Author: EchoAsiaNews

Pakistan’s national field hockey team continued its challenging campaign in the 2025‑26 FIH Pro League with a 5‑2 loss to world champions Germany at the Tasmania Hockey Centre in Hobart on Wednesday. The defeat marked Pakistan’s fifth consecutive loss in the competition, underscoring ongoing defensive struggles and inconsistency within the Green Shirts’ performance. Germany seized control early in the match, with Christopher Ruhr scoring in the fifth minute to give the Europeans an initial lead. The Germans extended their advantage when Tom Grambusch converted a penalty corner in the 16th minute, putting Pakistan firmly on the back foot. Pakistan responded…

Indonesia’s government has reopened its review of the planned takeover of the Martabe gold mine in North Sumatra, reversing a previous decision to revoke the operating permit and transfer the asset to a state-owned company under the country’s sovereign wealth fund, Danantara Indonesia. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said President Prabowo Subianto instructed officials to reassess whether the mine had committed environmental violations and whether investor rights should be restored if no breaches were found. Bahlil emphasized that the mine’s permit has not been formally cancelled and that authorities are conducting a comprehensive evaluation to determine the appropriate…

Newly released U.S. Department of Justice documents reveal that Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, communicated in 2015 with Sergey Belyakov, a former Russian deputy economic development minister who trained at the FSB intelligence academy. Epstein sought Belyakov’s help after claiming that a woman was attempting to blackmail “powerful businessmen” in New York. According to the files, Belyakov provided Epstein with detailed information about the woman, highlighting a transactional relationship that combined personal intelligence gathering with professional networking. The documents also show that Epstein made repeated attempts to leverage intermediaries, including former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland,…

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the formation of a medical team to examine former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s eye and ordered that he be allowed to speak with his children, with both measures to be completed before February 16. A two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and including Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, resumed hearings on Khan’s living conditions in Adiala jail. The court also dismissed a request to have his eye examined in the presence of family members, following a medical procedure he underwent on January 24. “The issue of Imran’s health is most important,”…

Israel has formally joined the U.S.-led “Board of Peace,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday during a visit to Washington. Netanyahu signed the formal accession documents after meetings with former President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, making Israel the latest country to participate in the initiative. The Board of Peace was established following a United Nations Security Council resolution in November 2025 and aims to support stabilization and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip under a fragile ceasefire that began in October 2025. The initiative is part of broader efforts to prevent renewed hostilities between…

Russia has launched an evacuation of its citizens from Cuba following a severe jet fuel shortage that has disrupted airline operations across the island. Russia’s civil aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, said on Wednesday that Rossiya Airlines and Nordwind Airlines would operate outbound-only return flights from Havana, Varadero, Holguín, and Cayo Coco to Moscow to repatriate Russian tourists currently stranded in Cuba. Rosaviatsia added that, after completing these evacuation flights, the airlines would temporarily suspend all regular services to Cuba due to fuel shortages. Authorities cited difficulties in refueling aircraft at Cuban airports, making normal flight operations impossible. Approximately 4,000–5,000 Russian tourists…

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Defense to purchase electricity from coal‑fired power plants, a move aimed at supporting the struggling coal industry and ensuring reliable power for military installations. The order does not specify the amount of electricity to be bought or the cost of the contracts. As part of the initiative, the Department of Energy will allocate $175 million to upgrade six coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. The administration says the investment will extend plant operations, strengthen the electricity grid, and provide baseload power…

A drone strike hit a mosque in the al‑Rahad area of North Kordofan state early Wednesday, killing two children and wounding at least 13 others, mostly children, according to local medical sources. The mosque, Sheikh Ahmed al‑Badawi, was hosting children studying the Quran at dawn when it was struck. The Sudan Doctors Network, a local medical monitoring group, attributed the attack to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in the ongoing conflict with Sudan’s regular army. There has been no immediate comment from RSF leadership. Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023 following a…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss ongoing U.S. diplomacy with Iran. The nearly three-hour closed-door session focused on Tehran’s nuclear program and regional activities, following recent indirect talks held in Oman. Trump described the meeting as “very good” but confirmed that no definitive agreement was reached on a strategy for handling Iran. He reiterated that U.S.–Iran negotiations would continue, emphasizing diplomacy as the primary approach while keeping military options on the table. Netanyahu pressed Trump to broaden negotiations to include Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support…

Polls have opened across Bangladesh under heavy security as the country holds its first parliamentary election since the 2024 uprising that removed long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. Over 127 million voters are registered, with youth aged 18–35 making up nearly half of the electorate, reflecting widespread hopes for democratic change after years of political unrest and street protests. The election is being closely watched as a test of Bangladesh’s democratic institutions. Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely considered the frontrunner. Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh after nearly two decades abroad, has pledged to tackle corruption and restore…