NEW DELHI: A TikTok video in Nepal’s Birgunj triggered religious tension, prompting the Parsa District Administration Office to extend an ongoing curfew.The prohibitory order had been issued on Monday, but both groups involved in the dispute held simultaneous demonstrations in defiance of it, leading authorities to enforce a full curfew to restore order.The district administration office (DAO) in Parsa imposed a curfew in Birgunj on Monday from 6pm (January 5) to 8am (January 6). With tensions still high and the threat persisting, authorities have extended the curfew until 1pm on Tuesday.“The curfew order issued yesterday, 2082.09.21 (2026.01.05) from 6:00pm to 8:00am on 2082.09.22 (2026.01.06), in view of the latest security situation, has been continued in the following four forts within the Birgunj Metropolitan City area of Parsa district, as per Section 6 (a) of the Local Administration Act, 2028, from today, 2082.09.22 (2026.01.06), until 1:00 PM, prohibiting anyone from moving within those boundaries, holding any kind of gathering, procession, demonstration, meeting, meeting, or siege,” the latest order said.The administration designated Bus Park, Nagwa, Inarwa (East), Sirsia River (West), Gandak Chowk (North), and Shankaracharya Gate (South) as the four pillars under the curfew.“During the curfew, security personnel are allowed to shoot on sight, so it is requested that you do not step out of your home except for essential purposes, and if you do need to step out, coordinate with the nearest security personnel or call 100,” the order warned. Authorities added that movement of essential service vehicles, ambulances, fire engines, health workers, media personnel, tourists, and vehicles of diplomatic missions would be allowed.The unrest in Birgunj, near the Indian state of Bihar, erupted on Sunday after a dispute between two groups was triggered by a TikTok video originating from Dhanusha’s Kamala Municipality. Two youths, Haider Ansari and Amanat Ansari, had uploaded a video in Janakpur, Dhanusha, which locals said hurt religious sentiments, leading to their handover to the police.Tensions escalated after a mosque in ward 6 of Kamala Municipality was vandalized. Demonstrators in Birgunj protested by staging rallies, burning tyres, and chanting slogans. The unrest, initially confined to Dhanusha and Parsa, spread via TikTok, with both sides taking to the streets over religious and communal concerns.

What if someone knows what is about to happen and bets on it? This is just what many people are wondering after a mystery trader walked away with a payout of more than $436,000 from an online prediction market, after US announced the capture of Venezuela’s former President, Nicolas Maduro, according to CBS news.An anonymous user on cryptocurrency-based prediction platform, Polymarket, placed a wager of roughly $32,000 on Maduro’s removal from power shortly before US President Donald Trump publicly announced that US forces had ousted the former Venezuelan leader. The timing of the bet has raised serious concerns among legal and financial experts about whether the trader may have had access to inside information, and what it means for the integrity of such platforms.

Here’s what happened:

The bettor, whose account appeared to have been created in December, staked $32,537 on the outcome that Maduro would be “out by January 31, 2026.” The speculative bet was placed just before Trump posted on Truth Social at 4.21 am on Saturday announcing Maduro’s arrest. That single wager ultimately paid out more than $436,000, according to market data, prompting scrutiny over whether the trade was placed with knowledge of a classified US operation to seize Maduro and his wife. The bettor had also placed many other bets surrounding Venezuela.

The win sounds sus…

Experts told CBS news that several red flags point to the possibility of insider knowledge. “It clearly suggests that the bettor did have access to inside information,” said Dennis Kelleher, co-founder and chief executive of Better Markets, a non-partisan financial reform advocacy group. “This particular bet has all the hallmarks of a trade based on inside information. It happened very late, right before the very event they were betting on happened; it was a relatively large amount of money; and it happened in a market that is not really regulated and where there is no transparency.” The same Polymarket account also placed three additional wagers closely linked to US action against Venezuela: a $1,000 bet that the US would invade Venezuela by January 31; a $250 wager that Trump would invoke the War Powers Act against Venezuela by the same date; and a $146 bet predicting that US forces would land in Venezuela before the end of the month. “It was a new account only betting on issues around the Venezuelan president’s potential removal from office — there are a lot of telltale signs that make it seem like insider trading,” Stephen Piepgrass, a regulatory attorney at Troutman Pepper told CBS news.

Polymarket

Polymarket, a New York-based prediction market that recently secured a $2 billion investment from stock exchange operator Intercontinental Exchange, did not respond to requests for comment on the Maduro-related wagers. The platform is currently seeking regulatory approval to operate in the United States. However, company chief executive Shayne Coplan has previously acknowledged that insiders can influence prediction markets. Speaking to CBS news he said that insiders “having an edge to the market is a good thing”. “Obviously, you need to curate them and you need to be really clear and stringent on where the line is drawn and, like, sort of ethics, and we spend a lot of time on that. But it’s sort of an inevitability that this will happen, and there’s a lot of benefits from it. And, you know, people will adapt,” he told 60 Minutes’ Anderson Cooper. The controversy has also drawn attention to the broader regulatory gaps surrounding prediction markets. Oversight of such platforms falls under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which also regulates similar services such as Kalshi. Legal experts told CBS news that the Maduro wager could potentially violate the Commodity Exchange Act, which governs futures and options trading and prohibits betting on events related to assassination, terrorism and war. Kelleher warned that the episode exposes broader risks for everyday users of prediction markets. “Consumers and investors should know that these are totally unregulated, non-transparent markets and that the odds of losing money are incredibly high,” he said.

HYDERABAD: A 27-year-old woman from Hyderabad, Nikitha Godishala, employed in Columbia, in the US state of Maryland, was found murdered in the apartment of an Indian man who is believed to have fled to India. Howard County police confirmed that the man, Arjun Sharma (26), is wanted on first- and second-degree murder charges.Howard County police discovered Nikitha’s body on Jan 3 at the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road, Columbia, following a search of Sharma’s apartment. Sharma had reported Nikitha missing on Jan 2. Nikitha, who lived in nearby Ellicott City, had gone to Sharma’s residence on Dec 31 to collect money he had borrowed from her, according to her cousin, Saraswati.Saraswati claimed Nikitha had initially sent Sharma $4,500, of which he had returned $3,500. When he requested an additional $1,000, she refused and asked him to return the outstanding amount from the earlier loan, she said. Sharma assured her he would pay, prompting Nikitha to visit him at his apartment where she was murdered.Howard County police confirmed on Jan 4 that Nikitha’s body bore stab wounds.Not ex-boyfriend: FatherSpeaking to the media in Secunderabad, Nikitha’s father, Anand Godishala, clarified reports labelling Sharma as her ex-boyfriend. “The alleged culprit is not her ex-boyfriend. Please do not report it like that. He was one of the four housemates in the flat where she stayed and moved away. Nikitha lent him money and when she asked for the money back, he called her to his house and committed the crime,” he alleged.The Indian embassy in the US confirmed that it was in touch with Nikitha’s family and was providing all possible consular assistance, while also following up with local authorities.Nikitha had completed her master’s in health information technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2022-23, and had been working with Vheda Health as a data and strategy analyst since Feb 2025. Prior to moving to the US, she worked as a clinical data analyst at a corporate hospital in Hyderabad.Future aspirationsIn Dec 2025, Nikitha shared her professional achievements and future aspirations on LinkedIn. “9 Months. 1 Award. A Completely Transformed Year. I’m closing out 2025 with a milestone I didn’t expect so soon, receiving the All-In Award at Vheda Health. This recognition means more than the award itself. It reflects how deeply the right environment, people, and culture can shape someone’s growth,” she wrote.“This award is a reminder of the purpose and responsibility I carry forward. I’m excited to continue contributing with intention, creativity, and that same ‘all-in’ energy that brought me here. Here’s to growing, building, and stepping into 2026 with momentum,” she added.Following her disappearance, the Indian community in the US launched an online search campaign. A Facebook post by Shekhar Goswami urged residents of Columbia to be on the lookout. “Her friends already filed a police report, but we need more eyes on the ground. If you live in or around the Columbia area, please keep a lookout. If you have any information, no matter how small, please contact the Howard County police department,” the post said.The crime has sent shockwaves through both Hyderabad and the Indian community in Maryland, prompting authorities to intensify their efforts to locate the suspect.

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard‘s (ICG) first indigenously designed and built pollution control vessel ‘Samudra Pratap’ in Goa on Monday, saying the ship will “bolster India’s self-confidence”. The 114.5-metre vessel, built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), has over 60% of indigenous content.During the commissioning of ‘Samudra Pratap’ in Goa, the defence minister said, “”Commissioning of this ship will increase our strength. This ship is the symbol of our collective resolve. When this ship advances against the waves, then our Coast Guard and India’s self-confidence will also be bolstered. I have been told that this ship is designed with a focus on pollution control, but I also believe it is capable of search and rescue operations, coastal patrol and is important in strengthening maritime safety.“

‘Samudra Pratap’, which is a significant milestone in India’s journey towards self-reliance in defence production, is also the largest ship in the Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) fleet, significantly enhancing its operational reach and capability.“It is a product of the modern approach adopted by GSL, to enhance flexibility and readiness to deal with present-day maritime challenges,” Rajnath said, adding, “Our Coast Guard has instilled such fear in the minds of our enemies that if anyone dares to even cast an eye toward our borders, the Coast Guard will leave them in no condition to do so again.”He said the ‘Samudra Pratap’ commissioning is linked to the country’s grand maritime vision, which recognises that marine resources are not the property of any single nation but the shared heritage of humanity. “When a heritage is shared, the responsibility for its protection is also shared. That is why India today stands firmly on the global stage, guided by the principles of peace, stability, and environmental responsibility,” he said.On X, ICG said. “Built by GSL with over 60% indigenous content, the 114.5 metre, 4,200 tonnes vessel boasts a speed of more than 22 knots and an endurance of 6,000 nm, significantly enhancing the ICG’s pollution response, fire-fighting, and maritime safety and security capabilities.”Equipped with advanced systems, ‘Samudra Pratap’ will significantly enhance ICG’s capability to address oil spills, maritime emergencies and security challenges in exclusive economic zones and beyond. It has been designed and constructed in-house to meet the coast guard’s specific operational requirements.The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including a 30mm CRN-91 gun, two 12.7mm stabilised remote-controlled guns with integrated fire control systems, an indigenously developed integrated bridge system, integrated platform management system, automated power management system, and a high-capacity external firefighting system, as per ICG. The ship will be based at ICG’s Kochi base.Hailing India as a responsible maritime power, the Defence Minister said that, “At a time when the world is passing through an era of global maritime uncertainty, India has repeatedly proven that it safeguards not only its own interests but also ensures peace and stability across the entire Indo-Pacific region. This inclusive approach of moving forward together is what makes India a responsible maritime power.”“We must shape norms in the field of maritime governance, strengthen capacity-building initiatives and advance cooperative frameworks. The Indian Coast Guard must elevate its operational doctrines, institutional practices, and technological innovations to such benchmarks that their best practices are followed worldwide,” he said.