Author: EchoAsiaNews

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has urged the timely completion of critical transmission projects by the National Grid Company (NGC), warning that continued delays are weakening Pakistan’s power transmission system and causing significant financial losses. In its Performance Evaluation Report for FY2024-25, Nepra highlighted structural and operational shortcomings in the national grid, citing project delays, underutilisation of foreign-funded infrastructure and gaps in technical capacity. The regulator stressed that priority transmission schemes must be completed to improve the flow of electricity from the south to the north and to reduce dependence on costly power generation sources. Nepra noted that…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart on Monday for a two-day official visit to Doha, where he is scheduled to meet Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Foreign Office (FO) announced. The visit comes at the invitation of the Qatari leadership and aims to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors. During his visit, PM Shehbaz will hold bilateral discussions with Sheikh Tamim, focusing on political engagement, economic collaboration, energy partnerships, and people-to-people exchanges. Both countries are expected to explore new avenues in trade, investment, infrastructure development, energy, and manpower export. The FO highlighted that Pakistan and Qatar…

The Pakistan Stock Exchange resumed its sharp downward trend on Monday, February 23, 2026, as geopolitical risk and technical market dynamics pressured investor sentiment. The KSE‑100 Index swung sharply during the session, rising early but ultimately falling to an intraday low of 169,071.03, a drop of 4,098.68 points, or ‑2.31 percent, from the previous close of 173,169.71. This marked a continuation of the broader sell‑off that has seen the benchmark lose more than 6,000 points over recent sessions as global risk aversion has intensified. Market participants attributed the renewed decline largely to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, which have…

At least 19 people, including a 24‑year‑old British national, were killed early Monday when a passenger bus veered off a mountainous highway in central Nepal and plunged into a ravine, police said. The accident occurred on a hilly stretch of the Prithvi Highway near Behighat in Dhading district while the vehicle was travelling from the tourist city of Pokhara to the capital, Kathmandu, before dawn. Officials said the bus, carrying around 44 passengers, fell roughly 200 metres (650 feet) from the road and came to rest near the banks of the Trishuli River. So far, only nine of the deceased have been…

Rizwan Pathan, a nationally recognised martial arts and gymnastics athlete from Bajaur District, has been compelled by severe financial difficulties to work as a labourer in a marble factory in Nowshera, underscoring challenges faced by athletes outside mainstream sports support systems. Pathan, who won a gold medal at the 2018 national martial arts championships and earned multiple provincial honours, told reporters that lack of funding has forced him to abandon full‑time training and competitive plans. His earnings from daily‑wage labour are now essential to support his family amid widespread poverty in his home region. “The biggest obstacle to my sporting…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun hearings to determine whether charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should be confirmed and proceed to a full trial, court and family sources said on Monday. The session, held before ICC Pre‑Trial Chamber I in The Hague, marks a key procedural step in the first case against a former Philippine head of state at the tribunal. Duterte, 80, faces three counts of crimes against humanity tied to alleged extrajudicial killings during his controversial “war on drugs”, a campaign launched in 2016 that human rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths. Evidence…

Sony Pictures Animation’s family film GOAT topped the North American box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $17 million in its second week of release, according to studio estimates released Sunday. The film narrowly outperformed Warner Bros.’ romantic drama Wuthering Heights, which earned approximately $14.2 million in its sophomore weekend. Both titles have benefited from steady audience interest since their mid‑February openings. The weekend’s box office was otherwise subdued, with no major new releases breaking out. Smaller titles, including the faith-based sequel I Can Only Imagine 2, the black comedy How to Make a Killing, and the horror film Psycho Killer, each…

Global risk assets came under pressure on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of former President Donald Trump’s emergency tariff authority, prompting renewed market uncertainty and policy volatility. In early Asian trading, U.S. futures fell while regional equities posted a mixed performance. Cryptocurrency markets were notably weak. Bitcoin, long‑viewed by some investors as a speculative “digital gold,” slipped as much as 5 % and traded below the $65,000 level, its lowest since early February. The wider downturn in risk assets and concerns about future regulatory scrutiny of the sector weighed on prices. The decline extends a broader correction…

Goldman Sachs has raised its oil price forecast for the fourth quarter of 2026, citing lower-than-expected inventories in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The U.S. investment bank now expects Brent crude to average $60 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to reach $56 per barrel in Q4 2026, up $6 from previous projections. The revisions reflect tighter global supply relative to demand, driven by inventory shortfalls. Despite the near-term increase, Goldman Sachs anticipates a global oil surplus for 2026 unless there are major geopolitical disruptions, including potential changes in Iranian output. For the full year, the…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to build a coalition of allied nations in and around the Middle East, aimed at countering what he described as “radical” threats, ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel. Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu said India would be part of this emerging network, which he termed an “axis of nations that see eye to eye” with Israel. He also mentioned Greece, Cyprus, and several unnamed Arab, African, and Asian countries as potential partners. “In the vision I see before me, we will create an entire system, essentially a ‘hexagon’…