Author: Verified News Online

Bill Gates apologises to foundation staff over Jeffrey Epstein ties

American tech entrepreneur Bill Gates has apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his past ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while maintaining that he did “nothing illicit,” according to media reports.The Microsoft co-founder acknowledged in a town hall meeting that his association with Epstein was a “huge mistake” and said it had cast a cloud over the philanthropic organisation’s reputation.“I did nothing illicit,” Gates tells staffAccording to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal, Gates told employees during the town hall: “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he added, as per the Journal report.Gates said that images in the recently released “Epstein files” showing him with women whose faces are redacted were photographs that Epstein had asked him to take with his assistants after meetings.“I apolo..

Egyptian authorities arrested a tour guide after a viral video showed him drawing on the Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara/Image: Screenshot of X video A tour guide has been arrested in Egypt after a video showed him drawing on the exterior stones of the Pyramid of Unas while explaining details to tourists. The incident took place at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo and prompted an investigation by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior. The development was reported by Egypt Today.The Pyramid of Unas is one of Egypt’s most historically significant monuments. It dates back to the Old Kingdom and is around 4,400 to 4,500 years old. It is widely known as the earliest pyramid to contain pyramid texts and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Saqqara site.What happened at the site
According to the ministry’s statement, the Saqqara Tourist Police Station received a report from a local antiquities inspector. The inspector stated that the guide had drawn markings on the outer casing stones o..

AdvertisementIranWorldMiddle EastIranians on edge as Trump’s US ‘armada’ closes in: ‘a war will start’‘Going to war with America, Israel and Nato will have very horrible and unpredictable consequences,’ a Tehran resident says
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAssociated PressPublished: 5:52pm, 25 Feb 2026Updated: 6:08pm, 25 Feb 2026As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians are warily awaiting the next round of talks with the US in Geneva this week – negotiations that many see as a last chance for their ruling theocracy to strike a deal with US President Donald Trump.
Some say the situation feels hopeless. Battered by decades of sanctions, heightened by Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Iranians also just suffered through the bloodiest crackdown on dissent in the country’s modern history.
Still, Iran heads into the Thursday talks “with a determination to achieve a fair an..

AdvertisementHong Kong budget 2026-27Hong KongHong Kong EconomyHong Kong budget sweeteners for residents and businesses climb to HK$22 billionFinance chief estimates reduction in profit tax, salaries tax and tax under personal assessment will benefit about 2.12 million taxpayers
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPEdith LinPublished: 5:33pm, 25 Feb 2026Updated: 5:58pm, 25 Feb 2026Hong Kong authorities will offer sweeteners of about HK$22 billion (US$2.8 billion) to residents and businesses, up from HK$7.8 billion last year, as public coffers are set to pivot from a deficit to a surplus.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Wednesday announced a raft of tax concessions and allowances in his annual budget, almost three times what was offered last year.
“Hong Kong’s economy shows steady and stable progress, but there are still imbalances and insufficiencies during economic transformation,” he said. “Some residents and enterprises are still facing relatively big challenges.”
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'El Mencho', left, and Pablo Escobar The template was forged in Medellín by Pablo Escobar: immense wealth, absolute violence, and the charisma of a folk hero. But the modern Mexican cartels haven't just followed that template—they’ve weaponised it. What began as a handful of regional trafficking routes has evolved into a multi-generational saga of betrayal and 'narco-terrorism.' To understand Mexico today is to understand the rise and fall of these dynasties: the aging federations, the special-forces defectors, and the new, hyper-aggressive titans fighting for the crown.Mexico’s brutal drug war claims thousands of lives every year as powerful trafficking groups battle for territory and influence. These cartels control vast areas of the country and are also responsible for political corruption, assassinations and kidnappings. Several major drug trafficking organisations have shaped global supply routes, fuelled violence and contributed to major public health and..