Author: EchoAsiaNews

Iran: Iran said Monday it had launched ballistic missile attacks against US military targets in Jordan in retaliation for an American strike on Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, marking a renewed escalation in the six-month conflict. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted two US military bases in Jordan and claimed the attacks caused heavy damage. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles but did not identify their origin. Iranian state media also reported that Iranian forces had targeted Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates with drones. The UAE Ministry of Defence denied reports that…

Nepal: Rescue teams backed by Chinese and Indian experts are working to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower project tunnels following devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border. Nepali authorities said 903 people had died while 4,247 remained missing after the disaster, which struck the Himalayan region last week. Of those missing, 933 were reported to be workers at hydropower projects in the flood-hit areas. The floods swept large amounts of mud, rocks and debris into several tunnels, complicating rescue efforts. Teams have been using heavy machinery to clear blocked entrances and search for possible…

Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart for Kyrgyzstan today (Monday) for a three-day official visit focused on Pakistan’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting and bilateral engagements, the Foreign Office said. The prime minister will remain in Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 2 at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov. The visit comes as Pakistan prepares to assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026–27 period. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem…

Tentative agreement includes new GMC Sierra production and commitments to Ontario plants General Motors plans to invest C$1.1 billion ($791 million) in its Canadian operations under a tentative agreement with the Unifor union, as the country’s auto industry faces mounting pressure from US tariffs. The agreement covers 4,600 union workers in Ontario and includes plans to invest C$144 million to add next-generation heavy-duty GMC Sierra pickup production at GM’s Oshawa plant. GM would also commit C$691 million toward previously announced investment supporting production of new V8 engines in Ontario, while another C$215 million would fund production of a new-generation transmission…

SEOUL: South Korea has named First Vice Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il as the country’s new deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance as part of a major cabinet reshuffle announced Sunday. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the changes in a televised address, saying the administration had also nominated ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won as justice minister and former deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command Kang Shin-chul as defense minister. Lee Hyoung-il, a career technocrat who has served as first vice finance minister since June 2025, will take charge of economic policy as…

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign trade has declined by nearly 35% as the country faces continued economic pressure from US sanctions and a naval blockade, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, as Tehran and Washington remain at an impasse over efforts to end the conflict. Pezeshkian told Iranian state media that exports and imports had fallen by around 35% because of US sanctions and the blockade of Iranian ports. The economic pressure comes as Iran’s annual inflation reached 66% last month. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has called on the government to address inflation, unemployment and rising prices. In a written statement, Khamenei…

KARACHI: Police have said there is no evidence that a newborn disappeared from a private hospital in Nazimabad, claiming that a woman admitted for delivery had allegedly fabricated her pregnancy and submitted a forged ultrasound report. The case surfaced after the woman, identified as Zubia, wife of Rashid, was brought to the hospital on August 27 for an alleged delivery. Hospital staff reportedly discovered during the procedure that she was not pregnant. The incident prompted protests by the woman’s family, who allegedly vandalised parts of the hospital after being informed that there was no newborn. According to police, Zubia had…

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday rejected claims about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s deteriorating health, saying an assessment by Imran’s sister and doctors indicated that the former prime minister was in good health. In a post on X, Asif said Imran’s sister, Dr Uzma Niazi, had met him along with other doctors and described him as “absolutely fit”. According to Asif, she also checked Imran’s blood pressure and found it to be within the normal range. The defence minister accused Imran’s supporters, particularly those overseas, of creating what he described as an atmosphere of fear and…

ISLAMABAD: The removal of Health Secretary Aslam Ghori following the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has raised questions over whether the federal government had received complete information about his visits to the hospital and actions taken before and after the incident. Sources close to Ghori said on Saturday that the health secretary had visited PIMS three to four times in the week before the August 27 fire and had submitted reports on his visits to the Prime Minister’s Office. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office, however, disputed the account, saying the office was not…

KATHMANDU: The death toll from catastrophic floods and mudslides near Nepal’s border with China has risen to 734, with 2,498 people still missing, Nepal’s disaster authority said Sunday as rescue operations entered their fifth day. Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing in Tibet, bringing the overall death toll from the disaster to 750, while 3,044 people remain unaccounted for on both sides of the border. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 8,186 people had been rescued so far, including 227 foreign nationals. The number of missing people in Nepal increased from 2,426 reported on…