Author: EchoAsiaNews

ISLAMABAD: The government has rejected reports by foreign media concerning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s prison conditions and medical treatment, saying official prison and medical records contradict claims that he has been isolated or denied adequate healthcare. In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Imran, who is serving sentences following convictions by courts, had access to visitors, telephone calls, reading material, television, home-cooked food and exercise facilities. The ministry said Imran was housed in a seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities and rejected allegations that he was being subjected to solitary confinement…

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States has secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves through a partnership with private companies, in a major expansion of Washington’s role in the country’s energy sector. Trump said the arrangement would allow American companies to help revive Venezuela’s struggling oil industry while increasing crude supplies to US refineries and potentially easing gasoline prices. The US president provided few details about the agreement, including which oilfields and companies are involved or how Washington would exercise majority control. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil…

NEW YORK: A US federal judge on Friday rejected President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to transfer his New York hush money case from state to federal court, ruling that his arguments were neither new nor legally sufficient. Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein said Trump’s latest request did not present grounds that justified reconsidering his previous decision. “The grounds for a second removal cited by Defendant, Donald J. Trump, are neither new nor legally sufficient,” Hellerstein ruled. The decision came after a federal appeals court directed Hellerstein to reconsider Trump’s request following a 2024 US Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Why…

AMSTELVEEN: Pakistan defeated South Africa 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Friday to finish 11th at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 at Wagener Stadium. The result gave Pakistan their best World Cup finish in 20 years. The national side had finished 12th in the 2010 and 2018 editions and failed to qualify for the 2014 and 2023 tournaments. Pakistan’s previous best finish came in 2006, when the team secured sixth place. How did Pakistan complete the comeback? South Africa took control early, with Trevor de Lora opening the scoring in the eighth minute before Dayaan Cassiem doubled the lead…

ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Secretary has been removed from his post following the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Children’s ICU that killed 14 children, with a source saying the action was linked to his alleged failure to comply with repeated directives to inspect hospitals in Islamabad. According to a source familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the health secretary on several occasions to personally visit hospitals, particularly Pims, and assess treatment standards, facilities and arrangements for patients. The secretary was also instructed to ensure the availability of modern equipment and electromedical devices…

WAH: Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) in Wah on Saturday to review its defence production capabilities, export potential and ongoing indigenisation efforts, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. During the visit, Field Marshal Munir was briefed on POF’s operations and its role in strengthening Pakistan’s defence industrial base through the indigenous development and production of military equipment. The CDF witnessed tests and trials of locally designed and manufactured arms and ammunition, according to the military’s media wing. What did Munir review during the…

KATHMANDU: Nepal has suspended search-and-rescue operations in parts of the country because of heavy rain and poor visibility and is seeking foreign technical assistance following devastating floods that killed at least 626 people in Nepal and seven in China’s Tibet. The Himalayan nation also expects to need between $4 billion and $5 billion to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Wednesday’s disaster, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle told Reuters. The floods were triggered by a glacier collapse that sent rock, ice, mud and debris through mountain river systems, destroying buildings, bridges and power infrastructure in areas bordering Tibet. Nearly 3,000 people remain missing,…

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has warned owners of vineyards and other private properties in Mastung that they could be declared facilitators if militants use their land to carry out attacks against security forces or government officials. Speaking after inaugurating digital initiatives of the Balochistan Police at the Central Police Office on Friday, Bugti said the government would not tolerate private properties being used for terrorist activities. He said property owners could not claim ignorance if militants launched attacks from their land, particularly when they had repeatedly been warned about the presence of terrorists. “If a security forces’ convoy…

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign trade has fallen by nearly 35% as the war with the United States enters its sixth month, with Tehran facing mounting economic pressure from US sanctions, restrictions on shipping and a prolonged standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said exports and imports had declined by about 35% because of US sanctions and a naval blockade of Iranian ports. He added that Iran had managed to sell around 90 million barrels of oil during a short-lived June memorandum of understanding that temporarily allowed Iranian oil exports. How is Iran responding to growing economic pressure?…

Punjab: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has ordered a fresh safety audit of public-sector hospitals across Punjab following the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad that killed at least 14 newborns. The chief minister has directed authorities to complete the audit within 24 hours, with officials instructed to examine fire safety arrangements, emergency exits and firefighting equipment at government health facilities. What has Punjab ordered? Deputy commissioners have been directed to inspect the availability and functionality of fire extinguishers and other firefighting equipment in hospitals. They will also assess emergency exits in coordination with…