Indian woman found murdered in US; ex-boyfriend named as suspect, flees to India

At least seven explosions have shaken Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, as low-flying aircraft have been detected in the skies above the city, in what the Venezuelan government said were coordinated US strikes.

Explosions and smoke were reported across Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, at around 2 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) with power outages near a key military base and reports of low-flying aircraft on Saturday.

People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

President Nicolas Maduro announced a nationwide state of emergency, ordered the full activation of national defense plans, and authorized the deployment of comprehensive defense commands across the country in response to the attacks.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government said US forces carried out coordinated strikes on civilian and military targets in Caracas and several other states, describing the operation as a direct act of military aggression aimed at seizing the country’s oil and mineral wealth.

The government urged its supporters to mobilize nationwide in response to the attacks.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

Caracas said it retains the right to legitimate self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and called on regional governments and the international community to stand against what it described as imperialist aggression.

American news outlets reported that US President Donald Trump had greenlighted direct attacks on Venezuelan soil several days ago.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack, calling on the UN to convene immediately to discuss the issue.

"Caracas has been attacked by missiles, and the world must be aware; Venezuela is under attack. The Organization of American States and the United Nations must convene immediately," Petro said in a post published on X.

Since August, US Southern Command has deployed warships, submarines, aircraft carriers, F-35 squadrons, and approximately 15,000 personnel to the area.

These deployments include Carrier Strike Group Twelve, featuring the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

Since September, the US military has carried out more than 30 such strikes, with a reported death toll of at least 115.

Officials in Caracas have condemned the operations as a deliberate display of US hostility aimed at intimidating the region and undermining Venezuela’s sovereignty amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Washington has also claimed, without providing evidence, that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro leads the Cartel de los Soles, which the US designated a terrorist organization last month.

Maduro has said the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to remove him from power and seize the country’s oil resources.

US President Donald Trump has "greenlit" the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill, which could be used to penalise Moscow's trading partners, including India, China and Brazil, over their purchase of Russian oil, said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent defence hawk.

If passed, the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill would authorise the US President to levy up to 500 per cent tariffs on nations that knowingly purchase Russian oil or uranium and "fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin's war machine". The hard-hitting sanctions package is meant to economically cripple Moscow as the Trump administration continues to negotiate a deal to end the war that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Graham said he met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, during which the President extended his support to the bill that has been in the works for months. The development was also confirmed by a White House official while talking to the Associated Press.

"This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent," Graham said in a statement.

Graham said there could be a vote as early as next week, although it's unclear how likely that will be. The Senate is poised to take up a scaled-back government funding package next week that the House is currently considering, if the House passes it. The following week is a Senate recess timed to Martin Luther King Jr Day.

About The Russia Sanctions Bill

The bill, chiefly written by Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, allows the administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions up to 500 per cent on countries that purchase Russia's oil, gas, uranium and other exports. Doing so is meant to cut off the source of financing for much of Russia's military actions.

The White House has previously insisted on some revisions and flexibility for Trump in the sanctions package, but it is not clear whether any changes were secured.

The legislation has dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate, as well as a companion bill in the House, drafted by Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick.

The Trump administration is currently trying to finalise a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, now nearly four years old, with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, as the U.S. president's chief negotiators.

Chennai: The Madras High Court has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government for citing what it termed an “imaginary” law and order concern to delay the implementation of a court order permitting the lighting of the Deepam on the Deepathoon atop the Thiruparankundram hills in Madurai.

Upholding an earlier order passed by Justice G R Swaminathan, a division bench of Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan of the Madurai Bench dismissed the appeal filed by the state government and reaffirmed that the Deepam could be lit at the site during Karthigai Deepam.

The bench expressed displeasure over the government’s failure to implement the single judge’s directive, even after permission was granted for CISF personnel to accompany the petitioner, Rama Ravikumar, to the hilltop on December 3 to light the lamp. While allowing the ritual, the court clarified that the number of people permitted to climb the hill would be determined by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The state government had objected to the single judge’s order, arguing that allowing people to climb the hill and light the Deepam could trigger law and order issues, as the Sikkander Badusha Dargah is located about 50 metres from the Deepathoon. Meanwhile, officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department went ahead with lighting the lamp at the Uchipillaiyar temple at 6 pm, following established tradition.

Rejecting the government’s stand, the division bench said the apprehension of law and order problems was an “imaginary ghost” created by the authorities for their own convenience and criticised the district administration for not complying with the court’s order. The judges observed that instead of raising unfounded fears, the administration should have used the judgment as an opportunity to foster dialogue and harmony between communities.

The court also noted that neither the state government nor representatives of the dargah had produced any evidence to show that agama shastra prohibited the lighting of the Deepam at the site.

The Thiruparankundram hill has historically been a symbol of communal harmony, housing the Subramaniya Swamy temple, the Kasi Viswanathan temple and the Sikkander Badusha Dargah for centuries. However, the site became a flashpoint in February 2025 after protests by Hindu organisations over allegations that Lok Sabha MP Nawaz Kani consumed meat on the hill. Despite the controversy, local residents continue to live in peace and mutual coexistence.