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 …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): The COVID-19 situation in Pakistan is getting worse once again ahead of Eid as nine people suffering from the infection died in the last 24 hours, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Thursday morning. Pakistan’s coronavirus death toll witnessed a major hike after over three months as the country last reported nine deaths on …

ATTOCK, July 7(ABC): Popular anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan was given relief by an Attock court on Thursday when a case against him was dismissed and the police were instructed to let him go if he wasn’t wanted in another case. The Punjab Police brought Imran Riaz Khan before the court and asked for a three-day physical remand. Before a hearing …

ISLAMABAD, July 7(ABC): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken Wednesday reaffirmed their mutual desire to further strengthen bilateral ties between Islamabad and Washington by expanding engagements in different sectors. Taking to his Twitter handle, the foreign minister, while referring to 75 years of Pakistan-US relationship, stressed that the two sides must increase people-to-people and …

SAHIWAL, July 7(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday challenged that no matter what the Sharifs do [in order to] attract voters for by-polls to be held in 20 constituencies on July 17, the “PTI will win.” Addressing a public gathering in Sahiwal, the former prime minister said that the people have very well-understood the lotas (turncoats) and “diesel” (referring to JUI-F chief …

ISLAMABAD, July 06 (ABC): Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail on Wednesday said Pakistan was was taking all possible measures to resolve the bottlenecks for significantly augmenting the bilateral trade volume with Iran. The minister was talking to Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, who called on him here, according to a Finance Ministry statement. Miftah …

ISLAMABAD, Jul 6 (ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday said that he had ordered an inquiry into criminal delay in Gwadar Breakwater project as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s government had ignored it despite availability of grants. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister said $445m grant, $484m soft loan and feasibility were available, but it baffled mind how the previous …

SAHIWAL, July 06 (ABC): Former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said ‘even with the support of the umpires thieves cannot win Punjab by-polls’, scheduled to take place on July 17. Addressing a public gathering in Sahiwal, Imran Khan thanked participants for coming in large numbers to the public gathering despite heavy rain and accumulated water in …

ISLAMABAD, July 6(ABC): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Wednesday that the government’s talks with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were at a “pre-dialogue” after political parties approved negotiations with the militants. In a press conference, the interior minister said the military leadership suggested forming a committee comprising all political parties — a proposal that was accepted by the Parliament as …

ISLAMABAD, July 6(ABC): PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday that his party is ready for a “grand dialogue” but will only come to the table if an election date is announced. Talking to the press in Islamabad, Fawad said that if the government continued making such moves one after the other, it may derail democracy in the country. “Every …

LAHORE, July 6(ABC): Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique Wednesday announced that railway fares would be reduced by 30% on all three days of Eid ul Adha (July 10 to July 12). Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, flanked by Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira, the railway’s minister said that …

ISLAMABAD, July 6(ABC): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday asked that is it harassment if former prime minister Imran Khan is questioned about his corruption. Rana Sanaullah, while addressing a press conference, inquired that whether holding PTI Chairman Imran Khan accountable for his looting means that he is being cornered. Interior Minister asked Imran Khan that whether he wants to …

ISLAMABAD, July 6(ABC): Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb Wednesday lashed out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan and demanded that he answer to the people on how he managed to “convert Bani Gala — his residence — into money gala”. In a press conference, the information minister said the ex-prime minister did not curb corruption and that Khan and his aides’ assets …

WEB DESK, July 6(ABC): Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has served a defamation notice worth Rs1 billion to PTI leader Imran Ismail for alleging that he owned a solar panel business and was taking undue benefits from the government. Suleman’s legal team, in the notice served to Ismail, stated that the former Sindh governor’s claims were …

GENEVA, July 6(ABC): Scientists working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have discovered three subatomic particles never seen before as they work to unlock the building blocks of the universe, the European nuclear research centre CERN said on Tuesday. The 27 kilometre-long (16.8 mile) LHC at CERN is the machine that found the Higgs boson particle, which along with its …

WEB DESK, July 6(ABC): Apple recently secured a new patent that may make iPhones waterproof and allow users to adjust touch sensitivity so that they are better able to access their phone screens in the rain. Current iPhone models are water-resistant but it’s still tricky texting with water drops on the screen. With the new patent on the way, Apple …