ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the authorities concerned to complete the under-construction model prison in the capital project in next fiscal year, which has been facing delay for the last 10 years. Taking notice of the delay, the prime minister formed a six-member committee headed by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan by to review the …

WEB DESK, June 27(ABC): As a result of Apple’s fresh software from Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), we may expect a busy fall and the first half of 2023. The second beta of iOS 16 provides much-needed enhancements, for which Apple has recruited a designer from a well-known air-purifier firm, reported. What’s new? A new iPhone lock screen, two new Macs …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): The Government of Pakistan Monday signed an agreement with the French Republic under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), the Ministry of Economic Affairs stated. According to a statement released in this regard, the ministry stated that the government signed a DSSI, amounting to the suspension of loans worth $107 million under the G20 DSSI framework. …

KARACHI, June 27(ABC): The Pakistani rupee opened the week with a slight decline against the US dollar in the interbank market on Monday. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the local currency closed at Rs207.94 against the greenback, after losing 0.22% compared to its session’s close of Rs207.48. Since the beginning of this fiscal year (July 1, 2021) …

KARACHI, June 27(ABC): After a frantic trading day on Friday, Pakistani stocks recovered ground on Monday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index fluctuating in both directions before finishing up 2.01% to halt the pessimism in the market. On Friday, a bloodbath was witnessed at the benchmark KSE-100 index, as investor concerns over the imposition of super tax and delay in inflows from the …

SINGAPORE, June 27(ABC): Pakistan’s monthly fuel oil imports are set to hit a four-year high in June, Refinitiv data showed, as the country struggles to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation amid a heatwave that is driving demand. The resurgence in residue fuel demand at power plants underscores the energy crisis faced by the South Asian country and …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Pakistan is pushing Saudi Arabia towards enhancing the oil facility on delayed payments facility to $3.6 billion from the existing $1.2 billion facilty,  reported Monday, citing a petroleum division spokesperson. The oil-rich country agreed to provide Pakistan with a $4.2 billion support package, including a $1.2 billion oil loan facility in October last year, when former prime …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Without naming the country, Pakistan confirmed Monday that its invitation to a development dialogue held in China on June 24 was blocked by a BRICS member. In response to media queries about the “High-level Dialogue on Global Development”, held virtually on the sidelines of the BRICS meetings, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that Pakistan — with the …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): PML-N senior leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar is expected to return to Pakistan any time next month in July, Geo News reported Monday, citing sources within the party. According to the sources, Dar is likely to visit Pakistan in the second week of July. They further stated that Dar will first take oath as a Senator …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Following the failure of the PTI government to take the necessary action to resolve the issue of including escalated costs in true-up tariffs, Korean investors have filed a claim with the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) against the government of Pakistan, seeking $94 million (Rs19.6 billion) in compensation. The Korean investors claimed that the National Transmission …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah Monday dismissed a petition against the constitutional amendment on the voting procedure for overseas Pakistanis. The dismissal came after Justice Minallah heard all arguments of the petitioner’s counsel during a plea hearing against the National Assembly bill revoking the Election Act. These 2017 amendments allowed overseas Pakistanis to vote …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan has appealed to the youth for immediate registration to the Tiger Force in the first phase, and has stated that the youth and especially women will have to take responsibility for the by-elections in Punjab. In a video message sent to PTI supporters and workers, the former prime minister stated that for 30 …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Sunday warned that there is a risk of default if the current account deficit is not controlled. In a statement, Miftah Ismail said that PTI had given four deficit budgets during its tenure and this year, Pakistan’s trade deficit will be the largest in history. The Finance Minister explained that there …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): The COVID-19 positivity ratio in Pakistan is nearing 3% amid a steady surge in infections across the country, as 382 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours, National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Monday morning. As per the latest stats, the new infections — detected after diagnostic testing on 13,412 samples — took …

LAHORE, June 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that no compromises can be made when it comes to Pakistan’s security and defence. Speaking in a meeting related to the law and order situation of the country under his chairmanship, the premier urged the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to improve their performance and said that it was the only …

KARACHI, June 27(ABC): The PPP took a clean lead in the first phase of Sindh’s local bodies elections in 14 districts, according to unofficial results. Sindh voted in the polls a day earlier amidst sporadic incidents of violence, clashes and at least two deaths. According to unconfirmed and unofficial results, the ruling PPP won with a big margin, while the …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan stated on Sunday that the current government, which came to power through a foreign conspiracy, will be rejected by the nation and its rigging scheme will fail. “It’s not an election, it’s a Jihad on July 17 and the election will have to be won to prove that we don’t accept US slavery,” …

ISLAMABAD, June 27(ABC): The talks between the Pakistani authorities and International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff will now resume after the approval of the budget for incoming fiscal year 2022-23, during which the two parties will strike a deal for a loan facility. It may be recalled that the Fund confirmed major progress in Pakistan-IMF parleys last week. Sources within the Ministry of …

ISLAMABAD, June 26(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that holding the Commonwealth Summit in accordance with the Charter of Multilateral Forum will have a positive impact on our common values and principles. In a virtual address at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being held in Kigali, Rwanda, he said that Pakistan is always ready to play its part …

KARACHI, June 26(ABC): Voting is underway today (Sunday) for the first phase of local government elections in 14 districts from four divisions of Sindh. The polling began at 8am and will continue until 5pm without any pause. The 14 districts of Sindh include Larkana, Kambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naushehro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar.

WEB DESK, June 26(ABC): The oldest archaelogical evidence of the discovery and use of fire was found at the Evron Quarry archaeological site in Israel which dates back to 800,000 to one million years ago, reported. Previously, the evidence for controlled fire was discovered at Israel’s Qasem Cave, which dated back to nearly 400,000 years ago. This time, researchers at the …

ISLAMABAD, June 26(ABC): Experts say Pakistan may potentially witness another COVID-19 outbreak as the country continues to see an uptick in new cases, pushing the positivity rate further up. The country reported 406 fresh cases of coronavirus in a single day, National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Sunday morning. The new infections were detected after diagnostic tests on …

LAHORE, June 25(ABC): The Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Saturday announced to bring real estate brokers, builders, car dealers, restaurants and salons into the tax net. In a statement on Twitter, he said that they are (gently) bringing millions of shops into the tax net. I have brought jewellers into the net, and rest assured I will bring in all …

ISLAMABAD, June 25(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced on Saturday that he will hold a public gathering against the coalition government next week at Islamabad’s Parade Ground. Addressing a news conference at his Bani Gala residence, the former prime minister said that he is gathering people from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. He urged the people belonging to big cities to come out …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): Researchers from King’s College London have created a novel interactive VR system to be used by patients when undertaking an MRI. In a new paper published in Scientific Reports, the researchers say they hope this advancement will make it easier for those who find having a MRI scan challenging such as children, people with cognitive difficulties, or …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): Brain-inspired electronics are the subject of intense research. Scientists from CNRS and the Ecole Normale Supérieure – PSL have theorized how to develop artificial neurons using, as nerve cells, ions to carry the information. Their work, published in Science on August 6, 2021, reports that devices made of a single layer of water transporting ions within graphene nanoslits have …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): Prosthetic enables a wide range of daily activities, such as zipping a suitcase, shaking hands, and petting a cat. For the more than 5 million people in the world who have undergone an upper-limb amputation, prosthetics have come a long way. Beyond traditional mannequin-like appendages, there is a growing number of commercial neuroprosthetics — highly articulated …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): The size of a grain of sand, dispersed microfliers could monitor air pollution, airborne disease, and environmental contamination. Northwestern University engineers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (or “microflier”) does not have a motor or engine. Instead, it catches flight on the …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): An international research team led by Skoltech and IBM has created an extremely energy-efficient optical switch that could replace electronic transistors in a new generation of computers manipulating photons rather than electrons. In addition to direct power saving, the switch requires no cooling and is really fast: At 1 trillion operations per second, it is between …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): Single-use diagnostic tests often aren’t practical for health professionals or patients in resource-limited areas, where cost and waste disposal are big concerns. So, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have turned to a surprising material, Tootsie Roll candy, to develop an inexpensive and low-waste device. The candy was used as an electrode, the part of …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): In pursuit of batteries that deliver more power and operate more safely, researchers are working to replace the liquids commonly used in today’s lithium ion batteries with solid materials. Now, a research team from Brown University and the University of Maryland has developed a new material for use in solid-state batteries that’s derived from an unlikely …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): Northwestern University researchers have invented a new high-resolution camera that can see the unseen — including around corners and through scattering media, such as skin, fog, or potentially even the human skull. Called synthetic wavelength holography, the new method works by indirectly scattering coherent light onto hidden objects, which then scatters again and travels back to a …

WEB DESK, June 25(ABC): 5G stands for fifth-generation cellular network technology. It’s the technology that enables wireless communication – for example, from your cellular phone to a cell tower, which channels it to the internet. 5G is a network service provided by telecommunications carriers and is not the same thing as the 5 GHz band on your Wi-Fi router. 5G …

  ISLAMABAD, June 25(ABC): Pakistan on Saturday rejected any attempt by India to contemplate some G20-related event or meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized “disputed” territory between Pakistan and India and the dispute remains on the agenda …

ISLAMABAD, June 25(ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday moved Supreme Court against recent amendments in NAB law. The amendments in NAB law have been challenged by former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan in which federal government and anti-graft watchdog have been made respondents. The petition has been prepared by Khawaja Harris, counsel of Imran Khan plea under Article …

KARACHI, June 25(ABC): State bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Saturday challenged the ruling of the Federal Shariah Court (FSC) for the abolishment of ‘Riba’ in the Supreme Court. The petition was filed by Salman Akram raja on behalf of the central bank. Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Law, Chairman Banking Council and others have been made respondents on the plea. …

LAHORE, June 25(ABC): A delegation of EU GSP Plus Monitoring Mission, led by Principal Trade Advisor, Guus Houttuin, called on Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz in Lahore on Saturday and discussed the implementation of various conventions on GSP Plus status. Punjab Chief Minister briefed the delegation about the steps taken by the government to implement various conventions on GSP Plus …

ISLAMABAD, June 25(ABC): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate Dr Afia Siddiqui’s family in securing a visa for the United States so they could visit the country and see her. Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed in the US, was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 …

KARACHI, June 25(ABC): Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the nation is proud of its armed forces for making the country’s defence impregnable and playing a key role in the fight against terrorism. He was addressing the passing out parade of 117th Midshipman and 25th Short Service Commission course at Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi. The Prime …

RAWALPINDI, June 25(ABC): Pakistan Awami League Pakistan (AMLP) leader Sheikh Rashid on Saturday slammed Shehbaz Sharif-led government after the government decided to impose ten percent “poverty alleviation tax” on large scale industries of the country. Taking to Twitter, former Interior Minister said that the inflation rate has been increased by 30 percent and implementing 10 percent fixed tax on industries …