Author: EchoAsiaNews

WASHINGTON: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is set to face questioning on Wednesday by US lawmakers over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s network of high-profile contacts. Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals and a prominent philanthropist, is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee for a transcribed interview focused on his relationship with Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. Lawmakers requested Gates’ testimony following the release of Justice Department documents that raised new questions about his…

TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they carried out coordinated attacks on a US base in Jordan and 21 additional targets across the Gulf region, in response to American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media. The escalation marks one of the most significant exchanges of fire since a ceasefire agreement in April, raising fresh concerns over regional stability in the Gulf. Iranian media reported that the strikes targeted US-linked sites in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, including the al-Azraq base in Jordan. The Revolutionary Guards claimed the operation involved long-range missiles and drones and…

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced a 15-member squad for the Asian Games 2026, with opening batter Sahibzada Farhan appointed as captain. The cricket competition at the Asian Games is scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with matches beginning on September 24 and medal contests set for October 3. Ten teams will compete for the gold medal. Farhan, 30, has represented Pakistan in 46 T20 Internationals, scoring 1,305 runs, including two centuries and 10 half-centuries. Abdul Samad has been named vice-captain of the side. The squad includes Saim Ayub, wicketkeeper…

PHILIPPINES: Rescue teams in the southern Philippines recovered a body from the rubble of a collapsed supermarket on Wednesday, as the death toll from a powerful earthquake climbed to 46. The 7.8-magnitude quake struck just off the coast of Mindanao on Monday, causing widespread destruction, including collapsed buildings, landslides, and tsunami warnings across parts of the southern island. The victim was identified as 39-year-old Joey Deluvio, one of two supermarket employees in General Santos City where search and recovery operations have been ongoing despite repeated aftershocks. Rescue workers had earlier detected what was described as a “weak pulse” using life-detection…

NEW YORK: A former Afghan Taliban commander, Haji Najibullah (50), has been sentenced to 42 years in prison by a U.S. court over charges linked to kidnapping and terrorism-related killings. U.S. prosecutors said Najibullah was responsible for the 2008 abduction of American journalist David Rohde, then working for The New York Times, along with two Afghan civilians. He was also convicted in connection with an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and an Afghan interpreter in June 2008. Najibullah was arrested in Ukraine and extradited to the United States in 2020. He later pleaded guilty to hostage-taking and providing material…

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to expand and accelerate the privatisation of electricity distribution companies (Discos), emphasizing transparency and the need for a strong regulatory framework following the transfer of ownership to private operators. Chairing a high-level meeting on the privatisation process, the prime minister said that selling loss-making state-owned enterprises remains a key government priority. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, he instructed officials to speed up the process while ensuring that reforms are implemented to regulate the sector after privatisation. Officials briefed the prime minister on the ongoing privatisation programme, including the first phase, which…

Global spending on nuclear weapons rose to a record high of 119 billion dollars last year, according to a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a nonproliferation advocacy group. The report said the world’s nine nuclear-armed states increased their combined spending by 16.8 billion dollars in 2025 compared with the previous year, reflecting continued modernization and expansion of nuclear arsenals despite global disarmament efforts. The United States remained the largest spender, allocating an estimated 69.2 billion dollars, an increase of 12.6 billion dollars, and more than all other nuclear-armed states combined, according to ICAN. China ranked…

Kenya: Kenyan police have used tear gas to disperse protesters in the central town of Nanyuki, where demonstrations continue against the construction of a US-backed Ebola quarantine facility at a military airbase, despite court orders halting further work. The proposed 50-bed isolation unit is intended to house American citizens exposed to Ebola linked to outbreaks in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The project has triggered public anger, with protesters accusing the United States of attempting to shift public health risks onto Kenya. Demonstrations have escalated in recent days, with residents taking to the streets over what…

Al Jazeera has reported allegations from Palestinian detainees and rights experts describing widespread sexual violence and torture in Israeli detention facilities, following testimonies gathered as part of its investigative documentary “Bodies of Evidence: Israel’s Darkest Weapon.” According to testimonies published by Al Jazeera, former Palestinian detainees from Gaza have alleged severe abuse, including sexual assault, torture, beatings, forced nudity, and humiliation during detention by Israeli forces. One detainee, identified as Muhammad al-Bakri, described being arrested in 2024 and held for weeks before being subjected to sexual violence alongside other prisoners. He alleged that detainees were blindfolded, bound, stripped, and assaulted,…

Iran: Iran’s football federation has accused the United States of revoking its allocated ticket quota for the 2026 World Cup group stage matches, alleging that the decision forms part of broader political tensions affecting Iranian participation in the tournament. The federation stated that the United States has imposed administrative barriers and visa restrictions, including refusal to issue visas for certain members of Iran’s delegation and support staff. These developments come amid heightened diplomatic tensions following the wider conflict earlier in the year. According to the Iranian federation, its official ticket allocation for supporters was withdrawn, despite having already begun distribution…