ISLAMABAD, July 28(ABC): Already overburdened by inflation, increased oil prices, food items, Pakistanis were in for a shock when the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday decided to increase the power tariff by Rs9.89 per unit. According to the regulatory authority, the hike in tariff has been made under fuel adjustment for the month of June. This decision …

GALLE, July 28(ABC): Sri Lanka spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis snared nine wickets between them to help the hosts to a 246-run series-levelling victory against Pakistan on the fifth and final day of the second test in Galle on Thursday. It was the fourth five-wicket haul in only his third test for left-arm spinner Jayasuriya, who picked up 12 …

WEB DESK, July 28(ABC): Former president Asif Ali Zardari has tested positive for coronavirus, his son Bilawal Bhutto confirmed Wednesday, as the infection continues to spread again globally. Foreign Minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal said that the party’s co-chairman was not only vaccinated but had also received booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine — which enhances immunity against the virus. …

ISLAMABAD, July 28(ABC): Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that all state organs should act within the domains stipulated by constitution for a smooth and effective working of democratic system. In a tweet on Thursday, he said it was also the core of his argument during the speech at the National Assembly. Shehbaz Sharif said we will be …

KARACHI, July 28(ABC): Heavy rain stormed various parts of Karachi last night, which led to flooded streets in several areas of the city. It rained in different areas of the city including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, PECHS, Liaquatabad, Old City Area, Saddar, Keamari and Defence. After the rain, the dark clouds remained in the sky while the rain stopped after …

WEB DESK, July 28(ABC): The Pakistani rupee continued its downward spiral against the US dollar in the interbank market during intraday trade Thursday, despite assurances by Finance Minister Mifta Ismail that pressure on the rupee will soon “vanish”. The rupee was trading at Rs239.50 against the US dollar in the interbank market during intraday trade amid the ongoing economic and political …

ISLAMABAD, July 28(ABC): Pakistan reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the last 20 days as eight people succumbed to the virus in a single day, National Institute of Health, Islamabad’s (NIH) data showed Thursday morning. The country reported nine deaths in a single day on July 7. As per the latest stats, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Pakistan …

ISLAMABAD, July 28(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in connivance with PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz, tried to defeat us [PTI] in the Punjab by-polls. In a televised speech, Khan said that they [coalition government] “disrespected the public” by considering them “sheep and goats” and tried imposing “corrupt people” on them. The former …

ISLAMABAD, July 28(ABC): Federal Minister Javed Latif said Wednesday the federal government had no intention of imposing governor’s rule in Punjab. “After the 18th Amendment, it is difficult to impose governor’s rule, therefore no one has the intention to impose it in Punjab,” he added. “I have been saying during cabinet meetings that action be taken against the beneficiary of …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): The federal cabinet Wednesday approved the withdrawal of the curative review petition against a top court order in the Justice Qazi Faez Isa case. After the cabinet meeting, which was held under the chair of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said there was no precedent for the curative review filed against Justice Isa, adding …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC):  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday addressed a session of the National Assembly during which he took a swipe at the judiciary, calling it out for its “dual standards” towards the coalition government. His comments came in response to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision of declaring Pervez Elahi the new chief minister of Punjab and removing …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): The newly elected Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday said that he would dissolve the Punjab Assembly immediately on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman (PTI) Imran Khan’s call. Punjab Chief Minister Elahi visited former Prime Minister Imran Khan at his Banigala residence, where the two leaders made important decisions including the election of Sabtain Khan as the …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): Federal cabinet on Wednesday decided to legislate regarding the suo motu authority of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the authority to form a bench. A meeting of the federal cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in which various issues came under discussion. During the meeting, the federal cabinet removed DG …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced maximum relief to the masses affected by rains in Balochistan and other parts of the country. Addressing a National Assembly session in the federal capital, the prime minister talked about the country’s faltering economy, the troubles that the government faced in a bid to rectify the situation and the devastation …

WEB DESK, July 27(ABC): The CEO of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealed that the application will shift towards video content over time, however, it will continue to support photos as well. Mosseri’s statement came following the negative feedback from celebrities Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, saying “make Instagram, Instagram again” and that it was becoming more like the famous video-sharing application …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government is taking serious steps to promote cooperation with the Chinese companies to attract investment. Talking to a Chinese delegation, he said all necessary steps are also being taken for the protection of workers and engineers of the Chinese companies. The Prime Minister noted that China Pakistan Economic Corridor project …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): The federal government Wednesday warned of imposing governor’s rule in Punjab after the Supreme Court removed Hamza Shahbaz as the chief minister and instated Imran Khan-backed Pervez Elahi to the top office. “The summary to impose governor’s rule is being drafted, and I — personally — have started work on it,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a …

KARACHI, July 27(ABC): The Pakistani rupee Wednesday plunged to a new low against the US dollar, which continued to strengthen for the ninth straight session during intraday trade in the interbank market. The local unit is trading at Rs237 in the interbank market, up from Rs232.93 a day earlier, as it shed Rs4.07. The rupee has been one of the …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC): Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that there is no risk of Pakistan defaulting anymore and policymakers are well aware of it. The statement came during a conversation with Islamabad-based policy think-tank Tabadlab CEO Mosharraf Zaidi. As the pressure on the government increases with the local currency sinking against the dollar amid political instability, the finance minister …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan has reported four deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to ,551,871. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,474 on Wednesday. According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 620 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while reacting to the Supreme Court of Pakistan verdict to strike down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election by declaring ‘illegal’ said that verdict has made a mockery of Pakistan Taking to Twitter, he penned that “salute the three …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz on Tuesday shared his views after the Supreme Court overturned the ruling of the Deputy Speaker, saying this is not a defeat but it is his party’s first step towards victory. Hamza  took to Twitter and wrote that the principle of neutrality has been killed …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Farhatullah Babar suggested the parliamentarian and Pakistan Democractic Movement (PDM)  leadership to limit the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s power. Taking to Twitter, Babar wrote, “Parliamentarians/PDM, if you care about restoring the balance of powers then read Art 191 and act decisively. Or stop grumbling. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has retweeted …

LAHORE, July 27(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday while reacting to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict to strike down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on the Punjab chief minister’s election by declaring ‘illegal’ said that the apex court hurt people’s expectations for justice. Taking to Twitter, Shehbaz penned that the constitution has assigned state powers to parliament, …

ISLAMABAD, July 27(ABC):PTI-backed candidate Pervez Elahi took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari. The top court declared Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab chief minister’s election “illegal” and ruled that PTI’s candidate Elahi …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, declaring the ruling of the Punjab Assembly’s deputy speaker “illegal” and instating Pervez Elahi as the new chief minister of Punjab, PTI Chairperson Imran Khan called his supporters to take to the streets and celebrate today (Wednesday). The court’s short order declared Elahi as the duly elected chief …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): The coalition government Tuesday strongly responded to the Supreme Court’s verdict to place Pervez Elahi as Punjab’s chief minister, removing Hamza Shahbaz from the province’s top office. The Supreme Court declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister’s election “illegal” and ruled that PTI’s candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to instate PTI’s candidate Pervez Elahi as the chief minister of Punjab, the party’s senior vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that “today, the Constitution’s rule has been accepted and the Pakistani people’s mandate has been respected”. “On July 17, the people of Pakistan accepted Imran Khan’s narrative …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister election and ruled that the Pervez Elahi is the chief minister of the province. Earlier Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial had said that the judgement would be issued at 5:45pm and later it …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): President Arif Alvi on Tuesday said that it is not a bad idea to appoint the next chief of army staff before the time fixed for appointment — November. The statement came during an interaction with journalists in response to a question. The president was asked what he thinks of the suggestion that the new army chief …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Senior most Judge of the Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa has written a letter to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), seeking postponement of its meeting scheduled on July 28, 2022, for the appointment of Sindh and Lahore high courts judges to the apex court, a matter that “requires utmost care and due deliberation as it …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) will now announce the verdict in the Punjab chief minister’s election case at 7:30pm — after the top judge previously said that the judgement would be issued at 5:45pm. The proceedings went on for three days — Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday — as lawyers from all the parties presented their arguments. Pervez Elahi, …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday resumed hearing the case of the Punjab chief minister’s election — where Hamza Shahbaz defeated Pervez Elahi — for the third day. Elahi, who had been defeated on July 22 after 10 PML-Q votes were rejected by Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Mazari, had challenged the ruling in the SC. The …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): As record temperatures hit much of the UK on Tuesday, tech giants Google and Oracle suffered outages as cooling systems failed at London data centres. Data centres are large highly secure buildings that hold banks of computers and are the powerhouses behind many online services. But the concentrated computing power generates heat so powerful that cooling …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a device that uses a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air, a new technology they say could have significant implications for the future of renewable energy, climate change and in the future of medicine. As reported today in Nature, the laboratories of electrical engineer …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said Pakistan’s current economic situation cannot afford any new political crisis. Speaking to news persons outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, the Minister said the incumbent federal government is taking the economy out of crisis and towards stability. He said Imran Khan and his party leaders repeatedly gave statements …

KARACHI, July 26(ABC): The rupee lost ground for the seventh consecutive session on Monday, closing at an all-time high of 229.88 against the US dollar in the interbank market as negative sentiment arising from Pakistan’s political front persisted. However, on a slightly positive note, the rupee regained some ground after having slipped to 232 in intraday trading. According to data …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Pakistan logged 371 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours amid a slight countrywide drop in the positivity ratio, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Tuesday morning. As per the latest stats, the new infections were detected after diagnostic testing on 13,439 samples by the national COVID regulating body. After the …

WEB DESK, July 26(ABC): Following the ruling coalition’s decision to boycott Supreme Court’s hearing on the Punjab chief minister’s election after the apex court rejected the plea to form a full bench, PTI reacted strongly and berated the ruling alliance for its decision, reported. Earlier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said if the SC doesn’t form a full court, “we …

ISLAMABAD, July 26(ABC): Following the Supreme Court’s decision to continue the hearing on the Punjab chief minister’s election with the current three-member bench, the ruling coalition has decided to boycott the hearing scheduled to be held tomorrow, the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leadership announced. The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday rejected the petition seeking the formation of a full bench for hearing the case …