Trump Warns Iran on Ceasefire; Earthquakes Hit Japan, Venezuela; India in News
President Donald Trump has warned that the US military will “complete the job” if Iran fails to comply with a recently signed ceasefire, as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remain high. The warning follows two days of tanker attacks that have brought the US and Iran back to the brink of conflict, threatening the fragile truce.
Separately, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coastline on Sunday, rattling the region. No tsunami warning was issued, and there were no immediate reports of major damage. Also on Sunday, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Venezuela, days after the country was hit by deadly twin earthquakes that have left a death toll exceeding 920 and over 50,000 people still missing.
In other international news, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Trump could visit India next year, and that he looks forward to setting up the visit. US Ambassador to India Gor commented on visa curbs, referencing Prime Minister Modi’s stance on illegal migrants and saying Washington “100 per cent” agrees with it.
In India, police have arrested a man in connection with an alleged mass poisoning attempt at a Muharram rally in Mumbai. The case has raised serious security concerns ahead of further processions in the city.
In West Bengal, political turbulence spilled onto the Assembly floor as loyalists of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) members spent the first half of the inaugural session sparring with each other, leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to watch the infighting from the sidelines.
Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary defended a Rs 99-lakh subsidy for his cucumber farm, which was investigated by The Indian Express. Choudhary said he has been farming since childhood and that the subsidy was “not a secret”, pushing back against questions over the approval by a board on which he holds an ex-officio position.
