The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) issued a letter on Wednesday to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) alleging that IndiGo imposed a “hiring freeze” despite having a two-year window to prepare for the full rollout of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew.“Despite the two-year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices,” FIP said, as cited by PTI.

It further asked the DGCA to consider reallocating IndiGo’s slots to carriers capable of operating them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if the airline continues to “fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages.”The pilots’ body emphasised that the recent surge in IndiGo flight cancellations is not related to the Delhi High Court–mandated FDTL regulations for pilots.“All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation,” FIP said. “The current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo’s prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in-flight operations,” it added. After phase 1 of the FDTL norms came into force on July 1, the FIP said “IndiGo reduced pilot leave quotas,” and following the implementation of phase 2 on November 1, “attempted to buy back pilot leave.”“These measures saw poor response and further damaged pilot and employee morale — especially in a year when airline executives took home record increments approaching or exceeding 100 per cent, while simultaneously blaming pilot migration instead of investing in retention and workplace improvements,” said FIP. On Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled more than 150 flights and faced lengthy delays across several airports, citing multiple factors, including crew shortages linked to the rollout of the new FDTL norms.According to civil aviation ministry data, just 19.7 per cent of IndiGo’s flights were on time across six major airports.FIP urged the regulator not to approve airlines’ seasonal schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate flights “safely and reliably” under the new norms. It added that even as the busy winter fog season began, a period that naturally requires higher pilot availability, IndiGo expanded its winter schedule “without recruiting or training additional pilots,” raising concerns about operational responsibility.The letter also pointed out that, in keeping with international practice, the Indian aviation regulator approves two schedules for domestic airlines each year: the winter schedule (late October to late March) and the summer schedule (late March to late October).The latest FDTL norms, which increase weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extend night duty hours, and reduce the number of permissible night landings from six to two, were initially opposed by domestic airlines, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India. Although the rules were originally scheduled for implementation in March 2024, carriers sought a phased rollout, citing the need for additional crew to meet the revised requirements.

The EU’s former foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has been accused of fraud as part of an EU investigation into the misuse of funds, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has said.

The EPPO said searches were carried out on Tuesday at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, headed by Ms Mogherini, as well as the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels – the office she ran for five years as the bloc’s top diplomat.

The investigation relates to EU-funded training for junior diplomats, the EPPO said.

As well as Ms Mogherini, a senior College of Europe staff member and a senior official from the European Commission were detained, the prosecutor’s office added.

According to the EPPO, the three were formally told of the allegations against them: “the accusations concern procurement fraud and corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy.”

The three accused were all subsequently released as they were not considered a flight risk and their homes were also searched.

After a reported 10 hours of questioning, Ms Mogherini issued a statement saying she had “clarified my position with the investigators”, adding that, “in its long tradition, the College has always applied and will continue to apply the highest standards of integrity and fairness”.

“I have full confidence in the justice system, and I trust that the correctness of the College’s actions will be ascertained. I will obviously continue to offer my full collaboration to the authorities,” she said.

Under Belgian law, a person can be arrested then released without being charged, while remaining a suspect.

The EPPO said the investigation focused on a tender that the EEAS awarded to the College of Europe in 2021-2022.

It added that there were “strong suspicions” of favouritism related to the tender for a nine-month training course for junior diplomats.

The EPPO, which investigates alleged crimes against the financial interests of the EU, did not name the three people questioned but said the immunity of several suspects had been lifted as part of the investigation.

The College of Europe is an independent school attended by aspiring EU civil servants. It is closely associated with and partly funded by the EU.

In a week dominated by currency-market jitters, the Indian rupee’s slide towards the 90 mark has sparked intense speculation across trading desks. While the Reserve Bank of India stepped in briefly earlier this week—preventing the currency from breaching that psychological barrier—market participants are now debating what comes next.

Speaking to ET Now, currency expert Abhishek Goenka offered a measured but candid view of the rupee’s recent weakness and the road ahead.

In response to a question on the currency’s sharp slide and limited RBI intervention, Goenka noted that the rupee is currently seeking its natural equilibrium. “It finds its true level and unfortunately at this point of time neither the current account nor the capital account is in our favour and right now we are seeing that run of rupee like we see every two-three years, but I do not think this is something which something needs to about,” he said.

He explained that while the rupee typically sees around 3% depreciation in a cycle, this year it has already fallen close to 6%, leaving it “clearly undervalued by around 3%.” In the near term, Goenka believes the currency could slip further. “So, in short term the markets could go maybe 90.5, 91 it is anybody’s guess,” he said.

However, he emphasised that the medium-term picture remains far more stable. With inflation under control, growth holding steady, and expectations that gold imports will cool off, he believes the current account position should improve. He also anticipates positive developments on the trade front. Once these factors align, Goenka expects the rupee to firm up: “rupee is going to find its true level, I think that is close to around 88 to a dollar and these are good levels to actually start booking long-term positions of exports, especially for exporters who are active in the market.”

When asked whether a further slide was still on the cards, Goenka acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding short-term moves. “Well, it is anybody’s guess, but technically obviously the levels of 90.75 are the first levels that possibly rupee could go,” he said.

But he also pointed out that markets may soon get relief from policy actions or announcements. “As I said, we are entering into a zone where we could see some announcements coming from either India or US, something to stop this free fall and our fundamentals are saying is pretty okay. I do not think we should be reading too much in the news right now and I think we should start thinking on at these levels.”

As traders brace for volatility, Goenka’s message is clear: the worst may not be over in the very short term, but the structural story remains intact—and the rupee may well be undervalued rather than broken.

NEW DELHI: Hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival in New Delhi, Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Modi-led Centre, saying it no longer follows the tradition of allowing foreign dignitaries to meet the Leader of Opposition, a practice observed during the tenures of former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Rahul expressed displeasure that the LoP is not given the opportunity to meet visiting foreign leaders, arguing that the opposition also represents India.

Rahul said, “Generally, the tradition has been that whoever visits India, the LoP used to have a meeting. It used to happen in the Vajpayee government, the Manmohan Singh government. But this is not the case now. Whenever I visit abroad, they suggest that those people shouldn’t meet the LoP. People told us we have been informed not to meet the LoP. LoP provides a second perspective; we also represent India, but the government doesn’t want us to meet foreign dignitaries. PM Modi and the foreign ministry do not follow this now because of insecurity.”Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi also reacted on Rahul’s concern of government not letting LoP meet visiting dignitaries, she said, “It is very weird. There is a protocol, and all visiting dignitaries meet the LoP. The protocol is being reversed by the government and all their policies are based on this. They don’t want anyone to raise their voice. They don’t want to listen to any other opinion. They should abide by the protocols of a democracy. God knows what they are scared of... In a democracy, everyone should be able to put forward their opinions, discussions must be held, and appropriate action must be taken… The government is insecure, and this decision is a reflection of that… What will they get by breaking and reversing this protocol? This is their insecurity… The image of democracy is tarnished in the world.”Meanwhile, Russian media agency TASS reported that President Putin has departed for his two-day state visit to India.According to the outlet, the Russian delegation will hold wide-ranging discussions on cooperation in trade and economic areas, scientific and technological fields, and cultural and humanitarian sectors. Current international and regional issues will also be part of the agenda.TASS also reported that ten intergovernmental documents and more than fifteen agreements and memorandums between commercial and non-commercial entities of both countries are expected to be signed during the visit.Putin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi this evening for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit. This is his first visit to India since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022; his last visit was in December 2021. The two-day trip is taking place at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Prime Minister is also set to host a private dinner for the Russian President upon his arrival in the capital.