Author: EchoAsiaNews

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is poised to be appointed as the new head coach of the Pakistan men’s Test cricket team, ending a months-long vacancy in the role, sources within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have told media outlets. The appointment is expected to be formally announced shortly, with Sarfaraz scheduled to assume coaching responsibilities ahead of Pakistan’s two-match Test series against the Bangladesh national cricket team in May, part of the ICC World Test Championship 2027 cycle. The head coach position has been unfilled since October 2025 after the departure of the previous coach. During Pakistan’s recent home…

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved a temporary increase in electricity tariffs, allowing power distribution companies to recover Rs8.67 billion from consumers over a three-month period under the quarterly tariff adjustment mechanism. According to the regulator’s notification, a uniform increase of Rs0.35 per unit will be charged to consumers from March to May 2026. The adjustment applies to all power distribution companies, including K-Electric, with certain categories such as lifeline consumers and prepaid users exempted from the hike. The increase is linked to cost variations recorded during the October–December quarter of the ongoing fiscal year. NEPRA cited…

16 March 2026 — Day 24 Pakistan’s ongoing Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border entered its 24th day on Monday, with security forces continuing sustained operations against militant infrastructure and responding to cross-border attacks in multiple frontier sectors, according to security officials. Military authorities said the latest 24-hour operational window from March 15 to March 16 witnessed intensified tensions, including targeted airstrikes on militant sites inside Afghanistan and retaliatory cross-border firing that caused civilian casualties in Pakistan. Pakistani forces carried out overnight precision airstrikes in Kandahar Province, which authorities described as targeted operations against militant hideouts and logistical infrastructure allegedly…

16 March 2026 — Day 17 The ongoing conflict between Israel, United States, and Iran continued into its third week on Monday, with sustained aerial and missile exchanges across the region. Military operations remain largely air and missile based, with Israeli airstrikes expanding across Iranian territory while Iran launches retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and regional sites. Israeli forces carried out extensive airstrikes across several provinces in Iran, targeting more than 200 locations believed to be linked to military infrastructure and missile production. Key targets included installations associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij militia, along…

Remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggesting that Israel’s planned military action influenced Washington’s decision to strike Iran have triggered debate in political circles despite subsequent denials from the White House. Rubio told reporters that US officials were aware Israel was preparing to launch an attack on Iran and believed Tehran would retaliate against American forces in the region. He said Washington therefore carried out pre-emptive strikes to avoid higher casualties among US troops. “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” Rubio said, arguing that if the United States had waited for Iran to…

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told parliamentarians that Iran has agreed not to acquire nuclear weapons, while the United States is pushing for the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear programme. Speaking during a briefing in the Senate, Dar said he had conveyed Iran’s position during discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stressing that Tehran had committed to not building nuclear arms but wanted to maintain its peaceful nuclear programme. The deputy premier added that Pakistan supports Iran’s right to pursue civilian nuclear energy within international frameworks, while advocating diplomacy to ease tensions in the region.…

Global financial markets fell sharply on Tuesday, with equity indexes across Asia and futures in the United States sliding, as escalating geopolitical tensions stemming from the US‑Israel military campaign against Iran heightened fears of economic disruption and inflationary pressure, Reuters reported. The broad MSCI Asia‑Pacific index dropped nearly 3%, led by a 7.2% plunge in Korean stocks and a 3.1% decline in Japan’s Nikkei 225, while S&P 500 e‑mini futures were down about 0.9%. Analysts said rising crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices linked to the conflict’s impact on energy supply were weighing heavily on investor sentiment. Brent crude…

The French government announced plans to significantly bolster its nuclear arsenal and involve European allies more closely in nuclear deterrence efforts amid rising global tensions, Geo News reported. President Emmanuel Macron’s administration said the move reflects changing security dynamics in Europe and threats posed by geopolitical instability, particularly in the wake of the ongoing Middle East conflict and Russia’s continued assertiveness in eastern Europe. Under the initiative, France will increase the size and capability of its nuclear forces, invest in modernising delivery systems, and expand bilateral cooperation with European partners on nuclear strategy and deterrence planning, according to defence officials.…

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday accused what he described as a “Zionist agenda” of seeking to extend Israeli influence to Pakistan’s borders amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, Geo News reported. In a post on social media platform X, Asif claimed that the conflict had been imposed despite Tehran’s willingness to pursue an agreement, and suggested that its underlying objective was to encircle Pakistan strategically. Asif told Pakistanis, regardless of political or religious affiliation, to recognise what he termed a coordinated regional conspiracy that he said threatened Pakistan’s sovereignty. He characterised Zionism as a longstanding threat,…

As Nepal prepares for its March 5 general election, the country faces a pivotal political moment in the wake of widespread Generation Z‑led protests that toppled the previous government last year, raising questions about whether young voters will again support established parties that dominated politics for decades. Last year’s mass demonstrations, driven by youth frustrations over corruption, joblessness and political elitism, forced the resignation of then‑Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and dissolved parliament, precipitating early polls. The protests reflected deep disenchantment with Nepal’s traditional political class and set the stage for what analysts describe as a generational reckoning at the…