Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • Sindh govt rebuts claims regarding first coronavirus case being a ‘hoax’

    Sindh govt rebuts claims regarding first coronavirus case being a ‘hoax’

    • Local English daily had claimed student quarantined at private Karachi hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus had ‘conclusively tested negative for the disease‘

    Sindh health officials have rebutted a media report claiming that the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan, which was reported in Karachi last week, “had turned out to be a hoax” as the 22-year-old patient, who was quarantined at a private hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus, had “conclusively tested negative for the disease”.

    According to The News, Karachi University (KU) student Syed Muhammad Yahya Jafri had recently returned from Iran and developed symptoms of influenza.

    “The symptoms, coupled with the fact that he had recently returned from Iran, made the doctors and senior provincial health management prematurely declare him as the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan without receiving his final lab reports wherein he tested negative for the virus,” the report had said.

    READ: Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    It had quoted KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi as confirming that Jafri’s medical and laboratory reports “clearly indicated he was not suffering from coronavirus”.

    “Jafri and his family members who were quarantined by Sindh’s Health Department at a private hospital were discharged on Friday,” he was quoted as saying, adding that a large number of students, including Jafri’s classmates at the varsity’s Department of International Relations, were also tested in the same hospital. “None of them were found affected by coronavirus.”

    The claims were, however, refuted by Sindh Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi, who said that the youngster was being kept in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus.

    READ: Coronavirus myths flooding your WhatsApp? Here’s what is actually true

    He maintained there was no truth to Iraqi’s claim and the student would be discharged from the hospital after he would test negative.

  • FIA arrests man for blackmailing woman

    FIA arrests man for blackmailing woman

    The cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a man for blackmailing a woman based on indecent pictures in Karachi’s Nazimabad.

    As per reports, the man was arrested during a raid at an ice cream parlour. A first information report (FIR) was filed against Azhar on a complaint of the woman who accused him of harassing her. The suspect had been blackmailing the woman for the past three years.

    In a report submitted to a court, the FIA stated that the woman and man became friends on Facebook and later started meeting at restaurants. It added that the suspect had threatened the woman that he would tell her family about their relationship if she didn’t meet him in probate.

    According to the FIA report, the suspect forced her to have sexual relations with him on several occasions and recorded it every time on his cell phone. The officials said they recovered a mobile phone containing immoral pictures of women, including that of the complainant.

    The suspect had confessed to blackmailing and harassing the woman. He has been sent on remand for three days.

  • Peshawar’s Sunheri Masjid allows women to offer prayers after two decades

    After a gap of over two decades, women in Peshawar will now be able to offer Friday prayer in congregation at the historic Sunheri Masjid (Golden Mosque).

    According to reports, women would offer Friday prayer in congregation at the mosque, located in the Peshawar Cantonment, until the mid-1990s. However, due to terrorism in the city, the practice was abandoned.

    Following an improvement in the security situation, authorities have decided to allow women to participate in Friday’s congregational prayers and have also made the required arrangements for it.

    A banner which reads “women are now welcome to offer Friday prayer at Sunheri Masjid” has also been placed outside the mosque.

    Scores of terrorist attacks took place near the mosque which led to its closure for women almost 25 years ago. In 2016, 16 people were killed and dozens wounded when a powerful bomb went off as a bus carrying mostly government employees passed by the mosque in Saddar’s crowded marketplace.

  • Amavi: All hype or good food?

    Hidden in the heart of Defence, Lahore is a quaint little cafe, Amavi. The restaurant’s owner Maira has been in the food business for a while now, working for other cafes and restaurants, before taking the leap and opening up her own little space. Maira’s expertise lies in desserts and she has trained herself professionally in the department.

    The patisserie’s interior is beautifully done with a lot of attention paid to detail. The chairs are done with deep green velvet upholstery while there are small artsy details on the tables. There is marble flooring and touches of gold, pink and black here and there. It’s almost like entering a painting. Amavi is the sort of place you’d want to dress up and go.

    When I went there, the place was buzzing with people. Initially, Amavi was a small space with about two to three tables but given the phenomenal success, the owners had to expand it to entertain more visitors.

    Now onto the food. The food was a bit different from the usual palettes, for example, their Za’Atar and Burrata Pizza – Za’Atar is a spice while Burrata is fresh Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. I’ve had Burrata Salad in Karachi but I haven’t come across anything like this before and I was fairly impressed with this dish. It was actually pretty yummy.

    Za’Atar and Burrata Pizza

    Their Salt Beef Toastie with Gouda Cheese and Caramelised Onions was another one of my favourites. Apart from that their Fish and Chips were good too and I also tried their bestselling Buttermilk Chicken Burger which was an absolute treat. The chicken was soft, tender and full of flavour.

    • Salt Beef Toastie
    • Buttermilk Chicken Burger
    Fish and Chips

    The only thing I did not like was the French Onion Soup.

    I didn’t really try the desserts so I can’t comment on that but a lot of people there were mostly having desserts and coffee, which by the way was also good.

    I will definitely be going to Amavi again to try the dishes I didn’t, especially the desserts. For me, the patisserie is a cute and different addition to the Lahore food scene.

  • Police arrest 14 students after Punjab University clash

    Police arrest 14 students after Punjab University clash

    Punjab police arrested 14 individuals that are currently enrolled at the Punjab University, a day after a violent clash between two student bodies happened in university premises.

    A day earlier, up to 18 people, including 10 security guards, were injured when two student groups had a fight with each other outside the Sociology Department.

    As per reports, the two groups had involved in heated arguments in the morning but the spat was fixed. However, after Friday prayer, the argument heated up and resulted in a clash. When security guards tried to stop them, they were assaulted by students.

    A first information report (FIR) was registered on Saturday against 13 named and 40 unidentified students at the Muslim Town police station on behalf of the state.According to the FIR, 10 security officers were injured in the clash between members of the Pashtoon and Punjabi student councils.

    The FIR contains sections of disturbing the peace and spreading fear. The registrar said the students involved in the clash were being identified by the university.

  • Attending a PSL match? Five things you need to know

    The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League is officially underway and with all matches scheduled to be played in Pakistan, excitements levels are high. Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Multan are hosting matches over the next one month and while there are some of us who are excited to witness the action live, there are others who are not looking forward to the roadblocks and traffic diversions. Nonetheless, it is likely that everyone will end up attending at least one match in the stadium.

    To make life easier, The Current has compiled a match guide to help make your life easier.

    Start ahead

    If you want to catch all the action from the start to the end, start ahead. Getting to the stadium and your enclosure will take some time because of the long walk to the stadium and several security checks along the way. If you’re someone who just wants to experience the thrill, especially at the end of the match, then time is not an issue.

    Wear comfortable clothes and shoes

    Considering that there will be a lot of walking involved, wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Comfortable shoes especially are a must.

    Carry a light-weight jacket with you

    The ground is big and open and it can get chilly towards the end of the match. Best to carry a jacket or a light sweater so that you don’t feel cold.

    Don’t carry unnecessary items

    Keep your bags and pockets light and don’t carry unnecessary items because you never know what is not allowed to be taken inside the stadium – I lost my power bank at the security checkpoint. Perfumes and liquid items, especially, are not allowed inside the stadium.

    Don’t litter or leave your garbage inside the stadiums

    Dustbins are available everywhere so properly dispose your garbage and do not leave any wrappers or tissues behind.

    Make sure you carry:
    Your ticket, your original CNIC, and a photocopy of the CNIC of the person whose name is mentioned on the ticket (if somebody else among your family/friends bought the ticket). Mobile phones are allowed but other

  • Lahoris evade e-challans with laminated number plates

    Negligence of the City Traffic Police, Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) and Excise Taxation and Narcotics Control (ET&NC) Department has been exposed as Lahoris resort to laminating or tampering their vehicles’ registration plates to evade e-challans and surveillance through PSCA cameras.

    According to a report, while non-computerised plates are not uncommon in the provincial capital, a significant increase has been observed in the use of tampered and laminated registration plates as well.

    There are lamination sheets available in the market and once applied, the PSCA cameras cannot read the number plates, thus providing drivers protection from e-challan, the report quoted a trader at one of Lahore’s largest automotive market, the Montgomery Road.

    The shopkeeper said that these lamination sheets were not commonly available and are only sold secretly. He further said that a person could get a single number plate laminated for Rs150-200 in parts of Chauburji, Township and Johar Town.

    According to a PSCA official, the tactics used by the people to hide their number plates are creating a hurdle in penalising traffic violators. The official said that the authority can only catch such people when they are on a surveillance operation, otherwise, it is the responsibility of the traffic police and the ET&NC Department to prevent this from happening.

    The report quoted an ET&NC official as saying that the department was not entertaining complaints related to computerised plates as their role was to only issue them besides helping in the enforcement of its display. “Chapter 8 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance mandates cops to keep a check on improper and tampered number plates.”

    Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Captain (r) Syed Hammad Abid, on the other hand, said that the traffic police were penalising people whose number plates were found to be fake, tampered or laminated. “We have penalised 64,283 persons for driving without registered number plates and 76,655 for having improper ones.”

  • Coronavirus myths flooding your WhatsApp? Here’s what is actually true

    Coronavirus myths flooding your WhatsApp? Here’s what is actually true

    The WhatsApp inbox of almost every Pakistani user has been flooding with myths regarding the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — since first two cases of the disease in the country were confirmed by the government last night.

    While the World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared an emergency following the global outbreak of the novel virus that has so far claimed over 2,700 lives and left around 81,000 others infected, here are some myth busters you need to know while maybe ignoring all those forwarded messages on WhatsApp.

    Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also at risk?

    According to the WHO, people of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. 

    WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

    Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus?

    No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria.

    The new coronavirus is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalised for the COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.

    Can eating garlic or putting on sesame oil help prevent coronavirus?

    Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus.

    As for sesame oil, it does not kill the new coronavirus. There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the 2019-nCoV on surfaces. These include bleach/chlorine-based disinfectants, either solvents, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform.

    However, they have little or no impact on the virus if you put them on the skin or under your nose. It can even be dangerous to put these chemicals on your skin.

    Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?

    To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus, however, chloroquine phosphate — used for the treatment of malaria — has so far proven to be the most effective drug against the virus.

    Those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimised supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. WHO is helping to accelerate research and development efforts with a range or partners.

    Can pets at home spread the coronavirus?

    At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.

  • ‘ImaanFest’: World’s first Muslim LGBTQI+ festival to be held in April

    ‘ImaanFest’: World’s first Muslim LGBTQI+ festival to be held in April

    London will on April 11 be hosting the world’s first-ever Muslim pride event, ‘ImaanFest’, which comes after a successful crowdfunding campaign by its organisers, Imaan, a leading Muslim LGBTQI+ group in the United Kingdom (UK).

    LGBTQI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex, while the ‘+’ represents other sexual identities.

    According to reports, ImaanFest organisers successfully raised close to $20,000 in order to host the event, explaining that LGBTIQ+ Muslims often found themselves isolated, without community and frequently facing homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and Islamaphobic abuse.

    “The event will build on the incredible events we organised in the past, and feature panels, discussions, speakers, arts, culture and history — a first for LGBTQI Muslims,” they were quoted as saying.

    With tickets for ImaanFest now available to members of the public, organisers are now using social media to reach queer Arab speakers and service providers who might like to get involved. Other speakers include queer British-Iraqi writer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi and trans activist Asifa Lahore.

    https://twitter.com/Faizan_Imaan/status/1232780974158745608

    An Islamic online news agency, 5 Pillars UK, notes that the event has been organised “despite Islam’s strict prohibition of homosexuality”. The news agency adds that the “practice and promotion of homosexuality is considered a major sin in Islam by all mainstream schools of thought”.

    Imaan group has received a slew of negative tweets from online trolls after announcing the event over social media. But the group is responding to negative responses with “#Islamophobia”.

    Most Muslim-majority countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have opposed moves to advance LGBTQI+ rights at the United Nations (UN), in both the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

    A number of Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran among others, have strict laws against homosexuality, with punishments for the same being as serious as a jail term or the death penalty.

  • Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    Two coronavirus cases confirmed in Pakistan

    First two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan were reported on Wednesday, one of which was in the provincial capital of the country’s southeastern province of Sindh.

    While The Current is attempting to garner details of the other case, the first reported case is that of a 22-year-old man who, according to government sources, reached Pakistan from Iran by air and has a history of travel to Tehran “from where he acquired the virus”.

    The young man recently arrived in Karachi on a bus, however, authorities added, it is not yet clear as to when exactly did he reach the country.

    According to reports, the patient and his family were immediately placed in quarantine at a private hospital on the port city’s National Stadium Road.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, hours after his “no confirmed cases of coronavirus statement”, has tweeted the development.

    The Current had on Tuesday reported possibility of unreported coronavirus cases being present in the country — a claim then denied by the authorities.