned that the worst is still to come.

    One-unit price of electricity has increased from Rs16.91 to Rs24.82 as a result of the new raise. The hike has been reported to the federal government by Nepra. According to a statement, the increased tariffs will take effect after the government issues its final notification. Recent hike in tariffs has been attributed to the rupee’s depreciation and increased oil prices on the foreign market.

  • Jammat-e-Islami wants to ban Muslim dating app, CEO says ‘its not for casual flings’

    Jammat-e-Islami wants to ban Muslim dating app, CEO says ‘its not for casual flings’

    Jammat-e-Islami Sindh wants authorities to ban ‘Muzz Match’, a Muslim dating app. Pakistan has 400,000 active users of this app.

    “Jammat-e-Islami Sindh in a statement on Wednesday demanded the authorities to ban Muzz match, leading Muslim dating and marriage app, and remove its billboards from Karachi and other major urban center,” Journalist Zia Ur Rehman wrote in a tweet.

    The Current reached out to CEO and Founder of Muzz match, Shahzad Younas regarding the request of ban. “I’m a practising Pakistani Muslim in the UK and built Muzz almost 10 years ago because of how difficult it is to find a suitable partner,” he said.

    “It’s important that young Pakistanis have an app made for them that gives them a safe way to find a Muslim spouse who respects Islamic traditions, otherwise, they might turn to Western alternatives which unfortunately promote casual dating and non Islamic relationships,” he added.

    “We’re nothing like Tinder or other Western apps designed for casual flings.”

    “Our app discourages casual relationships, hookups and anything that doesn’t bring our members closer to their deen.”

    “We are proud to ban and block any member that is reported for not being serious or having ill intentions and have a 20-strong all female community team whose entire role is to keep our app safe and respectful,” he added.

    He continued by adding, “Our app also automatically censors and removes foul or obscene language being used” adding, “Unlike western apps, we have a wali/chaperone feature which lets members keep their parents or guardians informed about their conversations with matches.”

    While talking about the features of his app said, “Privacy and modesty are central to our app – male and female members can opt to have their photos completely private, and only share with specific interested parties.”

    “We have over 400,000 members in Pakistan and already have over 4,000 successful marriages reported to us.”

  • Oxford announces scholarships for Pakistani students

    The prestigious University of Oxford has launched the Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) to address the underrepresentation of Pakistani and British-Pakistani students at Oxford and to promote an academic exchange between Pakistani students and Oxford.

    The OPP launched the programme at Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), which is in Oxford, where both former Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai studied.

    Dr Talha J Pirzada, a co-founder of the OPP, announced that the programme would be offering up to three scholarships in its initial round, allowing Pakistani students to take advantage of Oxford’s world-class facilities and teaching programme of Oxford.

    He also announced the launch of the OPP’s Visiting Fellow Programmes, including a programme developed in partnership with the Malala Fund, the Government of Sindh and non-profit Durbeen, to provide opportunities for Pakistani academics to take advantage of Oxford’s research facilities.

  • Lady Railway Police Force to be deployed in trains after woman was gang raped

    Lady Railway Police Force to be deployed in trains after woman was gang raped

    On Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit (SRIU) directed Pakistan Railways to tighten security protocols for the safety of ladies travelling by train, after a woman was gang raped by train staff while travelling from Multan to Karachi.

    The following measures are being taken:
    Safar Saheeli App

    For the guidance of female passengers, a ‘Safar Saheli’ mobile app will be launched. It will have emergency phone numbers for women to call if they are in trouble.

    Lady Railway Police Force (LRPF) 

    SRIU has also directed Pakistan railways to deploy a Lady Railway Police Force (LRPF) in trains to ensure the safety of female passengers. A lady sub-inspector and two lady constables will be deployed at the railway stations for long journeys. 

    Emergency ‘SOS’ buttons to be installed in all trains

    On addition, SOS buttons will be installed in all trains to allow women to request assistance in the event of sexual harassment or a rape attempt.

    Read more- Woman travelling from Multan to Karachi raped by train staff

    Video Surveillance System (VSS) to be installed at vulnerable locations:

    Video Surveillance System (VSS) will be installed at ‘vulnerable railway stations’. In addition, two CCTV cameras, one in each bogie and corridor will be installed.

    Face Recognition Camera (FRS) App

    A Face Recognition Camera (FRS) App would also be created to track down criminals and check their criminal history.

    On May 27, a woman was gang-raped by train workers while travelling from Multan to Karachi on the Bahauddin Zakariya Express. According to details, the victim was raped by three men.

  • Self-love: woman to marry herself, plans to go on a two week honeymoon

    Self-love: woman to marry herself, plans to go on a two week honeymoon

    A woman in India is all set to marry herself on June 11. Kshama Bindua a 24-year-old woman will take the ‘saat phere’ with herself on June 11.

    “I never wanted to get married. But I did want to become a bride. So I decided to marry myself”, said the girl while talking to Indian media. “Maybe I am the first to set an example of self-love in our country,” she added.

    “Self-marriage is a commitment to be there for yourself and unconditional love for oneself. It’s also an act of self-acceptance. People marry someone they love. I love myself and hence, this wedding,” she said, while explaining the reason behind the decision of marrying herself.

    She’s even planning a two-week vacation for herself, complete with wedding customs.

  • FIA Cyber Crime Wing arrests two Pakistanis involved in ‘secretly filming women in Turkey’

    FIA Cyber Crime Wing arrests two Pakistanis involved in ‘secretly filming women in Turkey’

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two Pakistanis involved in criminal activities in Turkey.

    The two accused — Muhammad Junaid and Ameer Khan — were arrested during two separate operations. They are allegedly involved in ‘transportation of illegal immigrants’ and secretly filming and sharing videos of Turkish women on social media.

    “Their criminal act created an uproar and anger in the Turkish society and severely damaged goodwill which Turkish people have for their Pakistani brethren,” the FIA statement added.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also taken notice and ordered strict action against the accused. The statement further added that a crackdown has been launched against all agents involved in trafficking.

    “Pakistani Perverts” and “Pakistani Get Out” hashtags trended on Turkish social media in April after videos of Turkish women made by Pakistanis were shared on social media.

    Read more- Fact check: Has Turkey tightened visa policy for Pakistanis?

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Death penalty or life imprisonment for a child abuser, 14 years for child pornography

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Death penalty or life imprisonment for a child abuser, 14 years for child pornography

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has passed “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare (Amendment) Act, 2022”.  The bill was introduced by provincial Law Minister Fazle Shakoor.

    According to the bill, anyone involved in child abuse might face a death sentence or a life sentence, as well as a fine of not less than Rs 20 lakhs. Meanwhile, child pornographers, will be sentenced to a minimum of 14 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, with a fine of Rs 20 lakhs.

    For child trafficking, punishment of at least 14 years behind the bars or life imprisonment have been suggested with a fine of upto Rs 50 lakhs.

    Read more- FIA arrests man for child pornography, blackmailing teenager

    The recently passed bill states that any case related to child abuse must will be completed within 30 days.

    Furthermore, traveling on public transportation and accessing public areas is prohibited for anyone whose name is entered or appears on the Register of Sexual Offenders.

    Read more- 10 children sexually abused in Pakistan every day from Jan to June: report

    More than ten children were victims of sexual abuse on average every day between January 2021 and June 2021, a report by the child protection organisation Sahil states.

  • Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    Anti-polio infrastructure collapsing in Waziristan, 6th case registered

    On May 27, the Government of Pakistan issued a press release on the Pakistan Polio Erradication Programme’s website. In this report, it was confirmed that on May 26, two new cases of polio were confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

    This marks the 5th and 6th cases of polio, reported in Pakistan this year. The two news cases are associated with two 18 months old children born in Mir Ali Tehsil, a girl and a boy, who both started experiencing the onset of paralysis as early as May 10 and May 11, respectively.

    All six children who have contracted polio are from North Waziristan, where more cases are expected through the year due to a high rate of refusal to give the vaccine and the illegal but process of finger-marking without vaccinations. Considering that the only endemic countries at this point in the whole world are Pakistan and Afghanistan, it must be noted that there is great significance to exploring the causes of this reoccurrence of the disease in the context of polio campaigns and their efficacy in KPK and FATA.

    Polio scam

    The problems with Pakistan’s polio vaccination programme are complex and multifold. On May 28, The News reported that only recently around 8,000 children from 22 union councils, up to the age of five have been identified as never been vaccinated with the oral dose of the polio vaccine. Vaccinators, refusing parents and area incharges colluded to carry out the scam. This was immediately revealed after the two new cases in North Waziristan were registered. Reportedly, so far the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has been relying on fake reports which claimed that 95% children were being vaccinated during each campaign. This leads to a gross underestimation of the number of children still unvaccinated.

    Abduction of Dr Zeeshan

    Journalists working on Waziristan also tweeted on May 26, reported the abduction of Dr Zeeshan, who was serving as a Polio N-STOP officer in Waziristan, who had been working effortlessly on the polio campaign there. He was kidnapped while still on duty. Dawn reported that Dr Zeeshan had come from Swat to specially oversee an anti-polio drive. After involving the law enforcement alongside jirga negotiations, Bannu commissioner Arshad Khan managed to recover Dr Zeeshan.

    The political atmosphere in Waziristan actively creates the strongest hurdle in Pakistan’s journey towards a polio-free nation. 260,000 workers are deployed across the nation to vaccinate children under the age of five. Considering the perceptual concerns of people of Waziristan, it seems unlikely that the situation would improve radically unless some really necessary steps are taken to tackle the perception regarding the vaccine. Access to children in security-compromised areas, attacks on health care workers coupled with governance and operational failures continues to elongate this problem for Pakistan.

    KPK govt failure

    In 2014, Imran Khan government launched the Sehat ka Insaf campaign in KPK where the aim was to target all 9 vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. This program was restricted to the provincial government and sought to undo completely any international involvement. Although it may seem like this is a good strategy to gain people’s trust to vaccinate, this utter lack of oversight has heavily contributed to the fake markings. This is apparent from the fact that the kids who developed polio were marked in the national record as having been vaccinated six or even seven times.

  • Maggi case: Man divorces woman for serving him noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner

    Maggi case: Man divorces woman for serving him noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner

    A unique divorce case has made news in the Indian media, in which a husband divorced his wife for cooking noodles every day. The principal district and sessions court judge in Mysuru, ML Raghunath, shared the details of the case while recalling his time as district judge at Ballari.

    He termed the case as “Maggi case”.

    An Indian judge of the chief district and session court while quoting the husband said, “It was noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He complained that his wife went to the provision store and brought only instant noodles.”

    “Divorce cases are increasing drastically over the years. Couples have to stay together for at least a year before seeking divorce,” he added. According to him, if there was no such rule, the divorce petitions would be filed directly from wedding halls.