ISLAMABAD, July 9(ABC): Urban flooding triggered by heavy rains wreaked havoc on Islamabad’s low-lying Sector H-13 where rainwater entered the houses. Rain water has also entered in basements of buildings. While residents of the areas await rescue teams. On the other hand, low-lying areas in Swabi are flooded as heavy rain fell in parts of the city. Citizens are facing …

ISLAMABAD, July 9(ABC): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday strongly condemned what it called “baseless allegations” levelled against the chief election commissioner (CEC) by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, saying no institution becomes treasonous simply with an edict issued against it, reported. The PTI chairman levelled new allegations against CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja in Khushab, terming him a “traitor”, …

ISLAMABAD, July 9(ABC): The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made major adjustments to the advance tax on capital gains on the disposal of immovable property, paving the way for the imposition of an inheritance tax, officials said Friday, with the experts terming the move “unjustified and arbitrary”. The revenue authority has included inherited and gifted property in its tax …

ISLAMABAD, July 9(ABC): PML-N senior leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has revealed that ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar will not return to Pakistan soon, adding that incumbent Finance Minister Miftah Ismail would continue his work in future as he has been doing exceptional work to restore fractured national economy. Talking to here Friday, Khaqan Abbasi said “I don’t …

KARACHI, July 9(ABC): At least six people lost their lives in rain-related incidents on Friday as heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Karachi, bringing up the toll in three days to 14. According to report, two sacrificial animals also died of electrocution. Following a rain forecast, different areas of the port city continued to receive moderate to heavy showers under the influence …

SHEIKHUPURA, July 8(ABC): As prime minister, Imran Khan turned the PM House in Islamabad into a den for blackmail, noting that videos recorded by Tayyaba Gul were used to blackmail the then-anti-graft body’s chief to lodge cases against the premier’s political opponents. This was claimed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Friday. While addressing a political …

LAHORE, July 8(ABC): France on Thursday gave Pakistan €22 million in soft loans to renovate and restore the Lahore fort. The loan was held up for nearly a year. A signing ceremony for the loan was held on Thursday. Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Secretary Mian Asad Hayauddin, French Ambassador Nicolas Galley, and French Agency for Development (AFD) Country Director Philippe …

CALIFORNIA, July 8(ABC): Meta Platforms Inc is modifying how users log onto its virtual reality headsets, backtracking on an earlier change to require accounts from the company’s flagship Facebook app on the devices while preserving links to social connections there. The company will roll out its new “Meta accounts” starting in August, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): The government on Friday once again increased the price of electricity by Rs 1.55 per unit, which will impose an additional burden of Rs 39 billion on the people. According to the notification issued by NEPRA, the power tariff has been made increased by Rs1.55 per unit and the hike in tariff will be effective from July …

LAHORE, July 8(ABC): Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Friday claimed to retake the mandate from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by winning all 20 seats in the province s by-elections. The Speaker of the Punjab Assembly said in a statement that defected lawmakers appear weak in their constituencies. Pervaiz Elahi said the deviant members have been rejected by the …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail said on Wednesday that the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will finalized in the next couple of days and the relief will be provided to the masses after the decline in fuel price in the international markets. It is pertinent to mention here that the price of petrol in the …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday felicitated the pilgrims of Hajj-e-Akbar and prayed for the blessings of Allah Almighty upon the Muslim Ummah and Pakistan. In a message on Twitter, he appealed to the fortunate pilgrims performing the Hajj-e-Akbar to offer special prayers for the humanity and seek forgiveness from miseries. PM Sharif said it was the …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar on Friday said that there has been a clear violation in voter list and registration of the by-polls in Punjab. While talking to media in Islamabad, he said whatever is happening, the current government knows it all. “We have said it before that Punjab government is a fake,” he said. Asad …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Following the devastation from monsoon rain across the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a financial relief package for rain and flood-affected families, Geo News reported. Keeping the current rain emergency in the country in mind, the PM, on an urgent basis, has approved financial assistance of Rs1 million for the victims of rain and flood. “In case …

WEB DESK, July 8(ABC): According to a study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour by researchers at the University of Chicago, a newly- developed algorithm has the ability to predict crimes a week prior to their occurrence with 90% accuracy. Algorithms predict the weather, music taste, and whatnot. This new study, however, opens doors to a new room of possibilities …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday said he has no disagreements with the “neutrals”, questioning why should he get into a quarrel with them. “Weakening the ‘neutrals’ means strengthening the enemy and only the country will suffer during this fight,” he said while speaking to senior journalists. Regarding chances of him being arrested, he said that if the …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday invited the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit Pakistan which the latter accepted with “great pleasure”. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the invitation was extended by PM Shehbaz during a telephone call with the UAE president. He …

  ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Friday admitted that the heroin smuggling case against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was fabricated, saying that the case shouldn’t have been lodged. Responding to a question about Sanaullah’s allegations that the drugs were provided by PTI chairman Imran Khan and Shahzad Akbar, Fawad said that his party had nothing to …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): Tayyaba Gul, a woman who has alleged the former chief of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sexually harassed her, claimed on Thursday that former prime minister Imran Khan used her videos to have his NAB cases closed and blackmailed the opposition. Gul claimed NAB turned against her as she had refused to join former chairman retired justice …

MECCA, July 8(ABC): Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Karim on Friday delivered the Hajj sermon with the status of khateeb [speaker] of Hajj at Masjid-e-Nimrah, as Muslims from across the world gathered in Makkah to offer the pilgrimage which is one of the key obligations of Islam. Huge crowds of Muslim pilgrims scaled Mount Arafat in Makkah early this morning (Friday), …

WEB DESK, July 8(ABC): TikTok recently announced that they will allow people to ban users under 18 from viewing their live streams. However, they are currently testing the new setting with specific users. The aim of the new setting is to hide content from children that may be aimed toward an adult audience or might be boring for them. Still, …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): The COVID-19 daily death count has nosedived to zero after seeing a major surge in a single day, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad data showed on Friday morning. The daily death toll had surged to 9 on Thursday (July 7). As per latest stats, Pakistan reported no death in the last 24 hours. There are 9,346 …

QUETTA, July 8(ABC): At least nine people lost their lives in rain-related incidents as stormy monsoon rains lashed parts of Balochistan, while many areas were inundated as seven dams burst in different areas, reported Thursday. Due to heavy rainfall and floods, seven dams were burst in the areas of Pashin, Qila Saifullah, Muslim Bagh, Qila Abdullah, and Zhob, while a …

ISLAMABAD, July 8(ABC): The Foreign Office on Thursday rejected “baseless allegations” levelled by the Indian Army through a “dossier” that was reported by some segments of the Indian media. Some Indian outlets, including India Today, claimed that Pakistan is assisting militants to infiltrate across the border for “terror activities.” “We outrightly reject this false and fabricated so-called dossier, the reported contents …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail while issuing dissenting note on a presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution which is related to the status of defecting lawmakers remarked that not counting the votes of the defecting lawmakers who defected against the party policy would be against the freedom of expression. …

  ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Thursday said that the incumbent government will soon reduce the ghee price up  to Rs150 per kg. Addressing a press conference, Miftah said that the country has moved towards economic stability and the government will shortly settle all the matters with International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We had no options left …

LAHORE, July 7(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday while taking a dig at PTI chairman Imran Khan said that Fitna Khan satisfied his ego by snatching free electricity relief package from the poor masses of Punjab. It is pertinent to mention the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on July 7 suspended Punjab Chief …

    KARACHI, July 7(ABC): The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence will help identify patients at a high risk of cancer even without symptoms and deliver better and less aggressive treatment options and improve survival rates. This was shared at a seminar organized by the Institute of Medical Technology, Jinnah Sindh Medical University on the ‘Emerging Trends in Breast Cancer’ …

  WEB DESK, July 7(ABC): Meta’s new AI model can translate 200 different languages, including many that are not supported by present translation systems, reported. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is calling it “one of the world’s fastest supercomputers.” The tech giant aims to leave no language behind and wishes to enable over 25 billion translations across Meta’s apps daily via No Language Left …

WEB DESK, July 7(ABC): Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say a “robotic microswarm” may soon act as a toothbrush, rinse and dental floss. In this startling new study, scientists used a magnetic field consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles that produce catalytic and magnetic reactions. By doing so, researchers were able to form bristle-like structures of a toothbrush or thin, …

WEB DESK, July 7(ABC): Apple on Wednesday said it plans to release a new feature called “Lockdown Mode” this fall that aims to add a new layer of protection for human rights advocates, political dissidents, and other targets of sophisticated hacking attacks. The move comes after at least two Israeli firms have exploited flaws in Apple’s software to remotely break …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday shared the way a Parliament works and what its representatives are doing. Sharing a letter written to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, the prime minister tweeted: “It is important to engage our people in the parliamentary proceedings. They should know how the Parliament works and what their representatives are doing.” The …

KARACHI, July 7(ABC): In line with the market expectation, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday aggressively raised the benchmark interest rate by a massive 125 basis points to 15% — the highest since November 2008. The rate hike came as the coalition government is trying hard to revive the much-awaited International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the resumption of …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Thursday warned the coalition government that even if they file 15,000 first information reports (FIRs) against him, he will still not back out. Addressing a public gathering in Punjab’s constituency PP-140, Khan said that so far, 15 FIRs have been registered against him, but despite that, he said that he wouldn’t stop his …

LONDON, July 7(ABC): Scandal-ridden Boris Johnson announced on Thursday he would quit as British prime minister after he was abandoned by ministers and most of his Conservative lawmakers. Bowing to the inevitable as more than 50 ministers quit and lawmakers said he must go, an isolated and powerless Johnson spoke outside his Downing Street to confirm he would resign. “The …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): The PTI will move the Lahore High Court (LHC) against 19 Punjab by-poll candidates who had been de-notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in May, the party’s senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry announced Thursday. The ECP had de-notified the 19 PTI members over casting votes for PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz against their party line in the …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that a national solar energy policy will be announced on the first of next month to address energy related issues. Chairing a meeting Energy Task Force in Islamabad on Thursday, he said that the enforcement of this policy will be linked to the approval by Council of Common Interest (CCI). Shehbaz …

LAHORE, July 7(ABC): The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday suspended Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz’s electricity relief package “Roshan Gharana Programme” which offers free electricity to households that consume up to 100 units till July 17. Hamza had announced earlier this week that the provincial government will bear the power cost of households that consume up to 100 units of electricity …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Blue Line and Green Line Metro Bus Service routes in Islamabad on Thursday. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Prime Minister said that provision of a regular, clean and punctual bus service is a major step of the incumbent government. He said that launching of Green Line and Blue Line Metro Bus …

WEB DESK, July 7(ABC): Researchers in Japan experimented with a chopstick-shaped utensil and found that participants consumed 30 per cent less salt when using it. This innovative chopstick has a weak current that can increase the perceived saltiness of low-sodium food. The study was led by scientists at Meiji University and a Japanese company, Kirin. Previous experiments found that a …