Author: EchoAsiaNews

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said it remains actively engaged in efforts to secure the release of 10 Pakistani crew members held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly 50 days following the hijacking of the vessel MT Honour 25 off the coast of Somalia. The tanker, carrying 17 crew members of multiple nationalities, was seized by pirates near Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on April 21. Families of the hostages have expressed increasing concern over the deteriorating conditions aboard the vessel during the prolonged captivity. Addressing a weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan has undertaken sustained diplomatic…

WASHINGTON: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump are likely to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming G7 summit, with discussions expected to focus on trade relations and visa policies, according to a source familiar with the matter, Reuters reported. The meeting is expected to take place during the G7 summit scheduled in Evian-les-Bains, France, where both leaders are set to attend alongside other global counterparts. According to Reuters, key agenda items for the expected discussion include bilateral trade disputes and immigration-related visa issues, particularly those affecting skilled workers. Modi is scheduled to…

NEW YORK: Global debt issuance linked to artificial intelligence is projected to more than double to nearly $570 billion in 2026, driven by surging capital spending needs from major technology firms, according to Morgan Stanley, as reported by Reuters. The investment bank estimates that AI-related global debt issuance stood at about $236 billion as of May 31, 2026, marking a fourfold increase compared with the same period last year. According to Reuters, hyperscalers including Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are increasingly turning to debt markets to finance massive infrastructure expansion as AI-driven capital expenditure requirements accelerate. Combined spending by these…

TAICHUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan’s military on Wednesday conducted a live-fire drill involving its newly acquired mobile HIMARS rocket system, simulating an attack on a hypothetical invading force and demonstrating its “shoot-and-scoot” capability designed to evade counterstrikes. The exercise, held in central Taiwan’s Taichung region, marked the first time the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was fired on the island’s west coast. The system had previously been tested only on the east coast. According to the military, the drill aimed to showcase the system’s mobility and survivability on the battlefield by enabling rapid firing followed by immediate repositioning to avoid…

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election this year, his Likud party confirmed on Wednesday, following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump expressing uncertainty over Netanyahu’s political future. In a brief statement, the Likud Party said Netanyahu would contest the upcoming election and “God willing, he will win.” The election has not yet been formally announced but is required to be held by October. The clarification came after Trump told reporters he was unsure whether Netanyahu intended to run again, saying, “I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?” The remarks were…

ISLAMABAD: Senior leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have reached a broad understanding on key aspects of the country’s resource distribution framework, while keeping the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) formally unchanged, according to sources. A source privy to the discussions said both sides agreed that the NFC Award formula and the structure of BISP will remain intact, in what is being described as an attempt to ease federal fiscal pressures while maintaining continuity in Pakistan’s revenue-sharing and social protection systems. Under the emerging arrangement, provinces are expected…

PALERMO: Singer Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner are reportedly planning a “huge gift” to the city of Palermo following local backlash over their multi-day wedding celebrations in Sicily, according to reports. The couple married on May 31 at London’s Old Marylebone Town Hall before hosting a lavish three-day celebration in Palermo on June 6, which was attended by friends, family, and high-profile guests. The event reportedly drew criticism from some residents after authorities imposed tight security measures, including restricted access zones and temporary closures of public areas around the venues during the festivities. Following the controversy, reports suggest the…

LOS ANGELES: Actor Tom Holland has described a recent on-set experience involving his fiancée Zendaya, calling it an “amazing moment” that influenced the final version of a scene in their upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Speaking on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, Holland said the moment occurred during filming when the pair were working on a scene together and decided to reassess its effectiveness during production. He said that after filming his portion of the scene, the production team moved on to Zendaya’s coverage when he asked her opinion on whether the scene was working. According to…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday extended its austerity drive and fuel conservation measures until June 30, while also revising business operating hours across the country, according to an official statement. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The committee reviewed exemption requests from various ministries and finalised updated recommendations. Under the revised measures, consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat, and Lahore will remain…

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Wednesday that Pakistan conducted “precise and calibrated strikes” along the Afghanistan border, killing at least 26 militants linked to recent terrorist attacks in the country. In a statement posted on X, the minister said the operations targeted hideouts and safe havens of planners involved in multiple incidents, including the June 9 attack on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara, a June 2 vehicle-borne suicide attack in North Waziristan, and a May 9 assault on a police station in Bannu. The strikes came a day after six Federal Constabulary personnel were killed and several…