World Echo

Multiple people were sharing a video on several social media platforms since April 4, 2026, claiming it showed Iranian forces capturing an American pilot after shooting down a US F15E fighter jet. However, the video is old and shows a Libyan soldier performing a parachute jump. The Middle East war has entered its 35th day with no let-up in hostilities. The conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, including missile systems and nuclear-related facilities. The strikes marked a significant escalation in tensions between the countries, following a period of heightened regional instability and previous confrontations. On April 3, 2026, Iranian state media claimed that the country’s forces shot down a US jet over its southern region. The US later said that it rescued two of its pilots from Iran. On April 4, a parody account named after former Iranian interim supreme leader Ayatullah Alireza Aarfi s...

With a US deadline approaching, ​the United States and Iran received the framework of a plan to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, though Tehran rejected any immediate move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of a temporary ceasefire. US President Donald ‌Trump has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it did not make a deal by the end of Tuesday that would allow traffic to start moving again through the vital route for global energy supplies. The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday. Read: UAE says the use of Hormuz must be guaranteed in any US-Iran deal Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal ​Asim Munir was in contact "all ​night long" with US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the so...

US President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed former British government aide and Fox News host Steve Hilton in the upcoming California governor's race. Hilton, who has dual nationality, served as former British Prime Minister David Cameron's director of strategy and was one of his closest advisers before leaving Downing Street in 2012 and moving to California. "I have known and respected Steve Hilton, who is running for Governor of California, for many years ... With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before! Steve Hilton has my COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT," Trump said on social media platform Truth Social. Read: Rallies planned in thousands of US cities for 'No Kings' protest against Trump Under California law, the top two finishers in the June 2 open primary contest will advance to November's election, regardless of party. Polls show that Republican candidates Hilton and Chad Bianco, the Riversid...

China confirmed on Sunday the execution of a French national sentenced ​to death in 2010 for drug trafficking, saying ‌it did not discriminate against defendants on the basis of nationality, a day after Paris criticised the court's handling of ​the case. The Chinese embassy in France made the ​remarks in a brief statement on the execution ⁠of 62-year-old Chan Thao Phoumy after a 20-year stint ​in jail. On Saturday, the French foreign ministry said it "particularly regretted" ​that Chan's defence was not allowed to attend the court's final hearing in violation of his rights. China, one of the world's ​toughest enforcers of laws against drug trafficking, has occasionally ​executed foreign nationals convicted of smuggling large amounts across its borders, ‌but ⁠does not release statistics on executions. Read: China moves to regulate digital humans, bans addictive services for children Chan, born in the southern city of Guangzhou but later a naturalised French cit...

Pope Leo urged global leaders in his Easter message on Sunday to end the conflicts raging across the world and abandon any schemes for power, conquest, or domination. The pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, lamented in a special message to the thousands gathered in St Peter's Square that people "are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent". "Let those who have weapons lay them down!" the first United States pope exhorted. "Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!" Read: Pope Leo says God rejects prayers of leaders who wage wars Leo did not mention any specific conflicts in the message, known as the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing. It was unusually brief and direct. The pope said that the story of Easter, when the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead three days after not resisting his execution by crucifixion, shows that Christ was "...

With the cover blown on the Epstein files, a large part of the goings on across the world have been proven to be an illusion. The emails recovered from the Epstein estate have cast a shadow on the integrity of some of the world’s movers and shakers. From the greatest minds of our time to political lynchpins and business moguls, anyone who has brushed past Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell carries the mark of the devil and nothing less. After the initial shock of this unmasking of names like Bill Gates and Noam Chomsky (men who enjoyed great influence in the contemporary world for most of their lives) we have raised suspicions about anyone who has even a bit of fame. The critical, logical thinkers among us are suddenly more open to what was previously called conspiracy theories. We are less trustful of the power game played behind the scenes in international politics seeing how many world leaders are pedophiles and sex criminals. But most of all, we have also become gaslighte...