Monday, January 5, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 78 | 31 Pages THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Chief Minister Mamata urges CEC to halt SIR in Bengal, warns of mass disenfranchisement Root, Brook power England on Day One of fifth Ashes Test in Sydney Cinema Dhurandhar actress Sara Arjun expresses her gratitude Edit Somnath Swabhiman Parv: A 1,000 years of unbroken faith FLUID TIMES | Maduro’s deputy & oil minister Rodriguez is new prez, Washington hopeful of working with her Not at war with Venezuela: US Agencies WASHINGTON A day after US strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday America is at war "against drug trafficking organisations", not Venezuela. He said the US military will maintain a “quarantine” around Venezuela to prevent the entry and exit of oil tankers under American sanctions, as the Trump administration moved to exert what he called “leverage” over the country’s leadership following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Rubio, like President Trump the day before, did not rule out a deployment of US troops in Venezuela. But though Trump said after the commando raid that seized Maduro that the US intended to “run” the country and reclaim American oil interests, Pentagon officials said that there were no US military personnel in Venezuela, and Maduro’s aides still appeared to be in control of the country. Publicly, Venezuelan officials have projected defiance. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has taken over as interim president with the bless- CONVICTED IN 2017, DERA CHIEF GETS 15TH PAROLE ing of Venezuela's top court, though she has said Maduro remains president. Despite her comments, US officials said they hoped to work with her. "Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations," Venezuela's interior minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio shared by the ruling PSUV socialist party on Sunday as he urged calm. Images of the 63-year-old Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned Venezuelans. Maduro was lodged in a Brooklyn jail along with his wife. They were both indicted on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. The facility is so troubled, some judges have refused to send people there even as it has housed such famous inmates as music stars R Kelly and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Centre, or MDC Brooklyn, currently houses about 1,300 inmates. FACING TRIAL What the newly unsealed US indictment of Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and his son says: ■ Maduro accused of running a "corrupt, illegitimate govt". BRAZEN OP Months of covert planning led to the US strike: ■ US was minutely observing Maduro, where he slept, what he wore, what he ate. ■ On Saturday, it plunged Caracas into darkness, infiltrated Maduro home and whisked him away. ■ While Trump said no US soldier was killed, Venezuelan officials said 40, including military personnel and civilians, killed in the strikes. Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20year sentence for rape and life term for murder, was again granted 40-day parole on Sunday by the Rohtak divisional commissioner. It is for the 15th time that the Dera head has been granted temporary release – on parole or furlough - since his conviction in 2017. While he was granted reprieve for different reasons and occasions, sometimes in poll seasons in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, he was given parole this time to attend an annual religious ceremony at the Dera. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in 2017 for the murder of a journalist and rape of two of his disciples. He is incarcerated in Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district. Prior to this, his last parole was granted in August 2025 which he reportedly took to celebrate his 58th birthday. 4Contd on | nation ■ He is accused of partnering with "some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world". ■ Maduro and his wife allegedly ordered kidnappings, beatings and murders "against those who owed them drug money." Dare and truth Colombia next? Months before his capture, Maduro had dared Trump to arrest him. “Come get me. I will wait for him here in Miraflores. Don’t be late, coward,” he had said in August. On Sunday, the White House mocked him by releasing a video where US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Maduro “had his chance – until he didn’t.” 4Contd on | nation 4See also | money, nation, edit, world ‘Happy New Year’ A video has surfaced showing Maduro being escorted by US Drug Enforcement Administration officers inside the agency’s headquarters in New York. The 'perp walk' footage shows him handcuffed and dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt. In the video Maduro is heard saying “good night” and “Happy New Year” to officials present there. After the Venezuelan operation, Trump has issued a warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, telling him to “watch his a**”. Trump said: “He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the US, so he does have to watch his a**.” Without directly naming Maduro, Petro called the US action an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America. Shift WC ties out of India: B’desh to ICC Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI Rajesh Moudgil CHANDIGARH ■ He is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy; cocaine importation conspiracy; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that they will not allow their national team to play its T20 World Cup matches scheduled in India, possibly in retribution to the KKR decision to release Mustafizur Rahman from its squad. Speculations were rife about Bangladesh’s possible move, and expectedly BCB expressed in an email to ICC expressed its inability to play the matches in India. BCB’s move came after a directive from the Bangladesh government’s sports ministry in-charge Asif Nazrul to write formally to ICC on shifting the ties to Sri Lanka. "The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh national team in matches scheduled to be played in India," BCB said in a statement. "Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the LEWD CONTENT MUSK VOWS ACTION AFTER GOVT PUSH Agencies NEW DELHI Bangladesh government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," it said. "In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested ICC, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh matches to a venue outside India (co-host Sri Lanka)," the statement noted. Microblogging site X will act against illegal content by removing it, permanently suspending accounts that uploaded the material and working with local governments as required, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform said on Sunday. The statement from Global Government Affairs (GGA) account of X came after it said people using the platform’s AI service, Grok, to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” Musk said. Reiterating Musk’s stance, GGA said: “We take action against illegal content on X, including child sex abuse material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments as necessary.” 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation IPL blackout? Bangladesh government’s sports ministry in-charge Asif Nazrul has requested the adviser for the country's I&B ministry to ensure that broadcast of IPL in Bangladesh is suspended. "Under no circumstances will we tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers, or Bangladesh itself. The days of servitude are over," he said. PM sends Olympic hopes soaring Biswajeet Banerjee & Agencies VARANASI PM Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that India is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympic Games, and declared his government was committed to providing "more and more players greater opportunities to compete" by hosting mega sporting events in the country. Virtually inaugurating the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship being held The 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India, and the country is making strong efforts to host the 2036 Olympics. Narendra Modi, PM here, Modi said the government was making every possible effort to provide exposure to budding athletes to take up Olympic sports, and schemes like Khelo India were proving a game-changer in harnessing talent. He said India's growing clout in sports could be gauged from the fact that it had hosted 20 top-notch international competitions in the last 10 years. He highlighted how initiatives like Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPs) were transforming the sports ecosystem. Addressing players from across the country, Modi said it filled him with pride to see the tricolour in the hands of Gen Z athletes on the sports field. 4Contd on | nation Deep concern: India calls for peace talks Agencies NEW DELHI India on Sunday voiced "deep concern" over the US military operation in Venzuela, and said it is closely monitoring the unfolding situation in the oilrich South American country. In its first reaction to the US action, India called for a peaceful resolution of the situation through dialogue to ensure stability in the region and reaffirmed its support for the well-being of the Venezuelans. "Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation," the MEA said. "India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela," it said. New Delhi also called upon "all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region". MEA said the Indian embassy in Caracas has been in touch with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all assistance to them. 4Contd on | nation Free Maduro, says China; UK PM mum Agencies BEIJING/LONDON China on Sunday called on the US to release Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife “at once” and “resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation”. The move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said. British PM Keir Starmer, on the other hand, refused to condemn the US attack on Venezuela. “I want to get all the material facts together and we simply haven’t got the full picture at the moment – it is fast moving,” he said. 4Contd on | nation FOUL WATER: Gandhinagar reports 113 typhoid cases Agencies AHMEDABAD After Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, reports of water contamination have now emerged from Gandhinagar, triggering a serious health concern in Gujarat’s capital. A typhoid outbreak linked to a leaking water pipeline has so far affected 113 people, most of them children, state authorities said. Suspected typhoid cases were reported a few days ago from Sectors 24 and 28 and the Adivada area of Gandhinagar, a government release said. According to the government, contamination occurred due to leakage in a water supply pipeline, allowing polluted water to mix with drinking water. Of the 113 patients, 19 have been discharged after treatment, while 94 remain admitted at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital and health centres in Sectors 24 and 29. Officials said all patients are in stable condition. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar, on Sunday directed the city administration to act on a war footing. 4Contd on | nation