Author: EchoAsiaNews

China is increasing its political, economic and defence engagement with Bangladesh as relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have weakened ahead of Bangladesh’s national election scheduled for Feb. 12, 2026. The shift follows the removal from power of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who maintained close ties with India during her tenure. Hasina was ousted in 2024 and is currently living in New Delhi. Bangladesh’s interim authorities have requested her extradition after she was convicted at home, but India has not acted on the request. Her Awami League party is not contesting the upcoming election, leaving two major parties with…

Pakistani authorities said on Monday that more than 44.3 million children were vaccinated during the first nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year, marking a major step in the country’s ongoing effort to eradicate the paralyzing virus. The week-long campaign, which ran from Feb. 2 to Feb. 8, targeted children under the age of five across Pakistan and was overseen by the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC). Officials said over 400,000 trained polio workers visited households door-to-door to administer oral polio vaccine drops. “More than 44.3 million children were administered polio vaccine drops during the campaign,” the NEOC said in an…

Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended condolences to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after a deadly bombing and shooting attack at a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad, state media reported Monday, as world leaders condemned the violence and pledged support for Pakistan. Xi “strongly condemned violence and terrorist acts against innocent civilians” and reaffirmed China’s support for Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. The message was conveyed in a letter of sympathy addressed to Zardari. The comments followed a suicide bombing and gun attack at the Khadija Al-Kubra Shi’ite mosque in the Tarlai Kalan area of…

A South Korean military AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter crashed during a training flight on Monday in the northern county of Gapyeong, killing both crew members on board, the country’s military said. The helicopter went down at around 11:04 a.m. local time (0204 GMT) while conducting a routine training exercise, according to an army statement. The crash occurred in a hilly, forested area about 55 kilometres northeast of Seoul. Both crew members, identified as warrant officers, were rescued from the wreckage and transported to nearby hospitals in cardiac arrest, but were later pronounced dead, military and local authorities said. The Army…

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has dispatched its 28th humanitarian relief consignment for civilians in the Gaza Strip, comprising 100 tonnes of tents and shelter supplies, state media and official releases reported. The special cargo flight carrying the aid departed Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore for Al-Arish, Egypt, from where the supplies will be forwarded to Gaza, NDMA said in a statement released on Monday. NDMA officials confirmed the shipment was sent under directives from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and organized in coordination with the Pakistani charity Alkhidmat Foundation. With this latest dispatch, Pakistan’s total volume of…

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has told employees that ChatGPT has returned to more than 10% monthly growth, reversing earlier signs of a slowdown, CNBC reported on Sunday. According to the report, Altman said the surge follows the rollout of new features and improvements across OpenAI’s consumer and enterprise products. Reuters could not independently verify the remarks, and OpenAI declined to comment. ChatGPT currently has over 800 million weekly active users, CNBC reported, underscoring its position as one of the most widely used artificial intelligence platforms globally. The renewed growth comes as competition in the generative AI market intensifies. Alphabet’s…

Iranian authorities have arrested several prominent reformist politicians, accusing them of attempting to undermine the country’s political and social order and alleging links with the United States and Israel, state-affiliated media reported on Sunday. The arrests come amid heightened regional tensions and what officials describe as growing external military threats. According to Iran’s judiciary and security sources, the detainees are accused of engaging in activities aimed at weakening national unity and exploiting domestic unrest. Authorities claim the individuals coordinated statements and actions that aligned with the interests of foreign adversaries, seeking to destabilize the political system at a sensitive time…

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that recognising Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is essential for progress in nuclear negotiations with the United States, and that Iran is open to confidence-building measures while preserving that right. Speaking after indirect talks held in Oman on Friday aimed at reviving diplomatic engagement, Araqchi said Iran will never accept “zero enrichment” and wants talks to focus on arrangements that allow enrichment within its territory while building trust that Tehran’s nuclear activities are peaceful. The five rounds of U.S.–Iran nuclear discussions last year stalled primarily because of disagreements over uranium enrichment, with…

Taiwan on Monday rejected calls to relocate 40 % of its semiconductor production capacity to the United States, saying such a large-scale move would be “impossible,” according to comments by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun. In an interview broadcast late Sunday on Taiwanese television, Cheng, Taiwan’s top tariff negotiator, said she made it clear to US officials that the island’s decades-built semiconductor ecosystem cannot simply be shifted overseas. “I have made it very clear to the United States that this is impossible,” she told the broadcaster. Cheng stressed that Taiwan’s core chipmaking capacity will continue to grow domestically, even as Taiwanese…

Iranian women’s rights activist and Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been handed a fresh prison sentence of seven-and-a-half years, a group supporting her said on Sunday. Mohammadi, 53, had been on a week-long hunger strike that ended on Sunday, according to a statement by the Narges Foundation. The group said she informed her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, during a brief phone call from prison that she received the verdict on Saturday. Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The sentencing comes amid a renewed crackdown by Iranian authorities following nearly three weeks of anti-government…