Venezuela declares state of emergency after US strikes civilian and military targets

As part of her European tour, Karnataka Legislative Council Member and Vice Chairperson of the Karnataka NRI Forum, Dr. Arathi Krishna, met Michela Favaro, Deputy Mayor of Turin, to discuss key aspects of strengthening relations between Karnataka and Italy.

Dr. Arathi Krishna held the meeting along with Hemegowda, President of the Italy Kannada Association, and Mohamed Irshath, General Secretary for Europe of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC).

The discussions focused on opportunities for the recruitment of Indian healthcare professionals in Italy, European–Italian language training programmes for Indian students, and broader avenues for academic and professional collaboration between the two countries.

The meeting was also attended by Simone Fissolo, President of the Moderati Council, along with Maria Bottoglieri and Francesco Tortorella, highlighting the growing institutional engagement aimed at fostering deeper bilateral cooperation.

A Pakistani lawmaker has called out the hypocrisy of his country's leadership, drawing a parallel between Islamabad's military actions against Kabul and India's 'Operation Sindoor'.

Condemning the Pakistan army, led by Asim Munir, for strikes on Afghanistan - which resulted in civilian casualties - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned the consistency of Islamabad's logic. He argued that if Pakistan's cross-border attacks are considered justified, then the country has little ground to object when India enters Pakistani territory to eliminate terrorists.

Rehman was addressing the 'Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Ummat' conference on Monday in Karachi's Lyari. The town recently gained international attention as the setting for the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, which depicted the intersection of informants and operatives within the Lyari underworld.

"If you say that we attacked our enemy in Afghanistan and justify this, then India can also say that it attacked Bahawalpur, Muridke, and the headquarters of groups responsible for the attack in Kashmir," Rehman said, referring to India's retaliatory strikes. "Then how can you raise objections? The same accusations are now being levelled against Pakistan by Afghanistan. How do you justify both positions?"

The JUI-F chief's remarks specifically referenced 'Operation Sindoor'.

On May 7, Indian armed forces carried out pre-dawn missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.

Pak-Afghanistan Tension

Fazlur Rehman has been a consistent critic of the Pakistani government's policy towards Afghanistan. In October, during a peak in bilateral tensions, he offered to mediate between the two nations. According to a Dawn report, he stated, "In the past, I have played a role in reducing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I can still do so."

Rehman is known to wield significant influence within the region and remains the only Pakistani lawmaker to have met with the Taliban's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Recently, India condemned Pakistan's fresh strikes on Afghanistan. "We have seen reports of border clashes in which several Afghan civilians have been killed," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing.

"We condemn such attacks on innocent Afghan people. India strongly supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan," he said.

A spokesperson for the Taliban regime claimed Pakistan initiated the attacks and that Kabul was "forced to respond".

The two countries have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban authorities retook control in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its neighbour of harbouring terrorists - a charge that the Afghan government denies.

Caracas / Washington: The United States said it carried out military strikes inside Venezuela early Sunday after multiple explosions were reported in Caracas and several other regions, triggering panic and widespread damage. Videos circulating on social media showed thick plumes of smoke, fires, and damaged buildings following the blasts.

In response to the developments, Venezuelan authorities declared a state of emergency, citing what they described as an act of foreign aggression.

As the situation unfolded, former US President Donald Trump made a sensational and unverified claim on his social media platform, Truth Social, alleging that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores had been “captured” and flown out of the country. Trump said he would address the issue at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump claimed in his post.

The US administration has not released any official evidence to support the claim.

Several countries, including Venezuela’s neighbours, condemned the reported US military action, warning that it violated international law and threatened regional stability.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, addressing state television, rejected the US narrative and said the whereabouts of President Maduro and the First Lady were unknown, demanding proof from Washington.

“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We demand proof of life,” Rodríguez said.

As of now, there has been no independent confirmation of Trump’s claims, while the alleged US action has drawn sharp criticism for escalating tensions and displaying what regional leaders described as reckless disregard for sovereignty and international norms.