Author: EchoAsiaNews

JPMorgan Chase & Co. confirmed on Friday that it closed multiple banking accounts linked to U.S. President Donald J. Trump in February 2021, roughly one month after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The bank did not cite Trump’s political status in announcing the closures, but said the decision was based on a standard internal review process. In a brief statement issued to Reuters, JPMorgan said the accounts were closed “in the ordinary course of business and consistent with its contract terms.” The bank declined to comment further on specific reasons or to disclose which accounts were affected.…

Australia’s centre-left government has rejected media reports claiming it is organizing the repatriation of 34 Australian women and children from a Syrian camp holding families of suspected Islamic State (IS) militants. Government officials said the Sunday Telegraph story alleging that Canberra was preparing to bring the group home was incorrect. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke denied that there were any official preparations, meetings with state authorities or coordinated repatriation efforts underway. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also reaffirmed that the government would not assist the group’s return. The 34 individuals, believed to be relatives of dead or imprisoned IS fighters, were…

Renowned poet, naat-reciter and speaker Syed Salman Gilani has died at the age of 74 after a long illness, his family confirmed on Saturday. Gilani had been receiving treatment at Sheikh Zayed Hospital for complications related to his heart and liver. According to relatives, he had been unwell for a long time, and his condition worsened recently despite medical care. He was widely known in literary and religious circles for his naat recitations and poetry, which were often praised for being relatable and heartfelt. In addition to devotional poetry, he was also known for his humorous verses. His funeral prayers…

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has officially confirmed carrying out cross-border airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan late Saturday night, describing the military action as a direct “retributive response” to a recent surge in deadly suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.In a formal statement dated February 21, the ministry detailed that the operations involved the “intelligence-based selective targeting” of seven militant camps and hideouts located along the Afghan border. The strikes were aimed specifically at factions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad officially designates as Fitna al-Khawarij, and affiliates of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP).According to the official release, the strikes were executed…

Austrian authorities have announced plans to convert the childhood home of Adolf Hitler into a police station, as part of wider efforts to prevent the property from becoming a rallying point for neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists. The move comes nearly a century after the dictator’s birth in the small town of Braunau am Inn, on the border with Germany. Austrian officials have long grappled with how to handle the controversial legacy of the building, where Hitler lived for the first few years of his life before rising to power in Germany. Interior Minister Gerald Klug said the decision to repurpose…

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, the 38-year-old reality TV star known from MTV’s Jersey Shore franchise, has revealed she has been diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer, which was caught early after a recent medical procedure confirmed the condition. In a candid video shared on TikTok, recorded between doctor appointments, Snooki told her millions of followers that her cone biopsy results showed stage 1 cervical cancer called adenocarcinoma, a form of the disease that starts in glandular cells of the cervix. She described the news as “not the news that I was hoping for, but also not the worst news” because it…

Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. has suggested that he may retire from professional football by the end of 2026, saying he hopes to finish his career on his own terms after a storied run at the highest levels of the sport. The 32-year-old forward, currently playing for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, made the comments in a recent interview with Brazilian media outlet Globo Esporte. Neymar, widely regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation, said he has been evaluating his future as he approaches the latter stages of his career. “I want to be able…

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday dismissed a delayed appeal filed by the federal government against an earlier judgment of the Federal Service Tribunal (FST), observing that the government must adhere to the same legal timelines and standards as any other litigant. A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik, heard the government’s appeal against the FST’s June 26, 2025 order. The government had also filed a motion seeking condonation of a 20-day delay in lodging the petition, which was contested before the court. In a concise four-page judgment authored by Justice Malik, the…

Pakistan’s gas sector circular debt has surged to an alarming Rs32 trillion, reflecting mounting financial pressures on energy companies and government finances, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday. The sharp rise in accrued liabilities underscores ongoing structural weaknesses within the country’s energy sector. Circular debt, the gap between the cost of supplying gas and the revenue collected from consumers, has expanded as subsidies, inefficiencies, and delayed payments have continued without meaningful reform. The government noted that this growing debt threatens not only the financial health of gas utilities but also broader economic stability. According…

Political divisions within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have widened after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced plans to form a so-called “Imran Khan Release Force” aimed at securing the release of the party’s jailed founder, former prime minister Imran Khan. The proposal has drawn sharp differences within PTI leadership and criticism from federal government officials. Afridi’s announcement, made on the eve of Ramadan, took many senior PTI leaders by surprise. The force is intended to campaign for Imran Khan’s release and is expected to be registered formally, with members from various party wings and supporters taking an oath after…