THE SUNDAY WO R L D BRAILLE DAY Vol. 37 No. 15 | Sunday, January 4, 2026 30 Pages | `5 & for Pune `7 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation PLAY & PAUSE Weekend Decoding Gen Z is key to their mental health Live Smart Understanding dry promotion Handpan artist Manu Delago walks us through his journey Sunday Read Director Hasan Hadi on the making of his debut film US strikes, will ‘run’ Venezuela LatAm Ops Guatemala (1954): A CIA-backed coup overthrew elected president Jacobo Árbenz after land reforms threatened US interests. Cuba (1961): The failed Bay of Pigs invasion sought to unseat Fidel Castro. Maduro & wife captured, to face trial in NY, says Trump FPJ News Service MUMBAI The US carried out a largescale military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and forcibly removing him from the country, according to US President Donald Trump. CNN reported that Madurao, 63, and his wife were dragged out in the middle of the night by the elite US forces, as the couple slept in their bedroom The operation marks Washington’s most overt military intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Ahead of the strikes, the US accused Maduro of presiding over a “narco-state” and manipulating the 2024 presidential poll, a vote the opposition claims it won by a landslide. Maduro, a former bus driver anointed successor by Hugo Chávez before his death in 2013, has rejected the charges, insisting Washington’s real objective is regime change aimed Briefs 14 Maoists shot dead At least 14 Maoists, including Konta area committee chief Vetti Mangdu and the committee's secretary Madvi Hunga, were killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts on Saturday. SEE Nation Eye on oil l Trump said Maduro led Venezuela's drug cartel. Maduro called it an 'invention' in a bid to control Venezuelan oil. l After his ‘drill, baby, drill’ campaign, Trump wants to boost oil output to lower fuel prices at home. After strikes, Trump says US will play a major role in Venezuelan oil sector. at gaining control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said US forces had successfully detained the Maduros and flown them out of Venezuela, declaring the end of what Washington has termed as an authoritarian and criminal regime. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | World Siraj back in ODI squad Pacer Mohammad Siraj returned to the Indian ODI squad for the three-match home series against New Zealand while batter Shreyas Iyer was included subject to fitness clearance. Siraj’s new ball partner Jasprit Bumrah was expectedly rested from the series in view of the upcoming T20 World Cup. SEE Games Trump posted online a picture of a handcuffed and blindfolded Maduro. (Above) Fire erupts at Fuerte Tiuna military complex in Caracas after the US strikes on Saturday. TRUMPSPEAK l US will run Venezuela until safe transition achieved. l No timeline for restoring self-rule of Venezuelans. l American firms to rebuild oil infrastructure, generate revenues. l Venezuelan oil sector is a bust that needs fixes. l Venezuelan military overwhelmed despite readiness. l No US casualties or equipment losses reported during the operation. l A stunning display of US might. It was like watching a television show. l US partnership will help enrich and secure Venezuelans. l 97% of maritime drug trafficking has been knocked out. Mahayuti pushes for Hindu Marathi mayor in BMC WORLD CONCERNED LATIN AMERICA While Colombia called for urgent deescalation, Cuban president Miguel DiazCanel termed the operation a "criminal US attack." Mexico condemned the strikes, Chile expressed concern, Argentina praised Trump. IRAN, RUSSIA, CHINA Iran called it a "flagrant violation of Venezuela’s “sovereignty”. Russia slammed "act of aggression" and said "ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism.” China said int’l laws violated. EUROPE EU said "the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected." Italy and Belgium said the safety of their citizens was their top priority. Spain urged for "de-escalation and moderation". K’taka yanks EVM survey from website after uproar Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU Delhi riots: SC bail verdict SC to pronounce verdict on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, others on Jan 5. The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case on January 5. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria will pronounce the verdict. Brazil (1964): USbacked forces helped install a military dictatorship. Ashish Shelar Sanjay Nirupam sembly elections and the 2017 BMC polls, in which the BJP emerged as the single largest As political temperatures rise party. Nirupam, meanwhile, ahead of the BMC elections, the said Marathi voters have inissue taking centre stage is that creasingly accepted the leaderof a Marathi mayor. In response ship of Maharashtra DCM to statements by Uddhav and Eknath Shinde, a trend he said Raj Thackeray asserting that was evident during last year’s Mumbai’s next mayor will be Lok Sabha and state Assembly Marathi, BJP minister Aselections. hish Shelar and Shiv Sena The BJP and the Shiv (Shinde faction) spoSena (Shinde faction) kesperson Sanjay have joined forces to Nirupam have reittake on the Thackerated that the city erays in the highFP J will have a Hindu stakes for Dialogue control battleBMC, Marathi mayor from of the Mahayuti alliance. India’s richest civic Speaking separately but body with an annual budget of echoing the same sentiment ₹74,000 crore. The Ajit Pawarduring the FPJ Dialogue on Sat- led NCP, the third partner in urday, they asserted their al- the Mahayuti government, will liance’s claim to lead BMC. contest the polls indepenThey accused the Thackerays of dently. Both Shelar and Nirutrying to turn the polls into an pam emphasised development emotional issue. and infrastructure as the MaShelar said the Marathi ver- hayuti government’s key priosus non-Marathi debate had al- rities for Mumbai. ready been settled by Mumbai’s 4See also | Mumbai voters, citing the 2014 state As- Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI The Karnataka government has removed from its website a survey report that showed a large majority of voters in the state had faith in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), triggering a political controversy. The survey, initiated by the Election Commission under the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme and executed by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority (KMEA) under the state Planning Department, found that 94.08% of voters trusted the accuracy of EVMs used during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Although the report had been uploaded on the Planning Department’s website in August 2025 and was even printed by the government press in book form, it came into public focus only in January. Its contents proved embarrassing for the Congress government, which has been strongly backing allegations of “vote chori” at the national level and particularly in two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka. 4Contd on | Nation New cases deepen Indore panic FPJ News Service INDORE The public health crisis triggered by contaminated drinking water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area continues to escalate, with a sharp spike in new patients exposing the fragile state of civic preparedness and deepening public anxiety. On Saturday alone, around 200 fresh patients — including 38 children — were reported across government and pri- vate hospitals, marking the highest single-day rise in the past week and raising fears that the full impact of the outbreak is still unfolding. Health officials acknowledge that such a sudden surge indicates ongoing exposure to contaminated water and lingering transmission. A day earlier, on Friday, as many as 518 patients had been admitted — 310 in private hospitals and 208 in government facilities. The addition of 200 more cases within 24 hours has stretched medical infrastructure and intensified panic among residents already grappling with fear and un- certainty. The Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Bhagirathpura remains the first point of contact for many patients and is witnessing a steady inflow. While doctors say the number of critical cases has declined, mild but persistent symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, cold and cough continue to be widely reported, particularly among children. 4Contd on | Nation Dominican Republic (1965): US troops intervened to block the return of a leftist government. Chile (1973): US covert action preceded the coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power. Argentina (1976): US supported a military junta during the “Dirty War”. Nicaragua (1980s): The US backed Contra rebels against the Sandinista govt. Grenada (1983): US forces invaded and replaced a Marxistleaning regime. Panama (1989): US troops removed Manuel Noriega in a full-scale invasion. BCCI dictates, KKR drops B’desh player Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has become the latest casualty of strained India-Bangladesh relations after the Board of Control for Cricket in India instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders to release him from their squad ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The directive was confirmed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who said the decision was taken in view of “recent developments all across”, a remark widely interpreted as a reference to the evolving political situation in Bangladesh. The BCCI also clarified that KKR would be permitted to seek a replacement player, should the franchise choose to do so. 4Contd on | Nation When Pak stars got out nly 11 Pakistani cricketers have ever featured in the IPL, all of them during the inaugural 2008 season. Their abrupt disappearance from the tournament thereafter was the result of a mix of politics, security concerns and administrative decisions that hardened after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In early 2009, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, IPL franchises were left in limbo over the availability of Pakistani players. O 4Contd on | Nation 3 days after set on fire, Hindu man dies in B’desh Dhaka: Khokon Chandra Das, a Hindu businessman who was brutally attacked and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Shariatpur district on New Year’s Eve, died on Saturday morning while undergoing treatment in Dhaka. This is the fifth death of a person from the Hindu community since December. Doctors at the hospital said the 50-year-old Das suffered 30% burns, with severe injuries to his face and respiratory tract. Das ran a pharmacy and a mobile banking business. 4Contd on | Nation