Author: EchoAsiaNews

BIRMINGHAM: Great Britain claimed a memorable one-two finish in the men’s 100 metres at the European Athletics Championships, with Romell Glave winning the gold medal and Jeremiah Azu taking silver in front of a home crowd at Alexander Stadium. Glave captured his first major international gold medal by clocking 10.09 seconds, upgrading the bronze medal he won at the 2024 European Championships in Rome. Azu crossed the finish line in 10.16 seconds to secure the silver medal, completing Britain’s first one-two finish in the event at the championships. Germany’s Owen Ansah claimed the bronze medal after Italy’s defending champion Lamont…

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has finalised a new federal rule prohibiting the use of Medicaid funds to cover gender identity-related healthcare for individuals under the age of 18, marking a significant change to federal healthcare policy. Announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the rule bars states from using federal Medicaid funding to pay for gender identity care provided to minors enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). States that choose to continue offering such services will be required to finance them using their own funds. According to CMS, the new policy does not…

LONDON (Reuters): TUI, Europe’s largest travel company, reported third-quarter earnings below analysts’ expectations on Wednesday as weaker holiday bookings and elevated jet fuel costs weighed on profitability. The company posted an operating profit of €234.6 million ($270.6 million) for the quarter, falling short of the €274 million forecast by analysts surveyed by LSEG. The result also marked a 26.8% decline from the €320.6 million operating profit recorded during the same period last year, reflecting the impact of softer consumer demand and higher operating expenses. TUI said travellers had become more cautious about booking holidays as geopolitical uncertainty continued to affect…

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to be discharged from hospital on Wednesday after undergoing successful elective surgery earlier this week, according to the state news agency Bernama. Anwar, 79, has remained under medical observation since Monday, when he underwent a laparoscopic procedure to treat a para-umbilical hernia, a condition that occurs when tissue protrudes through a weakened area of the abdominal wall near the navel. The surgery was planned in advance, and government officials had previously described the procedure as elective. His medical team kept the prime minister under observation following the operation to monitor…

FRANKFURT (Reuters): German energy company E.ON, Europe’s largest electricity grid operator, reported first-half earnings that slightly exceeded market expectations on Wednesday, supported by strong performance from its business serving large industrial and municipal customers. The company said its adjusted core profit (EBITDA) for the January-June period increased 1% year-on-year to €5.40 billion ($6.23 billion), marginally outperforming analysts’ consensus forecast of €5.39 billion, according to a Vara Research poll. E.ON also reported adjusted net profit of €1.92 billion, representing a 5% increase from the same period last year. The figure was also slightly above analysts’ expectations of €1.91 billion, reflecting resilient…

LONDON (Reuters): Ukraine has paused drone strikes on oil tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from US Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian officials. According to the report, Washington requested the pause last month after expressing concern that Ukrainian attacks on tankers were disrupting global oil markets and affecting US companies involved in transporting Kazakh crude through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at Novorossiysk. The Financial Times said Ukraine agreed not to target CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided those ships were not under Ukrainian sanctions and were…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has reduced the price of petrol by Rs1.70 per litre while increasing the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs1.39 per litre, with the revised rates taking effect from August 12, the Petroleum Division announced. Under the new pricing, petrol will retail at Rs325.92 per litre, down from Rs327.62, while high-speed diesel will cost Rs382.25 per litre, up from Rs380.86. The government said it continues to collect Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on high-speed diesel. Meanwhile, the petroleum levy on diesel has been increased by Rs2 to Rs76.28…

QUETTA: A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Balochistan on Wednesday, with tremors felt in Zhob and Chaman, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC). The NSMC, operating under the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 15 kilometres, with its epicentre located 122 kilometres northeast of Zhob. Residents in the affected areas reported feeling the tremors, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. How Does This Compare With Previous Earthquakes in the Region? The latest earthquake occurred in a region that has experienced several significant seismic events in recent years. On…

LONDON: Pakistan’s national shooting team delivered a standout performance at the F-Class British Open 2026, winning 13 medals, including seven gold, two silver and four bronze, at the prestigious international competition held in Bisley, United Kingdom. The tournament took place from August 3 to 8 and featured approximately 185 shooters from 24 countries, bringing together many of the world’s leading F-Class rifle competitors. Led by Lt Gen Ahsan Gulrez, Pakistan fielded one of the smallest contingents at the event, with only 12 shooters, but emerged among the competition’s top-performing teams through strong performances in both individual and aggregate events. What…

LONDON (Reuters): Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday, with Brent crude approaching the $90-per-barrel mark as fading prospects for a US-Iran peace agreement and renewed attacks on shipping in key Middle East waterways heightened concerns over global supply disruptions. Brent crude futures rose 72 cents, or 0.81%, to $89.63 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 71 cents, or 0.85%, to $83.91 in early trading. Both benchmark contracts had settled more than $1 higher on Tuesday, reaching their highest closing levels since July 31 after surging around 5% on Monday as expectations for a breakthrough in US-Iran…