US Senate calls China’s Sri Lanka port role a global warning

IANS | December 13, 2025 6:16 PM

Washington, Dec 13 (IANS) China’s role in Sri Lanka’s port infrastructure was cited in a US Senate hearing this week as a cautionary example of Beijing’s overseas financing practices, with lawmakers warning that such projects can undermine sovereignty and strategic independence in the Indo-Pacific.

Former Nepal PM Oli alleges conspiracy behind destruction during Gen-Z protests

IANS | December 13, 2025 5:48 PM

Kathmandu, Dec 13 (IANS) Nepal's former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Saturday described the destruction of public and private properties during the Gen-Z protests in early September as a conspiracy prepared over time to destroy the constitution, constitutional processes, and democracy in the country.

Hawala to crypto, Pak’s underground economy thrives sans any scrutiny

IANS | December 13, 2025 2:39 PM

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) Pakistan is at a dangerous crossroads where the documented economy is suffocating, while the underground economy is thriving -- in the form of hawala counters in Dubai, the Telegram crypto groups operating from Karachi and Peshawar, the fake IT invoices flowing from single-room “export houses,” and the billions finding refuge in real estate, gold, offshore wallets, and double-invoiced trade routes, a new report has revealed.