OAKLAND, June 30(ABC): AI chatbot company Replika, which offers customers bespoke avatars that talk and listen to them, says it receives a handful of messages almost every day from users who believe their online friend is sentient. “We’re not talking about crazy people or people who are hallucinating or having delusions,” said Chief Executive Eugenia Kuyda. “They talk to AI …

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz Thursday said that his party respects the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision of recounting the votes cast in the elections of the Punjab chief minister. In a major development today, the LHC ordered the recounting of the votes of the Punjab chief minister’s election, excluding the votes of 25 PTI dissidents, while …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced on Thursday that the party will approach the Supreme Court tomorrow after the Lahore High Court wrapped up the case against Hamza Shahbaz’s election as Punjab’s chief minister. Addressing a seminar in Islamabad, Khan questioned how could Hamza remain the chief minister when the court had agreed that the electoral process through …

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): Following the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) order of recounting the votes of Punjab chief minister’s election, PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Thursday berated the PTI and said that it has “snatched the right of the people of Punjab.” Earlier today, the LHC ordered to recount the votes of Hamza Shahbaz’s election for the CM’s slot. The court directed to …

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): In a major development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered recounting of the votes of Punjab chief minister’s election excluding the votes of 25 PTI dissidents, while announcing the verdict on the party’s pleas challenging Hamza Shahbaz’s election to the CM slot. A five-member larger bench of the LHC, headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor and the growing economic linkages had deepened the roots of the abiding friendship between the peoples of Pakistan and China. “Atop this unshakeable foundation, the Pakistan-China partnership would continue to play its valuable role as a factor of peace and stability in the region and …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC)|: Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir on Wednesday said the loadshedding would be reduced significantly till July 20 as the government was striving to provide uninterrupted electricity to the masses. The minister while explaining the electricity generating plan, said that the refilling of 1100 megawatt nuclear power plant was in progress which would be completed soon …

LAHORE, June 30(ABC): The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday filed an intra-court appeal against single bench orders for issuance of notification of new members on five reserved seats of Punjab Assembly. The PML-N had filed the appeal through Advocate Khalid Ishaq, saying a LHC single bench had ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue a notification of …

LONDON, June 30(ABC): Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said he does not need permission from any PML-N leader for his return to Pakistan. Speaking to journalists in London, Ishaq said that he does not need permission from any other PML-N leader as Nawaz Sharif’s orders are enough, adding that he will leave for …

SEOUL, June 30(ABC): Samsung Electronics became the first chipmaker in the world to mass produce advanced 3-nanometre microchips, the company said Thursday, as it seeks to catch up with Taiwan’s TSMC. The new chips will be smaller, more powerful and efficient, and will be used in high-performance computing applications before being put into gadgets such as mobile phones. “Compared to …

WEB DESK, June 30(ABC): Snap on Wednesday launched a paid version of the Snapchat app in the US, priced at $3.99 a month, and a few other markets, in a major step away from a revenue model dependent mostly on advertising. Snap, which had teased the subscription version, Snapchat+, earlier this month, said it would be available in Canada, the …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): The COVID-19 cases in Pakistan are rising with every passing day with 641 fresh infections recorded in the last 24 hours, National Institute of Health, Islamabad’s (NIH) data showed Thursday morning. This is the highest number of cases reported since March 13, 2022. According to the NIH, the new cases were detected after diagnostic testing on 18,813 …

ISLAMABAD, June 30(ABC): The domestic prices of diesel and petrol are likely to hike by Rs16.89 and Rs4.55 per litre, respectively, in the next fortnight, reported Thursday. However, the petroleum levy (PL) and General Sales Tax (GST) will remain excluded from this price hike. The price of diesel will witness a massive increase from July 1, 2022, if the government charges …

RAWALPINDI, June 29(ABC): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Genral Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Wednesday that Pakistan values China’s role in global and regional affairs and we look forward to enhance our strategic partnership. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS said this in his meeting with Member of the Political Bureau of the …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assured Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to withdraw the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) appeal against the Federal Shariat court’s verdict on intereset. The JUI-F chief called on PM Shehbaz and during the meeting Fazlur Rehman apprised him about his concerns on NBP’s appeal. On this PM Shehbaz directed …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) on Wednesday while warning the government said that it wouldn’t take much time to sit in opposition benches from treasury benches. The meeting, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, began with a two-hour delay to approve the budget. Members of the ruling coalition MQM recorded a strong protest over delay in …

MULTAN, June 29(ABC): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday while lashing out at PTI said he was defeated in the 2018 election because his party hatched a conspiracy against him. Addressing the by-poll campaign meeting in PP-217 Multan, Qureshi said that he categorically told PTI chairman Imran Khan that the reason behind …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appealed the masses to follow the anti-Covid Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) amid surge in coronavirus cases in the country. He said this while presiding over a meeting to discuss the coronavirus situation. Federal minister Abdul Qadir Patel, Rana Sanaullah, Sherry Rehman, National Disaster Management Authority chairman, federal secretaries of information and national health …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Federal Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been running a movement based on the agenda to urge the institutions to not to remain neutral because he wants favour from them. Addressing the National Assembly session, the PPP Chairman said that …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India’s “mischievous” attempt to link the accused of the murder case in Udaipur with a Pakistani organisation. “We have seen reports in a segment of the Indian media referring to investigations into the murder case in Udaipur, mischievously seeking to link the accused individuals — Indian nationals —  to an organisation in Pakistan,” …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Finance Bill, 2022, in the absence of typical shouts of protest from the Opposition, bringing the government closer to fulfilling the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirement for the revival of the much-needed loan programme. The government presented the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 on June 10 with a fiscal adjustment of …

LAHORE, June 29(ABC): The uncertainty on Hamza Shahbaz’s election as the Punjab chief minister continued as the Lahore High Court (LHC) once again adjourned the hearing of the case till June 30. A five-member LHC bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan resumed hearing the separate pleas — filed by PTI and PML-Q — against Hamza’s election as CM on …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Yang Jiechi, a high-level member of the Chinese Communist Party, will arrive in Islamabad with a delegation today for a two-day trip to Pakistan, said the Foreign Office spokesperson on Wednesday. According to the FO, Yang Jiechi is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Director of …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): The federal government Wednesday decided to “fully activate” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in light of the rising coronavirus cases across the country. A statement from PM Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an NCOC meeting, where he expressed concerns over the rising COVID-19 cases and issued directives to revive Pakistan’s coronavirus response forum. …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Minister of the State for Petroleum Musadik Malik has pledged to overcome power load-shedding by the mid of July, as the country goes through the misery of not having power supply for tens of hours in sweltering hot weather. The electricity shortfall in Pakistan has exceeded 6,000 megawatts, causing 12 to 14 hours of power outages in …

LONDON, June 29(ABC): Former finance minister Ishaq Dar has decided to return back to Pakistan in the third week of July and he has received his new Pakistani passport, it can be confirmed. A credible source has shared that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has given a go-ahead to Dar to return to Pakistan. The source shared that Ishaq Dar will …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): The technology could boost aerial robots’ repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions. If you’ve ever swatted a mosquito away from your face, only to have it return again (and again and again), you know that insects can be remarkably acrobatic and resilient in flight. Those traits help them navigate the aerial …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): Technology paves way for intelligent solar cells, other highly efficient devices programmed at the macro and nano scale. Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have created light-activated composite devices able to execute precise, visible movements and form complex three-dimensional shapes without the need for wires or other actuating materials or energy sources. The design combines …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): A new method called tensor holography could enable the creation of holograms for virtual reality, 3D printing, medical imaging, and more — and it can run on a smartphone. Despite years of hype, virtual reality headsets have yet to topple TV or computer screens as the go-to devices for video viewing. One reason: VR can make …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): Ingo Burgert and his team at Empa and ETH Zurich has proven it time and again: Wood is so much more than “just” a building material. Their research aims at extending the existing characteristics of wood in such a way that it is suitable for completely new ranges of application. For instance, they have already developed …

ISLAMABAD, June 29 (ABC): Following the footsteps of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the coalition government has begun consultation to buy cheaper oil from Russia, reported a private Tv news channel quoting sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, the incumbent government has begun consultation to buy cheaper oil from Russia. In this regard, the …

TOKYO, June 29(ABC): Japan’s Sony is launching a new brand that will offer PC gaming gear, the company announced Wednesday, as it aims to expand beyond its flagship PlayStation console. The move comes as Sony looks to compete for a share of the gaming peripherals market, valued at $3.88 billion globally in 2019 according to Grand View Research. The first …

KARACHI, June 29(ABC): The Pakistani rupee (PKR) continued it winning streak and gained 1.12 rupees against the US dollar in the interbank market during intra-day trade. According to details, the dollar was being traded at 205.75 rupees compared to the previous close of 206.87. The appreciation in value of the local currency in the backdrop of the significant developments on …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Bowing down to the pressure of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government is likely to increase prices of petroleum products by Rs 10 from July 1 (Friday). Pakistan received Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policy (MEFP) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which would combine the seventh and eighth tranches. According to IMF’s MEFP, economic discipline is …

WEB DESK, June 29(ABC): If you are working from home and are concerned about sending emails when the internet is down, you don’t have to worry now as Gmail has introduced an offline mode for everyone. According to a report published by, the new offline feature eliminates the need for the internet to read or respond to and also search …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 case count has crossed the 500-mark for the first time in three months amid a constant rise in recent countrywide spread of the disease, National Institute of Health, Islamabad’s (NIH) data showed Wednesday morning. The country reported 541 new COVID-19 infections overnight, pushing Pakistan’s positivity ratio above 3% again. The new infections were detected …

LAHORE, June 29(ABC): A new political crisis is expected to emerge if the Lahore High Court declares the election of Punjab Chief Minister null and void and orders re-election, reported on Wednesday. If the LHC rules against the incumbent CM, the same candidates, Hamza Shahbaz and Pervez Elahi, will run for the position again. For the vote of confidence, the new …

ISLAMABAD, June 29(ABC): The Japanese government Tuesday extended grant assistance of Japanese Yen 313 million (approximately $2.3 million) to Pakistan for the project for Human Resource Development Scholarship. According to a press statement issued by the Economic Affairs Division, through this scholarship, the government of Japan would provide 17 scholarships for a two-year master’s degree programme and one scholarship for …

RAWALPINDI, June 29(ABC): Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Tuesday said that the Kartarpur corridor was the practical manifestation of Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to religious freedom and harmony. His comments came during a meeting with the British Sikh soldiers’ delegation, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. During the meeting, General Bajwa said that Pakistan …

KARACHI, June 29(ABC): Former law minister Farogh Naseem has vehemently denied PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry’s allegations on a matter related to giving plots to judges, saying PTI is lying on the issue, reported. Farooq Naseem’s statement came hours after former information minister Fawad Chaudhry’s claim that the then PTI government decided against giving plots to judges, however then law minister …