Trump touts tech boom, market highs as firms back new accounts

IANS | January 29, 2026 6:48 AM

Washington, Jan 29 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has claimed a surge in investment, record stock market gains, and strong backing from major technology, finance, and consumer companies, as he argued the United States is entering an unprecedented economic expansion.

Rubio says Venezuela was China’s oil base in US backyard

IANS | January 29, 2026 6:34 AM

Washington, Jan 29 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told lawmakers that Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro had become a strategic base for China, Russia, and Iran in the Western Hemisphere, warning that Beijing had been receiving Venezuelan oil at deep discounts while expanding its influence close to the United States.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's top military command consumed by paranoia: Report

IANS | January 28, 2026 9:30 PM

Washington, Jan 28 (IANS) As China prepares for the 'Two Sessions' in March, the country’s biggest annual political event, new appointments are expected with key positions to be filled by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s handpicked loyalists. However, new appointments cannot hide the fact that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aim is to become a world-class military in the coming years and will encounter immediate challenges, a report said on Wednesday.

Pakistan's military consolidation deepens, eroding public trust: Report

IANS | January 28, 2026 9:23 PM

Islamabad, Jan 28 (IANS) Pakistan's renewed relevance and facade of internal stability, secured through the suppression of dissent and temporary major power favour, remain fragile as the hybrid regime still struggles to secure public trust, and the illusion of order "carries the seeds of its undoing", a report said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh: Jamaat engages in dual Shariah narrative ahead of Feb election

IANS | January 28, 2026 9:09 PM

Dhaka, Jan 28 (IANS) Although Bangladesh's radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami signals when convenient that it will not implement Shariah if it comes to power, its leaders, including candidates for the February 12 general elections--openly advocate establishing Shariah law on television talk shows. Similarly, at the grassroots level, mid, lower-tier leaders and workers promote voting for the Jamaat electoral symbol 'daripalla' (balance scale) symbol as a religious duty, while some even present it as a “ticket to paradise”, a report said on Wednesday.

Pak terror groups exploiting humanitarian channels to raise funds: Report

IANS | January 28, 2026 9:08 PM

Washington, Jan 28 (IANS) Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist organisations are diversifying their fundraising tactics and finding ways to evade global oversight. These groups exploit humanitarian activities, mosques, rescue operations and wars to raise funds worldwide — including in the US, while spreading “militant Islamic messages” and bolstering terrorist activities, a report said on Wednesday.