India asks citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela
New Delhi (PTI): India on Saturday night advised its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela in view of the situation arising out of the capture of the oil-rich country's president by the US.
The Ministry of External Affairs also asked all Indians who are in Venezuela to exercise extreme caution and restrict their movements.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a large-scale US strike on the capital city of Caracas, according to President Donald Trump.
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The US action has triggered political uncertainty in the South American country, with many leading powers, including Russia and China, slamming Washington for the operation and capture of Maduro and his wife.
"In view of recent developments in Venezuela, Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela," the external affairs ministry said
"All Indians who are in Venezuela for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements, and remain in contact with the Embassy of India in Caracas," it said.
The ministry asked Indians to get in touch with the embassy through phone number +58-412-9584288 (also for WhatsApp calls) as well as email.
There are around 50 Non-Resident Indians and 30 Persons of Indian Origin in Venezuela.
Hours after the operation in Caracas, Trump posted a photo of Maduro aboard the US warship USS Iwo Jima.
Maduro is being brought to New York, where he will face charges relating to supporting drug cartels, according to US authorities.
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Rupee falls 4 paise to 90.24 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee opened weak and declined 4 paise to 90.24 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, as geopolitical uncertainties triggered by the US intervention in Venezuela fuelled the demand for the American currency.
According to forex traders, the rupee is expected to trade lower due to geopolitical development, even though a lower crude prices could provide some cushion.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.21 against the US dollar and lost further to trade at 90.24 against the greenback in early deals.
On Friday, the rupee settled lower by 22 paise at 90.20 against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.36 per cent higher at 98.50.
The US on Saturday carried out a military operation in Venezuela an deposed President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said the US would "run" the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at USD 60.70 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 135.81 points to 85,626.20 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 25.75 points to 26,302.80.
Foreign institutional investors turned net buyers, picking up equities worth Rs 289.80 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
The latest RBI data released on Friday showed India's forex reserves jumped by USD 3.293 billion to USD 696.61 billion in the week to December 26. The overall kitty had increased by USD 4.368 billion to USD 693.318 billion in the previous reporting week.
